Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Postural Control Follows a Bi-Phasic Alteration Pattern During Mountain Ultra-Marathon

It is well knows that postural control (PC) is deteriorated with neuromuscular fatigue, altitude or sleep deprivation induced by a mountain ultra-marathon (MUM). Several regulatory mechanisms have also been reported during this type of event and the changes in PC at different points of MUM remain unknown. The purpose of this study was to investigate the time course of PC during an extreme MUM. We tested the hypothesis that PC alteration would not increase linearly. Methods: 16 participants (age 45.1 ± 9.6 years) were tested bipedaly on a posturographic platform for 51.2 s with eyes open every ∼50 km. Both traditional and stabilogram diffusion analyses (SDA) were performed. A visual analog scale (VAS) was used for a subjective evaluation of global fatigue, sleep feeling and pain. Results: The main parameters (center of pressure trajectory analysis) increased significantly (p < 0.001, d = 1.56, very large) until km 100. This was confirmed by SDA in the antero-posterior plane. Short term effective diffusion coefficient significantly increased (p < 0.001, d = 1.07, very large) as critical point (p < 0.01, d = 1.57, very large). From km 100 to 200, a different response was observed with a continuous decrease in most of the PC parameters. This was confirmed by SDA in the antero-posterior plane. Short term effective diffusion coefficient significantly increased (p < 0.001, d = 1.39, very large) as critical point (p < 0.01, d = 1.51, very large). Conclusion: Posture alteration is progressively increased until 100 km. After this point, compensatory mechanisms appear to limit the posture degradation. This bi-phasic response is of interest for better understanding the coping with extreme fatigue.
Being Conscious of One’s Own Heroism: An Empirical Approach to Analyzing the Leadership Potential of Future CEOs

From the disciplinary field of the science of heroism, there is a need to deepen the processes that this science comprises, and at the same time, to test methods of inquiry to account for the variety of processes associated with this science. Linked to this sensitivity, the objective of this contribution is to jointly analyze, in a sample of future CEOs, what they imagine about heroism, their psychological types, and their values orientation. The sample consisted of 45 students (21 men and 24 women) between 22 and 47 years old (M = 26.69, SD = 4.47), who were part of a master’s program oriented toward training future CEOs to be leaders. The analytical instruments were the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), a story that each participant developed about him/herself as the main hero or heroine, and a questionnaire on personal values. In the psychological types observed, the functions of thinking and sensing predominated, with intuition and feeling residing at a lower level of consciousness. With regard to the stories, the majority of the sample offered tales in which the hero/heroine was confronted with a mystery to solve (or mission to fulfill), faced difficulties, and, finally, achieved harmony between the personal and the collective. Regarding the values, significant associations are observed between the gender, the characteristics of the psychological types, and the content of the story about their own hero / heroine. In sum, the research carried out offers an empirical approach to the study of the subjective elements of heroism, combining quantitative and qualitative aspects in an educational setting, and broadening the perspectives on the science of heroism.
Heart Rate Variability as Indicator of Clinical State in Depression

Background: Depression is a severe disease with great burdens for the affected individuals and public health care systems. Autonomic nervous system (ANS) dysfunction indexed by measures of heart rate variability (HRV) has repeatedly been associated with depression. However, HRV parameters are subject to a wide range of multi-factorial influences and underlying mechanisms in depression are still unclear. HRV parameters have been proposed to be promising candidates for diagnostic or predictive bio-markers for depression but necessary longitudinal design studies investigating the relationship between HRV and depression are scarce. Methods: The sample in this study consisted of 62 depressive individuals without antidepressant medication prior to assessment and 65 healthy controls. Fifteen minute blocks of resting ECGs were recorded 1–2 days before onset of antidepressant treatment and 2 weeks thereafter. The ECGs were pre-processed to extract inter-beat-intervals. Linear and non-linear methods were used to extract HRV parameters. ANOVAS were performed to investigate group differences between depressive patients and healthy controls. Associations between the change in severity of depression and HRV parameters were assessed in a repeated measurements design. Results: Analyses revealed HRV parameter differences between the groups of depressive patients and healthy controls at baseline. Further results show differences in HRV parameters within subjects after 2 weeks of antidepressant treatment. Change in HRV parameter values correlated with changes in symptom severity of depression. Discussion: The current results provide further insight into the relationship between HRV parameters and depression. This may help to underpin utilization of HRV parameters are bio-maker for disease state in depression. Results are discussed within a theoretical framework to link arousal and ANS regulation in depression.
Antibody Responses to Antigenic Targets of Recent Exposure Are Associated With Low-Density Parasitemia in Controlled Human Plasmodium falciparum Infections

The majority of malaria infections in low transmission settings remain undetectable by conventional diagnostics. A powerful model to identify antibody responses that allow accurate detection of recent exposure to low-density infections is controlled human malaria infection (CHMI) studies in which healthy volunteers are infected with the Plasmodium parasite. We aimed to evaluate antibody responses in malaria-naïve volunteers exposed to a single CHMI using a custom-made protein microarray. All participants developed a blood-stage infection with peak parasite densities up to 100 parasites/μl in the majority of participants (50/54), while the remaining four participants had peak densities between 100 and 200 parasites/μl. There was a strong correlation between parasite density and antibody responses associated with the most reactive blood-stage targets 1 month after CHMI (Etramp 5, GLURP-R2, MSP4 and MSP1-19; Spearman’s ρ = 0.82, p < 0.001). Most volunteers developed antibodies against a potential marker of recent exposure: Etramp 5 (37/45, 82%). Our findings justify validation in endemic populations to define a minimum set of antigens needed to detect exposure to natural low-density infections.
Recent Progress on the Molecular Mechanism of Quality Controls Induced by Ribosome Stalling

Accurate gene expression is a prerequisite for all cellular processes. Cells actively promote correct protein folding, which prevents the accumulation of abnormal and non-functional proteins. Translation elongation is the fundamental step in gene expression to ensure cellular functions, and abnormal translation arrest is recognized and removed by the quality controls. Recent studies demonstrated that ribosome plays crucial roles as a hub for gene regulation and quality controls. Ribosome-interacting factors are critical for the quality control mechanisms responding to abnormal translation arrest by targeting its products for degradation. Aberrant mRNAs are produced by errors in mRNA maturation steps and cause aberrant translation and are eliminated by the quality control system. In this review, we focus on recent progress on two quality controls, Ribosome-associated Quality Control (RQC) and No-Go Decay (NGD), for abnormal translational elongation. These quality controls recognize aberrant ribosome stalling and induce rapid degradation of aberrant polypeptides and mRNAs thereby maintaining protein homeostasis and preventing the protein aggregation.
Evaluation of Experimental Microwave Radar-Based Images: Evaluation Criteria

Microwave imaging has seen an increasing amount of clinical trials in the last two years, including ongoing and planned commercial development. The rapidly increasing number of studies with patient imaging is encouraging researchers to focus on the challenges of translating microwave imaging algorithms to clinical use. A large number of imaging algorithms have been proposed for radar-based imaging, however few detailed comparisons of these algorithms using realistic experimental or patient data have been published. This paper looks at two leading radar-based algorithms in experimental phantoms with and without tumours present. It shows that although some algorithms improve image quality when the tumour is present, the algorithms can also increase false positives in breast phantoms containing glandular structures.
Millimeter-wave Toroidal Lens-Array Antennas Experimental Measurements

High gain steerable antennas are the key element of the modern millimeter-wave communication systems: high gain required for overcoming large pathloss in this band, while steering is required for mobile access and reconfigurable backhauling links. In this paper we propose and evaluate the toroidal lens-array antenna (LAA) design, which provide high gain by focusing the beam in elevation plane, while beamsteering can be done in the azimuthal plane. Three LAA systems of different size demonstrated reliable multi-gigabit link at distances 100-300m. The further gain (and aperture) increase of LAAs limited mainly by the lens size and weight.
Simulation Study of a Power MOSFET With Built-in Channel Diode for Enhanced Reverse Recovery Performance

A new silicon power MOSFET architecture is proposed by introducing a built-in channel diode through a dummy MOS gate electrically coupled to the source. The oxide thickness of the channel diode is reduced to obtain a desired turn-ON voltage and attenuate the minority carrier injection from the PN junction body diode. Consequently, the proposed MOSFET is able to deliver superior reverse recovery characteristics, including reductions in reverse recovery charge (<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$Q_{\sf RR}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>) and peak reverse recovery current (<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$I_{\mathrm{ RRM}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>) by a factor of ~4.2 and ~2.6, respectively. The breakdown voltage (232 V) of the proposed MOSFET is the same as the conventional MOSFET. The on-resistance of the proposed MOSFET (8.5 <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\text{m}\Omega \cdot \text {cm}^{{2}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>) is only slightly increased compared with conventional MOSFET (8.0 <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\text{m}\Omega \cdot \text {cm}^{{2}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>). The gate-to-drain charge (<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$Q_{\sf GD}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>) and gate charge (<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${Q} _{\mathsf {G}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>) are reduced by a factor of ~7.2 and ~3.9, respectively. Significantly improved figures of merit (<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${R} _{ON} \times {Q}_{\mathsf {G}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> and <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${R} _{ON} \times {Q}_{\mathsf {GD}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> reduced by a factor of ~3.7 and ~6.8, respectively) are obtained in the proposed MOSFET. The device concept and characteristics are systematically analyzed with numerical TCAD simulations.
Single Layer Dual-Band ‘Phoenix’ Reflectarray Unit Cell with Dual-Linear Polarization

This paper presents a new single layer ‘Phoenix’ reflectarray phase-shifting cell with dual-linear polarization. The unit cell uses two independent sets of concentric slots in order to control the reflected phase independently at 9GHz and 14.5GHz. Simulations show that the unit cell offers a complete phase cycle of 360° at both frequencies, with linear and parallel variation of the phase. A 13 × 13 reflectarray was designed and simulated in order to demonstrate the dual-band behavior of the proposed cell.
Conserved allosteric pathways for activation of TRPV3 revealed through engineering vanilloid-sensitivity

The Transient Receptor Potential Vanilloid 1 (TRPV) channel is activated by an array of stimuli, including heat and vanilloid compounds. The TRPV1 homologues TRPV2 and TRPV3 are also activated by heat, but sensitivity to vanilloids and many other agonists is not conserved among TRPV subfamily members. It was recently discovered that four mutations in TRPV2 are sufficient to render the channel sensitive to the TRPV1-specific vanilloid agonist resiniferatoxin (RTx). Here we show that mutation of six residues in TRPV3 corresponding to the vanilloid site in TRPV1 is sufficient to engineer RTx binding. However, robust activation of TRPV3 by RTx requires facilitation of channel opening by introducing individual mutations in the pore, temperatures > 30°C, or co-stimulation with another agonist. Our results demonstrate that the energetics of channel activation can determine the apparent sensitivity to a stimulus and suggest that allosteric pathways for activation are conserved in the TRPV family.
Financial journalism in today’s high-frequency news and information era

This study relies on 22 expert interviews and a survey among 40 financial journalists in the United States to reassess the role of financial journalists for financial markets in today’s high-frequency information and news era. Findings point to a discrepancy between the ideal active watchdog role journalists picture for themselves and their actual role enactment. Furthermore, the process of constructing and distributing financial news has been found to be self-referential within the financial system, leaving little room for alternative voices. In this sense, the influence of regular financial reporting in driving stock market prices has been found to be limited but contingent on various factors such as unexpected news, repeatedly negative reporting, or news about a merger. Eventually, facing the proliferation of online news, journalists have raised a general concern regarding the loss of journalistic values, but they also see potentials for their discipline in light of automated reporting and online news.
A Dual Slope LVDT-to-Digital Converter

This paper presents a simple, new LVDT-to-digital converter that does not require a precise sine-wave excitation or a phase-matching circuit, like the traditional methods. The scheme relies on a triangular current excitation to the primary coil, derived from a couple of dc reference voltages. A dual-slope conversion of the secondary voltages in a ratiometric manner yields a digital output that is automatically de-sensitized to extraneous variations and directly proportional to the measurand (displacement). A detailed analysis of the effect of circuit parameters on the performance of the scheme is also presented. A prototype of the proposed circuit built and tested in the laboratory gave an effective number of bits of up to 12.7 bits and a speed of 10 conversions/s. The non-linearity error noted from the tests conducted was less than 0.15%.
Sea Clutter Cancellation for Passive Radar Sensor Exploiting Multi-Channel Adaptive Filters

Sea clutter suppression in passive radar sensor is a challenging problem because the Doppler frequencies of low-velocity sea-surface targets are typically close to the spectrum of the sea clutter. Conventional approaches based on single-channel high-pass filters are effective for clutter suppression only when the clutter is concentrated in low Doppler region. For sea clutter that has a spread spectrum, however, these approaches have to compromise target signal reception. That is, they either form a narrow notch which does not effectively suppress clutter, or generate a broadened null that simultaneously mitigates low-velocity target signals. Therefore, it is desirable to design a filter that forms a notch broad enough to cover the entire clutter spectrum, with the frequency response rising sharply to a high gain outside the clutter band. Toward this end, in this paper, we develop a generalized multi-channel adaptive filter which, by forming multiple sharp notches over a set of discrete frequencies within the clutter spectrum, achieves effective clutter suppression and target signal preservation. We focus on the fast frequency-domain implementation, and the performance analysis in terms of the frequency response, signal energy loss, and computational complexities is also presented. The effectiveness of the proposed approaches is verified using real-data results.
Preoperative intravenous flurbiprofen reduces postoperative pain and inflammatory cytokines in elderly patients after hip arthroplasty

Effect of flurbiprofen on the postoperative cognition and inflammatory cytokines in elderly patients after hip arthroplasty was investigated. Elderly patients undergoing replacement of total hip were randomly divided into three groups of equal size (n=60). A control group (control) received no treatment before or at the end of surgery. The other two groups, PRE and INTRA, received 50 mg flurbiprofen intravenously 15 min before the surgery and 30 min before the end of surgery, respectively. The pain score was evaluated by a visual analog scale (VAS) at the following time-points: 24 h before surgery (T0), and 3 h (T1), 12 h (T2) and 24 h (T3) after surgery. Peripheral venous blood was collected at T0, T1, T2 and T3. Cognitive function was assessed by mini-mental state examination (MMSE) at the time of T0, T1, T2 and T3. The serum concentration of tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), IL-6, and Cox-2 were measured using enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The VAS scores and the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines in the PRE and INTRA groups were less than those in the control group at T1, T2 and T3. The MMSE scores in PRE and INTRA groups were significantly higher than those in the control group at T1, T2 and T3. The PRE group showed a lower VAS score, release of pro-inflammatory cytokines and higher MMSE scores at T1, T2 and T3 than the control and INTRA groups. Intravenous flurbiprofen administration reduces postoperative pain and flammatory response after hip arthroplasty. Moreover, flurbiprofen is more effective when given preoperatively than intraoperatively.
Utility of GDF‐15 as a diagnostic biomarker in gastric cancer: an investigation combining GEO, TCGA and meta‐analysis

It was recently suggested that growth differentiation factor‐15 (GDF‐15) is associated with gastric cancer (GC) carcinogenesis. However, the diagnostic potential of GDF‐15 for GC remains unclear. To address this issue, we obtained RNA sequencing and microarray data from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) databases, and searched PubMed, Google Scholar and Web of Science for relevant literature. We then used STATA to perform a meta‐analysis. In total, reports of 253 GC patients and 112 healthy controls who contributed peripheral blood samples were taken from the four literature sources, while information on 754 GC tumor and 263 gastric normal tissues was drawn from TCGA and seven GEO datasets. The expression level of GDF‐15 mRNA was significantly higher in tumor tissues than in normal tissues, with a standard mean difference (SMD) of 0.79% and a 95% confidence interval (95% CI) of 0.63–0.95. Consistently, the GDF‐15 protein in blood was significantly increased in GC patients as compared to controls (SMD = 3.74, 95% CI = 1.81–5.68). In addition, based on information from TCGA and GEO datasets, the expression level of GDF‐15 mRNA may be of use for the diagnosis of GC, with a combined sensitivity, specificity and odds ratio of 0.69 (95% CI = 0.58–0.79), 0.90 (95% CI = 0.84–0.93) and 6.32 (95% CI = 4.22–9.49), respectively. The summary receiver operating characteristic curve demonstrated that the area under the curve was 0.90 (95% CI = 0.87–0.93). The results suggest higher levels of GDF‐15 may be associated with GC tumorigenesis and may have the potential to be a diagnostic biomarker of GC.
Medical simulation in pharmacology learning and retention: A comparison study with traditional teaching in undergraduate medical students

The purpose of the study was to determine whether low‐high fidelity medical simulation improves learning and long‐lasting retention of pharmacology knowledge, compared to lecture alone, in undergraduate medical students. Ninety students, before a 45‐minute lecture, were randomized into three groups ‐ sham (S), low (LF), and high fidelity (HF) simulation ‐ to participate in an interactive simulation session. To evaluate immediate and long‐lasting retention, a 20‐item structured questionnaire on inotropic agents was administered to 90 students before and after a 45‐minute lecture, after simulation, and 3 months later. In all groups, the rate of correct answers increased after lecture, while no difference was observed between different groups (P = 0.543). After simulation, students in the HF group provided more correct answers compared to S or LF group (P > 0.001). After 3 months, a significant decrease in the number of correct answers was observed in S (P < 0.001) and LF (P < 0.001) groups, but not in the HF group (P = 0.066). Moreover, HF simulation resulted in an increased number of correct answers compared to the LF (P < 0.001) or S simulation (P < 0.001). These data suggest that advanced medical simulation teaching applied to pharmacology is associated with more effective learning and long‐lasting retention compared to lecture alone.
Changes of body immunity and inflammatory response in HIV/HCV co-infected patients

Changes of body immunity and inflammatory response in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/hepatitis C virus (HCV) co-infected patients were investigated. Eighty HIV/HCV infected patients admitted to Qingdao No. 6 People's Hospital from August 2015 to December 2017 were selected and divided into two groups according to whether they were complicated with HCV infection or not (n=40 per group). The changes of the related humoral immune indexes, the related cellular immune indexes, the related indexes of hepatic function, the related indexes of inflammatory response in the two groups were compared, and the correlations of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) level with alanine aminotransferase (ALT) level, immunoglobulin G (IgG) level and cluster of differentiation 4+ (CD4+) level in the observation group were analyzed. The levels of related humoral immune indexes [immunoglobulin G (IgG), IgA and IgM levels], the related cellular immune indexes (CD4+ and CD8+) in the observation group were lower than those in the control group (P<0.05), and the CD4+/CD8+ ratio in the observation group was lower than that in the control group (P<0.05). The levels of indexes of hepatic function [ALT, aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and total bilirubin] in the observation group were significantly higher than those in the control group (P<0.05). The levels of hs-CRP, interleukin-1 (IL-1) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in the observation group were significantly higher than those in the control group (P<0.05). There were positive correlations of hs-CRP level with ALT level and IgG level in the observation group (P<0.05). There was a negative correlation between hs-CRP level and CD4+ level in the observation group (P<0.05). The humoral and cellular immune functions of the HIV/HCV co-infected patients are significantly limited, their hepatic function is significantly impaired and the levels of inflammatory cytokines are markedly increased. The level of hs-CRP is positively correlated with hepatic function and humoral immune function and negatively correlated with cellular immune function.