Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Some novel approaches in modelling and image reconstruction for multi-frequency Electrical Impedance Tomography of the human brain

Electrical Impedance Tomography (EIT) is a recently developed imaging technique. Small insensible currents are injected into the body using electrodes. Measured voltages are used for reconstruction of images of the internal dielectric properties of the body. This imaging technique is portable, safe, rapid, inexpensive and has the potential to provide a new method for imaging in remote or acute situations, where other large scanners, such as MRI, are either impractical or unavailable. It has been in use in clinical research for about two decades but has not yet been adopted into routine clinical practice. One potentially powerful clinical application lies in its use for imaging acute stroke, where it could be used to distinguish haemorrhage from infarction. Hitherto, image reconstruction has mainly been for the more tractable case of changes in impedance over time. For acute stroke, it is best operated in multiple frequency mode, where data is collected at multiple frequencies and images can be recovered with higher fidelity. Whereas the eventual idea appears to be good, there are several important issues which affect the likelihood of its success in producing clinically reliable images. These include limitations in accuracy of finite element modelling, image reconstruction, and accuracy of recorded voltage data due to noise and confounding factors. The purpose of this work was to address these issues in the hope that, at the end, a clinical study of EIT in acute stroke would have a much greater chance of success. In order to address the feasibility of this application, a comprehensive literature review regarding the dielectric properties of human head tissues in normal and pathological states was conducted in this thesis. Novel generic tools were developed in order to enable modelling and non-linear image reconstruction of large-scale problems, such as those arising from the head EIT problem.
Settlement Area Type as a Factor in Electoral Behaviour in Slovenia

Some political scientists believe that a new form of political cleavage has arisen in Slovenia over the past few years, which runs along the ”urban” and ”rural” axis. In this research, the relation between the settlement area type according to the level of urbanisation and the electoral results of the parliamentary elections from 1996 to 2008 has been observed. The research strategy was based on comparing the electoral results from their respective polls with an appropriate typification of settlements. Based on the analysis of variance (ANOVA), the calculation of the Eta squared coefficient and the analysis of parties’ vote percentages and voter bases, the hypothesis may be safely confirmed, stating that there is a newly-founded political cleavage between the urban and the rural areas.
Apoptosis, production of MMP9, VEGF, TNF-alpha and intracellular growth of M. tuberculosis for different genotypes and different pks5/1 genes.

BACKGROUND A previous study of IS6110 RFLP and spoligotyping of M. tuberculosis isolates from 152 Thai patients with tuberculous meningitis revealed a significantly higher percentage (57%) of the Beijing genotype as compared to isolates obtained from pulmonary tuberculosis. We postulated that the M. tuberculosis Beijing genotype is likely to be more virulent than others. OBJECTIVES Ten M. tuberculosis cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) isolates from five RFLP groups, together with different characteristics of pks15/1, M. tuberculosis H37Rv and M. bovis BCG, were investigated for their virulence in vitro. METHODS In this study, THP-1 cells were used as host cells to determine the intracellular growth and the induction of MMP9, VEGF, TNF-alpha and apoptosis. Determinations of the cytokine production and apoptosis were based on available commercial kits using ELISA techniques. RESULTS No significant difference in intracellular multiplication was found between the M. tuberculosis CSF isolates. Three isolates, consisting of 2 Nonthaburi and 1 heterogeneous isolate, were found to stimulate high TNF-alpha and MMP-9 production during the early infection period.They were isolated from 3 different patients, 2 of whom died with initial stages II and III. This result suggested that there might be an association between TNF-alpha and MMP-9 production that could account for the specific virulent nature of Nonthaburi strains. VEGF production was determined and comparable levels were found in all isolates. No significant apoptosis was detected in M. tuberculosis CSF isolates. No significant differences suggesting that the 2 Beijing strains are more virulent than the others were observed. CONCLUSION The predominance of the Beijing strains in cases of tuberculous meningitis (TBM) in Thai patients is not a result of their hypervirulence.
High-level expression of c-H-ras1 fails to fully transform rat-1 cells

Rat-1 cells were transfected with plasmids encoding normal (Gly-12), nonactivated (Pro-12), and activated (Val-12 and Ile-12) p21H-ras in the presence of an amplifiable dihydrofolate reductase marker. The introduced DNA was amplified by selection in methotrexate to establish the relationship between p21H-ras expression and various hallmarks of cellular transformation. The maximum level of p21H-ras (Gly-12) consistent with cell viability was approximately 0.13% of total cell protein (approximately 60,000 molecules per cell); this is 44-fold greater than the level of the endogenous protein. The maximum tolerated level of a second nontransforming form of p21H-ras (pro-12) was about half of this. Amplification in Rat-1 cells of H-ras genes encoding the highly oncogenic Val-12 and Ile-12 forms of p21H-ras could not be achieved by methotrexate selection, providing strong evidence that synthesis of activated p21H-ras above a certain threshold (about 0.02% of total protein) in Rat-1 cells is incompatible with cell viability. Individual cell lines were isolated and their morphology, anchorage-independent growth, tumorigenicity, and response to and production of growth factors were studied. We report that cell lines expressing near-maximum tolerated levels of either the normal or pro-12 form of p21H-ras were not as transformed as cells expressing much more modest levels of the highly oncogenic (Val-12) form, suggesting that the complete elaboration of the transformed phenotype by ras depends, at least in part, on mutations that distinguish the cellular and viral proteins. We found that cells expressing elevated levels of the normal p21(H-ras) could be fully transformed by the activated (Val-12) form and that such cells continued to overexpress p21(H-ras) (Gly-12), arguing against a role for normal ras genes in suppression of the oncogenic potential of their mutationally activated counterparts.
A retrospective comparison of propofol alone to propofol in combination with dexmedetomidine for pediatric 3T MRI sedation

Both propofol and dexmedetomidine have been found to be safe and effective sedation for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Our program experienced an increase in patients arousing and experiencing an adverse airway event during propofol sedation for MRI in the first months of using a new 3T (Tesla) MRI scanner that was found to have a longer reverberation time compared to the previous 1.5 T MRI. In an effort to decrease patient arousal and adverse airway events during MRI, we administered a dexmedetomidine load prior to our standard propofol protocol. The objective was to compare adverse events and other outcome measures of patients sedated with propofol alone (Pro) and propofol preceded by a dexmedetomidine load (D+P).
Toward Improving Surgical Outcomes by Incorporating Cognitive Load Measurement into Process-Driven Guidance

This paper summarizes the accomplishments and recent directions of our medical safety project. Our process-based approach uses a detailed, rigorously-defined, and carefully validated process model to provide a dynamically updated, context-aware and thus, “Smart” Checklist to help process performers understand and manage their pending tasks [7]. This paper focuses on support for teams of performers, working independently as well as in close collaboration, in stressful situations that are life critical. Our recent work has three main thrusts: provide effective real-time guidance for closely collaborating teams; develop and evaluate techniques for measuring cognitive load based on biometric observations and human surveys; and, using these measurements plus analysis and discrete event process simulation, predict cognitive load throughout the process model and propose process modifications to help performers better manage high cognitive load situations. This project is a collaboration among software engineers, surgical team members, human factors researchers, and medical equipment instrumentation experts. Experimental prototype capabilities are being built and evaluated based upon process models of two cardiovascular surgery processes, Aortic Valve Replacement (AVR) and Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting (CABG). In this paper we describe our approach for each of the three research thrusts by illustrating our work for heparinization, a common subprocess of both AVR and CABG. Heparinization is a high-risk error-prone procedure that involves complex team interactions and thus highlights the importance of this work for improving patient outcomes.
Stochastic time-frequency dictionaries for matching pursuit

Analyzing large amounts of sleep electroencephalogram (EEG) data by means of the matching pursuit (MP) algorithm, we encountered a statistical bias of the decomposition, resulting from the structure of the applied dictionary. As a solution, we propose stochastic dictionaries, where the parameters of the dictionary's waveforms are randomized before each decomposition. The MP algorithm was modified for this purpose and tuned for maximum time-frequency resolution. Examples of applications of the new method include parameterization of EEG structures and time-frequency representation of signals with changing frequency.
Macrophage accumulation in gut mucosa differentiates AIDS from chronic SIV infection in rhesus macaques

The relationship between recruitment of mononuclear phagocytes to lymphoid and gut tissues and disease in HIV and SIV infection remains unclear. To address this question, we conducted cross‐sectional analyses of dendritic cell (DC) subsets and CD163+ macrophages in lymph nodes (LNs) and ileum of rhesus macaques with acute and chronic SIV infection and AIDS. In LNs significant differences were only evident when comparing uninfected and AIDS groups, with loss of myeloid DCs and CD103+ DCs from peripheral and mesenteric LNs, respectively, and accumulation of plasmacytoid DCs and macrophages in mesenteric LNs. In contrast, there were fourfold more macrophages in ileum lamina propria in macaques with AIDS compared with chronic infection, and this increased to 40‐fold in Peyer's patches. Gut macrophages exceeded plasmacytoid DCs and CD103+ DCs by ten‐ to 17‐fold in monkeys with AIDS but were at similar low frequencies as DCs in chronic infection. Gut macrophages in macaques with AIDS expressed IFN‐α and TNF‐α consistent with cell activation. CD163+ macrophages also accumulated in gut mucosa in acute infection but lacked expression of IFN‐α and TNF‐α. These data reveal a relationship between inflammatory macrophage accumulation in gut mucosa and disease and suggest a role for macrophages in AIDS pathogenesis.
Reduction in Down's Syndrome Screening Acceptance is Predominantly Observed in Women Aged 25–35 Years

Background: The risk of having a child with Down's syndrome increases with maternal age. However, uptake of screening has never been analyzed according to age. Different studies have shown different screening uptake rates, some low and some high, but it is not clear which age categories are responsible for these trends. Aims: To demonstrate if any age cohorts are responsible for the noted decline in uptake of serum screening. Setting: A large teaching hospital in Hull and East Yorkshire, which has offered second trimester serum screening for Down's syndrome for over 16 years using the same test (triple test). Main outcome measures: Uptake of serum screening for Down's syndrome in each 5-year age cohort per year, over 4 years. A secondary outcome measure was the uptake according to parity. Methods: We accessed our hospital records covering a 5-year period for all women booking and delivering in a large North of England teaching hospital. The women were categorized into 5-year age cohorts for analysis of the data. Results: Down's syndrome screening uptake rates indicate a decline from 63.2 and 65.1% in 2003 to 38.6 and 39% in 2006, respectively, in the age groups 25–29.9 and 30–34.9 years who constitute at least 50% of all pregnant women. There was no evidence of the effect of parity on serum screening. Conclusion: It is apparent that the noted overall decline in the trends of serum screening uptake are due to the reduced uptake by the 25–35 years age group.
Alterations of the Cell Cycle Regulators Cyclin D1, Cyclin A, p27, p21, p16, and pRb in Apocrine Metaplasia of the Breast

Abstract: G1/S transition defects have been a proposed requirement for tumor development. Apocrine metaplasia (APM) in the breast has been held as a sign of benignity. Yet, a number of studies have reported the presence of molecular abnormalities in some forms of APM suggesting a possible oncogenic potential for some of these lesions. We currently investigate the role of some of the cell cycle proteins, previously reported to be de‐regulated in breast cancer, in an attempt to assess their significance in APM. Using immunohistochemistry, the expression of cyclin D1, cyclin A, p27, p21, p16, pRb and Ki‐67 was examined in 93 cases of APM. The cases were divided into nonpapillary (NAPM) (30 cases) and papillary metaplasia (PAPM) (63 cases). PAPM was further subdivided into simple papillary (SPAPM) (29 cases), complex papillary (28 cases) and highly complex papillary (six cases). For statistical analysis, the last two groups were merged together (CPAPM). The results showed that increased histological complexity was associated with significant increase of proliferative capacity and alterations of the cell cycle control. The median Ki‐67 index was 1.5% in SPAPM and 4.8% in the CPAPM. Also, alterations of the cell cycle regulators were significantly higher in the CPAPM than in the SPAPM. NAPM was generally similar to normal breast epithelium. Apocrine cells were negative for p16 while pRb was expressed in all cases. These findings suggest that in complex forms of APM, there is a considerable degree of cellular unrest. This may contribute to increased susceptibility to carcinogenesis.
Meiosis-inducing and meiosis-preventing effects of sex steroid hormones on hamster fetal ovaries in organ culture.

Day 11 to day 15 p.c. female gonads were cultured for 6-8 days in chemically-defined media. In day 11 and day 12 p.c. ovaries grown in a non-hormonal medium, the germ cells were unable to enter meiosis; they were retained at a stage of oogonia or more frequently at a preleptotene stage. Ovaries of the same ages cultured in an estradiol-containing medium showed germ cells progressing through meiotic prophase in a way close to that in ovaries of equivalent age in vivo. That was the case of the germ cells in day 13 to day 15 p.c. ovaries maintained in a non-hormonal medium. In a testosterone-containing medium, the germ cells in day 13 and day 14 p.c. ovaries were prevented from entering meiosis; by contrast, those in day 15 p.c. ovaries underwent meiotic prophase normally. These results indicated that each of both hormones was able to exert its corresponding (meiosis-inducing or meiosis-preventing) effect before a definite critical time of ovarian development. The possibility is suggested that the germ cell differentiation in the female and male gonads in vivo would also depend on estrogens or androgens precociously synthesized in the gonads or supplied from other organs via the fetal blood.
Difference in characteristics of APC mutations between colonic and extracolonic tumors of FAP patients: Variations with phenotype

To clarify the differences in characteristics of adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) mutations between colorectal tumors from various phenotypes of familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) and between colorectal and extracolonic tumors, we analyzed APC mutations in 86 colorectal tumors from FAP patients including profuse, sparse and attenuated types, 23 sporadic colorectal tumors and 40 FAP extracolonic tumors including duodenal, gastric and desmoid tumors. In all tumors, 1 allele of the truncated APC gene retained armadillo repeats, 15‐amino‐acid (aa) repeats and various numbers of 20‐aa repeats, but lacked SAMP repeats, as a result of germline and somatic mutations. Regarding 20‐aa repeats, the truncated APC gene retained 1 repeat due to allele loss in 96% (27/28) of colorectal tumors from profuse‐type FAP, 69% (36/52) of sparse‐type retained 2 repeats due to somatic mutation, and 100% (6/6) of attenuated‐type retained 2 or 3 repeats due to the third or second hit. In sporadic colorectal tumors 74% (17/23) retained 1 or 2 repeats. The truncated APC gene retained 3 repeats in 88% (7/8) of FAP duodenal tumors, 100% (26/26) of gastric tumors retained 2 or 3 repeats and 83% (5/6) of desmoid tumors retained 2 repeats. These data suggest that the number of β‐catenin downregulating 20‐aa repeats in truncated APC gene associated with colorectal tumorigenesis is different in profuse, sparse and attenuated types of FAP, and that the association with tumorigenesis is also different between colorectal and extracolonic tumors. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Effect of carbohydrate feeding frequencies and dosage on muscle glycogen use during exercise.

Nine men were studied during three 4-h cycling bouts to determine the effect of frequency and dosage of solid carbohydrate (CHO) feedings (86 g) on muscle glycogen utilization and exercise performance. In the frequency trial (F), the subjects ingested 10.75 g of CHO along with 200 ml of water at 30-min intervals; in the dosage trial (D), the subjects ingested 21.5 g of CHO with 400 ml of water at 60-min intervals. During the control trial (C), the subjects ingested 400 ml of an artificially sweetened placebo at 60-min intervals. Respiratory exchange ratios were significantly elevated in both trials D and F (P less than 0.05). Blood glucose was significantly elevated in trial D 20 min post-feeding but had returned to control levels by 50 min. In trial F, blood glucose was maintained at a constant level throughout the entire 4 h. In trial C, blood glucose declined steadily during the entire 4 h. Despite the differences in blood glucose levels between the three trials, there were no significant differences in the rate of muscle glycogen utilization in any of the trials (D = 82.9 +/- 6.6 [SE] mmol X kg-1 vs C = 80.9 +/- 6.9 mmol X kg-1 vs F = 74.4 +/- 12.2 mmol X kg-1). In a sprint ride (100% VO2max) to exhaustion at the end of each trial, the subjects performed significantly longer in trial F compared to C (120.97 +/- 9.6 vs 81.0 +/- 7.1 s). (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
An 18-month longitudinal study on a new silicon-based sealer, RSA RoekoSeal: a leakage study in vitro.

OBJECTIVE Because leakage along root fillings may increase or decrease during the long period after filling, the accumulated leakage data measured repeatedly after filling are clinically more relevant than the data measured just once shortly after filling. The aim of this study was to determine the long-term sealing ability of a recently developed root canal sealer RSA RoekoSeal (Roeko Dental Products, Langenau, Germany). STUDY DESIGN Eighty extracted human mandibular premolars were equally divided into 4 groups (n = 20) and root canal instrumented. Canals in group 1 were obturated with laterally compacted gutta-percha points and RSA, in groups 2 to 4 with vertically compacted warm gutta-percha using RSA in group 2, Pulp Canal Sealer (Kerr, Romulus, Mich) in group 3, and no sealer in group 4. With the use of a fluid transport model, leakage along entire root fillings was measured before post space preparation. After post space preparation, leakage along the remaining apical root fillings was measured repeatedly at 1 week, 1, 2, 6, 12, and 18 months respectively and recorded in microliters per day. RESULTS Before post space preparation, groups 1 and 2 leaked significantly less than groups 3 and 4 (P = .001), whereas no significant difference existed between the groups 1 and 2 (P = .317) or between the groups 3 and 4 (P = .074). For each group, a summation of the leakage at all time intervals after the post space preparation showed that the 2 RSA groups leaked significantly less than the other 2 groups (P =.000). However, no significant difference existed between the 2 RSA groups (P = .993) and between the groups 3 and 4 (P = .149). CONCLUSION RSA used in combination with either cold laterally compacted or warm vertically compacted gutta-percha provided a consistent seal during a period of 18 months.
Long-term use of antipsychotics in community-dwelling dementia patients: prevalence and profile accounting for unobservable time bias because of hospitalization

The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of long-term antipsychotic (AP) use in community-dwelling patients with dementia considering hospitalization periods as AP exposure or not. A retrospective study was carried out from 2009 to 2012 on a PACA-Alzheimer cohort (which included 31 963 patients in 2009 and 36 442 in 2012 from 5 million inhabitants). Three groups of patients were identified according to the longest exposure to APs without interruption: nonusers, short-term users (⩽3 successive months without discontinuation), and long-term users. Sensitivity analyses on hospitalization periods were carried out. The percentage of patients with at least one AP dispensing was stable over the study period (25.6% in 2009 vs. 26.5% in 2012). In 2012, 27.6% were AP long-term users. This increased to 46.7% when hospitalization periods were counted as AP exposure. In comparison with nonusers, AP users took more benzodiazepines and antidepressants. Short-term users were men [odds ratio (OR)=1.2, 95% confidence interval (CI) (1.1–1.3)] older than 85 years old [OR=1.2, 95% CI (1.1–1.2)]. Long-term users were more exposed to benzodiazepines [OR=1.2, 95% CI (1.1–1.4)]. This study showed that long-term use of AP remained frequent in community-dwelling patients with dementia. It also showed that the prevalence of long-term users almost doubled when hospitalization periods were counted as AP exposure. This underlines the need to consider hospitalization periods when assessing medication exposure in populations with frequent periods of hospitalization.
X-band high directivity lens antenna realized by gradient index metamaterials

This paper presents the theoretical modeling and prototype demonstration of broadband, low loss, and dual polarization capability of a gradient index metamaterial lens using multilayer microstrip square ring arrays. Microstrip closed square ring elements of variable size are distributed on the planar substrate to satisfy the radial gradient index function and axial impedance match layer configuration of the lens, which is designed to transform spherical wave-front into planar wave-front and minimize reflection loss. A prototype gradient index lens antenna composed of multilayer of CSR arrays and a PEC horn are modeled and simulated. The simulation results shows that the prototype lens antenna maintain low return loss and high directivity over X-band. These results demonstrate the feasibility of such a light weight slab metamaterial lens for broadband and high directivity antenna application, such as in radar and communication system.