Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Enhancement of BCI classifiers through domain adaptation

Clinical Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) systems seek to enable paralyzed individuals to operate devices with their brain activity. Non-invasive systems based on electroen-cephalographic (EEG) signals are popular since they avoid risks associated with invasive procedures, but unfortunately EEG signals are inherently noisy, making effective classifiers challenging to develop. Commonly, new classifiers are benchmarked on signals from healthy subjects executing physical movements, under the assumption that the performance will transfer to clinical cases where only imagined movements are possible. Here, we show in contrast that classifiers trained on signals associated with actual movements perform erratically when applied to signals associated with imagined movements. We suggest that this is because the signals lay in different domains. Then, to exploit the different statistical distributions, we apply a domain adaptation technique, Frustratingly Easy Domain Adaptation (FEDA), improving classifier performance accuracy by a third on a discrimination task that simulates the clinical condition.
Palifermin in children undergoing autologous stem cell transplantation: a matched-pair analysis.

BACKGROUND Keratinocyte growth factor (palifermin) is used for prevention of mucositis in adults following autologous and allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). It is known that palifermin decreases length of initial hospital stay, mean number of days of total parenteral nutrition (TPN) and the use of opioids for pain control in oral mucositis in adults. There are limited data evaluating palifermin use in children following autologous HSCT. AIM The objective of the present study was the analysis of efficacy and safety of palifermin in children undergoing auto-HSCT. PATIENTS AND METHODS This matched-pair analysis study included 62 pediatric patients undergoing first auto-HSCT receiving palifermin on a compassionate-use basis (study group, n=31) or not (control group, n=31). RESULTS Palifermin decreased the incidence of severe (grade 3-4 WHO) oral mucositis (p=0.041), length of hospitalization (p=0.047) and contributed to the shorter duration of oral mucositis (p=0.035) and lower incidence of clinically or microbiologically documented infections (p=0.038). There were no differences between groups in opioid use, neutrophil and platelet recovery, TPN use and gastrointestinal hemorrhage. CONCLUSION Palifermin decreases the incidence and severity of oral mucositis in children undergoing autologous HSCT.
Oculomotor Abnormalities Related to Otolith Function: Discussion Paper 1

In human subjects it is difficult to make experimental observations on the effects of otolith stimulation upon eye movements and, consequently, upon visual function. The difficulty arises because the appropriate stimuli for the otoliths are linear accelerations and attitude with respect to gravity, and major technical problems arise when attempts are made to subject the head to strong linear stimuli without inducing either discomfort or angular movements which would produce artefacts from stimulation of the semicircular canals. In this respect clinical disorders of otolith function, in which ocular signs are clearly manifest, may provide valuable insight into the potential role which the otoliths might play in the control of normal eye movements. Clinical signs of central disorders of otolith function are probably common and yet frequently seem to be overlooked. Perhaps the reasons for such oversight are to be found historically in a lack of communication between the otological and neurological disciplines and also in a neglect of the tests appropriate to the investigation of otolith function, which can be difficult to implement. In the early part of this century it had been recognized by otologists that nystagmus and torsional movements of the eyes (in which the globe rotates about the visual axis) could be induced or modified by tilting the head with respect to gravity. They also recognized that the associated pathology could be central or peripheral (Nylen 1931). However, clear distinctions between upbeating and down beating nystagmus were not made and there was little concern for more precise localization of responsible lesions. In contrast, neurologists were concerned with distinguishing between different types of nystagmus in respect to their localizing value (Stengel 1935). Unfortunately they omitted detailed investigations of the behavioural characteristics of the nystagmus, particularly its responsiveness to tilt of the head.
Dynamics of ventilatory response to exercise in humans.

The dynamics of the ventilatory response to moderate exercise on a bicycle ergometer have been studied in humans. The work load was varied between 25 and 100 W as a pseudorandom binary sequence (PRBS) that enabled the impulse responses to be calculated by cross-correlation techniques. The response of all five subjects exhibited a bimodal response, i.e., a fast component that was followed after a delay by a slow component. The fast component accounted for a relatively small proportion of the total response. Also, it was demonstrated that to identify the rapid component it was necessary to excite the respiratory system with an input containing highfrequency components; this result was used to reconcile the findings from this study with those of previous investigation.
Cyclohexanecarboxyl-Coenzyme A (CoA) and Cyclohex-1-ene-1-Carboxyl-CoA Dehydrogenases, Two Enzymes Involved in the Fermentation of Benzoate and Crotonate in Syntrophus aciditrophicus

ABSTRACT The strictly anaerobic Syntrophus aciditrophicus is a fermenting deltaproteobacterium that is able to degrade benzoate or crotonate in the presence and in the absence of a hydrogen-consuming partner. During growth in pure culture, both substrates are dismutated to acetate and cyclohexane carboxylate. In this work, the unknown enzymes involved in the late steps of cyclohexane carboxylate formation were studied. Using enzyme assays monitoring the oxidative direction, a cyclohex-1-ene-1-carboxyl-CoA (Ch1CoA)-forming cyclohexanecarboxyl-CoA (ChCoA) dehydrogenase was purified and characterized from S. aciditrophicus and after heterologous expression of its gene in Escherichia coli. In addition, a cyclohexa-1,5-diene-1-carboxyl-CoA (Ch1,5CoA)-forming Ch1CoA dehydrogenase was characterized after purification of the heterologously expressed gene. Both enzymes had a native molecular mass of 150 kDa and were composed of a single, 40- to 45-kDa subunit; both contained flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) as a cofactor. While the ChCoA dehydrogenase was competitively inhibited by Ch1CoA in the oxidative direction, Ch1CoA dehydrogenase further converted the product Ch1,5CoA to benzoyl-CoA. The results obtained suggest that Ch1,5CoA is a common intermediate in benzoate and crotonate fermentation that serves as an electron-accepting substrate for the two consecutively operating acyl-CoA dehydrogenases characterized in this work. In the case of benzoate fermentation, Ch1,5CoA is formed by a class II benzoyl-CoA reductase; in the case of crotonate fermentation, Ch1,5CoA is formed by reversing the reactions of the benzoyl-CoA degradation pathway that are also employed during the oxidative (degradative) branch of benzoate fermentation.
Risperidone in treatment-refractory schizophrenia.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical safety and efficacy of risperidone compared to haloperidol in patients with treatment-refractory schizophrenia. METHOD Sixty-seven medication-unresponsive subjects were randomly assigned to treatment with risperidone (N = 34) or haloperidol (N = 33). After a 3-7 day-placebo washout period, there was a 4-week, double-blind, fixed-dose comparison trial that was followed by a 4-week, flexible-dose phase. Measures of clinical change were quantified by standard psychopathologic and neuromotor instruments. RESULTS Risperidone demonstrated clinical efficacy superior to that of haloperidol on the total Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) after the first 4 weeks of treatment. Risperidone did not show any advantage over haloperidol after an additional 4 weeks. Overall improvement on the BPRS at 4 weeks was significantly better for the risperidone group (24%) than for the haloperidol group (11%). Risperidone-treated subjects were significantly less likely than haloperidol-treated subjects to require concomitant anticholinergic medication after 4 weeks (20% versus 63%); they also had significantly les observable akathisia (24% versus 53%) and significantly less severe tardive dyskinesia. Baseline characteristics that correlated significantly with risperidone response were positive symptoms, conceptual disorganization, akathisia, and tardive dyskinesia. CONCLUSIONS Risperidone was better tolerated and more effective in a subset of patients with treatment-refractory schizophrenia. Positive psychotic symptoms and extrapyramidal side effects at baseline appear to be powerful predictors of subsequent response to risperidone.
Induction of hyperreactivity to endotoxin in mice by Coxiella burnetii

Intraperitoneal inoculation of mice with live or killed Coxiella burnetii phase I or phase II cells induced a marked hyperreactivity to the lethal effect of bacterial endotoxin and was accompanied by a marked hepatosplenomegaly. The degree and duration of hyperreactivity depended on the dose of C. burnetii administered and were higher with phase I than with phase II cells. Sensitization to the lethal effects of endotoxin and induction of splenomegaly by phase I C. burnetii cells also proceeded in the endotoxin-resistant C3H/HeJ strain of mice. Preincubation of C. burnetii cells with the corresponding immune serum significantly diminished the ability of phase I but not phase II cells to induce hyperreactivity to endotoxin.
Enzyme‐Linked Immunosorbent Assay of Substance P: A Study in the Eye

Abstract: A solid phase enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay for quantitation of substance P is presented. The assay measures the capacity of soluble substance P to compete with the solid phase antigen for a limited quantity of specific substance P antibody. The solid‐phase antigen consists of a synthetic substance P. poly‐D‐glutamic acid conjugate coated to polystyrene micro‐ELISA plate wells. Soluble substance P and antibodies to substance P are first preincubated together and then added to the wells containing solid‐phase antigen. Subsequently the wells are incubated with anti‐antibodies conjugated to alkaline phosphatase. The wells are finally incubated with p‐nitrophenyl phosphate and the absorbance is read in a spectrophotometer 16‐24 h after the start of the assay. The threshold for detection of substance P was 5‐10 pg per well (0.25 ml). Substance P was extracted from rabbit eyes and the values obtained with the present method are compared with previously reported values based on radioimmunoassay.
Fate of melanoma cells entering the microcirculation: over 80% survive and extravasate.

Metastasis is an inefficient process; only a few cancer cells are able to form tumors after being released into the circulation. We studied the fate of cancer cells after injection into the circulation, quantifying their survival and ability to extravasate by 1 day later. B16F10 cells, parental or transfectants overexpressing tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases 1, were injected i.v. into chorioallantoic membrane of chick embryos and analyzed by intravital videomicroscopy. Cell survival was quantified in two ways: (a) 15-microns microspheres were injected with cancer cells, and proportions of viable cells to microspheres were compared before and after injection; and (b) individual cancer cells were monitored continuously for 0.5-8-h intervals covering the first 24 h. Both methods showed virtually no destruction of cells. Greater than 80% of injected cells survived and extravasated by 24 h, indicating that growth after extravasation is a key stage of metastatic control.
Phase III trial of high-dose sequential chemotherapy with peripheral blood stem cell support compared with standard dose chemotherapy for first-line treatment of advanced ovarian cancer: intergroup trial of the AGO-Ovar/AIO and EBMT.

PURPOSE Although ovarian cancer is one of the most chemotherapy-sensitive solid tumors, cure after radical surgery and chemotherapy is uncommon. A randomized trial comparing high-dose sequential chemotherapy with peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) support with platinum-based combination chemotherapy was conducted to investigate whether dose-intensification improves outcome. PATIENTS AND METHODS One hundred forty-nine patients with untreated ovarian cancer were randomly assigned after debulking surgery to receive standard combination chemotherapy or sequential high-dose (HD) treatment with two cycles of cyclophosphamide and paclitaxel followed by three cycles of HD carboplatin and paclitaxel with PBSC support. HD melphalan was added to the final cycle. The median age was 50 years (range, 20 to 65 years) and International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics stage was IIb/IIc in 4%, III in 78%, and IV in 17%. RESULTS Seventy-six percent of patients received all five cycles in the HD arm and the main toxicities were neuro-/ototoxicity, gastrointestinal toxicity, and infection and one death from hemorrhagic shock. After a median follow-up of 38 months, the progression-free survival was 20.5 months in the standard arm and 29.6 months in the HD arm (hazard ratio [HR], 0.84; 95% CI, 0.56 to 1.26; P, .40). Median overall survival (OS) was 62.8 months in the standard arm and 54.4 months in the HD arm (HR, 1.17; 95% CI, 0.71 to 1.94; P, .54). CONCLUSION This is the first randomized trial comparing sequential HD versus standard dose chemotherapy in first-line treatment of patients with advanced ovarian cancer. We observed no statistically significant difference in progression-free survival or OS and conclude that HD chemotherapy does not appear to be superior to conventional dose chemotherapy.
Multioutput LED Drivers With Precise Passive Current Balancing

According to the detailed essential concept of current balancing presented in this paper, an improved passive current balancing method based on capacitive scheme is proposed consequently. This method can also be extended to the application of isolated multioutput LED drivers. Compared with active method to achieve current balancing among the multioutput LED strings, the passive method exhibits its attractive advantages in cost efficiency and balancing accuracy. Both the macromodel simulation and the prototype experiment results demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed method. The proposed method can achieve precise balancing in steady state and dynamic state even with considerably different peripheral parameters.
Graph theory reveals hyper-functionality in visual cortices of Seasonal Affective Disorder patients

Abstract Objectives. Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a subtype of recurrent unipolar or bipolar depressive disorder with a higher prevalence in winter than in summer. The biological underpinnings of SAD are so far poorly understood. Studies examining SAD have found disturbances between the molecular and connectivity scales. The aim of the study was to explore changes in functional connectivity typical for SAD. Methods. We investigated unmedicated, untreated SAD patients and healthy controls using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) utilizing graph theory, a data driven and hypothesis free approach, to model functional networks of the brain. Results. Comparing whole brain network properties using graph theory we observed globally affected network topologies with increasing pathlength in SAD. Nodal changes, however, were highly restricted to bilateral inferior occipital cortex. Interestingly, we found a lateralization where hyper-connectedness was restricted to right inferior occipital cortex and hyper-efficiency was found in the left inferior occipital cortex. Furthermore, we found these nodes became more “hub like” in patients, suggesting a greater functional role. Conclusions. Our work stresses the importance of abnormal intrinsic processing during rest, primarily affecting visual areas and subsequently changing whole brain networks, and thus providing an important hint towards potential future therapeutic approaches.
Serotonergic control of Purkinje cell maturation and climbing fibre elimination by 5‐HT3 receptors in the juvenile mouse cerebellum

• Serotonin 3 (5‐HT3) receptors are expressed by excitatory granule cells in the cerebellum during early postnatal development. • Here we show a novel role for serotonin in the regulation of cerebellar postnatal development via 5‐HT3 receptors. • Using 5‐HT3A receptor knockout mice we show that 5‐HT3 receptors expressed by granule cells, via the glycoprotein reelin, regulate the morphological maturation of Purkinje cells. • The 5‐HT3A receptor knockout mice show abnormal physiological maturation of Purkinje cells and impaired short‐term plasticity at the parallel fibre–Purkinje cell synapse, resulting in delayed climbing fibre elimination. • With these results, we provide a better understanding of the role of serotonin in the developing brain, the control it has on the postnatal maturation of the cerebellum, and the cerebellum as a highly adaptive system during early postnatal development.
Switching treatment-resistant patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder to olanzapine: a one-year open-label study with five-year follow-up*

Objective: To determine whether patients with treatment-resistant schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder would respond when switched to olanzapine and whether they could maintain their response on this atypical anti psychotic. Research design and methods: In this single-center, observational, 1-year open-label study, a cohort of patients was switched to olanzapine due to failure on previous treatment. The patients were followed up (retrospectively) for an additional 5 years. Patients had schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder and all but one were treatment-resistant. The starting dose was 10 mg/day, with dosage adjustments based on physician judgment. Main outcome measures: The CGI-S and CGI-I scales were the primary outcome measures. During the observation period, positive and negative symptoms, hospital readmission rates and duration of hospitalization were measured, and treatment-emergent adverse events recorded. Results: Mean age of patients (n = 25) was 39.7 years; 19 were male, and all were Caucasian. The mean number of antipsychotics used prior to olanzapine was 4.6 with risperidone (76%) being the most common. The mean duration of olanzapine therapy was 8.6 months. The average number of hospital admissions per patient dropped from 1.32 during the year prior to olanzapine therapy to 0.39 after starting olanzapine. Total number of hospital days was 1042 the year before and 258 the year after olanzapine treatment. The mean CGI-S score improved from markedly ill at baseline to borderline/mildly ill at study end. The mean CGI-I score was rated much improved at study end. Few adverse events occurred during the study. Twelve patients remained on olanzapine monotherapy after 5 years of treatment (mean duration of 62 months). Conclusions: Olanzapine may be a treatment option for patients who fail to respond to treatment with other antipsychotics. Importantly, this is one of the first reports showing that patients with schizophrenia can be maintained on atypical antipsychotic monotherapy for at least 5 years.
Clinical and Parental Status of Patients with Congenital Heart Disease Associated Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension.

BACKGROUND Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a significant consequence of congenital heart disease (CHD). Its presence and severity is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. OBJECTIVES To evaluate the clinical and demographic characteristics of adults with congenital heart diseases (ADCHD) and PAH at a single center. METHODS A prospective registry of all patients with PAH was conducted between 2009 and 2015. RESULTS Thirty-two patients were identified. The mean age at the last visit was 44 years (range 19-77 years). The prevalence of PAH among all ADCHD patients was 6% (95% confidence interval 4.3%-8.4%). A much higher prevalence (53%) was found in patients with Down syndrome. Most patients with PAH had moderate or severe disease. Fifteen patients (47%) were treated with pulmonary vasodilators and 6 (19%) with combination therapy. The average World Health Organization functional class was 2.6. Morbidity included cerebral vascular accident or transient ischemic attack in 22% (mostly in patients with right-to-left shunt) and arrhythmia in 37% of the patients. During a median follow-up of 3.5 years, 5 patients (15.6%) died. Of 13 women with no mental retardation, 11 were or had been married and all had children (between 1 and 13, mean 3.3). CONCLUSIONS Patients with congenital heart disease and PAH have significant morbidity and mortality. PAH is more prevalent in patients with Down syndrome. While pulmonary pressure during the reproductive years was not always known, 27% of women with PAH at the time of the study were multiparous.
Biological effects of magnetic fields--negative results.

Attempts to demonstrate a significant biological effect of a sustained magnetic field (8800 to 14400 gauss) on White Swiss mice were unsuccessful. Under the conditions of the experiments, the magnetic field did not alter the rate of growth of an Ehrlich's ascites tumor, significantly change the rate of young male animal growth, or significantly change the white blood count. (auth)
Quantification of Uncertainty in the Field Quality of Magnets Originating from Material Measurements

A challenge in accelerator magnet design is the strong nonlinear behavior due to magnetic saturation. In practice, the underlying nonlinear saturation curve is modeled according to measurement data that typically contain uncertainties. The electromagnetic fields and in particular the multipole coefficients that heavily affect the particle beam dynamics inherit this uncertainty. In this paper, we propose a stochastic model to describe the uncertainties and we demonstrate the use of generalized polynomial chaos for the uncertainty quantification of the multipole coefficients. In contrast to previous works we propose to start the stochastic analysis from uncertain measurement data instead of uncertain material properties and we propose to determine the sensitivities by a Sobol decomposition.
Advances in the diagnosis, classification, risk stratification, and management of monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance: implications for recategorizing disease entities in the presence of evolving scientific evidence.

Monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) is a premalignant plasma cell disorder present in more than 3% of the general population aged 50 years and older.1,2 MGUS is important to clinicians because it is associated with a 1% per year risk of progression to multiple myeloma (MM) or related malignancy.3 It is also important because it is found incidentally during the work-up of a variety of symptoms and disorders, and has confirmed and reported associations with numerous diseases commonly encountered in clinical practice, such as osteoporosis, peripheral neuropathy, and venous thrombosis.4 In addition, because MGUS is easily detected on blood tests and can be monitored noninvasively, it represents a readily accessible model to study the conversion of premalignancy to malignancy.5 In the past several years, new concepts and advances have emerged concerning the diagnosis, classification, risk stratification, and management of MGUS. This commentary highlights discoveries that provide valuable insight into the process of malignant transformation, as well as management strategies for dealing with a common premalignancy in which preventive strategies are thwarted by low rates of progression.6