Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
COHb Level and High-Sensitivity Cardiac Troponin T in 2012 in Bursa, Turkey: A Retrospective Single-Center Study

Background Intoxication due to carbon monoxide (CO) is one of the most common types of poisoning. Cardiac effects of carboxyhemoglobin (COHb) range from simple arrhythmias to myocardial infarction. Objectives The current study aimed to investigate the relationship between blood carboxyhemoglobin and high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T (hs-cTnT) level with a highly sensitive assay in patients with acute carbon monoxide poisoning. Patients and Methods This retrospective study was conducted on 141 (54 males and 87 females) patients, with acute CO intoxication, admitted to the Sevket Yilmaz research and education hospital emergency unit during a one-year period (January 2012 - January 2013). The patients were divided into three groups based on COHb levels: Group I, mild COHb level < 15%; Group II, COHb between 15% and 25%; Group III, severe acute CO intoxication COHb levels > 25%. COHb, hs-cTnT (Stat), creatine kinase (CK) and creatine kinase-myocardial band (CK-MB) levels were measured on admission. Results The mean age of the patients was 38 ± 16 years. COHb levels ranged from 8 to 35. hs-cTnT levels on inclusion in this study were slightly different between the groups (P = 0.05). COHb levels with hs-cTnT values were weakly correlated (r = 0.173, P = 0.041); on the other hand, CK-MB levels were not correlated with COHb (r = 0.013, P = 0.883). Conclusions In patients without clear signs of myocardial infarction, even mild CO poisoning was associated with quantifiable circulating levels of hs-cTnT when TnT was measured using a highly sensitive assay in the current study patients. Plasma levels of the hs-TnT and CK-MB assays were not correlated with the COHb levels in the current study patients.
Accurate characterization of 3D diffraction gratings using time domain discontinuous Galerkin method with exact absorbing boundary conditions

Exact absorbing and periodic boundary conditions allow to truncate grating problems' infinite physical domains without introducing any errors. This work presents exact absorbing boundary conditions for 3D diffraction gratings and describes their discretization within a high-order time-domain discontinuous Galerkin finite element method (TD-DG-FEM). The error introduced by the boundary condition discretization matches that of the TD-DG-FEM; this results in an optimal solver in terms of accuracy and computation time. Numerical results demonstrate the superiority of this solver over TD-DG-FEM with perfectly matched layers (PML)-based domain truncation.
Modeling and Characterization of Schottky Diode on AlGaAs/GaAs HEMT Structure for Rectenna Device

The modeling and characterization of Schottky diode on AlGaAs/GaAs HEMT structure for rectenna device is presented. The rectenna device can be used as a wireless power supply where it can capture microwave power and convert to the dc power to generate the others devices or circuits on a chip. Design and simulation of Schottky diode on AlGaAs/GaAs HEMT structure was carried out. From the simulated results, it was found that the operating frequency of the Schottky diode is tunable based on the length of coplanar waveguide.
GNPs-CS/KGM as Hemostatic First Aid Wound Dressing with Antibiotic Effect: In Vitro and In Vivo Study

Ideal wound dressing materials should create a good healing environment, with immediate hemostatic effects and antimicrobial activity. In this study, chitosan/konjac glucomannan (CS/KGM) films embedded with gentamicin-loaded poly(dex-GMA/AAc) nanoparticles (giving GNP-CS/KGM films) were prepared as novel wound dressings. The results revealed that the modified CS/KGM films could be used as effective wound dressings and had significant hemostatic effects. With their microporous structure, the films could effectively absorb water from blood and trap blood cells. The gentamicinloaded poly(dex-GMA/AAc) nanoparticles (GNPs) also further promoted blood clotting, with their favorable water uptake capacity. Thus, the GNP-CS/KGM films had wound healing and synergistic effects that helped to stop bleeding from injuries, and also showed good antibiotic abilities by addition of gentamicin to the NPs. These GNPCS/KGM films can be considered as promising novel biodegradable and biocompatible wound dressings with hemostatic capabilities and antibiotic effects for treatment of external bleeding injuries.
Disc galaxies with multiple triaxial structures. II. JHK surface photometry and numerical simulations.

We present detailed JHK surface photometry with ellipse ts of 13 galaxies selected from previous optical observations as likely candidates for having a secondary bar or a triaxial bulge within the primary bar. We have found 7 double-barred galaxies, 3 double-barred galaxies with an additional intermediate structure with twisted isophotes, and 3 galaxies with a bar and central twisted isophotes. A global analysis of the structural parameter characteristics in the I -a nd K-bands is presented. Various numerical models of galaxies with bars within bars are also analysed using the ellipse tting technique and compared to the observations. A thorough review of the possible hypotheses able to explain this phenomenon is given with emphasis on the most likely ones.
IL-17A Induces Endothelial Inflammation in Systemic Sclerosis via the ERK Signaling Pathway

Recent reports have demonstrated that endothelial cells are involved in vascular inflammatory injury in systemic sclerosis (SSc) and interleukin-17A (IL-17A) plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of SSC. However, little is known about the effects of IL-17A on endothelial cell inflammation in SSC. The aim of our study was to investigate the role of IL-17A in endothelial inflammation. Here, we showed that IL-17A mRNA and protein levels were augmented in the peripheral blood and more IL-17+ lymphocytes infiltrated in the perivascular areas in the involved skin of SSC patients. SSC patient serum induced chemokine and adhesion molecule expression in HUVECs, which was blocked by IL-17A neutralization. IL-17A alone induced chemokine and adhesion molecule expression and promoted T cell-HUVEC adhesion. Extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) inhibition and IL-17A neutralization prominently inhibited chemokine and adhesion molecule expression and blocked T cell-HUVEC adhesion. IL-17A derived from SSC patient serum mediated endothelial cells inflammation by up-regulating chemokines and adhesion molecules, which was blocked by ERK inhibition. These data imply that ERK signal pathway might play a key role in the progression of endothelial injury induced by IL-17A in SSC.
Therapeutic compounds: patent evaluation of WO2011011652A1

A series of sulfonamide derivatives, incorporating azabicyclo[3.2. 1]octane and phenyl-propyl scaffolds, were prepared by a succession of original steps. The compounds are claimed to act as antagonists of the C-C chemokine receptor 5 (CCR5) involved in the entry of HIV-1 to cells, but only semi-quantitative antiviral data are provided. HIV entry inhibitors, including CCR5 antagonists, are clinically used for the treatment of this viral infection; the compounds claimed in the patent, possessing a new and original scaffold, seem to be of interest for developing novel antiviral agents belonging to this class.
Sequence variation in IGF1R is associated with differences in insulin levels in nondiabetic Old Order Amish

Insulin growth factor‐1 receptor (IGF1R) encodes the insulin‐like growth factor 1 receptor, a transmembrane tyrosine kinase receptor located on chromosome 15q26.3, in a region of linkage (LOD = 2.53, P = 0.00032) to Insulin30 on an OGTT in the Old Order Amish. Mouse models with beta‐cell‐specific deficiency of IGF1R demonstrate defects in glucose‐stimulated insulin secretion.
Design and realization of ground control station for multi-propeller multifunction aerial robot

A multi-propeller multifunction aerial robot (MMAR) consists of a quadrotor unmanned aerial vehicle and dual manipulators. The novel robot has special function such as interacting with environment and aerial operation in addition to the autonomous flight. Therefore, it requires effectively monitor and control to achieve the designed function. This paper presents a ground control station (GCS) which is designed to deal with the control requirements of MMAR. The instructions and data are transferred through a radio frequency (RF) link established between MMAR and GCS. Software of this GCS is built based on MFC dialog application in VC++ environment. Using MapX component to build electronic maps, functions of GIS are put into this software for planning path, showing flight trajectory and building eagle-eye map. Flight attitude of MMAR is real-time displayed and imitated by virtual instruments and OpenGL model. The data of MMAR status and the mission planned is stored and accessed by ADO. Status monitoring, mission planning, motion controlling, data processing and robotic debugging can be achieved by the GCS presented. The test results show that this GCS realizes the function required which will be contributed to expand the application of MMAR.
A Bayesian Approach for Estimating Mediation Effects With Missing Data

Methodologists have developed mediation analysis techniques for a broad range of substantive applications, yet methods for estimating mediating mechanisms with missing data have been understudied. This study outlined a general Bayesian missing data handling approach that can accommodate mediation analyses with any number of manifest variables. Computer simulation studies showed that the Bayesian approach produced frequentist coverage rates and power estimates that were comparable to those of maximum likelihood with the bias-corrected bootstrap. We share an SAS macro that implements Bayesian estimation and use 2 data analysis examples to demonstrate its use.
Social Engagement in Public Places: A Tale of One Robot

In this paper, we describe a large-scale (over 4000 participants) observational field study at a public venue, designed to explore how social a robot needs to be for people to engage with it. In this study we examined a prediction of Computers Are Social Actors (CASA) framework: the more machines present human-like characteristics in a consistent manner, the more likely they are to invoke a social response. Our humanoid robot’s behavior varied in the amount of social cues, from no active social cues to increasing levels of social cues during story-telling to human-like game-playing interaction. We found several strong aspects of support for CASA: the robot that provides even minimal social cues (speech) is more engaging than a robot that does nothing, and the more human-like the robot behaved during story-telling, the more social engagement was observed. However, contrary to the prediction, the robot’s game-playing did not elicit more engagement than other, less social behaviors.
Combining Vision, Machine Learning and Automatic Control to Play the Labyrinth Game

The labyrinth game is a simple yet challenging platform, not only for humans but also for control algorithms and systems. The game is easy to understand but still very hard to master. From a system point of view, the ball behaviour is in general easy to model but close to the obstacles there are severe non-linearities. Additionally, the far from flat surface on which the ball rolls provides for changing dynamics depending on the ball position. The general dynamics of the system can easliy be handled by traditional automatic control methods. Taking the obstacles and uneaven surface into accout would require very detailed models of the system. A simple deterministic control algorithm is combined with a learning control method. The simple control method provides initial training data. As the learning method is trained, the system can learn from the results of its own actions and the performance improves well beyond the performance of the initial controller. A vision system and image analysis is used to estimate the ball position while a combination of a PID controller and a learning controller based on LWPR is used to learn to navigate the ball through the maze.
Contribution of Cardiac Pulsation to Variability of Tractography Results

D. K. Jones, C. Pierpaoli Institute of Psychiatry, P089, Centre for Neuroimaging Sciences, London, United Kingdom, STBB, LIMB, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States Background: There are several sources of perturbation to diffusion weighted (DW) imaging including Gaussian RF noise, rigid body patient motion and eddy current distortions. While uncertainty due to RF noise has been incorporated into tractography algorithms and motion /eddy current distortion schemes exist, a further source of variability is the local displacement and distension of tissue ccurring mainly during systole in the cardiac cycle. Notably, a non-exhaustive review of recent tractography papers reveals that the use of cardiac gating is by no means widespread, with at least a dozen studies using non-gated acquisitions. While the effect of pulsation on mean diffusivity and anisotropy measurements has been reported previously, its effect on estimates of fiber orientation and tractography results have not. We were particularly interested in the potential confound of pulsation on assessment of ‘connectivity’. By using the bootstrap technique to examine DT-MRI data acquired at different phases in the cardiac cycle (delays after the QRS peak), we examined, for the first time, the intraand inter-delay variability of both deterministic tractography results and of the confidence one can assign to tracking results.
Assessment of glucocorticoid therapy with salivary cortisol in secondary adrenal insufficiency.

CONTEXT Appropriate glucocorticoid replacement therapy in adrenal insufficiency (AI) is crucial, given the risks of chronic under- or overtreatment, particularly in patients on multiple medications. Salivary sampling allows for non-invasive, stress-free cortisol measurement. OBJECTIVE To determine whether salivary cortisol measurement is helpful in assessing the adequacy of glucocorticoid therapy with cortisone acetate (CA) in patients with secondary AI. DESIGN A prospective cohort study at the Endocrinology Unit of Padua University Hospital. METHODS Six samples of salivary cortisol were collected from 28 patients with secondary AI on CA treatment and from 36 healthy volunteers at fixed times of the day, and used to calculate salivary cortisol levels at each time point and the area under the curve (AUC) across the different sampling times. RESULTS Salivary cortisol levels were lower in patients than in controls in the morning but no differences were found in the afternoon or at night before resting. Salivary cortisol levels were higher in patients immediately following CA administration. Ten patients showed an AUC above the 97.5th percentile of controls, without clinical signs of hypercortisolism, and salivary cortisol levels 90 min after each dose of CA predict the AUC. All patients had severe GH deficiency and there were no differences in salivary cortisol levels or AUC between patients treated or not with GH. CONCLUSIONS Two salivary cortisol determinations, able to predict the daily AUC, may allow for assessing the adequacy of glucocorticoid replacement therapy in secondary AI and for identifying cases of over- or undertreatment.
Reductions in tobacco smoke pollution and increases in support for smoke-free public places following the implementation of comprehensive smoke-free workplace legislation in the Republic of Ireland: findings from the ITC Ireland/UK Survey

Objective: To evaluate the psychosocial and behavioural impact of the first ever national level comprehensive workplace smoke-free law, implemented in Ireland in March 2004. Design: Quasi-experimental prospective cohort survey: parallel cohort telephone surveys of national representative samples of adult smokers in Ireland (n = 769) and the UK (n = 416), surveyed before the law (December 2003 to January 2004) and 8–9 months after the law (December 2004 to January 2005). Main outcome measures: Respondents’ reports of smoking in key public venues, support for total bans in those key venues, and behavioural changes due to the law. Results: The Irish law led to dramatic declines in reported smoking in all venues, including workplaces (62% to 14%), restaurants (85% to 3%), and bars/pubs (98% to 5%). Support for total bans among Irish smokers increased in all venues, including workplaces (43% to 67%), restaurants (45% to 77%), and bars/pubs (13% to 46%). Overall, 83% of Irish smokers reported that the smoke-free law was a “good” or “very good” thing. The proportion of Irish homes with smoking bans also increased. Approximately 46% of Irish smokers reported that the law had made them more likely to quit. Among Irish smokers who had quit at post-legislation, 80% reported that the law had helped them quit and 88% reported that the law helped them stay quit. Conclusion: The Ireland smoke-free law stands as a positive example of how a population-level policy intervention can achieve its public health goals while achieving a high level of acceptance among smokers. These findings support initiatives in many countries toward implementing smoke-free legislation, particularly those who have ratified the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, which calls for legislation to reduce tobacco smoke pollution.
Design of an assessment system for the improvement of competences among Pedagogy students

Assessment1 is a key element of the teaching-learning process, and it is necessary to innovate in this field in order to adjust it to the demands of the ever-changing educational landscape in which we live. This paper presents an innovation project that aims to assess and monitor the development of the competences that university students must acquire in every subject according to the steering documents of each degree. To this end, the competences to be developed are classified with the help of the SOLO taxonomy, and then the most suitable assessment tasks, learning outcomes and instruments are selected in accordance. Once the assessment system has been carefully designed, it will be managed through an online platform which will facilitate the involvement of students in the assessment tasks, as evaluators of both their work and their peers' work. Finally, this innovation project intends to explore the differences between students who have benefitted from the competence assessment design and those who have gone through a more traditional approach.
Quaternion Structural Similarity: A New Quality Index for Color Images

One of the most important issues for researchers developing image processing algorithms is image quality. Methodical quality evaluation, by showing images to several human observers, is slow, expensive, and highly subjective. On the other hand, a visual quality matrix (VQM) is a fast, cheap, and objective tool for evaluating image quality. Although most VQMs are good in predicting the quality of an image degraded by a single degradation, they poorly perform for a combination of two degradations. An example for such degradation is the color crosstalk (CTK) effect, which introduces blur with desaturation. CTK is expected to become a bigger issue in image quality as the industry moves toward smaller sensors. In this paper, we will develop a VQM that will be able to better evaluate the quality of an image degraded by a combined blur/desaturation degradation and perform as well as other VQMs on single degradations such as blur, compression, and noise. We show why standard scalar techniques are insufficient to measure a combined blur/desaturation degradation and explain why a vectorial approach is better suited. We introduce quaternion image processing (QIP), which is a true vectorial approach and has many uses in the fields of physics and engineering. Our new VQM is a vectorial expansion of structure similarity using QIP, which gave it its name-Quaternion Structural SIMilarity (QSSIM). We built a new database of a combined blur/desaturation degradation and conducted a quality survey with human subjects. An extensive comparison between QSSIM and other VQMs on several image quality databases-including our new database-shows the superiority of this new approach in predicting visual quality of color images.
Large-aperture Fabry-Perot filters based on silicon/silicon carbonitride distributed Bragg reflectors for the near-infrared

This contribution presents silicon carbonitride as a new low refractive index material for integration together with silicon in suspended distributed Bragg reflector membranes. We show how its benign mechanical stress properties can be used to fabricate inherently flat mirror membranes of up to 5 mm diameter. Due to the large refractive index contrast to silicon such mirror membranes exhibit high reflectance over a wide spectral range. Using these mirrors, we demonstrate a proof of concept for a large aperture Fabry-Perot filter with narrow bandwidth that could help miniaturize hyperspectral imaging sensors.
Neutral glycosphingolipids of the globo-series characterize activation stages corresponding to germinal center B cells.

The neutral glycosphingolipid (GSL) globotriaosylceramide (Gb3) of the globo-series was recently defined as the CD77 antigen. This B cell-associated antigen is characterized by its specific expression on germinal center B cells. In order to study the potential relation of the CD77 antigen and other GSLs to B cell activation we have performed a comprehensive analysis of the synthesis and expression of neutral GSL in tonsillar B lymphocytes. Monoglycosylceramide (GL1) and lactosylceramide (LacCer) comprised the largest portion of GSL in tonsillar B lymphocytes as detected by HPLC analysis. GSLs of the globo-series Gb3 and globotetraosylceramide (Gb4), were found in smaller amounts. Since other GSLs, like gangliotriaosylceramide (Gg3) and gangliotetraosylceramide (Gg4), could only be detected using highly sensitive antibody reactions, we assume that these GSLs occur in B cells only in minor amounts. When tonsillar B cells were density fractionated on Percoll, the light density cells, which correspond to activated cells, contained and expressed more of both globo-GSLs than cells in the higher density fraction. When the dense fraction of tonsillar B cells was activated in vitro by anti-mu/BCGF, synthesis of GL1, LacCer, Gb3, and Gb4 was biphasic, with maxima at 12 and 84 h. Surface expression of the CD77 antigen on the denser cells was strongly induced by anti-mu/BCGF during the first 24 h of cultivation followed by a rapid decline thereafter, mimicking synthesis. PMA treatment of this cell fraction caused an even stronger expression of the CD77 antigen, which lasted over 48 h of cultivation. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Bounds and approximations for the periodic on/off queue with applications to ATM traffic control

The authors consider statistical multiplexing of on/off sources in an asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) network and its implications on traffic control. The periodic on/off source is used as a worst case output from the traffic enforcement algorithm, and the queue receiving information from a number of independent periodic on/off sources is studied with simulation results and analytical methods. The decomposition of the queuing process into a cell scale and a burst scale component is illustrated. A comparison with the exponentially distributed on/off queue is carried out, and a simple and versatile approximation is provided on which an admission control scheme based on peak, mean and burst duration can be based. Some implications on buffer dimensioning and traffic control are discussed. <<ETX>>