Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Automated Measurement and Prediction of Consciousness in Vegetative and Minimally Conscious Patients

Scientific advances in electrophysiology and clinical neuroscience have highlighted electroen-cephalography (EEG) biomarkers that allow to discriminate between different disorders of consciousness such as vegetative and minimally conscious state. In the current work, we present an automated approach to measuring consciousness disorders and guiding clinical diagnostics. This approach allows to extract scientifically validated biomarkers from incoming clinical EEG-recordings. Probabilistic predictions of an undi-agnosed patient's state of consciousness are then obtained by interrogating statistical models informed by database records of these biomark-ers. Predictions are subsequently summarized and deployed to the clinician in form of a self-contained HTML-report which supports interactive visualization and navigation. We additionally conducted replication and robustness analyses , which indicate that the EEG-biomarkers can be successfully employed in a wide range of practical contexts.
Evaluation of Alternaria alternata Isolates for Metabolite Production Isolated from Different Sites of Varanasi, India

Twelve isolates of Alternaria alternata were isolated from various vegetable crops grown in different locations of Varanasi. There colony and conidial morphology on culture medium exhibited complete resemblance with Alternaria alternata. Each isolate was found positive for the production of a secondary metabolite in liquid medium. TLC and HPLC analysis further confirmed the presence of secondary metabolites in the samples prepared from the culture filtrate of
Measurement of the flicker characteristics of grid connected wind turbines: Instantaneous frequency versus instantaneous phase estimation methods

Power injection of grid-connected wind turbines can produce voltage fluctuations and hence affect power quality. The assessment of the injected flicker is computed through the calculation of a fictitious voltage in a simple grid-model. For that purpose, the instantaneous angle of the fundamental component of the measured voltage has to be estimated. This paper presents the analysis of two different approaches for the estimation of the instantaneous frequency and phase of the fundamental frequency of a voltage signal. Based on those two approaches, four estimation methods are assessed. The accuracy of each method is evaluated using analytically generated signal. Then, the methods are compared when applied to registered voltage signals, collected in a Spanish wind farm.
Amniotic membrane grafting to treat refractory labial adhesions postpartum. A case report.

BACKGROUND Labial adhesions are common in prepubertal children, but their occurrence postpartum is extremely rare. CASE A woman developed labial adhesions after a vaginal delivery. Topical estrogen cream was ineffective. Simple excision was performed, but the adhesions reformed two weeks later. Finally, amniotic membranes were used to cover the labia minora after they were separated by excision. The wound healed without adhesion formation. CONCLUSION Excision plus amniotic membrane grafting is effective for recurrent labial adhesions.
Optimization of Culture of Leptospira from Humans with Leptospirosis

ABSTRACT A prospective study of 989 patients with acute febrile illness was performed in northeast Thailand to define the yield of Leptospira from four different types of blood sample. Based on a comparison of the yields from whole blood, surface plasma, deposit from spun plasma, and clotted blood samples from 80 patients with culture-proven leptospirosis, we suggest a sampling strategy in which culture is performed using whole blood and deposit from spun plasma.
Crystal structure of glycosylasparaginase from Flavobacterium meningosepticum

The crystal structure of recombinant glycosylasparaginase from Flavobacterium meningosepticum has been determined at 2.32 Å resolution. This enzyme is a glycoamidase that cleaves the link between the asparagine and the N‐acetylglucosamine of N‐linked oligosaccharides and plays a major role in the degradation of glycoproteins. The three‐dimensional structure of the bacterial enzyme is very similar to that of the human enzyme, although it lacks the four disulfide bridges found in the human enzyme. The main difference is the absence of a small random coil domain at the end of the α‐chain that forms part of the substrate binding cleft and that has a role in the stabilization of the tetramer of the human enzyme. The bacterial glycosylasparaginase is observed as an (αβ)2‐tetramer in the crystal, despite being a dimer in solution. The study of the structure of the bacterial enzyme allows further evaluation of the effects of disease‐causing mutations in the human enzyme and confirms the suitability of the bacterial enzyme as a model for functional analysis.
Prevention of information leakage by modulating the trust uncertainty in Ego-Network

Leakage of personal information is a problem with free usage of social networks. In the face of enhanced connectivity reaching out to friends of friends, it is becoming increasingly difficult to prevent unwanted users from seeing personal posts. Various automated means of abatement measures are being taken in this regard and the present work is an attempt in that direction. Conventionally, the trust value between two mutual friends is computed based on attribute matching among them. In this work, the trust is computed by blending with the degree of the target nodes to arrive at a modified trust metric based on the viewer-ship decision which is taken by user. It is explored that as the emphasis of the blending factor shifts from the conventional trust towards the degree factor, the uncertainty in trust values increases while the viewer count of a post keeps reducing simultaneously. It is proposed that the blending factor may be tuned at the crossover point in order to suit the needs of the user in these two respects. Detailed testing and statistical analysis of proposed scheme has been conducted on representative data of Facebook available in public domain.
A Gaussian Polar Model for Error Rates of Differential Phase Detection Impaired by Linear, Nonlinear, and Laser Phase Noises

We develop a simple analytic gaussian model, predicting BER performance of optical DPSK receivers with high accuracy in the wake of all three phase noise sources impairing differential phase detection: linear phase noise (ASE-induced), nonlinear phase noise (the Gordon-Mollenauer effect), and laser phase noise Brownian fluctuations. We validate our analytical Q-factor based formulas using known analytical cases and importance-sampling based Monte-Carlo simulations.
Assessing the Value of Existing Recovery Measures for Routine Use in Australian mental Health Services

Object: The concept of recovery has been recognized as important in the treatment of mental illness. A number of specific instruments exist which are designed to: (i) measure recovery at an individual level; and (ii) assess the recovery orientation of services. The current review aimed to identify these and evaluate their potential for routine use in Australian public sector mental health services. Method: We identified potential instruments by drawing on existing reviews, searching MEDLINE and PsycINFO, and consulting with experts. We used a hierarchical criterion-based approach to assess whether given instruments might be candidates for measuring recovery in the Australian context. Results: We identified 33 instruments: 22 designed to measure individuals’ recovery and 11 designed to assess the recovery orientation of services (or providers). Four of the former (Recovery Assessment Scale; Illness Management and Recovery Scales; Stages of Recovery Instrument; Recovery Process Inventory) and four of the latter (Recovery Oriented Systems Indicators Measure; Recovery Self Assessment; Recovery Oriented Practices Index; Recovery Promotion Fidelity Scale) were identified as promising candidates for routine use in Australian public sector mental health services. Conclusions: Further work is required, however, to determine which, if any, might best be used for this purpose; the possibility that modifications to existing instruments or the development of new instruments might be required should not be ruled out. It might be desirable to invest in two instruments: one designed to measure individuals’ recovery and one designed to measure the recovery orientation of services. If Australia were to go down this path, it would make sense to align indicators in each as far as possible, and to ensure that they were consistent with existing endeavours aimed at monitoring and improving recovery-focused aspects of service quality.
Trading rules for high-frequency financial data based on hybrid clustering

A novel stock trading rule is proposed in this paper. The trading rule combines self-organizing map network and K-means clustering algorithm to discover the potential features of high frequency financial data at first, and then new trading strategies are proposed to assist investors' transaction decision. The hybrid clustering based trading rule is applied to Hushen 300 Index of Chain, and compared its performances with other existing classical trading technique. Empirical research results give evidence that the newly proposed trading rule can be used to discover intraday patterns, and provide decision support to help stock investors gain more returns.
Digital pulse shaping to mitigate linear crosstalk in Nyquist-spaced 16QAM WDM transmission systems

We demonstrate that a 128-tap RRC filter with 1% rolloff factor is sufficient to limit linear crosstalk induced OSNR penalty to <;1dB in a Nyquist-spaced DP-16QAM WDM transmission system with a net ISD of 6.66b/s/Hz.
catena-Poly[[[diaquadiformatonickel(II)]-μ-1,4-bis(1H-benzimidazol-1-yl)benzene] dihydrate]

In the title one-dimensional coordination polymer, {[Ni(CHO2)2(C20H14N4)(H2O)2]·2H2O}n, the NiII atom lies on a crystallographic inversion centre. It is coordinated by two formate O atoms, two water O atoms and two N atoms from two 1,4-bis(1H-benzimidazol-1-yl)benzene (bzb) ligands, resulting in a distorted trans-NiN2O4 octahedral coordination geometry. The bzb molecule acts as a bridging ligand to connect the metal atoms into a chain propagating in [1 ]. The dihedral angle between the benzimidazole ring and the central benzene ring in the ligand is 38.16 (9)°. In the crystal, O—H⋯O hydrogen bonds crosslink the chains into (010) sheets.
An empirical assessment of the validity of explicit and implicit process-of-care criteria for quality assessment.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the validity of three criteria-based methods of quality assessment: unit weighted explicit process-of-care criteria; differentially weighted explicit process-of-care criteria; and structured implicit process-of-care criteria. METHODS The three methods were applied to records of index hospitalizations in a study of unplanned readmission involving roughly 2,500 patients with one of three diagnoses treated at 12 Veterans Affairs hospitals. Convergent validity among the three methods was estimated using Spearman rank correlation. Predictive validity was evaluated by comparing process-of-care scores between patients who were or were not subsequently readmitted within 14 days. RESULTS The three methods displayed high convergent validity and substantial predictive validity. Index-stay mean scores, using explicit criteria, were generally lower in patients subsequently readmitted, and differences between readmitted and nonreadmitted patients achieved statistical significance as follows: mean readiness-for-discharge scores were significantly lower in patients with heart failure or with diabetes who were readmitted; and mean admission work-up scores were significantly lower in patients with lung disease who were readmitted. Scores derived from the structured implicit review were lower in patients eventually readmitted but significantly so only in diabetics. CONCLUSIONS These three criteria-based methods of assessing process of care appear to be measuring the same construct, presumably "quality of care. " Both the explicit and implicit methods had substantial validity, but the explicit method is preferable. In this study, as in others, it had greater inter-rater reliability.
Design of LCC resonant converter for renewable energy systems with wide-range input voltage

This paper deals with the design of a 21 kW series-parallel resonant converter, that is, LCC resonant converter that can be effectively used for intermediate power conversion from renewable energy sources to a battery energy storage system. The developed LCC resonant converter was made of a high-frequency transformer and a relatively high parallel capacitance for voltage boosting in order to cover a wide range of input voltage (200 - 400 V) with high-efficiency. Furthermore, the optimized design of resonant tank parameters described in this paper helped reduce or make negligible the turn-off loss of insulated gate bipolar transistors by increasing the lossless snubber capacitance. In this paper, the detailed design of the proposed converter, including the selection of the snubber capacitor and the determination of transformer turns ratio on the basis of the converter specifications, is described along with operational mode analysis and PSpice simulation. In addition, a simple structure of a controller for a battery charging application that requires both constant current and constant voltage control is described. A gate driving method for zero voltage switching was introduced to compensate the difference of snubber capacitor discharging time. Finally, the developed LCC resonant converter was tested with a resistive load, and the results showed a maximum efficiency higher than 90% in the input voltage range of 200-400 V. A long duration operation test was conducted to verify the reliability and robustness of the designed converter.
Towards Non-rigid Reconstruction - How to Adapt Rigid RGB-D Reconstruction to Non-rigid Movements?

Human body reconstruction is a very active field in recent Computer Vision research. The challenge is the moving human body while capturing, even when trying to avoid that. Thus, algorithms which explicitly cope with non-rigid movements are indispensable. In this paper, we propose a novel algorithm to extend existing rigid RGB-D reconstruction pipelines to handle non-rigid transformations. The idea is to store in addition to the model also the non-rigid transformation nrt of the current frame as a sparse warp field in the image space. We propose an algorithm to incrementally update this transformation nrt. In the evaluation we show that the novel algorithm provides accurate reconstructions and can cope with non-rigid movements of up to 5cm.
Theory of Mind in Euthymic Bipolar Patients and First-Degree Relatives

Abstract The present study analyzed the capacity for mentalization of patients with bipolar disorder (BD) and their first-degree relatives (FDR) and examined the implications of clinical variables and cognitive deficits. The study recruited 31 patients with type I BD, 18 FDR, and 31 paired healthy controls. Their capacity for mentalization was explored by means of first- and second-order false-belief tasks, the hinting task, and the Movie for the Assessment of Social Cognition (MASC). Patients and FDR were found to have a theory of mind (ToM) deficit when they were evaluated with the MASC, which was also related to a worse neurocognitive performance and to being a patient or FDR. The evidence of ToM deficits in FDRs supports the hypothesis that these deficits could be an independent trait marker for cognitive deficit. Further research is needed on FDR of patients with BD, using sensitive ToM assessment instruments such as the MASC.
Functional human antibody CDR fusions as long-acting therapeutic endocrine agonists

Significance Many therapeutic proteins suffer from short plasma half-lives and, as a consequence, require frequent injections to be therapeutically effective; this in turn can adversely affect patient compliance and quality of life. In contrast, therapeutic antibodies typically have half-lives of weeks in humans. Consequently, there is considerable interest in generating functional antibodies with agonist or antagonist activities. Based on the structure of a natural bovine antibody with an ultralong, well-folded heavy-chain complementarity-determining region, we have developed a strategy for the generation of functional human antibody–hormone chimeras with biological activities comparable to native hormones and significantly enhanced pharmacological properties. This approach likely provides a general, relatively straightforward platform for generating antibody agonists and antagonists for a range of therapeutic applications. On the basis of the 3D structure of a bovine antibody with a well-folded, ultralong complementarity-determining region (CDR), we have developed a versatile approach for generating human or humanized antibody agonists with excellent pharmacological properties. Using human growth hormone (hGH) and human leptin (hLeptin) as model proteins, we have demonstrated that functional human antibody CDR fusions can be efficiently engineered by grafting the native hormones into different CDRs of the humanized antibody Herceptin. The resulting Herceptin CDR fusion proteins were expressed in good yields in mammalian cells and retain comparable in vitro biological activity to the native hormones. Pharmacological studies in rodents indicated a 20- to 100-fold increase in plasma circulating half-life for these antibody agonists and significantly extended in vivo activities in the GH-deficient rat model and leptin-deficient obese mouse model for the hGH and hLeptin antibody fusions, respectively. These results illustrate the utility of antibody CDR fusions as a general and versatile strategy for generating long-acting protein therapeutics.
Vinylation of Unprotected Phenols Using a Biocatalytic System.

Readily available substituted phenols were coupled with pyruvate in buffer solution under atmospheric conditions to afford the corresponding para-vinylphenol derivatives while releasing only one molecule of CO2 and water as the by-products. This transformation was achieved by designing a biocatalytic system that combines three biocatalytic steps, namely the C-C coupling of phenol and pyruvate in the presence of ammonia, which leads to the corresponding tyrosine derivative, followed by deamination and decarboxylation. The biocatalytic transformation proceeded with high regioselectivity and afforded exclusively the desired para products. This method thus represents an environmentally friendly approach for the direct vinylation of readily available 2-, 3-, or 2,3-disubstituted phenols on preparative scale (0.5 mmol) that provides vinylphenols in high yields (65-83 %).
Characterization of ovarian follicular cysts and associated endocrine profiles in dairy cows.

It is generally accepted that ovarian follicular cysts (cysts) are nonovulatory follicular structures that contribute to extended calving intervals. Follicle/cyst dynamics and the etiology of cysts are unclear. The present study was conducted to characterize follicle/cyst dynamics and to define endocrine changes (etiology) associated with cyst development. Thirty-two dairy cows were studied: controls (n = 6), cows with spontaneously occurring cysts (n = 14), and cows in which cysts were induced by exogenous steroid treatment (n = 12). Ovaries of cows were scanned daily by ultrasonography to record follicle/cyst dynamics. Blood was collected to determine endocrine changes associated with follicle/cyst life span. Three ovarian responses in cows with cysts were observed: persistence of cysts, turnover of cysts, or spontaneous recovery (self-recovered; turnover of cysts and replacement with a follicle that ovulated). Mean maximum size of cysts was larger (p < 0.05) than that of ovulatory follicles (2.80 +/- 0.19 vs. 1.60 +/- 0.05 cm). Mean interval from initial detection of follicle/cyst wave to detection of a new follicle/cyst wave in cows with cysts was longer (13.0 +/- 1.1 days; p < 0.05) and more variable (6 to 26 days; p < 0.05) than in controls (8.5 +/- 0.5 days and 6-14 days, respectively). Cysts grew at the same rate as follicles but continued to grow for an additional period of time. A transient increase in FSH preceded detection of all follicle/cyst waves. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
3,3′-Dimethyl-1,1′-[(1,3-dihydroxypropane-2,2-diyl)dimethylidene]diimidazolium bis(hexafluorophosphate)

The title compound, C13H22N4O2 2+·2PF6 −, was prepared by the anion exchange of the dibromide ionic liquid with potassium hexafluorophosphate. The two imidazole rings are each planar (r.m.s. deviations = 0.0016 and 0.0060 Å) and make a dihedral angle of 45.3 (18)°. Intramolecular O—H⋯F hydrogen bonds occur. Intermolecular C—H⋯F, O—H⋯O and C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds stabilize the crystal structure.
Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) in Serum in Relation to Blood Lead Concentration and Alcohol Consumption in Men

Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) in Serum in Relation to Blood Lead Concentration and Alcohol Consumption in Men The combined influence of age, smoking, alcohol, blood lead and cadmium concentrations, and serum copper, zinc, and selenium concentrations on prostate-specific antigen (PSA) in serum was investigated in a group of 57 men aged 21 years to 40 years. The subjects had no occupational exposure to metals and no other known reasons suspected of influencing prostate function or metal metabolism. No significant correlation was found between PSA and any of the explanatory variables considered. Nevertheless, when taking into account all of the above-mentioned potentially explanatory variables, the results of stepwise multiple regression showed a significant increase in PSA with respect to an increase in blood lead, and a decrease in PSA with respect to an increase in intensity of alcohol consumption. The median and range values of blood lead concentration in the 57 men were 26.0 μg L-1 and (10.1 to 108.0) μg L-1, respectively. These results suggest that even a low-level environmental lead exposure, common for general populations worldwide, may contribute to the risk of prostate cancer in men. The influence of lead as well as cadmium, zinc, and selenium on prostate damage and PSA should be further investigated in relatively young men for the purpose of disease prevention. Prostatni specifični antigen (PSA) u serumu u odnosu na koncentraciju olova u krvi i konzumiranje alkohola u muškaraca Zajednički utjecaj dobi, pušenja, alkohola, koncentracija olova i kadmija u krvi te koncentracija bakra, cinka i selenija u serumu na prostatni specifični antigen (PSA) u serumu istražen je u skupini od 57 muškaraca dobi od 21 do 40 godina. Ispitanici nisu bili profesionalno izloženi metalima niti su imali druge poznate razloge za sumnju o mogućem utjecaju na funkciju prostate ili na metabolizam metala. Nije nađena značajna korelacija između PSA i bilo koje od razmatranih uzročnih varijabla. Međutim, nakon što su uzete u obzir sve navedene potencijalno uzročne varijable, rezultati postupne višestruke regresije pokazali su značajan porast PSA u odnosu na porast olova u krvi, kao i značajno sniženje PSA u odnosu na porast intenziteta konzumiranja alkohola (broj jedinica alkohola na tjedan). Vrijednosti medijana i raspona koncentracije olova u krvi u toj skupini muškaraca bile su 26,0 μg L-1 te 10,1 μg L-1 do 108,0 μg L-1. Rezultati upućuju na mogućnost da čak i niska razina izloženosti olovu iz okoliša, uobičajena za opće populacije diljem svijeta, može pridonijeti opasnosti od raka prostate u muškaraca. Potrebno je daljnje istraživanje utjecaja olova i također kadmija, cinka i selenija na oštećenje prostate i na PSA u relativno mladih muškaraca u svrhu prevencije bolesti.