Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Transdermal alcohol monitoring combined with contingency management for driving while impaired offenders: A pilot randomized controlled study

ABSTRACT Objectives: In a pilot randomized controlled trial of contingency management (CM) and transdermal alcohol monitoring (TAM) with offenders driving while impaired by alcohol (DWI), perceptions regarding the acceptability of a TAM device, recruitment issues, and the impact of CM and TAM on alcohol use over a 6-week period were evaluated. The results aimed to inform the design of future trials and programs involving CM and TAM for DWI remediation. Methods: TAM devices were affixed to 37 voluntary, community-recruited male DWI offenders with problem alcohol use. They were randomized to one of 3 groups: (1) CM; (2) alcohol use feedback (FB); and (3) TAM device only (CTL). Quantitative and qualitative data were gathered on the acceptability of TAM devices and recruitment, and alcohol use was monitored via TAM and self-report. Results: The TAM device was perceived positively, with benefits for reducing drinking noted. Nevertheless, some of its inconveniences appeared to influence participant recruitment and attrition, including its large size and limited water resistance. TAM data revealed a significant main effect of time for reduction in weekly peak transdermal alcohol concentration (P = .02), with a decrease between means of weeks 1 and 6 (M = 0.15, SE = 0.02 vs. M = 0.09, SE = 0.02; P = .005). No significant group effect was detected. Conclusions: TAM is a viable adjunct to CM with DWI offenders, though the TAM device used here may influence both study recruitment and adherence. These findings can guide the design of future studies into CM and TAM for DWI remediation.
Temperature, but Not Available Energy, Affects the Expression of a Sexually Selected Ultraviolet (UV) Colour Trait in Male European Green Lizards

Background Colour signals are widely used in intraspecific communication and often linked to individual fitness. The development of some pigment-based (e.g. carotenoids) colours is often environment-dependent and costly for the signaller, however, for structural colours (e.g. ultraviolet [UV]) this topic is poorly understood, especially in terrestrial ectothermic vertebrates. Methodology/Principal Findings In a factorial experiment, we studied how available energy and time at elevated body temperature affects the annual expression of the nuptial throat colour patch in male European green lizards (Lacerta viridis) after hibernation and before mating season. In this species, there is a female preference for males with high throat UV reflectance, and males with high UV reflectance are more likely to win fights. We found that (i) while food shortage decreased lizards' body condition, it did not affect colour development, and (ii) the available time for maintaining high body temperature affected the development of UV colour without affecting body condition or other colour traits. Conclusions/Significance Our results demonstrate that the expression of a sexually selected structural colour signal depends on the time at elevated body temperature affecting physiological performance but not on available energy gained from food per se in an ectothermic vertebrate. We suggest that the effect of high ambient temperature on UV colour in male L. viridis makes it an honest signal, because success in acquiring thermally favourable territories and/or effective behavioural thermoregulation can both be linked to individual quality.
Elevated Nectin-2 expression is involved in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma by promoting cell migration and invasion

Nectin-2 is overexpressed in cancer cells and is associated with poor prognosis in patients with various types of cancers. However, its involvement in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) remains unknown. The present study aimed to investigate the expression pattern of Nectin-2, its clinical significance and its roles in the malignant phenotypes of ESCC. Expression levels of Nectin-2 mRNA and protein were respectively detected by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction, western blotting and immunohistochemistry, based on 106 newly diagnosed ESCC patients. The associations between Nectin-2 expression and clinicopathological characteristics of ESCC patients were statistically analyzed. The effects of Nectin-2 in migration and invasion were then determined by wound healing and Transwell assays performed using ESCC cell lines (ECA109 and KYSE510) transfected with small interfering (si) RNA against Nectin-2. It was found that Nectin-2 expression was significantly elevated at the mRNA and protein levels in ESCC tissues, compared with the normal esophageal mucosa (P<0.001). Nectin-2-positive immunoreactivity was mainly localized in the cytoplasm of cancer cells in ESCC tissues. In addition, the expression levels of Nectin-2 protein in ESCC tissues with advanced tumor stage (P=0.006) and poor differentiation (P=0.02) were increased compared with patients with early tumor stage and well to moderate differentiation. Additionally, knockdown of Nectin-2 in the 2 ESCC cell lines could effectively suppress the cell migration and invasion abilities (P<0.05). In conclusion, these findings revealed that Nectin-2 is generally overexpressed in ESCC and associated with aggressive cancer progression. The present data also indicated that the silencing of Nectin-2 with siRNA in ESCC cells may inhibit cell malignant biological properties, indicating its potential as a potential marker or a therapeutic target for ESCC.
Grey:white matter ratio at diagnosis and the risk of 10‐year multiple sclerosis progression

Grey matter (GM) and white matter (WM) are both affected in multiple sclerosis (MS). WM is predominantly involved in inflammatory demyelination of relapsing–remitting MS (RRMS), whereas GM is predominantly involved in neurodegenerative processes of secondary progressive MS. Thus, we investigated the ratio between GM and WM volumes in predicting MS evolution.
Opposite Effects of Methanandamide on Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Prostaglandin E2 and F2α Synthesis in Uterine Explants from Pregnant Mice

Prostaglandins (PG) are effective abortifacients and are important mediators of lipopolisaccharide (LPS)-induced embryonic resorption (ER). Besides, anandamide (AEA) has been described as one of the major endocannabinoids present in the uterus suggesting that it might play a role in reproduction. It has been reported that high levels of AEA are associated with pregnancy failure and that LPS increases AEA production. Also, it has been observed that AEA modulates PG production in different tissues. In this sense, we studied whether LPS-induced PG production is modulated by AEA and we also assessed the effect of this endocannabinoid on PG metabolism in an in vitro model. Uterine explants from BALB/c implantation sites were cultured in the presence of LPS plus cannabinoid receptor (CB) specific antagonists and PG production was assessed. Then, we studied the effect of exogenous AEA on different steps of PG metabolic pathway. We showed that AEA is involved in LPS-induced PG biosynthesis. Also, we observed that AEA exerts opposite effects on PGE2 and PGF2α biosynthesis, by inhibiting PGE2 production and increasing PGF2α levels. We suggest that AEA could be involved in the mechanisms implicated in LPS-induced ER. A better understanding of how AEA could be affecting ER could help developing specific interventions to prevent this pathology.
Guided Tissue Regeneration and Bone Grafts in the Treatment of Furcation Defects.

The present study evaluated the effects of guided tissue regeneration (GTR), with and without demineralized freeze-dried cortical bone grafts, in the treatment of furcation defects in 4 female beagle dogs with naturally occurring periodontal disease. The root surfaces were thoroughly debrided. Four weeks later, full thickness facial and lingual mucoperiosteal flaps were reflected using inverse bevel incisions on both sides of the mandible involving the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th premolar, and the 1st molar teeth. Following debridement, notches were placed on the roots at the level of supporting bone. Test quadrants were randomly selected and furcations were filled with reconstituted, demineralized, freeze-dried human cortical bone grafts. Following bone grafting, all defects were covered with an expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE) membrane, which was sutured with 4-0 sutures. Afterward, interproximal sutures were placed through the flaps, assuring the flaps covered the membranes completely. The contralateral side, serving as control, was treated by debridement only and application of ePTFE membrane. All membranes were removed 6 weeks after surgery. Dogs were sacrificed at 4 months after surgery. Both mesio-distal and bucco-lingual histologic sections were evaluated by descriptive histology. Linear measurements and surface area determination of the furcal tissues were carried out using the microscope attached to a digitizer. Twelve to 20 nonserial sections were made of the mid-buccal aspects of each root of each treated tooth. Half of these sections were stained with Harris' hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) and the other half stained with Mallory's trichrome stain. Additionally, another group of 12 to 20 non-serial sections cut in the mesio-distal direction were secured for the surface area measurements of the furcations. Mean values for each dog were obtained for test and control teeth. ANOVA procedure for a split plot design was employed. Periodontal healing following the use of guided tissue regeneration procedures resulted in an increase in connective tissue and alveolar bone regeneration. Adjunctive bone grafting did not appear to enhance regeneration. J Periodontol 1993; 64:1145-1153.
Inhibition of Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress Improves Mouse Embryo Development

X-box binding protein-1 (XBP-1) is an important regulator of a subset of genes during endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. In the current study, we analyzed endogenous XBP-1 expression and localization, with a view to determining the effects of ER stress on the developmental competency of preimplantation embryos in mice. Fluorescence staining revealed that functional XBP-1 is localized on mature oocyte spindles and abundant in the nucleus at the germinal vesicle (GV) stage. However, in preimplantation embryos, XBP-1 was solely detected in the cytoplasm at the one-cell stage. The density of XBP-1 was higher in the nucleus than the cytoplasm at the two-cell, four-cell, eight-cell, morula, and blastocyst stages. Furthermore, RT-PCR analysis confirmed active XBP-1 mRNA splicing at all preimplantation embryo stages, except the one-cell stage. Tunicamycin (TM), an ER stress inducer used as a positive control, promoted an increase in the density of nuclear XBP-1 at the one-cell and two-cell stages. Similarly, culture medium supplemented with 25 mM sorbitol displayed a remarkable increase active XBP-1 expression in the nuclei of 1-cell and 2-cell embryos. Conversely, high concentrations of TM or sorbitol led to reduced nuclear XBP-1 density and significant ER stress-induced apoptosis. Tauroursodeoxycholic acid (TUDCA), a known inhibitor of ER stress, improved the rate of two-cell embryo development to blastocysts by attenuating the expression of active XBP-1 protein in the nucleus at the two-cell stage. Our data collectively suggest that endogenous XBP-1 plays a role in normal preimplantation embryonic development. Moreover, XBP-1 splicing is activated to generate a functional form in mouse preimplantation embryos during culture stress. TUDCA inhibits hyperosmolar-induced ER stress as well as ER stress-induced apoptosis during mouse preimplantation embryo development.
Ecological radiation with limited morphological diversification in salamanders

A major goal of evolutionary biology is to explain morphological diversity among species. Many studies suggest that much morphological variation is explained by adaptation to different microhabitats. Here, we test whether morphology and microhabitat use are related in plethodontid salamanders, which contain the majority of salamander species, and have radiated into a striking diversity of microhabitats. We obtained microhabitat data for 189 species that also had both morphometric and phylogenetic data. We then tested for associations between morphology and microhabitat categories using phylogenetic comparative methods. Associations between morphology and ecology in plethodontids are largely confined to a single clade within one subfamily (Bolitoglossinae), whereas variation in morphology across other plethodontids is unrelated to microhabitat categories. These results demonstrate that ecological radiation and morphological evolution can be largely decoupled in a major clade. The results also offer a striking contrast to lizards, which typically show close relationships between morphology and microhabitat.
Effect of Acute Resistance Exercise on Appetite in Healthy Men

This study investigated the effects of acute resistance exercise on appetite markers ratings. Ten healthy male subjects participated voluntarily in the study and written informed consent was obtained from all subjects before participation. Subjects undertook two, 1,5 h trials (exercise and control) in a randomized crossover design. In the exercise trials subjects were performed three sets of 10 repetitions for each exercise (leg press, leg curl, chest press, lat pull down, shoulder press, biceps curl, sit–up ) at 80% of 10RM and a 60-second rest interval between exercises and a 2-minute rest interval between sets were provided. In the control trial, subjects rested for 1,5 h. Ratings of subjective feelings of appetite markers were reported on 100 mm visual analogue scales (VAS) at baseline (-20) and at 0, 20, 40, 60 and 90 mins after baseline. Visual analogue scales (VAS) were used to measure the following appetite markers: (i) Hunger, (ii) Fullness, (iii) Desire to Eat and (iv) Prospective Food Consumption. Repeated-measures, two factor ANOVA was used to examine differences between the two trials over time for hunger change. Between-trial differences at each time point were examined using one-way ANOVA and Bonferroni post hoc tests when significant interactions were found. Two-way ANOVAs revealed significant (P<0.05) trial effects (P<0.05) and time (P<0.05) effects in all appetite markers except desire to eat marker. In conclusion, acute resistance exercise increases appetite in healthy men. [Serife Ozen Burcin Olcucu, Seda Burkan, Gul Tıryakı-Sonmez . Effect of Acute Resistance Exercise on Appetite in Healthy Men. Life Sci J 2014;11(10):1220-1224]. (ISSN:1097-8135). http://www.lifesciencesite. com. 182
A measurement-based study of beaconing performance in IEEE 802.11p vehicular networks

Active safety applications for vehicular networks aims at improving safety conditions on the road by raising the level of “situation awareness” onboard vehicles. Situation awareness is achieved through exchange of beacons reporting positional and kinematic data. Two important performance parameters influence the level of situation awareness available to the active safety application: the beacon (packet) delivery rate (PDR), and the packet inter-reception (PIR) time. While measurement-based evaluations of the former metric recently appeared in the literature, the latter metric has not been studied so far. In this paper, for the first time, we estimate the PIR time and its correlation with PDR and other environmental parameters through an extensive measurement campaign based on IEEE 802.11p technology. Our study discloses several interesting insights on PIR times that can be expected in a real-world scenarios, which should be carefully considered by the active safety application designers. A major insight is that the packet inter reception time distribution is a power-law and that long situation awareness black-outs are likely to occur in batch, implying that situation awareness can be severely impaired even when the average beacon delivery rate is relatively high. Furthermore, our analysis shows that PIR and PDR are only loosely (negatively) correlated, and that the PIR time is almost independent of speed and distance between vehicles. A third major contribution of this paper is promoting the Gilbert-Elliot model, previously proposed to model bit error bursts in packet switched networks, as a very accurate model of beacon reception behavior observed in real-world data.
Smart Homes and Quality of Life for the Elderly: A Systematic Review

Across the globe, the increasing percentage of elderly people is a reason of growing concern among the research fraternity. A lot of research is currently going on in providing these elderly people with a smart environment or smart home that can promote their independence, overall sense of well-being and enable them to lead a better quality of life. The primary objective of this research paper is to provide with a concise systematic review that explores the influence these smart-homes can have on the living quality among the elderly. We identified a total of 4,512 initial publications related to smart-homes for the elderly across a variety of valid scientific databases. Out of these, 31 met our inclusion criterion to be included for the final review stage by 2 independent researchers. Depending upon the functionality we classify the smart-homes into 5 broad application areas that can serve the elderly. Our findings show that overall these elderly people have a positive attitude towards a smart-home, especially for the purpose of health-monitoring and independent assisted living. However, they also have serious concerns regarding their privacy and the security provided by such smart systems along with the fear of social-isolation that might happen due to an increased dependence on technology.
Validation of Macular Choroidal Thickness Measurements from Automated SD-OCT Image Segmentation

Purpose Spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) imaging permits in vivo visualization of the choroid with micron-level resolution over wide areas and is of interest for studies of ocular growth and myopia control. We evaluated the speed, repeatability, and accuracy of a new image segmentation method to quantify choroid thickness compared to manual segmentation. Methods Two macular volumetric scans (25 × 30°) were taken from 30 eyes of 30 young adult subjects in two sessions, 1 hour apart. A single rater manually delineated choroid thickness as the distance between Bruch’s membrane and sclera across three B-scans (foveal, inferior, and superior-most scan locations). Manual segmentation was compared to an automated method based on graph theory, dynamic programming, and wavelet-based texture analysis. Segmentation performance comparisons included processing speed, choroid thickness measurements across the foveal horizontal midline, and measurement repeatability (95% limits of agreement (LoA)). Results Subjects were healthy young adults (n = 30; 24 ± 2 years; mean ± SD; 63% female) with spherical equivalent refractive error of −3.46 ± 2.69D (range: +2.62 to −8.50D). Manual segmentation took 200 times longer than automated segmentation (780 vs. 4 seconds). Mean choroid thickness at the foveal center was 263 ± 24 &mgr;m (manual) and 259 ± 23 &mgr;m (automated), and this difference was not significant (p = 0.10). Regional segmentation errors across the foveal horizontal midline (±15°) were ⩽9 &mgr;m (median) except for nasal-most regions closest to the nasal peripapillary margin—15 degrees (19 &mgr;m) and 12 degrees (16 &mgr;m) from the foveal center. Repeatability of choroidal thickness measurements had similar repeatability between segmentation methods (manual LoA: ±15 &mgr;m; automated LoA: ±14 &mgr;m). Conclusions Automated segmentation of SD-OCT data by graph theory and dynamic programming is a fast, accurate, and reliable method to delineate the choroid. This approach will facilitate longitudinal studies evaluating changes in choroid thickness in response to novel optical corrections and in ocular disease.
Design And Commissioning Status Of New Cylindrical HiPIMS Nb Coating System for SRF Cavities

For the past 19 years Jefferson Lab has sustained a program studying niobium films deposited on small samples in order to develop an understanding of the correlation between deposition parameters, film micro-structure, and RF performance. A new cavity deposition system employing a cylindrical cathode using the HiPIMS technique has been developed to apply this work to cylindrical cavities. The status of this system will be presented.
Mortality and Costs in Clostridium difficile Infection Among the Elderly in the United States

OBJECTIVE To examine attributable mortality and costs of Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) in the Medicare population. DESIGN A population-based cohort study among US adults aged at least 65 years in the 2008–2010 Medicare 5% sample, with follow-up of 12 months. PATIENTS Incident CDI episode was defined by the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification code of 008.45 and no other occurrences within the preceding 12 months. To quantify the adjusted mortality and costs we developed a 1:1 propensity-matched sample of CDI and non-CDI patients. RESULTS Among 1,165,165 patients included, 6,838 (0.6%) had a CDI episode in 2009 (82.5% healthcare-associated). Patients with CDI were older (mean [SD] age, 81.0±8.0 vs 77.0±7.7 years, P<.001), were more likely to come from the Northeast (27.4% vs 18.6%, P<.001), and had a higher comorbidity burden (Charlson score, 4.6±3.3 vs 1.7±2.1, P<.001). Hospitalizations (63.2% vs 6.0%, P<.001) and antibiotics (33.9% vs 12.5%, P<.001) within the prior 90 days were more common in the group with CDI. In the propensity-adjusted analysis, CDI was associated with near doubling of both mortality (42.6% vs 23.4%, P<.001) and total healthcare costs ($64,807±$66,480 vs $38,128±$46,485, P<.001). CONCLUSIONS Among elderly patients, CDI is associated with an increase in adjusted mortality and healthcare costs following a CDI episode. Nationwide annually this equals 240,000 patients with CDI, 46,000 potential deaths, and more than $6 billion in costs. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2016;1–6
Simulation of cut-in by manually driven vehicles in platooning scenarios

In the near future, Cooperative Intelligent Transport System (C-ITS) applications are expected to be deployed. To support this, simulation is often used to design and evaluate the applications during the early development phases. Simulations of C-ITS scenarios often assume a fleet of homogeneous vehicles within the transportation system. In contrast, once C-ITS is deployed, the traffic scenarios will consist of a mixture of connected and non-connected vehicles, which, in addition, can be driven manually or automatically. Such mixed cases are rarely analysed, especially those where manually driven vehicles are involved. Therefore, this paper presents a C-ITS simulation framework, which incorporates a manually driven car through a driving simulator interacting with a traffic simulator, and a communication simulator, which together enable modelling and analysis of C-ITS applications and scenarios. Furthermore, example usages in the scenarios, where a manually driven vehicle cut-in to a platoon of Cooperative Adaptive Cruise Control (CACC) equipped vehicles are presented.