Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Spelling is Just a Click Away – A User-Centered Brain–Computer Interface Including Auto-Calibration and Predictive Text Entry

Brain–computer interfaces (BCI) based on event-related potentials (ERP) allow for selection of characters from a visually presented character-matrix and thus provide a communication channel for users with neurodegenerative disease. Although they have been topic of research for more than 20 years and were multiply proven to be a reliable communication method, BCIs are almost exclusively used in experimental settings, handled by qualified experts. This study investigates if ERP–BCIs can be handled independently by laymen without expert support, which is inevitable for establishing BCIs in end-user’s daily life situations. Furthermore we compared the classic character-by-character text entry against a predictive text entry (PTE) that directly incorporates predictive text into the character-matrix. N = 19 BCI novices handled a user-centered ERP–BCI application on their own without expert support. The software individually adjusted classifier weights and control parameters in the background, invisible to the user (auto-calibration). All participants were able to operate the software on their own and to twice correctly spell a sentence with the auto-calibrated classifier (once with PTE, once without). Our PTE increased spelling speed and, importantly, did not reduce accuracy. In sum, this study demonstrates feasibility of auto-calibrating ERP–BCI use, independently by laymen and the strong benefit of integrating predictive text directly into the character-matrix.
Nonlamellar liquid crystalline nanostructured particles: advances in materials and structure determination

Analogous to the dispersion of lamellar phase-forming lipids to form liposomes, dispersion of lipids that form alternative liquid crystalline structures, such as cubic and hexagonal phase, forms particles termed cubosomes and hexosomes, respectively. Although these particles possess alternative structural forms and hence behavior, when compared to liposomes, they have received significantly less attention in the literature. While most studies have utilized glyceride lipids to prepare nonlamellar dispersions, recent advances in identifying new materials from which to prepare these particles has broadened the interest in this field. This review focuses on the materials used to form nonlamellar dispersions and the methods used to characterize their structure. Increased awareness of their structural characteristics and hence potential benefits in applications, such as drug delivery, is hoped to stimulate further studies that will ultimately see their uptake in commercial products.
Reliability- and process variation-aware placement for FPGAs

Negative bias temperature instability (NBTI) significantly affects nanoscale integrated circuit performance and reliability. The degradation in threshold voltage (Vth) due to NBTI is further affected by the initial value of Vth from fabrication-induced process variation (PV). Addressing these challenges in embedded FPGA designs is possible, as FPGA reconfigurablility can be exploited to measure the exact timing degradation of an FPGA due to the joint effect of NBTI and PV at run time with low overhead. The gathered information can then be used to improve the run-time performance and reliability of FPGA designs without targeting the pessimistic worst case. In this paper, we present joint NBTI/PV-aware placement techniques for FPGAs, including NBTI/PV-aware timing analysis, region-based delay estimation, and a new move-acceptance procedure. To evaluate the proposed techniques, we combine PV measurements from 15 Xilinx Virtex-II Pro FPGAs with a model of NBTI. The proposed techniques reduce the effect of NBTI/PV by more than 60% for over 60% of the 15 FPGA chips used in the experiments, with a typical run-time overhead of 1.4–1.8X. The standalone move-acceptance procedure also produces good results with negligible run-time overhead, making it suitable for online FPGA compilation and optimization flows.
Why Selective Publication of Statistically Significant Results Can Be Effective

Concerns exist within the medical and psychological sciences that many published research findings are not replicable. Guidelines accordingly recommend that the file drawer effect should be eliminated and that statistical significance should not be a criterion in the decision to submit and publish scientific results. By means of a simulation study, we show that selectively publishing effects that differ significantly from the cumulative meta-analytic effect evokes the Proteus phenomenon of poorly replicable and alternating findings. However, the simulation also shows that the selective publication approach yields a scientific record that is content rich as compared to publishing everything, in the sense that fewer publications are needed for obtaining an accurate meta-analytic estimation of the true effect. We conclude that, under the assumption of self-correcting science, the file drawer effect can be beneficial for the scientific collective.
The new pre-cataclysmic binary PG 2200+085

Aims. We present the results of spectroscopic- and orbit-sampled photometric observations of the faint UV-excess object PG 2200+085. Methods. The optical CCD photometry observations of this object were performed by the Russian-Turkish 1.5-m telescope RTT150 at the TUBITAK National Observatory (Turkey). The long-slit optical spectroscopy observations with 2.6 A resolution were carried out by 6-m telescope BTA at the Special Astrophysical Observatory (Russia). Results. The photometric variations over two nights are almost sinusoidal with an amplitude ∆mV = 0. m 04 and a period of P = 0.3186 d. Such a light curve is typical of a detached close binary with an illumination effect or the ellipsoidal deformation of a secondary star. The observed spectrum clearly displays a featureless blue continuum of a hot component and a rich absorption-line and molecular band K-star spectrum. The CaII line profiles with strong emission cores are remarkably similar to those of V471 Tau. Conclusions. We tentatively classify PG 2200+085 as a pre-cataclysmic binary of the V471 Tau type.
Transcranial Doppler Correlation With Cerebral Angiography in Sickle Cell Disease

Background and Purpose Cerebral infarction in sickle cell disease is associated with arterial narrowing or occlusions of intracranial arteries. Primary stroke prevention would be feasible if a noninvasive screening test could be developed to detect intracranial disease in patients before symptoms develop. Methods To determine the sensitivity and specificity of transcranial Doppler in detecting significant (≥50% lumen diameter reduction) intracranial arterial lesions, we compared transcranial Doppler and cerebral angiography in a primarily young, symptomatic group of 33 patients (18 males and 15 females) with sickle cell disease. Results From a total of 34 examinations, transcranial Doppler detected significant abnormalities in 26 of 29 (sensitivity 90%, specificity 100%). Five were normal by both techniques. The transorbital examination detected abnormalities in two patients whose studies were otherwise unremarkable. Conclusions Transcranial Doppler is sensitive and specific for the detection of arterial vasculopathy of sickle cell disease. Screening should include a transorbital examination of the distal internal carotid artery as well as examination using the transtemporal approach.
Asymptotically optimal transmission policies for low-power wireless sensor networks

We consider wireless sensor networks with multiple gateways and multiple classes of traffic carrying data generated by different sensory inputs. The objective is to devise joint routing, power control and transmission scheduling policies in order to gather data in the most efficient manner while respecting the needs of different sensing tasks (fairness). We formulate the problem as maximizing the utility of transmissions subject to explicit fairness constraints. We propose an efficient decomposition algorithm drawing upon large-scale decomposition ideas in mathematical programming. We show that our algorithm terminates in a finite number of iterations and produces a policy that is asymptotically optimal at low transmission power levels. Moreover, numerical results establish that this policy is near-optimal even at high power levels. We also demonstrate how to adapt our algorithm to accommodate energy constraints and node failures. The approach we introduce can efficiently determine near-optimal transmission policies for dramatically larger problem instances than an alternative enumeration approach.
Maximum likelihood binary shift-register synthesis from noisy observations

We consider the problem of estimating the feedback coefficients of a linear feedback shift register (LFSR) based on noisy observations. In the current approach, the coefficients are endowed with a probabilistic model. Gradient ascent updates to coefficient probabilities are computable using recursions developed by means of the EM algorithm. Reduced-complexity approximations are also developed by reducing the number of coefficients propagated at each stage. Applications of this method may include soft decision decoding and blind spread spectrum interception.
Triple Immunofluorescence Staining with Antibodies Raised in the Same Species to Study the Complex Innervation Pattern of Intrapulmonary Chemoreceptors

A general problem in immunocytochemistry is the development of a reliable multiple immunolabeling method when primary antibodies must be used that originate in the same species. We have developed a protocol for the immunodetection of three antigens in a single tissue preparation, using unconjugated primary antibodies raised in the same species. Immunocytochemical detection of neuronal nitric oxide synthase, calcitonin gene-related peptide, and calbindin D28k in the lung of rats demonstrated that part of the pulmonary neuroepithelial bodies are selectively contacted by at least three different nerve fiber populations. The first antigen was detected using tyramide signal amplification, a very sensitive method allowing a dilution of the first primary antibody far beyond the detection limit of fluorescently labeled secondary antibodies. The second antigen was visualized by a fluorophore-conjugated secondary monovalent Fab antibody that at the same time blocks the access of the third secondary antibody to the second primary antibody. Moreover, the monovalence of the Fab fragment prevents the third primary antibody from binding with the second-step secondary antibody. The triple staining technique described here is generally applicable, uses commercially available products only, and allows the detection of three antigens in the same preparation with primary antibodies that are raised in the same species.
Wave Loads on a Point-Absorbing Wave Energy Device in Extreme Waves

The survivability of a 1:20 scale point-absorbing Wave Energy Converter (WEC) model is considered in extreme wave tests with focused waves embedded in regular wave backgrounds and with time series of irregular waves. The wave heights were many times higher than the maximal stroke length of the device. Three different float geometries were used in the tests. The peak loads were measured and compared for extreme waves embedded in background waves with a range of periods and phase relations and with different values of Power Take-Off (PTO) damping.
Bilateral Choanal Atresia Associated with Malformation of the Anterior Skull Base: Embryogenesis and Clinical Implications

A number of craniofacial and systemic malformations have been described in association with choanal atresia. We report a case of bilateral choanal atresia associated with congenital absence of the cribriform plate, crista galli, and perpendicular plate of the ethmoid bone. The anterior skull base defect was detected by using high-resolution computed tomography with three-dimensional reconstructions. The findings support the mesodermal flow theory of choanal atresia, in which there is excess migration of neural crest cells into the developing nasal septum and posterior choanae. This occurs at the expense of cells that would otherwise form the rest of the ethmoid complex. Clinical implications include the need for adequate preoperative imaging of the anterior skull base and consideration of potential intracranial complications during surgical repair.
The prevalence of SDHB, SDHC, and SDHD mutations in patients with head and neck paraganglioma and association of mutations with clinical features

Paraganglioma (PGL) is a rare disorder (MIM 168000) characterised by tumours of the paraganglia, a collection of neuroendocrine tissues and small organs which are distributed throughout the body. The normal paraganglia play an important role in homeostasis either by acting directly as chemical sensors or by secreting catecholamines in response to stress. PGL is broadly categorised into two groups, those occurring in the head and neck region and those occurring elsewhere, with the adrenal medulla being the major site. Tumours in the head and neck have been detected in nearly 20 distinct locations including the jugular, vagal, tympanic, and aortic paraganglia, however the carotid body is the major site.1 The paraganglia of the head and neck region have sensory innervation and function as chemoreceptors. They are associated with the parasympathetic nervous system and are located in the vicinity of major arteries and nerves. The tumours usually present as an asymptomatic slow growing mass, lacking endocrine activity. The tumours are mostly benign but local expansion can cause cranial nerve deficit, invasion of the skull base, and eventually compression of the brain stem. The incidence of head and neck PGL is difficult to determine, however estimates range from 1 in 30 000 to 1 in 100 000 in the general population.2,3 To date, four genetic loci have been implicated in the pathogenesis of head and neck PGL. PGL1 was mapped to the long arm of chromosome 11 at 11q23 in several Dutch4,5 and North American families.6–8 Candidate gene analysis in the region revealed germline mutations in the succinate dehydrogenase subunit D ( SDHD ) gene in families carrying the PGL1 locus.9 Linkage analysis of another unrelated Dutch pedigree revealed the presence of a second more proximal locus ( PGL2 ) on 11q13.10 This locus remains unconfirmed. PGL3 …
Temporal contribution of the platelet body and balloon to thrombin generation

Ballooned platelets are part of the haemostatic plug and thrombus architecture; however, it is unclear whether the procoagulant nidus of the ballooned platelet is the platelet body or balloon. Here we show that both the platelet body and balloon provide procoagulant surfaces but that these are
A Gja1 missense mutation in a mouse model of oculodentodigital dysplasia

Oculodentodigital dysplasia (ODDD) is an autosomal dominant disorder characterized by pleiotropic developmental anomalies of the limbs, teeth, face and eyes that was shown recently to be caused by mutations in the gap junction protein alpha 1 gene (GJA1), encoding connexin 43 (Cx43). In the course of performing an N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea mutagenesis screen, we identified a dominant mouse mutation that exhibits many classic symptoms of ODDD, including syndactyly, enamel hypoplasia, craniofacial anomalies and cardiac dysfunction. Positional cloning revealed that these mice carry a point mutation in Gja1 leading to the substitution of a highly conserved amino acid (G60S) in Cx43. In vivo and in vitro studies revealed that the mutant Cx43 protein acts in a dominant-negative fashion to disrupt gap junction assembly and function. In addition to the classic features of ODDD, these mutant mice also showed decreased bone mass and mechanical strength, as well as altered hematopoietic stem cell and progenitor populations. Thus, these mice represent an experimental model with which to explore the clinical manifestations of ODDD and to evaluate potential intervention strategies.
Effect of exercise on proglycogen and macroglycogen content in skeletal muscles of pigs with the Rendement Napole mutation.

OBJECTIVE To investigate influence of the Rendement Napole (RN-) mutation on proglycogen (PG) and macroglycogen (MG) content in skeletal muscles before and after exercise and evaluate glycogen concentrations within various muscle fiber types. ANIMALS 5 pigs with the RN- mutation and 3 noncarrier pigs. PROCEDURE Pigs performed 2 exercise tests on a treadmill. In the first, pigs (mean body weight, 27 kg) ran a distance of approximately 800 m. In the second, pigs (mean body weight, 63 kg) ran until fatigued. Biopsy specimens (biceps femoris muscle) for determination of PG and MG contents were obtained before and after exercise, 24 hours after the first test, and 3 hours after the second test. Histochemical analysis was performed on specimens obtained before and after the second test. RESULTS Before exercise, PG stores did not differ markedly between groups, but MG stores were twice as high in pigs with the RN- mutation, compared with noncarrier pigs. The MG content decreased to a similar extent in both groups after exercise. Resynthesis of MG was greater in pigs with the RN- mutation than in noncarrier pigs by 3 hours after exercise. A low glycogen content after exercise was observed in many type I and type IIA fibers and in some type lIB fibers. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE The RN- mutation was associated with high MG stores in skeletal muscle that did not influence exercise performance. The RN- mutation did not impair glycogenolysis during exercise but may induce faster resynthesis of MG after exercise.
Mycophenolate Mofetil in Pediatric Renal Transplantation

Mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) has become a popular immunosuppressive agent in pediatric renal transplantation and has helped to address the unique challenges of transplantation in this population. This paper reviews the early studies that proved MMF's efficacy in reducing the risk of acute renal rejection, as well as its safety and tolerability in comparison to azathioprine. Key conclusions about the pharmacokinetics of MMF from studies of MMF alone and in combination with other immunosuppressive therapies are outlined. The importance of therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) in this population is also explored in this review. Finally, recent studies showing that newer agents used in combination with MMF can further increase efficacy and reduce the risk of adverse events such as posttransplant lymphoproliferative disease are discussed.
Environment and activity affect skin temperature in breeding adult male elephant seals (Mirounga angustirostris)

SUMMARY The large body size and high rates of metabolic heat production associated with male mating success in polygynous systems creates potential thermoregulatory challenges for species breeding in warm climates. This is especially true for marine predators carrying large blubber reserves intended for thermoregulation in cold water and fuel provision during extended fasts. Thermographic images were used to measure changes in skin temperature (TS) in adult male northern elephant seals (Mirounga angustirostris) over the breeding season. Environmental variables, primarily ambient temperature and solar radiation, were the principal determinants of mean and maximum TS. When controlled for environmental variables, dominance rank significantly impacted mean TS, being highest in alpha males. Behavioral activity significantly influenced TS but in a counter-intuitive way, with inactive males exhibiting the highest TS. This was likely due to strong impacts of environmental variables on the kinds of behavior exhibited, with males being less active on warm, humid days at peak solar radiation. We classified thermal windows as areas in which TS was one standard deviation greater than mean TS for the individual seal within a thermograph. Thermal features suggest active physiological thermoregulation during and after combat and significant circulatory adaptations for heat dumping, as evidenced by recurring locations of thermal windows representing widely varying TS values. Frequent observations of localized TS above 37°C, particularly after combat, suggest the production of thermoregulatory stress during breeding behavior. Our findings demonstrate the importance of environmental drivers in shaping activity patterns during breeding and provide evidence for thermoregulatory costs of successful breeding in large polygynous males.
Improving Online Machine Translation Systems

In (Mellebeek et al., 2005), we proposed the design, implementation and evaluation of a novel and modular approach to boost the translation performance of existing, wide-coverage, freely available machine translation systems, based on reliable and fast automatic decomposition of the translation input and corresponding composition of translation output. Despite showing some initial promise, our method did not improve on the baseline Logomedia1 and Systran2 MT systems. In this paper, we improve on the algorithm presented in (Mellebeek et al., 2005), and on the same test data, show increased scores for a range of automatic evaluation metrics. Our algorithm now outperforms Logomedia, obtains similar results to SDL3 and falls tantalisingly short of the performance achieved by Systran.
Intermittent hypoxia with or without hypercapnia is associated with tumorigenesis by decreasing the expression of brain derived neurotrophic factor and miR‐34a in rats

Background Very recent studies revealed that obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is a contributor of the increased incidence and mortality of cancer in humans, but mechanisms of how OSA promotes tumorigenesis remains largely unknown. We investigated whether intermittent hypoxia with and without hypercapnia plays a role in tumorigenesis. Methods First, Sprague‐Dawley (SD) male rats (12 weeks old) were subjected to different hypoxia exposures: intermittent hypoxia and intermittent hypoxia with hypercapnia; continuous hypoxia and normal air. The systemic application of chronic fast rate hypoxia with or without hypercapnia mimicked severe OSA patients with apnoea/hypopnea index equivalent to 60 events per hour. Then routine blood tests were performed and the levels of brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and miR‐34a were examined. Results In contrast to intermittent hypoxia with hypercapnia, both intermittent hypoxia and continuous hypoxia treatments caused significantly higher levels of haematology parameters than normoxia treatments. Compared to normoxia, intermittent hypoxia with hypercapnia exposure resulted in substantial decrease of serum BDNF and, miR‐34a in the lower brainstem, while less pronounced results were found in intermittent hypoxia and continuous hypoxia exposure. Conclusions The exposure of intermittent hypoxia with or without hypercapnia, mimicking the situations in severe OSA patients, was associated with, or even promoted tumorigenesis.