Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Direct effects of 3,4‐methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) on serotonin or dopamine release and uptake in the caudate putamen, nucleus accumbens, substantia nigra pars reticulata, and the dorsal raphé nucleus slices

We examined the effects of pressure ejected 3,4‐methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) from a micropipette on direct chemically stimulated release, and on electrically stimulated serotonin (5‐HT) or dopamine (DA) release in the caudate putamen (CPu), nucleus accumbens (NAc), substantia nigra pars reticulata (SNr), and the dorsal raphé nucleus (DRN) brain slices of rat, using fast cyclic voltammetry (FCV). MDMA is electroactive, oxidising at +1100 mV. When the anodic input waveform was reduced from +1.4 to +1.0 volt, MDMA was not electroactive. Using this waveform, pressure ejection of MDMA did not release 5‐HT or DA in brain slices prepared from any of the nuclei studied. MDMA significantly potentiated electrically stimulated 5‐HT release in the SNr and DA release in CPu. In the DRN or in the NAc, MDMA was without effect on peak electrically stimulated 5‐HT or DA release. The rates of neurotransmitter uptake, expressed as t1/2, were in all cases significantly decreased after MDMA. The results indicate that MDMA, unlike (+)amphetamine, is not as a releaser of DA or 5‐HT, it is a potent inhibitor of both DA and 5‐HT uptake. Synapse 36:275–285, 2000. © 2000 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Cocoa flavanol intake improves endothelial function and Framingham Risk Score in healthy men and women: a randomised, controlled, double-masked trial: the Flaviola Health Study

Abstract Cocoa flavanol (CF) intake improves endothelial function in patients with cardiovascular risk factors and disease. We investigated the effects of CF on surrogate markers of cardiovascular health in low risk, healthy, middle-aged individuals without history, signs or symptoms of CVD. In a 1-month, open-label, one-armed pilot study, bi-daily ingestion of 450 mg of CF led to a time-dependent increase in endothelial function (measured as flow-mediated vasodilation (FMD)) that plateaued after 2 weeks. Subsequently, in a randomised, controlled, double-masked, parallel-group dietary intervention trial (Clinicaltrials.gov: NCT01799005), 100 healthy, middle-aged (35–60 years) men and women consumed either the CF-containing drink (450 mg) or a nutrient-matched CF-free control bi-daily for 1 month. The primary end point was FMD. Secondary end points included plasma lipids and blood pressure, thus enabling the calculation of Framingham Risk Scores and pulse wave velocity. At 1 month, CF increased FMD over control by 1·2 % (95 % CI 1·0, 1·4 %). CF decreased systolic and diastolic blood pressure by 4·4 mmHg (95 % CI 7·9, 0·9 mmHg) and 3·9 mmHg (95 % CI 6·7, 0·9 mmHg), pulse wave velocity by 0·4 m/s (95 % CI 0·8, 0·04 m/s), total cholesterol by 0·20 mmol/l (95 % CI 0·39, 0·01 mmol/l) and LDL-cholesterol by 0·17 mmol/l (95 % CI 0·32, 0·02 mmol/l), whereas HDL-cholesterol increased by 0·10 mmol/l (95 % CI 0·04, 0·17 mmol/l). By applying the Framingham Risk Score, CF predicted a significant lowering of 10-year risk for CHD, myocardial infarction, CVD, death from CHD and CVD. In healthy individuals, regular CF intake improved accredited cardiovascular surrogates of cardiovascular risk, demonstrating that dietary flavanols have the potential to maintain cardiovascular health even in low-risk subjects.
Comparison of Commercial and In-House Real-Time PCR Assays Used for Detection of Mycoplasma pneumoniae

ABSTRACT We tested two commercial and three in-house PCR assays under standardized conditions to detect Mycoplasma pneumoniae. All five procedures were able to demonstrate M. pneumoniae DNA in a concentration comparable to 1 CFU/μl, but the mean crossing points resulted in differences in the concentration of the genome copies of a factor of 20.
An Analysis of Low Complexity Algorithms for MIMO Antenna Selection

In this paper we consider transmit and receive selection methods designed to achieve high channel capacities in a single-user MIMO link. A variety of radio channels are considered, including i.i. d. Rayleigh, correlated Rayleigh and Ricean fading environments. Also considered is the presence of imperfect channel state information (CSI) and a simplified waterfilling scheme. In all cases, we evaluate the performance of optimal selection, simple norm based selection and other benchmark selection techniques. The major contribution is a general approach to analyzing the capacity of the selection schemes via a simple power scaling factor. We are able to assess the impact of different channels, imperfect CSI and power allocation using this power scaling factor. Furthermore, the analysis is valid for all scenarios: transmit selection, receive selection and joint transmit-receive selection. Results are shown which compare the capacity performance over a wide range of cases. A notable conclusion is that optimal selection, which is computationally intensive, is outperformed at low SNR by the simple, norm based approach with power allocation.
Recursive tracking of formants in speech signals

We report on an approach to recursively track parameters of a cascade formant model. The work follows from that of Rigoll (1986) who showed how an extended Kalman filter (EKF) may be used for recursive estimation of formants. The success of this approach depends on our ability to tune the model noise variances properly. The approach also fails when there is a mismatch between the complexity of the data and that of the model (i.e. wrong number of formants). We show how a multiple model (MM) approach may be used to overcome these problems. We run several models in parallel and use the innovation probabilities of the EKF to recursively evaluate the likelihoods of each of the models. Experimental results demonstrate the feasibility of the approach; accurate switching between models and good tracking of the formants is achieved. <<ETX>>
Detailing Radio Frequency Heating Induced by Coronary Stents: A 7.0 Tesla Magnetic Resonance Study

The sensitivity gain of ultrahigh field Magnetic Resonance (UHF-MR) holds the promise to enhance spatial and temporal resolution. Such improvements could be beneficial for cardiovascular MR. However, intracoronary stents used for treatment of coronary artery disease are currently considered to be contra-indications for UHF-MR. The antenna effect induced by a stent together with RF wavelength shortening could increase local radiofrequency (RF) power deposition at 7.0 T and bears the potential to induce local heating, which might cause tissue damage. Realizing these constraints, this work examines RF heating effects of stents using electro-magnetic field (EMF) simulations and phantoms with properties that mimic myocardium. For this purpose, RF power deposition that exceeds the clinical limits was induced by a dedicated birdcage coil. Fiber optic probes and MR thermometry were applied for temperature monitoring using agarose phantoms containing copper tubes or coronary stents. The results demonstrate an agreement between RF heating induced temperature changes derived from EMF simulations versus MR thermometry. The birdcage coil tailored for RF heating was capable of irradiating power exceeding the specific-absorption rate (SAR) limits defined by the IEC guidelines by a factor of three. This setup afforded RF induced temperature changes up to +27 K in a reference phantom. The maximum extra temperature increase, induced by a copper tube or a coronary stent was less than 3 K. The coronary stents examined showed an RF heating behavior similar to a copper tube. Our results suggest that, if IEC guidelines for local/global SAR are followed, the extra RF heating induced in myocardial tissue by stents may not be significant versus the baseline heating induced by the energy deposited by a tailored cardiac transmit RF coil at 7.0 T, and may be smaller if not insignificant than the extra RF heating observed under the circumstances used in this study.
Prototype Classifier Design with Pruning

Algorithms reducing the storage requirement of the nearest neighbor classifier (NNC) can be divided into three main categories: Fast searching algorithms, Instance-based learning algorithms and Prototype based algorithms. We propose an algorithm, LVQPRU, for pruning NNC prototype vectors and a compact classifier with good performance is obtained. The basic condensing algorithm is applied to the initial prototypes to speed up the learning process. The learning vector quantization (LVQ) algorithm is utilized to fine tune the remaining prototypes during each pruning iteration. We evaluate LVQPRU on several data sets along with 12 other algorithms using ten-fold cross-validation. Simulation results show that the proposed algorithm has high generalization accuracy and good storage reduction ratios.
Impact of missing data in training artificial neural networks for computer-aided diagnosis

Artificial neural networks (ANN) are frequently used in the development of Computer-Aided Diagnosis systems for breast cancer detection and diagnosis. One class of models uses descriptions of mammographic lesions encoded following the BI-RADS lexicon. Data sets that have been carefully curated to ensure completeness are generally used; however, in routine practice, some information is typically missing in clinical databases. The impact of missing data on the performance of a feedforward, back-propagation ANN, as measured by the area under the Receiver Operating Characteristic curve, was found to be much higher when data were missing from the testing set than when data were missing from the training set. This empirical study highlights the need for additional research on developing robust clinical decision support systems for realistic environments in which key information may be unknown or inaccessible.
A Low-Power SRAM Using Bit-Line Charge-Recycling for Read and Write Operations

This paper proposes a low-power SRAM using bit-line charge-recycling for read and write operations. The charge-recycling SRAM (CR-SRAM) reduces the read and write powers by recycling the charge in bit lines. When N bit lines recycle their charges, the swing voltage and power of bit lines are reduced to 1/N and 1/N2, respectively. The CR-SRAM utilizes hierarchical bit-line architecture to perform the charge-recycling without static noise margin degradation in memory cells. In the simulation, the CR-SRAM saves 17% read power and 84% write power compared with the conventional SRAM. A CR-SRAM chip with 4 K × 8 bits is implemented in a 0.13-μm CMOS process. It consumes 0.128-mW read power and 0.135-mW write power at fCLK = 100 MHz and VDD = 1.2 V.
Kinetics of phase change

The kinetic model for change of phases developed by M. Avrami at the end of the thirties has been used to describe the temporal behavior of phase changes. Until today this model is studied and adapted to include broader hypotheses. However, the mathematical format presented by M. Avrami is difficult to be understood by beginners. The purpose of this work is to clarify the mathematical treatment of Avrami's work, going straightforward to the arguments that led to his main results.
Modeling Tasks Synchronization in the Fault-Tolerant Cyber-Physical Systems

The model of tasks interaction in a Cyber-Physical System (CPS) is developed and discussed in the paper. To achieve fault-tolerant behavior the intermediate synchronization objects are used for decoupling interacting tasks. Synchronization protocol is modeled as guarded actions with help of Temporal Logic of Actions (TLA). The guard is a logical condition which includes not only software specifications, but physical properties of a CPS. Different temporal semantics (non-waiting, waiting and waiting timeout) of tasks synchronization in a CPS are introduced. The effect of synchronization in the case of different time semantics of tasks actions is analyzed. Keywords-Cyber-physical system, tasks synchronization, faulttolerant behavior, temporal logic of actions.
Fabrication and Phase-Transition Characteristic Investigation of Nanocrystalline VO2 Thin Film

In this paper, nanocrystalline VO2 thin film is fabricated by a kind method of two steps and its phase transition characteristics are investigated. The two-step method contains low-temperature reactive ion sputtering and post-annealing, and its process parameters determine the phase transition properties of fabricated VO2 thin film. With optimized process parameters, VO2 thin film with nanocrystalline structure can be successfully fabricated and has excellent phase transition performance for smart glass and optical switch.
Thermal measurements of short-duration CO2 laser resurfacing

The thermal consequences of a 100 microsecond carbon-dioxide laser used for skin resurfacing were examined with infrared radiometry. Human skin was evaluated in a cosmetic surgery clinic and extirpated rodent skin was measured in a research laboratory. Thermal relaxation following single pulses of in vivo human and ex vivo animal skin were quantitatively similar in the 30 - 1000 msec range. The thermal emission from the area of the irradiated tissue increased monotonically with increasing incident laser fluence. Extremely high peak temperatures during the 100 microsecond pulse are attributed to plume incandescence. Ejecta thermal emission may also contribute to our measurements during the first several msecs. The data are combined into a thermal relaxation model. Given known coefficients, and adjusting tissue absorption to reflect a 50% water content, and thermal conductivity of 2.3 times that of water, the measured (both animal back and human forearm) and calculated values coincide. The high thermal conductance suggests preferential thermal conduction along the protein matrix. The clinical observation of a resurfacing procedure clearly shows thermal overlap and build-up is a result of sequential, adjacent pulses. A decrease of 4 - 6 degrees Celsius in surface temperature at the treatment site that appeared immediately post-Tx and gradually diminished over several days is possibly a sign of dermal convective and/or evaporative cooling.
Development of high quality thermal spraying process by shielding control

The shielding controlled plasma spraying process was investigated to improve corrosion resistance of metal surfaces. In this process, a shielding nozzle that covered only spraying area was attached in front of the tip of a commercial plasma spray gun nozzle, and the environment surrounding the plasma jet was controlled by nitrogen flow. When the oxygen concentration in the shielding nozzle was maintained at 0·5%, the metal oxide contents in CoNiCrAlY coating and the porosity of the coating reduced to 0·2 and 0·3% at optimal spray particle size respectively. The corrosion potential in an acid solution including chloride ions was almost constant for 1000 h for CoNiCrAlY coating deposited by shielding controlled plasma spraying. On the other hand, those obtained by atmospheric plasma spraying process decreased in the corrosion potential largely after 10 h. Thus, it can be concluded that the shielding controlled plasma spraying process improves the corrosion resistance of the metal.
Diffusion Combustion Characteristics of H2/Air in the Micro Porous Media Combustor

In order to improve thermal to-electric energy conversion efficiency of the micro gas turbine power generation system, a novel micro porous media combustor is designed and experimental investigation on the H2/air diffusion combustion is performed to obtain its combustion characteristics. High efficiency diffusion combustion of H2/air can be stabilized in the very wide operating range, especially at higher excess air ratio. Exhaust gas temperature is markedly improved and meanwhile heat loss ratio is evidently decreased. Moreover, in the certain operating ranges, the greater the combustion thermal power and excess air ratio, the smaller heat loss of the micro combustor will be. The micro porous media combustor should be a preferred micro combustor for developing the micro gas turbine power generation system.
Simulation training in laparoscopy and robotic surgery.

The field of minimally invasive surgery (MIS) including traditional laparoscopy, single port surgery, and Robotics, has now taken centre stage in modern clinical practice. With continued evolution in technologies, there is now the need to train the surgeon in a continuous manner. No surgeon is “too” experienced to benefit themselves and the patient.
Synthesis of Large‐Area Three‐Dimensional Polyaniline Nanowire Networks Using a “Soft Template”

Three-dimensional polyaniline (PANI) nanowire networks were synthesized in high yield using a soft templateself-assembled with hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide and oxalic acid. The PANI nanowire networks had diameters from 35-100 nm depending on synthesis conditions and/or procedures. The networks and the cross-linking points were clearly by field-emission scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. A possible mechanism for the formation of three-dimensional PANI nanowire networks is discussed.
Non-asymptotic Delay Bounds for Networks with Heavy-Tailed Traffic

Traffic with self-similar and heavy-tailed characteristics has been widely reported in networks, yet, only few analytical results are available for predicting the delay performance of such networks. We address a particularly difficult type of heavy-tailed traffic where only the first moment can be computed, and present the first non-asymptotic end-to-end delay bounds for such traffic. The derived performance bounds are non-asymptotic in that they do not assume a steady state, large buffer, or many sources regime. Our analysis considers a multi-hop path of fixed-capacity links with heavy-tailed self-similar cross traffic at each node. A key contribution of the analysis is a probabilistic sample-path bound for heavy-tailed arrival and service processes, which is based on a scale-free sampling method. We explore how delays scale as a function of the length of the path, and compare them with lower bounds. A comparison with simulations illustrates pitfalls when simulating self-similar heavy-tailed traffic, providing further evidence for the need of analytical bounds.
Performance of maximal ratio transmission with two receive antennas

Maximal ratio transmission (see Lo, T.K.Y., IEEE Trans. Comm., vol.47, no.10, p.1458-61, 1999) is a transmit beamforming technique where multiple antennas are used both for transmission and reception. It can effectively increase the diversity order without modifying the receiver. An expression for the error probability for maximal ratio transmission is derived for the special case of two receive antennas and multiple transmit antennas. Simulations conducted are in agreement with the derived closed form expression.
A novel scheme for domain-transfer problem in the context of sentiment analysis

In this work, we attempt to tackle domain-transfer problem by combining old-domain labeled examples with new-domain unlabeled ones. The basic idea is to use old-domain-trained classifier to label some informative unlabeled examples in new domain, and retrain the base classifier over these selected examples. The experimental results demonstrate that proposed scheme can significantly boost the accuracy of the base sentiment classifier on new domain.
Shared leadership in the Apache project

documentation. In addition, hundreds of users have contributed ideas, code, and documentation to the project. According to the Netcraft survey of November 1998 [4], the Apache server and its derivatives are used by over 57% of publicly accessible Web sites, more than double its nearest competitor. Unlike most open-source projects, Apache has not been organized around a single person or primary contributor. When the project began in February 1995, the most popular server software on the Web was the public domain HTTP daemon developed by Rob McCool at the National Center for Supercom-puting Applications (NCSA). However, development of NCSA httpd had stalled after Rob McCool left, and many Web masters had developed their own extensions and bug fixes that were in need of a common distribution. A small group of these Web masters gathered together via private email for the purpose of coordinating their changes (in the form of " patches "). Brian Behlendorf volunteered the use of his server as a shared information space, providing logins for the eight core developers and hosting a public mailing list for communication. That left two problems to be solved before the development could proceed: decision making and coordination. Apache has always been a multinational project, with core developers located in the Collaboration within the group is hindered by variation in work schedules and the effect of cross-Atlantic network latency. Each Apache Group volunteer has (at least) one other " real " job, usually related to either Web services or protocol research. We collaborate on producing and supporting the Apache server out of enlightened self-interest: by pooling our efforts, the resulting product is much more functional and robust than anything we could have produced alone. However , this also means that none of us can devote large blocks of time to the project. In order for the project to succeed, our development process (the procedures by which we make decisions and coordinate our efforts) had to reflect this globally distributed and volunteer organizational environment. There was no Apache CEO, president, or manager to turn to for making decisions. Instead, we needed to determine group consensus , without using synchronous communication , and in a way that would interfere as little as possible with the project progress. What we devised was a system of voting via email that was based on minimal quorum consensus. Each independent developer could vote on any issue facing the …
Wavelet coding of volumetric medical images for high throughput and operability

This paper presents a new three-dimensional (3-D) wavelet-based scalable lossless coding scheme for compression of volumetric medical images. Aiming to improve the productivity of radiologists and the cost-effectiveness of the system, we strive to achieve high decoder throughput, random access to coded data volume, progressive transmission, and high compression ratio in a balanced design approach. These desirable functionalities are realized by a modified 3-D dyadic wavelet transform tailored to volumetric medical images and an optimized Rice code of very low complexity.
Prosodic Correlates of Rhetorical Relations

This paper investigates the usefulness of prosodic features in classifying rhetorical relations between utterances in meeting recordings. Five rhetorical relations of contrast, elaboration, summary, question and cause are explored. Three training methods - supervised, unsupervised, and combined - are compared, and classification is carried out using support vector machines. The results of this pilot study are encouraging but mixed, with pairwise classification achieving an average of 68% accuracy in discerning between relation pairs using only prosodic features, but multi-class classification performing only slightly better than chance.