Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Detection of arousals in Parkinson's disease patients

Arousal from sleep are short awakenings, which can be identified in the EEG as an abrupt change in frequency. Arousals can occur in all sleep stages and the number and frequency increase with age. Frequent arousals during sleep results in sleep fragmentation and is associated with daytime sleepiness. Manual scoring of arousals is time-consuming and the inter-score agreement is highly varying especially for patients with sleep related disorders. The aim of this study was to design an arousal detection algorithm capable of detecting arousals from sleep, in both non-REM and REM sleep in patients suffering from Parkinson's disease (PD). The proposed algorithm uses features from EEG, EMG and the manual sleep stage scoring as input to a feed-forward artificial neural network (ANN). The performance of the algorithm has been assessed using polysomnographic (PSG) recordings from a total of 8 patients diagnosed with PD. The performance of the algorithm was validated using the leave-one-out method resulting in a sensitivity of 89.8 % and a positive predictive value (PPV) of 88.8 %. This result is high compared to previous presented arousal detection algorithms.
Morphological Changes of Placenta In Pregnancy Induced Hypertension

BACKGROUND: Placenta is a discoid, chorio-deciduate organ which connects the foetus with the uterine wall of mother. Maternal hypertension during pregnancy represents changes in morphological parameters of placenta. MATERIAL AND METHODS: 100 cases of hypertensive disorder of pregnancy and 100 placenta from normal cases between gestational age 28 to 42 weeks at SSG Hospital attached to Medical College Baroda, Vadodara were studied for various parameters in the form of shape, weight, surface area and thickness in various groups. OBSERVATION AND RESULTS: In PIH no placenta was of irregular shape and no significant change in thickness was found whereas weight of placenta shows significant difference, chi square 54.95, P < 0.00 and surface area also shows significant difference, chi square 94.36 and P < 0.000. CONCLUSION: The present study will be helpful to Radiologist, Sonologist, Obstretician, Gynaecologist, and Pathologist to understand and manage the cases.
cGMP Signaling and Vascular Smooth Muscle Cell Plasticity

Cyclic GMP regulates multiple cell types and functions of the cardiovascular system. This review summarizes the effects of cGMP on the growth and survival of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs), which display remarkable phenotypic plasticity during the development of vascular diseases, such as atherosclerosis. Recent studies have shown that VSMCs contribute to the development of atherosclerotic plaques by clonal expansion and transdifferentiation to macrophage-like cells. VSMCs express a variety of cGMP generators and effectors, including NO-sensitive guanylyl cyclase (NO-GC) and cGMP-dependent protein kinase type I (cGKI), respectively. According to the traditional view, cGMP inhibits VSMC proliferation, but this concept has been challenged by recent findings supporting a stimulatory effect of the NO-cGMP-cGKI axis on VSMC growth. Here, we summarize the relevant studies with a focus on VSMC growth regulation by the NO-cGMP-cGKI pathway in cultured VSMCs and mouse models of atherosclerosis, restenosis, and angiogenesis. We discuss potential reasons for inconsistent results, such as the use of genetic versus pharmacological approaches and primary versus subcultured cells. We also explore how modern methods for cGMP imaging and cell tracking could help to improve our understanding of cGMP’s role in vascular plasticity. We present a revised model proposing that cGMP promotes phenotypic switching of contractile VSMCs to VSMC-derived plaque cells in atherosclerotic lesions. Regulation of vascular remodeling by cGMP is not only an interesting new therapeutic strategy, but could also result in side effects of clinically used cGMP-elevating drugs.
Global peatland initiation driven by regionally asynchronous warming

Significance Peatlands are organic-rich wetlands that have acted as globally important carbon sinks since the Last Glacial Maximum. However, the drivers of peat initiation are poorly understood. Using a catalog of radiocarbon dates combined with simulations of past climates, we demonstrate that peat initiation in the deglaciated landscapes of North America, northern Europe, and Patagonia was driven primarily by warming growing seasons rather than by any increase in effective precipitation. In Western Siberia, which was not glaciated, climatic wetting was required to convert existing ecosystems into peatlands. Our findings explain the genesis of one of the world’s most important ecosystem types and its potentially fragile, distributed carbon store, with implications for understanding potential changes in peatland distribution in response to future warming. Widespread establishment of peatlands since the Last Glacial Maximum represents the activation of a globally important carbon sink, but the drivers of peat initiation are unclear. The role of climate in peat initiation is particularly poorly understood. We used a general circulation model to simulate local changes in climate during the initiation of 1,097 peatlands around the world. We find that peat initiation in deglaciated landscapes in both hemispheres was driven primarily by warming growing seasons, likely through enhanced plant productivity, rather than by any increase in effective precipitation. In Western Siberia, which remained ice-free throughout the last glacial period, the initiation of the world’s largest peatland complex was globally unique in that it was triggered by an increase in effective precipitation that inhibited soil respiration and allowed wetland plant communities to establish. Peat initiation in the tropics was only weakly related to climate change, and appears to have been driven primarily by nonclimatic mechanisms such as waterlogging due to tectonic subsidence. Our findings shed light on the genesis and Holocene climate space of one of the world’s most carbon-dense ecosystem types, with implications for understanding trajectories of ecological change under changing future climates.
Choice Defines QALYs: A US Valuation of the EQ-5D-5L

Background: The 5-level version of the EQ-5D (EQ-5D-5L) was introduced as an improvement on the original 3-level version (EQ-5D-3L). To date, 6 country-specific value sets have been published for EQ-5D-5L and 9 US value sets have been published for other instruments. Our aims were to (1) produce EQ-5D-5L values on a quality-adjusted life year (QALY) scale from the perspective of US adults and (2) compare them with US EQ-5D-3L values and the other country-specific EQ-5D-5L values. Methods: In 2016, 8222 US respondents from all 50 states and Washington, DC completed an online survey including a discrete choice experiment with 20 paired comparisons. Each comparison asked respondents, “Which do you prefer? ” regarding a pair of alternatives described using EQ-5D-5L and lifespan attributes. On the basis of more than 50 choices on each of the 3160 pairs, we estimated EQ-5D-5L values on a QALY scale and compared them with the US EQ-5D-3L values and the other country-specific EQ-5D-5L values. Results: Ranging from −0.287 (55555) to 0.992 (11121) on a QALY scale, the estimated EQ-5D-5L values were similar to the US EQ-5D-3L values. Compared with the US EQ-5D-3L values, the values exhibited greater sensitivity and specificity and higher correlation with the EQ-5D-5L values of other countries, particularly England. Conclusions: Like previous US valuation studies, this study produced nationally representative EQ-5D-5L values on a QALY scale. The results further demonstrate the advantages of the EQ-5D-5L over its 3-level predecessor as a preference-based summary measure of health-related quality of life from the perspective of US adults.
Anti-phase and In-phase Flickering of Dual Pool Flames

Anti-phase and in-phase synchronization modes of a dual-flame system were numerically investigated and theoretically analyzed. The simulated flickering frequencies of a single heptane pool flame with the varying gravity and pool size agree with the previous experiments and the scaling law. Understanding that the deformation, stretch, and pinch-off of a buoyancy-driven flickering flame result from the evolution of toroidal vortices forming from shear layers' roll-up, we analyzed the anti-phase and in-phase synchronization modes in dual pool flames from the perspective of vortex dynamics. The crucial role of the inner-side shear layers between two flames, which resembles the von Karman vortex street in the wake of a bluff body, was identified from the simulation results verified qualitatively against the available experiments in literature. To account for the viscosity effect on vorticity diffusion of the in-phase flickering flames, we defined a flame Reynolds number based on the flow characteristics of the two inner-side shear layers. A unified regime nomogram in the parameter space of the normalized frequency and the Reynolds number was obtained and verified by data from both the current simulation and the previous experiment.
The MAPK‐activator protein‐1 signaling regulates changes in lung tissue of rat exposed to hypobaric hypoxia

This study reports the role of MAPKs (JNK, ERK, and p38), and activator protein‐1 (AP‐1) transcription factor in the hypobaric hypoxia induced change in lung tissue. Healthy male Sprague–Dawley rats were exposed to hypobaric hypoxia for 6, 12, 24, 48, 72, and 120 hr. Hypoxia resulted in significant increase in reactive oxygen species (ROS), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and decreased nitric oxide (NO), these act as signaling molecules for activation of MAPK and also contribute in development of vascular leakage (an indicator of pulmonary edema) as confirmed by histological studies. Our results confirmed JNK activation as an immediate early response (peaked at 6–48 hr), activation of ERKs (peaked at 24–72 hr) and p38 (peaked at 72–120 hr) as a secondary response to hypoxia. The MAPK pathway up regulated its downstream targets phospho c‐Jun (peaked at 6–120 hr), JunB (peaked at 24–120 hr) however, decreased c‐Fos, and JunD levels. DNA binding activity also confirmed activation of AP‐1 transcription factor in lung tissue under hypobaric hypoxia. Further, we analyzed the proliferative and inflammatory genes regulated by different subunits of AP‐1 to explore its role in vascular leakage. Increased expression of cyclin D1 (peaked at 12–72 hr) and p16 level (peaked at 48–120 hr) were correlated to the activation of c‐jun, c‐Fos and JunB. Administration of NFκB inhibitor caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE) and SP600125 (JNK inhibitor) had no effect on increased levels of Interferon‐γ (IFN‐γ), Interleukin‐1 (IL‐1), and Tumor Necrosis Factor‐α (TNF‐α) thereby confirming the involvement of AP‐1 as well as NFκB in inflammation. Expression of c‐jun, c‐Fos were correlated with activation of proliferative genes and JunB, Fra‐1 with pro‐inflammatory cytokines. In conclusion immediate response to hypobaric hypoxia induced c‐Jun:c‐Fos subunits of AP‐1; responsible for proliferation that might cause inhomogeneous vasoconstriction leading to vascular leakage and inflammation at increased duration of hypobaric hypoxia exposure.
Interannual variation and spatial distribution of decapod larvae in a region of persistent coastal upwelling

Author(s): Hameed, SO; Elliott, ML; Morgan, SG; Jahncke, J | Abstract: © The authors 2018. The California Current System is characterized by strong coastal upwelling that drives high primary production with implications for life in the plankton. We investigated the role of environmental variability at local, regional, and basin-wide scales in determining decapod larval distributions across space and time over 8 yr (2004 to 2011). We focused on an area of the California Current off the coast of central California, USA, characterized by a strong upwelling jet, a retentive zone with high primary production, a buoyant bay outflow plume, and proximity to both open coast and bay habitats. While multiyear studies of holoplankton distributions have revealed strong effects of basin-scale environmental variability, we did not find that basin-scale environmental changes resulted in major shifts in meroplankton distributions. Instead, meroplankton distributions in the California Current remained consistent across years — the oceanographic environment affected meroplankton distributions along complex shoreline topography but not across the shelf. Chlorophyll fluorescence and variables associated with regional upwelling were most correlated with larval distributions, indicating an association between larval distributions and primary production. We also found that environmental variability did not explain much of the variability in the larval distributions (only 5 to 20%), indicating that larval behaviors and demographic variables mediated the role of physical forcing in determining larval distributions. Larval distributions provide us with clues to determine larval transport and survival, adding to our understanding of how marine populations are connected, identifying threats to their persistence, and informing effective marine conservation and resource management planning.
Generalized Effective Medium Theory for Particulate Nanocomposite Materials

The thermal conductivity of particulate nanocomposites is strongly dependent on the size, shape, orientation and dispersion uniformity of the inclusions. To correctly estimate the effective thermal conductivity of the nanocomposite, all these factors should be included in the prediction model. In this paper, the formulation of a generalized effective medium theory for the determination of the effective thermal conductivity of particulate nanocomposites with multiple inclusions is presented. The formulated methodology takes into account all the factors mentioned above and can be used to model nanocomposites with multiple inclusions that are randomly oriented or aligned in a particular direction. The effect of inclusion dispersion non-uniformity is modeled using a two-scale approach. The applications of the formulated effective medium theory are demonstrated using previously published experimental and numerical results for several particulate nanocomposites.
Associations of Parenthood with Physical Activity, Sedentary Behavior, and Sleep.

OBJECTIVE We examined the associations of the presence, number, and the age of children living in the household with adult physical activity, sedentary behavior (sitting and screen time), and sleep behaviors in a large representative sample. METHODS Participants were 8312 adults aged 20-65 from the 2011-2014 cycles of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Presence (yes/no), the number of children (none, 1, ≥2), the age of the youngest child (none, ≤5 years, 6-17 years) as well as leisure time physical activity, sitting, screen time, and sleep benchmarks were derived from the home interview. RESULTS Compared to women with no children in the household, women who reported the presence of a child living in the household were significantly less likely to meet optimal physical activity (OR = 0.69; 95% CI:0.56-0.84) and sleep (OR = 0.73; 95% CI:0.60-0.87) benchmarks, and significantly more likely to meet optimal sitting (OR = 2.08; 95% CI:1.68-2.58) and screen time (OR = 2.42; 95% CI:1.93-3.02) benchmarks. Findings were similar in men for sitting and screen time, however effect sizes were smaller. Findings were mainly consistent regardless of the number of children and the age of the youngest child in the household. CONCLUSION Integrated approaches that promote healthy 24-hour behavioral patterns among parents, especially mothers, should be considered.
Leveraging Orthographic Similarity for Multilingual Neural Transliteration

We address the task of joint training of transliteration models for multiple language pairs (multilingual transliteration). This is an instance of multitask learning, where individual tasks (language pairs) benefit from sharing knowledge with related tasks. We focus on transliteration involving related tasks i.e., languages sharing writing systems and phonetic properties (orthographically similar languages). We propose a modified neural encoder-decoder model that maximizes parameter sharing across language pairs in order to effectively leverage orthographic similarity. We show that multilingual transliteration significantly outperforms bilingual transliteration in different scenarios (average increase of 58% across a variety of languages we experimented with). We also show that multilingual transliteration models can generalize well to languages/language pairs not encountered during training and hence perform well on the zeroshot transliteration task. We show that further improvements can be achieved by using phonetic feature input.
Delete, Retrieve, Generate: a Simple Approach to Sentiment and Style Transfer

We consider the task of text attribute transfer: transforming a sentence to alter a specific attribute (e.g., sentiment) while preserving its attribute-independent content (e.g., “screen is just the right size” to “screen is too small”). Our training data includes only sentences labeled with their attribute (e.g., positive and negative), but not pairs of sentences that only differ in the attributes, so we must learn to disentangle attributes from attribute-independent content in an unsupervised way. Previous work using adversarial methods has struggled to produce high-quality outputs. In this paper, we propose simpler methods motivated by the observation that text attributes are often marked by distinctive phrases (e.g., “too small”). Our strongest method extracts content words by deleting phrases associated with the sentence’s original attribute value, retrieves new phrases associated with the target attribute, and uses a neural model to fluently combine these into a final output. Based on human evaluation, our best method generates grammatical and appropriate responses on 22% more inputs than the best previous system, averaged over three attribute transfer datasets: altering sentiment of reviews on Yelp, altering sentiment of reviews on Amazon, and altering image captions to be more romantic or humorous.
Production of large Bose-Einstein condensates in a magnetic-shield-compatible hybrid trap

We describe the production of large $^{23}\mathrm{Na}$ Bose-Einstein condensates in a hybrid trap characterized by a weak magnetic field quadrupole and a tightly focused infrared beam. The use of small magnetic field gradients makes the trap compatible with the state-of-the-art magnetic shields. By taking advantage of the deep cooling and high efficiency of gray molasses to improve the initial trap loading conditions, we produce condensates composed of as many as 7 million atoms in less than $30\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}\mathrm{s}$.
Phylogenetic position and taxonomy of Kusaghiporia usambarensis gen. et sp. nov. (Polyporales)

ABSTRACT A large polyporoid mushroom from the West Usambara Mountains in North-eastern Tanzania produces dark brown, up to 60-cm large fruiting bodies that at maturity may weigh more than 10 kg. It has a high rate of mycelial growth and regeneration and was found growing on both dry and green leaves of shrubs; attached to the base of living trees, and it was also observed to degrade dead snakes and insects accidentally coming into contact with it. Phylogenetic analyses based on individual and concatenated data sets of nrLSU, nrSSU and the RPB2 and TEF1 genes showed it, together with Laetiporus, Phaeolus, Pycnoporellus and Wolfiporia, to form a monophyletic group in Polyporales. Based on morphological features and molecular data, it is described as Kusaghiporia usambarensis.
Palliative Nursing and Sacred Medicine: A Holistic Stance on Entheogens, Healing, and Spiritual Care

The fields of palliative and holistic nursing both maintain a commitment to the care of the whole person, including a focus on spiritual care. Advanced serious illness may pose a plethora of challenges to patients seeking to create meaning and purpose in their lives. The purpose of this article is to introduce scholarly dialogue on the integration of entheogens, medicines that engender an experience of the sacred, into the spiritual and holistic care of patients experiencing advanced serious illness. A brief history of the global use of entheogens as well as a case study are provided. Clinical trials show impressive preliminary findings regarding the healing potential of these medicinal agents. While other professions, such as psychology, pharmacy, and medicine, are disseminating data related to patient outcomes secondary to entheogen administration, the nursing literature has not been involved in raising awareness of such advancements. Research is illustrating their effectiveness in achieving integrative experiences for patients confronting advanced serious illness and their ability to promote presence, introspection, decreased fear, and increased joy and acceptance. Evidence-based knowledge surrounding this potentially sensitive topic is necessary to invite understanding, promote scientific knowledge development, and create healing environments for patients, nurses, and researchers alike.
Tai Chi Improves Brain Metabolism and Muscle Energetics in Older Adults

Tai Chi is a mind‐body exercise that has been shown to improve both mental and physical health. As a result, recent literature suggests the use of Tai Chi to treat both physical and psychological disorders. However, the underlying physiological changes have not been characterized. The aim of this pilot study is to assess the changes in brain metabolites and muscle energetics after Tai Chi training in an aging population using a combined brain‐muscle magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) examination.
Adaptive skeleton‐driven cages for mesh sequences

The design of a compact and effective representation is a critical step in fully utilizing the abundant raw mesh‐based animation resources. In this paper, we present a high‐level control structure for animated mesh sequences referred to as an adaptive skeleton‐driven cage representation. This approach combines a skeleton and cage to express time‐varying shape details and offer flexible control for rigid limb motions. The initial skeleton is inferred by sketching on the rest pose mesh. The corresponding cage is constructed by using an adaptive cross‐section‐based method. Then, the initial skeleton and cage are propagated to the other meshes in the sequence. Additionally, the generated cage sequence can be automatically refined to improve the mesh reconstruction quality. Our results and comparisons demonstrate that the proposed approach is an intuitive, compact, and efficient representation. We demonstrate its potential through a variety of applications, such as animation compression, deformation transfer and pose editing. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.