Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Prospective study of violence risk reduction by a mental health court.

OBJECTIVE Although many mental health courts (MHCs) have been established to reduce criminal justice involvement of persons with mental disorders, research has not kept pace with the widespread implementation of these courts. Whereas early MHCs were restricted to persons charged with nonviolent misdemeanors, many MHCs now accept persons with more serious charges for whom ameliorating risk of violence is a greater concern. This study evaluated the relationship between MHC participation and risk of violence by using a prospective design. It was hypothesized that MHC participation would decrease the risk of violence during a one year follow-up compared with a matched comparison group. METHODS The sample included 169 jail detainees with a mental disorder who either entered an MHC (N=88) or received treatment as usual (N=81). Seventy-two percent had been charged with felonies. Participants were interviewed at baseline and during a one-year follow up, and their arrest records were reviewed. Propensity-adjusted logistic regression evaluated the relationship between MHC participation and risk of violence, controlling for potential confounders such as history of violence, demographic characteristics, baseline treatment motivation, and time at risk in the community. RESULTS MHC participation was associated with reduction in risk of violence (odds ratio=.39). During follow-up, 25% of the MHC group perpetrated violence, compared with 42% of the treatment-as-usual group. CONCLUSIONS MHC participation can reduce the risk of violence among justice-involved persons with mental disorders. The findings support the conclusion that the MHC model can be extended beyond persons charged with nonviolent misdemeanors in a way that enhances public safety.
Carpal-bone feature extraction analysis in skeletal age assessment based on deformable model

Skeletal age assessment is one of the important applications of hand radiography in the area of pediatric radiology. Features analysis of the carpal bones can reveal the important information for skeletal age assessment. The present work in this paper faces the problem of the detection of carpal-bone features from its radio-image. A novel and effective segmentation technique is presented in this work with carpal bone image for skeletal age estimation. Carpal bone segmentation is a critical operation of the automatic skeletal age assessment system. This method consists of three procedures. First, the original carpal bone image is preprocessed via anisotropic diffusion. Then, the carpal bone image is segmented by GVF-Snake model. Third, experiments are carried out on images of carpal bone. The results are very promising. In particular the method is able to extract overlapping carpal bones.
Regional CO pollution and export in China simulated by the high-resolution nested-grid GEOS-Chem model

Abstract. An updated version of the nested-grid GEOS-Chem model is developed allowing for higher horizontal (0.5°×0.667°) resolution as compared to global models. CO transport over a heavily polluted region, the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (BTH) city cluster in China, and the pattern of outflow from East China in summertime are investigated. Comparison of the nested-grid with global models indicates that the fine-resolution nested-grid model is capable of resolving individual cities with high associated emission intensities. The nested-grid model indicates the presence of a high CO column density over the Sichuan Basin in summer, attributable to the low-level stationary vortex associated with the Basin's topographical features. The nested-grid model provides good agreement also with measurements from a suburban monitoring site in Beijing during summer 2005. Tagged CO simulation results suggest that regional emissions make significant contributions to elevated CO levels over Beijing on polluted days and that the southeastward moving cyclones bringing northwest winds to Beijing are the key meteorological mechanisms responsible for dispersion of pollution over Beijing in summer. Overall CO fluxes to the NW Pacific from Asia are found to decrease by a factor of 3–4 from spring to summer. Much of the seasonal change is driven by decreasing fluxes from India and Southeast Asia in summer, while fluxes from East China are only 30% lower in summer than in spring. Compared to spring, summertime outflow from Chinese source regions is strongest at higher latitudes (north of 35° N). The deeper convection in summer transporting CO to higher altitudes where export is more efficient is largely responsible for enhanced export in summer.
The Wilms tumor protein Wt1 contributes to female fertility by regulating oviductal proteostasis

&NA; Although the zinc finger transcription factor Wt1 has been linked to female fertility, its precise role in this process has not yet been understood. We have sequenced the WT1 exons in a panel of patients with idiopathic infertility and have identified a missense mutation in WT1 in one patient out of eight. This mutation leads to an amino acid change within the zinc finger domain and results in reduced DNA binding. We utilized Wt1+/‐ mice as a model to mechanistically pinpoint the consequences of reduced Wt1 levels for female fertility. Our results indicate that subfertility in Wt1+/‐ female mice is a maternal effect caused by the Wt1‐dependent de‐regulation of Prss29, encoding a serine protease. Notably, blocking Prss29 activity was sufficient to rescue subfertility in Wt1+/‐ mice indicating Prss29 as a critical factor in female fertility. Molecularly, Wt1 represses expression of Prss29. De‐repression and precocious expression of Prss29 in the oviduct of Wt1+/‐ mice interferes with pre‐implantation development. Our study reveals a novel role for Wt1 in early mammalian development and identifies proteases as critical mediators of the maternal‐embryonic interaction. Our data also suggest that the role of Wt1 in regulating fertility is conserved in mammals.
Robust Blind Source Separation by Beta Divergence

Blind source separation is aimed at recovering original independent signals when their linear mixtures are observed. Various methods for estimating a recovering matrix have been proposed and applied to data in many fields, such as biological signal processing, communication engineering, and financial market data analysis. One problem these methods have is that they are often too sensitive to outliers, and the existence of a few outliers might change the estimate drastically. In this article, we propose a robust method of blind source separation based on the divergence. Shift parameters are explicitly included in our model instead of the conventional way which assumes that original signals have zero mean. The estimator gives smaller weights to possible outliers so that their influence on the estimate is weakened. Simulation results show that the proposed estimator significantly improves the performance over the existing methods when outliers exist; it keeps equal performance otherwise.
Visual attention by saliency leads cross-modal body representation

One of the most fundamental issues for physical agents (humans, primates, and robots) in performing various kinds of tasks is body representation. Especially during tool-use by monkeys, neurophysiological evidence shows that the representation can be dynamically reconstructed by spatio-temporal integration of different sensor modalities so that it can be adaptive to environmental changes. However, to construct such a representation, an issue to be resolved is how to associate which information among various sensory data. This paper presents a method that constructs cross-modal body representation from vision, touch, and proprioception. Tactile sensation, when the robot touches something, triggers the construction process of the visual receptive field for body parts that can be found by visual attention based on a saliency map and consequently regarded as the end effector. Simultaneously, proprioceptive information is associated with this visual receptive field to achieve the cross-modal body representation. The proposed model is applied to a real robot and results comparable to the activities of parietal neurons observed in monkeys are shown.
Redox state of plastoquionone pool regulates expression of Arabidopsis thaliana genes in response to elevated irradiance

DNA microarray technology was applied to gain insight into the role of the redox state of PQ pool as a retrograde factor mediating differential expression of Arabidopsis nuclear genes during the acclimation to changing irradiance. DNA microarray chips containing probes corresponding to 24 000 Arabidopsis nuclear genes were screened with cRNA samples prepared from leaves of plants exposed for 5 h to low irradiance (control) vs. medium, high and excessive irradiances (MI, HI and EI, respectively). Six hundred and sixty three genes were differentially expressed as a result of an exposure to at least one elevated irradiance. Among 663 differentially expressed genes a total of 50 were reverted by DCMU — 24 ones modulated at medium irradiance, 32 ones modulated at high irradiance and a single one modulated at excessive irradiance. We postulate that their expression is regulated by redox state of plastoquinone (PQ) pool. Thus the PQ-mediated redox regulation of expression of Arabidopsis nuclear genes is probably limited to the irradiance window representing non-stressing conditions. We found that the promoter regions of the PQ-regulated genes contained conserved elements, suggesting transcriptional control by a shared set of trans-acting factors which participate in signal transduction from the redox state of the PQ pool.
A Simulated Study of File System Metadata Scalability

In this paper, we analyzed four Linux file systems for their metadata scalability. The increasing gap between the size of data set and memory capacity has placed an pressure on existing file systems. We studied the design and implementation of these file system to gain an insight of how they organize their metadata to manage raw data. Simulations are conducted to see the simulated behavior of those four file system. We simulated a simple case with only one directory and one file with various size, an emulated disk with data from previous literature and a simple calculation is presented for an aging file system. Our results shows that not all extent-based file system always has less overheads than traditional blockbased file system, and those extent-based file systems with variable-sized inode structure have good flexibility to scale, thus avoid the metadata scalability problem that
Hepato-specific microRNA-122 facilitates accumulation of newly synthesized miRNA through regulating PRKRA

microRNAs (miRNAs) are a versatile class of non-coding RNAs involved in regulation of various biological processes. miRNA-122 (miR-122) is specifically and abundantly expressed in human liver. In this study, we employed 3′-end biotinylated synthetic miR-122 to identify its targets based on affinity purification. Quantitative RT-PCR analysis of the affinity purified RNAs demonstrated a specific enrichment of several known miR-122 targets such as CAT-1 (also called SLC7A1), ADAM17 and BCL-w. Using microarray analysis of affinity purified RNAs, we also discovered many candidate target genes of miR-122. Among these candidates, we confirmed that protein kinase, interferon-inducible double-stranded RNA-dependent activator (PRKRA), a Dicer-interacting protein, is a direct target gene of miR-122. miRNA quantitative-RT–PCR results indicated that miR-122 and small interfering RNA against PRKRA may facilitate the accumulation of newly synthesized miRNAs but did not detectably affect endogenous miRNAs levels. Our findings will lead to further understanding of multiple functions of this hepato-specific miRNA. We conclude that miR-122 could repress PRKRA expression and facilitate accumulation of newly synthesized miRNAs.
The Combinatorial Assignment Problem: Approximate Competitive Equilibrium from Equal Incomes

This paper proposes a new mechanism for combinatorial assignment—for example, assigning schedules of courses to students—based on an approximation to competitive equilibrium from equal incomes (CEEI) in which incomes are unequal but arbitrarily close together. The main technical result is an existence theorem for approximate CEEI. The mechanism is approximately efficient, satisfies two new criteria of outcome fairness, and is strategyproof in large markets. Its performance is explored on real data, and it is compared to alternatives from theory and practice: all other known mechanisms are either unfair ex post or manipulable even in large markets, and most are both manipulable and unfair.
Endoxifen Levels and Its Association With CYP2D6 Genotype and Phenotype: Evaluation of a Southern Brazilian Population Under Tamoxifen Pharmacotherapy

Background: An association between CYP2D6 variation and clinical outcomes among women with breast cancer treated with tamoxifen (TAM) has been demonstrated, such that the presence of 2 functional CYP2D6 alleles was associated with better clinical outcomes. This association is mainly due to the CYP2D6-mediated hydroxylation of N-desmethyltamoxifen (NDT) to yield endoxifen (EDF), which because of its high antiestrogenic potency, is mainly responsible for the therapeutic efficacy of TAM. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relation of CYP2D6 genotyping and phenotyping with EDF levels and [NDT]/[EDF] metabolic ratio in breast cancer patients from South of Brazil under TAM therapy. Methods: Trough blood samples were collected from 97 patients. CYP2D6 genotyping was performed with a luminex assay and calculation of genotypic activity scores. Tamoxifen and metabolites EDF, NDT, and 4-hydroxy-TAM were measured in plasma by high performance liquid chromatography with photo diode array detector. CYP2D6 phenotyping was performed by the determination of dextromethorphan (DMT) and dextrorphan (DTF) by high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection at plasma collected 3 hours after oral administration of 33 mg of DMF. Phenotypes were given according to [DMT]/[DTF] metabolic ratio. Results: CYP2D6 genotyping indicated a prevalence of 4.1% poor metabolizer, 4.1% intermediate metabolizer, 49.5% extensive metabolizer slow activity, 39.2% extensive metabolizer fast activity, and 3.1% ultrarapid metabolizer. Genotype (genotypic activity scores) was significantly correlated with phenotype ([DMT]/[DTF]), with a moderate association (rs = −0.463; P < 0.001). Median plasma concentrations (nanograms per milliliter; N = 97) were TAM 57.17; 4-hydroxy-TAM 1.01; EDF 6.21; NDT 125.50. EDF levels were lower in poor metabolizers than that in extensive metabolizers (P < 0.05). Phenotype showed stronger, but still moderate, association with EDF and [NDT]/[EDF] than genotype (r = −0.507, r = 0.625, P < 0.001 versus r = 0.356, r = 0.516, P < 0.01). Phenotype accounted for 26% of the variability in EDF levels and 38% of [NDT]/[EDF], whereas genotype accounted for 12% and 27%, respectively. Conclusions: CYP2D6 genotyping and/or phenotyping could not fully predict EDF concentrations. Monitoring EDF itself could be considered during TAM therapy.
Text Compression via Alphabet Re-representation Extended Abstract

We consider re-representing the alphabet so that a representation of a character re ects its properties as a predictor of future text. This enables us to use an estimator from a restricted class to map contexts to predictions of upcoming characters. We describe an algorithm that uses this idea in conjunction with neural networks. The performance of this implementation is compared to other compression methods, such as UNIX compress, gzip, PPMC, and an alternative neural network approach.
Curative Effect of 18β-Glycyrrhetinic Acid in Experimental Visceral Leishmaniasis Depends on Phosphatase-Dependent Modulation of Cellular MAP Kinases

We earlier showed that 18β-glycyrrhetinic acid (GRA), a pentacyclic triterpenoid from licorice root, could completely cure visceral leishmaniasis in BALB/c mouse model. This was associated with induction of nitric oxide and proinflammatory cytokine production through the up regulation of NF-κB. In the present study we tried to decipher the underlying cellular mechanisms of the curative effect of GRA. Analysis of MAP kinase pathways revealed that GRA caused strong activation of p38 and to a lesser extent, ERK in bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDM). Almost complete abrogation of GRA-induced cytokine production in presence of specific inhibitors of p38 and ERK1/2 confirmed the involvement of these MAP kinases in GRA-mediated responses. GRA induced mitogen- and stress-activated protein kinase (MSK1) activity in a time-dependent manner suggested that GRA-mediated NF-κB transactivation is mediated by p38, ERK and MSK1 pathway. As kinase/phosphatase balance plays an important role in modulating infection, the effect of GRA on MAPK directed phosphatases (MKP) was studied. GRA markedly reduced the expression and activities of three phosphatases, MKP1, MKP3 and protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) along with a substantial reduction of p38 and ERK dephosphorylation in infected BMDM. Similarly in the in vivo situation, GRA treatment of L. donovani-infected BALB/c mice caused marked reduction of spleen parasite burden associated with concomitant decrease of individual phosphatase levels. However, activation of kinases also played an important role as the protective effect of GRA was significantly abrogated by pharmacological inhibition of p38 and ERK pathway. Curative effect of GRA may, therefore, be associated with restoration of proper cellular kinase/phosphatase balance, rather than modulation of either kinases or phosphatases.
Phosphorylation in isolated Chlamydomonas axonemes: a phosphoprotein may mediate the Ca2+-dependent photophobic response

An in vitro system was devised for studying phosphorylation of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii axonemal proteins. Many of the polypeptides phosphorylated in this system could be identified as previously described axonemal components that are phosphorylated in vivo. The in vitro system apparently preserved the activities of diverse axonemal kinases without greatly altering the substrate specificity of the enzymes. The in vitro system was used to study the effect of calcium concentration on axonemal protein phosphorylation. Calcium has previously been demonstrated to initiate the axonemal reversal reaction of the photophobic response; the in vitro system made it possible to investigate the possibility that this calcium effect is mediated by protein phosphorylation. Calcium specifically altered the phosphorylation of only two axonemal proteins; the phosphorylation of an otherwise unidentified 85,000 Mr protein was repressed by calcium concentrations greater than or equal to 10(-6) M, while the phosphorylation of the previously identified 95,000 Mr protein b4 was stimulated by calcium at concentrations greater than 10(-6) M. Protein b4 is one of six polypeptides that are deficient in the mbo mutants, strains that do not exhibit a photophobic reversal reaction. Therefore, this calcium-stimulated phosphorylation may be involved in initiating the photophobic response. Neither calmodulin nor the C-kinase could be implicated in b4 phosphorylation. The calcium-dependent activation of the b4 kinase was not affected by several drugs that bind to and inhibit calmodulin, or by the addition of exogenous calmodulin. Activators and inhibitors of the calcium-phospholipid-dependent C kinase also had no effect on b4 phosphorylation.
Fine grained kernel logging with KLogger: experience and insights

Understanding the detailed behavior of an operating system is crucial for making informed design decisions. But such an understanding is very hard to achieve, due to the increasing complexity of such systems and the fact that they are implemented and maintained by large and diverse groups of developers. Tools like KLogger --- presented in this paper --- can help by enabling fine-grained logging of system events and the sharing of a logging infrastructure between multiple developers and researchers, facilitating a methodology where design evaluation can be an integral part of kernel development. We demonstrate the need for such methodology by a host of case studies, using KLogger to better understand various subsystems in the Linux kernel, and pinpointing overheads and problems therein.
A Low-Distortion High-Efficiency Class-D Audio Amplifier Based on Sliding Mode Control

This brief presents a low-power low-distortion high-efficiency class-D audio amplifier. The proposed architecture uses an integral sliding mode controller with a novel on-chip continuous current sensor. A full-bridge output stage is used to increase the output power, and an adaptive nonoverlapping-clock generation technique is presented to eliminate the short circuit current. Moreover, the switching frequency is chosen to achieve the highest possible linearity without efficiency degradation. The proposed architecture contains the minimum number of loop amplifiers to reduce quiescent current consumption. The proposed class-D audio amplifier has been implemented using 65-nm CMOS technology and operated from a single 2.7-V voltage supply (using thick oxide transistors) while occupying an active area of 0.31 mm2. Post-layout simulations show that the proposed architecture achieves a total harmonic distortion of 0.002% for a 2.2 Vpp 1-kHz input signal. It achieves a peak efficiency of 96% and a maximum output power of 400 mW at an 8-Ω differential load.
The application of segmentation in holography analysis

In the application of particle holography analysis, the diameter measurement is basic and important. A novel approach of segmentation is proposed. For improving the accuracy of measurement, the method of bi-threshold is used firstly and then the edge linking method is adopted to get the more accuracy segmented particle image. The experiment tests showed the less relative error is in the diameter measurement with the algorithm, compared with the bi-threshold algorithm. The study has further meanings on the processing of particles field holography.
Simultaneous perfusion and BOLD imaging using reverse spiral scanning at 3T: Characterization of functional contrast and susceptibility artifacts

Reverse spiral scanning with arterial spin‐labeling was developed at 3T to simultaneously detect perfusion and BOLD signals in the brain by subtracting or adding the control and labeled images, respectively, in the same dataset. BOLD contrast was improved with the longer effective echo time achieved in the reverse spiral scan compared to conventional forward spiral scans. Susceptibility artifacts near air–tissue interfaces in the brain were substantially reduced in the reverse spiral images due to their early data acquisition time and, hence, less signal attenuation. Brain activation experiments with the reverse spiral scan were performed on normal subjects and were compared to forward spiral imaging in the same subjects. The experiments demonstrated that reverse spiral imaging was able to detect perfusion and BOLD signals simultaneously and reliably, even in the brain regions with severe susceptibility‐induced local gradients, while forward spiral scans were either not optimal for detecting the two functional signals at the same time or were vulnerable to susceptibility artifacts. Magn Reson Med 48:278–289, 2002. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.