Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
MRSI of the medial temporal lobe at 7 T in explosive blast mild traumatic brain injury

Up to 19% of veterans returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have a history of mild traumatic brain injury with 70% associated with blast exposure. Tragically, 20–50% of this group reports persistent symptoms, including memory loss. Unfortunately, routine clinical imaging is typically normal, making diagnosis and clinical management difficult. The goal of this work was to develop methods to acquire hippocampal MRSI at 7 T and evaluate their sensitivity to detect injury in veterans with mild traumatic brain injury.
A Study on Thermal and Nanomechanical Performance of Cellulose Nanomaterials (CNs)

Wood-based cellulose nanomaterials (CNs) (specifically, cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs) and cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs)) are environmentally sourced low-impact materials with remarkable thermal, mechanical, and physical properties. This uniqueness makes them great candidates for creating nanocomposite materials with a wide range of attributes. Investigating the morphological, thermal, and nanomechanical properties of CNs becomes crucial to intelligent development of novel composite materials. An atomic force microscope equipped with a nanoindenter was used to investigate the compression modulus of CNFs and CNCs using two analytical approaches (denoted as Oliver Pharr (OP) and Fused Silica (FS)). The CNC modulus values (ECNC-FS = 21.1 GPa, ECNC-OP = 28.7 GPa) were statistically larger than those obtained from CNFs (ECNF-FS = 12.4 GPa, ECNF-OP = 15.1 GPa). Additionally, the FS analytical approach provided statistically significant lower estimates. Thermal stability of CNFs and CNCs was investigated using thermogravimetric analysis. Significant differences were found between CNF and CNC onset temperatures (OnsetCNC = 228.2 °C, OnsetCNF = 279.9 °C), decomposition temperatures (DTGACNC = 247.9 °C, DTGACNF = 331.4 °C), and residues (ResidueCNC = 34.4%, ResidueCNF = 22.8%). This research enriches the information on thermal stability and nanomechanical performance of cellulose nanomaterials, and provides increased knowledge on understanding the effect of CNs as a matrix or reinforce in composites.
Infinite mixtures for multi-relational categorical data

Large relational datasets are prevalent in many elds. We propose an unsupervised component model for relational data, i.e., for heterogeneous collections of categorical co-occurrences. The co-occurrences can be dyadic or n-adic, and over the same or different categorical variables. Graphs are a special case, as collections of dyadic cooccurrences (edges) over a set of vertices. The model is simple, with only one latent variable. This allows wide applicability as long as a global latent component solution is preferred, and the generative process ts the application. Estimation with a collapsed Gibbs sampler is straightforward. We demostrate the model with graphs enriched with multinomial vertex properties, or more conceretely, with two sets of scientic papers, with both content and citation information available.
Reproducibility of fluid-phase measurements in PBS-treated sputum supernatant of healthy and stable COPD subjects

Purpose The purpose of this study was to investigate the reproducibility of fluid-phase measurements in PBS-treated sputum supernatant, processed using the two-step method, of healthy and stable COPD individuals. Methods Nine healthy subjects and 23 stable COPD patients provided sputum twice within 6 days. A two-step sputum processing method was used to obtain PBS-treated supernatant and sputum cells. Soluble protein markers and IgG and IgM autoantibody profiles in PBS supernatant were analyzed using customized microarrays. Repeatability of measurements was assessed by paired-sample testing and an intraclass correlation coefficient, then graphically reported by Bland–Altman plot. Results There was no significant difference between the repeated detection of 8/10 types of soluble protein markers, all 13 types of IgG autoantibodies, and 12/13 types of corresponding IgM autoantibodies in PBS supernatant. The repeatability of measurements in PBS supernatant was substantial to very good for interleukin 6 (IL6), IL8, IL13, IL10, IL33, vascular endothelial growth factor, soluble receptor for advanced glycation end-products, and tumor necrosis factor-α; for IgG autoantibodies against aggrecan, centromere protein B (CENP-B), collagen II, collagen IV, cytochrome C, elastin, heat shock protein 47 (HSP47), HSP70, and La/Sjögren syndrome type B antigen; for IgM autoantibodies against CENP-B, collagen I, collagen II, collagen IV, cytokeratin 18, and HSP70; and for sputum neutrophils, macrophages and eosinophils count. Bland–Altman plots suggested good consistency within repeated measurements. Stable COPD patients differed from healthy subjects in the proportion of neutrophils and eosinophils; relative fluorescence intensity of anti-cytochrome C IgG, anti-aggrecan IgM, and anti-cytochrome C IgM. There was a significant positive correlation for stable COPD patients between sputum anti-collagen II IgG and post-bronchodilator FEV1%. Conclusion We confirmed fluid-phase measurements in PBS-treated sputum supernatant by high-throughput techniques with good repeatability. We demonstrated the presence of IgG and IgM autoantibodies to multiple antigens in the airways of COPD patients.
Design and Estimation of Coded Exposure Point Spread Functions

We address the problem of motion deblurring using coded exposure. This approach allows for accurate estimation of a sharp latent image via well-posed deconvolution and avoids lost image content that cannot be recovered from images acquired with a traditional shutter. Previous work in this area has used either manual user input or alpha matting approaches to estimate the coded exposure Point Spread Function (PSF) from the captured image. In order to automate deblurring and to avoid the limitations of matting approaches, we propose a Fourier-domain statistical approach to coded exposure PSF estimation that allows us to estimate the latent image in cases of constant velocity, constant acceleration, and harmonic motion. We further demonstrate that previously used criteria to choose a coded exposure PSF do not produce one with optimal reconstruction error, and that an additional 30 percent reduction in Root Mean Squared Error (RMSE) of the latent image estimate can be achieved by incorporating natural image statistics.
Distributed Monocular SLAM for Indoor Map Building

Utilization and generation of indoor maps are critical elements in accurate indoor tracking. Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) is one of the main techniques for such map generation. In SLAM an agent generates a map of an unknown environment while estimating its location in it. Ubiquitous cameras lead to monocular visual SLAM, where a camera is the only sensing device for the SLAM process. In modern applications, multiple mobile agents may be involved in the generation of such maps, thus requiring a distributed computational framework. Each agent can generate its own local map, which can then be combined into a map covering a larger area. By doing so, they can cover a given environment faster than a single agent. Furthermore, they can interact with each other in the same environment, making this framework more practical, especially for collaborative applications such as augmented reality. One of the main challenges of distributed SLAM is identifying overlapping maps, especially when relative starting positions of agents are unknown. In this paper, we are proposing a system having multiple monocular agents, with unknown relative starting positions, which generates a semidense global map of the environment.
Intracellular nucleotide‐mediated gating of SUR/Kir6.0 complex potassium channels expressed in a mammalian cell line and its modification by pinacidil

1 We have examined the properties of intracellular nucleotide‐mediated gating of K+ channel constructs composed of the sulphonylurea receptor 2B and the inwardly rectifying K+ channel subunits Kir6.1 and Kir6.2 (SUR2B/Kir6.1 and SUR2B/Kir6.2 complex K+ channels) heterologously expressed in human embryonic kidney (HEK) 293T cells. In the cell‐attached form, both types of K+ channel were activated by pinacidil. 2 In inside‐out (IO) patches, the SUR2B/Kir6.2 channels opened spontaneously and were inhibited by intracellular ATP (ATPi). Pinacidil attenuated the ATPi‐mediated channel inhibition in a concentration‐dependent manner. In contrast, the SUR2B/Kir6.1 channels required intracellular nucleoside di‐ or tri‐, but not mono‐, phosphates for opening. The potency of adenine, guanine or uracil nucleotides to activate SUR2B/Kir6.1 channels was enhanced by pinacidil. 3 In the presence of pinacidil, adenine and guanine, but not uracil, nucleotides exhibited bell‐shaped concentration‐dependent activating effects on SUR2B/Kir6.1 channels. This was due to channel inhibition caused by adenine and guanine nucleotides, which was unaffected by pinacidil. 4 From power density spectrum analysis of SUR2B/Kir6.1 currents, channel activation could be described by the product of two gates, a nucleotide‐independent fast channel gate and a nucleotide‐dependent slow gate, which controlled the number of functional channels. Pinacidil specifically increased the potency of nucleotide action on the slow gate. 5 We conclude that Kir6.0 subunits play a crucial role in the nucleotide‐mediated gating of SUR/Kir6.0 complex K+ channels and may determine the molecular mode of pinacidil action.
Improving Packet Delivery Performance of BGP During Large-Scale Failures

The border gateway protocol (BGP) is known to take a long time to converge to a steady state following the failure of BGP routers or inter-router links. This has resulted in extensive analysis of BGP convergence delay and a number of schemes have been proposed to reduce this delay. But the convergence delay is a network centric metric and the end-user relevant effects of a failure are better characterized by the packet losses. In this paper we study BGP convergence from the packet delivery perspective and show that a reduction in the convergence delay does not necessarily translate into an improvement in packet delivery. Our measurements provide insights into which BGP modifications are likely to decrease packet loss, and how any shortcomings can be rectified. We also modify a couple of existing techniques, and show how to reduce the packet losses.
A qualitative study of the perceived effectiveness of refugee services among consumers, providers, and interpreters

This study explored the perceptions of accessibility and cultural effectiveness of refugee services in the northeast region of the United States from refugees, interpreters who work with refugees in accessing these services, and the providers of the refugee services. The study examined the perceptions of 51 refugees from 10 countries, five individual interviews with providers and 26 provider survey responses representing 31 different agencies, and four interviews from interpreters. Qualitative interviews were conducted using a semi-structured interview schedule, were audiotaped, and transcribed. Further data were collected through a survey. All data were analyzed using constant comparative analysis. Participants shared feelings of frustration that services seemed poorly coordinated among the agencies and that the agencies appeared ill-prepared for the unique experiences of separate refugee groups. The three perspectives of refugee service delivery, as a consumer, a provider, or an interpreter, shared the perception that there was not a mechanism for the different services to collaborate effectively with each other, to create a network of coordinated services that would enhance services while decreasing burdens on individual centers, nor was there a system to best prepare the centers for new refugees.
Myelin imaging in amyotrophic and primary lateral sclerosis

Abstract Primary lateral sclerosis (PLS) has been regarded as a rare, extreme form of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Like ALS, it is a clinical diagnosis without established biomarkers. We sought to explore loss of cerebral myelin in relation to clinical features, including cognitive impairment, in cases of both ALS and PLS. A novel MRI sequence (mcDESPOT) sensitive to water pools within myelin and intra- and extra-cellular spaces was applied to 23 ALS patients, seven PLS patients and 12 healthy controls, with interval follow-up in 15 ALS and four PLS patients. Results demonstrated that PLS patients were distinguished by widespread cerebral myelin water fraction reductions, independent of disease duration and clinical upper motor neuron burden. ALS patients showed a significant increase in intra- and extra-cellular water, indirectly linked to neuroinflammatory activity. Limited measures of cognitive impairment in the ALS group were associated with myelin changes within the anterior corpus callosum and frontal lobe projections. Longitudinal changes were only significant in the PLS group. In conclusion, in this exploratory study, myelin imaging has potential to distinguish PLS from ALS, and may have value as a marker of extramotor involvement. PLS may be a more active cerebral pathological process than its rate of clinical deterioration suggests.
Colonization pressure as a risk factor for colonization by multiresistant Acinetobacter spp and carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa in an intensive care unit

OBJECTIVE: To determine factors associated with colonization by carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa and multiresistant Acinetobacter spp. METHODS: Surveillance cultures were collected from patients admitted to the intensive care unit at admission, on the third day after admission and weekly until discharge. The outcome was colonization by these pathogens. Two interventions were implemented: education and the introduction of alcohol rubs. Compliance with hand hygiene, colonization pressure, colonization at admission and risk factors for colonization were evaluated. RESULTS: The probability of becoming colonized increased during the study. The incidence density of colonization by carbapenem-resistant P. aeruginosa and multiresistant Acinetobacter spp. and colonization pressure were different between periods, increasing gradually throughout the study. The increase in colonization pressure was due to patients already colonized at admission. The APACHE II score, colonization pressure in the week before the outcome and male gender were independent risk factors for colonization. Every 1% increase in colonization pressure led to a 2% increase in the risk of being colonized. CONCLUSION: Colonization pressure is a risk factor for carbapenem-resistant P. aeruginosa and multiresistant Acinetobacter spp. colonization. When this pressure reaches critical levels, efforts primarily aimed at hand hygiene may not be sufficient to prevent transmission.
Carotid atherosclerosis promotes the progression of Alzheimer's disease: A three-year prospective study

Although cerebrovascular diseases have been considered as risk factors for cognitive decline and dementia, the associations between atherosclerosis and Alzheimer's disease (AD) have not been fully examined and remain controversial. The aim of this three-year prospective study was to investigate whether arotid artery atherosclerosis accelerates cognitive impairment in AD patients. The association of carotid intimal medial thickness (IMT) with prospective trajectories of cognitive function was assessed among 521 patients with light to moderate AD, and 437 AD patients were followed up annually for 3 years. Participants underwent initial carotid ultrasonography and repeated neuropsychological testing every year. Mixed-effects regression analyses were adjusted to estimate the effect of carotid IMT and other adjusting variables. The results of the present study indicated that carotid IMT was significantly associated with various measures of cognitive function. Furthermore, AD patients with higher carotid IMT values had a faster decline in cognitive scores in a variety of neuropsychological tests, particularly in verbal and non-verbal memory, semantic fluency and executive function. The present prospective study showed that carotid atherosclerosis is a predictive factor regarding the progression of cognitive impairment in AD patients, suggesting that early detection and treatment of vascular risk factors may prevent or at least postpone the evolution of the disease.
Lipid-Lowering Therapy and Outcomes in Heart Failure

Lipid-lowering therapy, particularly with statins, reduces the risk of cardiovascular mortality; however, there is uncertainty about their efficacy in patients with heart failure, including those without coronary artery stenosis. A clinical database was studied to determine whether lipid-lowering therapy is associated with improved survival in persons with heart failure—with or without concomitant coronary artery stenosis. During an 8-year period, 6060 people with a history of heart failure underwent coronary angiography. At the time of angiography, 1216 received a lipid-lowering agent. During a median follow-up of 4.7 years, 7.1 deaths per 100 person-years occurred among users of lipid-lowering therapy, compared with 7.8 per 100 person-years among nonusers (adjusted hazard ratio 0.87, 95% confidence interval 0.77-0.97). Use of lipid-lowering therapy was associated with a reduced risk of death in patients with heart failure. Current evidence supports statin use in individuals with recognized heart failure and concomitant coronary heart disease, dyslipidemia, or diabetes mellitus. More data are needed before statins can be recommended in those with isolated heart failure.
Improved thermoelectric properties of SnS synthesized by chemical precipitation

Sulfur compounds have been considered as potential thermoelectric materials due to recently reported high ZT values. However, the synthetic methods for these compounds are too expensive or complicated to be applied to large-scale production. Among these compounds, tin sulfide (SnS) has attracted increasing attention not only because of its extremely low thermal conductivity (below 1.0 W (m K)−1) but also its earth-abundant resources. Mechanical alloying and solvothermal method have been adopted to synthesize SnS as thermoelectric materials, but these preparation processes are either expensive or complicated. Here, a simple chemical precipitation method was developed to synthesize high-performance SnS by using analytically pure compounds as raw materials. The highest ZT value of 0.41 with a very low thermal conductivity of 0.29 W (m K)−1 and a large Seebeck coefficient of 403 μV K−1 is obtained at 848 K. The ZT value is two times higher than that of SnS samples synthesized by mechanical alloying, and our work provides a simple new method to obtain SnS with high ZT value, which will help its mass production in the future.
Adenosine Inhibits the Excitatory Synaptic Inputs to Basal Forebrain Cholinergic, GABAergic, and Parvalbumin Neurons in Mice

Coffee and tea contain the stimulants caffeine and theophylline. These compounds act as antagonists of adenosine receptors. Adenosine promotes sleep and its extracellular concentration rises in association with prolonged wakefulness, particularly in the basal forebrain (BF) region involved in activating the cerebral cortex. However, the effect of adenosine on identified BF neurons, especially non-cholinergic neurons, is incompletely understood. Here we used whole-cell patch-clamp recordings in mouse brain slices prepared from two validated transgenic mouse lines with fluorescent proteins expressed in GABAergic or parvalbumin (PV) neurons to determine the effect of adenosine. Whole-cell recordings were made from BF cholinergic neurons and from BF GABAergic and PV neurons with the size (>20 μm) and intrinsic membrane properties (prominent H-currents) corresponding to cortically projecting neurons. A brief (2 min) bath application of adenosine (100 μM) decreased the frequency but not the amplitude of spontaneous excitatory postsynaptic currents (EPSCs) in all groups of BF cholinergic, GABAergic, and PV neurons we recorded. In addition, adenosine decreased the frequency of miniature EPSCs in BF cholinergic neurons. Adenosine had no effect on the frequency of spontaneous inhibitory postsynaptic currents in cholinergic neurons or GABAergic neurons with large H-currents but reduced them in a group of GABAergic neurons with smaller H-currents. All effects of adenosine were blocked by a selective, adenosine A1 receptor antagonist, cyclopentyltheophylline (CPT, 1 μM). Adenosine had no postsynaptic effects. Taken together, our work suggests that adenosine promotes sleep by an A1 receptor-mediated inhibition of glutamatergic inputs to cortically projecting cholinergic and GABA/PV neurons. Conversely, caffeine and theophylline promote attentive wakefulness by inhibiting these A1 receptors in BF thereby promoting the high-frequency oscillations in the cortex required for attention and cognition.
Discovering fuzzy-rough reducts through Estimation of Distribution Algorithms

Due to the explosive growth of stored information worldwide, feature selection (FS) is becoming an increasingly important step, particularly given the abundance of noisy, irrelevant or misleading features. The main aim of FS is to determine a minimal feature subset from a problem domain while retaining a suitably high accuracy in representing the original set of features. However, the problem of finding optimal reductions is challenging as there is always a trade-off between the extent of reduction and the resulting information loss. This topic has been of particular interest in rough and fuzzy-rough set theory, as these provide a mechanism for defining optimality using only the data itself. Evolutionary methods have been used to try to find rough and fuzzy-rough optimal reductions, but these approaches ignore the fact that not all equally-sized reducts have the same utility for classifiers. This paper presents a novel approach for fuzzy-rough feature selection that uses Estimation of Distribution Algorithms to maintain information about the quality of features, to then obtain a better quality reduct that is more useful in general.
Slip Prediction Using Visual Information

This paper considers prediction of slip from a distance for wheeled ground robots using visual information as input. Large amounts of slippage which can occur on certain surfaces, such as sandy slopes, will negatively affect rover mobility. Therefore, obtaining information about slip before entering a particular terrain can be very useful for better planning and avoiding terrains with large slip. The proposed method is based on learning from experience and consists of terrain type recognition and nonlinear regression modeling. After learning, slip prediction is done remotely using only the visual information as input. The method has been implemented and tested offline on several off-road terrains including: soil, sand, gravel, and woodchips. The slip prediction error is about 20% of the step size.