Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Alcohol continues to affect sleepiness related driving impairment, when breath alcohol levels have fallen to near‐zero

Epidemiological findings point to very low blood alcohol levels heightening the risk of sleep‐related fatal road crashes. This was further assessed using a full sized interactive car simulator. Twenty, sleep restricted, healthy young men underwent a 2 h simulated afternoon monotonous drive, having previously consumed nil alcohol or 3 units >90 min previously, and having near‐zero breath alcohol (BrACs) at the start of the drive. In a repeated measures, double‐blind, balanced design, driving performance, subjective sleepiness and EEG were monitored throughout. Compared with nil alcohol, the alcohol condition initially increased sleepiness‐related driving impairment. However, this was not mirrored by subjective sleepiness or EEG. An unexpected reversal (i.e. improvement) in driving impairment occurred with the alcohol group, in the second hour of the drive. This was supported by a trend for improved subjective alertness. Alcohol continued to interact with sleepiness‐related driving impairment after BrACs had reached zero. However, a lack of subjective perception of increased sleepiness, at this time, further points to the dangerous combination of even modest alcohol intake and sleepiness, and confirms the road crash findings. BrACs are a poor guide to driver impairment. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Experimental study of a quantum random-number generator based on two independent lasers

Quantum random number generator (QRNG) can produce true randomness by utilizing the inherent probabilistic nature of quantum mechanics. Recently, the spontaneous-emission quantum phase noise of the laser has been widely deployed for QRNG, due to its high rate, low cost and the feasibility of chip-scale integration. Here, we perform a comprehensive experimental study of phase-noise based QRNG with two independent lasers, each of which operates in either continuous-wave (CW) or pulsed mode. We implement QRNGs by operating the two lasers in three configurations, namely CW+CW, CW+pulsed and pulsed+pulsed, and demonstrate their tradeoffs, strengths and weaknesses.
Decrease of Nuclear Reactivity to Growth‐regulatory Galectin‐1 in Senescent Human Keratinocytes and Detection of Non‐uniform Staining Profile Alterations upon Prolonged Culture for Galectin‐1 and ‐3

Multipotent stem cells (source for interfollicular epidermis, hairs and sebaceous glands) are localized in the bulge region of the outer root sheath of hair follicles, while stem cells giving rise to interfollicular epidermis reside in its basal. Using the multifunctional lectin galectin‐1 as a marker to localize accessible binding sites in situ as a step to figure out galectin functionality in stem cells, we studied hair follicle‐derived keratinocytes. Specific nuclear binding of galectin‐1 associated with expression of ΔNp63α, a potential marker of epidermal stem cells, was detected. Binding of chimera‐type galectin‐3 to a nuclear site was not found in parallel assays. During the process of ageing in culture when cells acquire properties of senescence, disappearance of the nuclear signal for galectin‐1 binding was accompanied by a similar decrease of nuclear ΔNp63α expression and increased binding of galectin‐3 to the cell membrane, namely in regions of intercellular contacts. Expression of cytokeratin 10, a marker of the terminal differentiation was seen only in a small fraction of the cell population. These data extend the evidence for nuclear sites with galectin‐1 reactivity in squamous epithelial cells, the expression of which is modulated upon senescence. Moreover, the results document the divergence of galectin‐1 and ‐3 on the level of ligand selection in this cell type, underscoring the importance of the technical aspect to employ tissue lectins as probe and to perform a fingerprinting with several markers of the galectin family in parallel.
Occurrence of Candida Species Colonization in a Population of Denture-Wearing Immigrants

Infection of the oral cavity and dentures by Candida species are frequent in denture wearers. C. albicans is the most common pathogen; however, other emerging Candida species are also responsible for this condition. Few data are available about the occurrence of Candida species in the oral cavities of denture-wearing immigrants to Italy. In this study, we compare the Candida species found in the oral mucosa and on dentures from a population of denture wearing immigrants to Italy to a matched Italian group. Oral swabs were collected from dentures and the underlying mucosa of patients enrolled in the study and were then cultured to test for the presence of Candida species in each sample. Out of 168 patients enrolled (73 Italians and 95 immigrants), 51 Italians (69.8%) and 75 immigrants (78.9%) tested positive for the presence of Candida. Candida albicans was the most frequently observed species overall; however, we found a higher occurrence of C. glabrata among immigrants than among Italians. In addition, immigrants displayed a higher incidence of Candida – associated stomatitis and a lower mean age than Candida-positive individuals from the Italian group. Immigrants are more prone to longer colonization of the oral mucosa and dentures by Candida. In these patients, dentures must be checked periodically to prevent the presence of Candida.
Synthesis, biological evaluation and SAR analysis of novel poly-heterocyclic compounds containing pyridylpyrazole group.

BACKGROUND In recent years, pyridylpyrazole derivatives, such as pyridylpyrazole-containing anthranilic diamide have attracted much attention by virtue of their useful insecticidal properties and unique action mode. Moreover, some pyridylpyrazole-containing compounds have also been found to possess significant fungicidal activities. With the aim of discovering new bioactive agrochemicals for crop protection, a series of poly-heterocyclic compounds containing pyridylpyrazole and aziridine, or β-lactam, or thiazolinone moieties were synthesized. RESULTS A series of pyridylpyrazole-containing poly-heterocyclic compounds were obtained, and confirmed through IR, 1 H NMR, 13 C NMR, HRMS and elemental analysis. The crystalline structure of 4-(3-bromo-1-(3-chloropyridin-2-yl)-1H-pyrazol-5-yl)-3-chloro-1-mesitylazetidin-2-one (compound 13f) was determined to further illustrate a trans- configuration of the β-lactam motif. In addition, bioassays showed that most of these new compounds exhibited modest insecticidal activity towards Mythimna separate Walker at 200 µg mL-1 . Some of the compounds displayed excellent fungicidal activity towards some plant fungi, including Cercospora arachidicola (13j: EC50 = 14.5 µg mL-1 ), Physalospora piricola (12d and 13d: EC50 = 10.5 and 9.70 µg mL-1 ), Alternaria solani Sorauer (13j: EC50 = 7.29 µg mL-1 ), Puccinia sorghi Schw. (13d: control efficacy 99.0 ± 2.1% at 200 µg mL-1 ) and Erysiphe graminis (14d: control efficacy 95.0 ± 1.4% at 200 µg mL-1 ). CONCLUSION Compounds 12b-12e, 13a, 13d, 13f, 13j, 13 k and 14d could be considered potential fungicidal lead compounds to do further structural optimization. The structure-activity relationship analysis in this study brings some new understanding to the biological activities of N-pyridylpyrazole-containing compounds, and provides important information for the research and development of novel agricultural fungicides with poly-heterocyclic structures. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.
Mesenchymal Stem Cells in the Treatment of Traumatic Brain Injury

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is characterized by a disruption in the normal function of the brain due to an injury following a trauma, which can potentially cause severe physical, cognitive, and emotional impairment. The primary insult to the brain initiates secondary injury cascades consisting of multiple complex biochemical responses of the brain that significantly influence the overall severity of the brain damage and clinical sequelae. The use of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) offers huge potential for application in the treatment of TBI. MSCs have immunosuppressive properties that reduce inflammation in injured tissue. As such, they could be used to modulate the secondary mechanisms of injury and halt the progression of the secondary insult in the brain after injury. Particularly, MSCs are capable of secreting growth factors that facilitate the regrowth of neurons in the brain. The relative abundance of harvest sources of MSCs also makes them particularly appealing. Recently, numerous studies have investigated the effects of infusion of MSCs into animal models of TBI. The results have shown significant improvement in the motor function of the damaged brain tissues. In this review, we summarize the recent advances in the application of MSCs in the treatment of TBI. The review starts with a brief introduction of the pathophysiology of TBI, followed by the biology of MSCs, and the application of MSCs in TBI treatment. The challenges associated with the application of MSCs in the treatment of TBI and strategies to address those challenges in the future have also been discussed.
The Influence of Verbal Assurances and Intrapersonal Empowerment Traits on Contract Signing Behaviors

This thesis examines the acceptance of nonsense explanations in a contract signing scenario. Based on review of literature in contract signing behaviors, trust, social scripts, and empowerment, it is hypothesized that low status groups would be more likely to adhere to social scripts and sign problematic contracts. However, participants would be less likely to sign problematic contracts and accept senseless explanations if they are empowered. Accordingly, groups with lower status and low scores in empowerment were predicted to be more likely to sign a problematic contract than those with low status and high empowerment. Two studies test these hypotheses. The first study examines survey data collected in the city of Chicago and measures participants’ willingness to sign contracts in hypothetical scenarios. Results indicated that participants were more willing to sign problematic contracts with assurances than without assurances. Participants with low income were also more likely to agree to sign a problematic contract than participants with high income. A second study using an online sample and the inclusion of survey items to measure empowered personality traits replicated the finding of study one, however empowered traits did not predict willingness to sign the problematic contracts. Implications are discussed.
Disseminated cerebellar hemangioblastoma in two patients without von Hippel–Lindau disease

Background: Two patients who had received a total resection of cerebellar hemangioblastoma developed cerebrospinal fluid dissemination during a long-term follow-up period. We present this rare disease with discussion based on the literature. Case Description: The patients were two women aged 45 and 57 years. In the cerebellar hemisphere, one patient had cystic hemangioblastoma of mural nodule type and the other had solid type. Both the patients successfully underwent total resection by craniotomy. They presented no mutations in the von Hippel-Lindau disease (VHL) gene or lesions in the other organs. One patient developed local recurrence 38 months after the initial surgery, and received stereotactic radiosurgery. Three spinal cord tumors developed 91 months later, and the tumors were disseminated to the entire cerebrospinal cavity 107 months later. The other patient developed hydrocephalus 53 months after the initial surgery with tumor tissues disseminated in the intracranial subarachnoid space. The conditions of the two patients gradually aggravated despite treatment with ventriculo-peritoneal shunt and irradiation to the whole brain and whole spinal cord. Conclusion: Cerebrospinal fluid dissemination of cerebellar hemangioblastoma was found dominantly in non-VHL patients. The diagnosis was made 10 years after the initial surgery. Irradiation therapy was performed, but the patients died about 2 years after the diagnosis was given. Molecular targeted therapies including vascular proliferation suppression have been attempted lately, but no effective therapy has been established. Early diagnosis of dissemination as well as combination of aggressive excision and stereotactic radiosurgery are considered to be appropriate for current interventions.
Towards Recognizing Tai Chi - An Initial Experiment Using Wearable Sensors

Inexpensive wearable sensors are well-suited for the automatic recognition of many activities occuring in everyday life. But what about fast and involved movements such as those occuring in athletic sports? We tackle this question by studying the feasibility of using body-worn gyroscopes and acceleration sensors to recognize Tai Chi movements. To this end, we conducted an initial experiment with eight sensors each affixed to four different persons who repeatedly performed three distinct Tai Chi movements. The resulting data confirm that standard thresholding and pattern-matching techniques should suffice to automate the analysis and recognition of the movements. Moreover, the data also seem to allow for distinguishing between certain levels of expertise and quality in executing the movements.
APLF (C2orf13) Is a Novel Component of Poly(ADP-Ribose) Signaling in Mammalian Cells

ABSTRACT APLF is a novel protein of unknown function that accumulates at sites of chromosomal DNA strand breakage via forkhead-associated (FHA) domain-mediated interactions with XRCC1 and XRCC4. APLF can also accumulate at sites of chromosomal DNA strand breaks independently of the FHA domain via an unidentified mechanism that requires a highly conserved C-terminal tandem zinc finger domain. Here, we show that the zinc finger domain binds tightly to poly(ADP-ribose), a polymeric posttranslational modification synthesized transiently at sites of chromosomal damage to accelerate DNA strand break repair reactions. Protein poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation is tightly regulated and defects in either its synthesis or degradation slow global rates of chromosomal single-strand break repair. Interestingly, APLF negatively affects poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation in vitro, and this activity is dependent on its capacity to bind the polymer. In addition, transient overexpression in human A549 cells of full-length APLF or a C-terminal fragment encoding the tandem zinc finger domain greatly suppresses the appearance of poly(ADP-ribose), in a zinc finger-dependent manner. We conclude that APLF can accumulate at sites of chromosomal damage via zinc finger-mediated binding to poly(ADP-ribose) and is a novel component of poly(ADP-ribose) signaling in mammalian cells.
Long-term follow-up of neoplastic pancreatic cysts without high-risk stigmata: how often do we change treatment strategy because of malignant transformation?

Abstract *Objective: Patients with potentially premalignant neoplastic pancreatic cysts without high-risk stigmata usually enter a surveillance program. Data on outcomes of such surveillance programs are scarce. We aimed to evaluate the resection rate and malignancy rate during follow-up. Material and methods: From our prospective database (2006–2015) of patients with pancreatic cysts, we analyzed patients with pancreatic cysts without high-risk stigmata with at least six months follow-up. Results: In total, 146 patients were followed for a median of 29 months (IQR 13.5–50 months). In 124 patients (84.9%), no changes in clinical or imaging characteristics occurred during follow-up. Thirteen patients (8.9%) developed an indication for surgery after a median follow-up of 25 months (IQR 12–42 months). Two patients did not undergo surgery because of comorbidity, 11 patients (7.5%) underwent resection. Indications for surgery were symptoms (n = 2), development of a pancreatic mass (n = 1), a new nodule (n = 2), thickened cyst wall (n = 1), pancreatic duct dilation (n = 3), and/or suspicion of mucinous cystic neoplasm (MCN) (n = 3). Postoperative histology showed one pancreatic malignancy not originating from the cyst, three mixed type-intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm (IPMN), one side branch-IPMN, two MCN, one neuroendocrine tumor, one serous cystadenoma, one inflammatory cyst, and one lymphangioma. The highest grade of cyst dysplasia was borderline dysplasia. Conclusions: Most neoplastic pancreatic cysts without high-risk stigmata at initial presentation show no substantial change during 1–4-year follow-up. Only 7.5% of patients underwent surgery and less than 1% of patients developed pancreatic malignancy. This indicates that additional markers are needed to tailor treatment of pancreatic cysts.
Effect of mental activity in problem solving on eye movements

一点凝視や視覚的トラッキング作業を課し, 問題解決時の精神時の精神活動が眼球運動にどのような影響を及ぼすかを探った. その結果, 一点凝視の場合, 問題の提示によって凝視ができなくなるケースがいくつか見られた. また, ある被験者は問題解決中に輻輳の変化を示した. 交互に2点を見る作業の場合は, 3分の2以上の被験者において多かれ少なかれ眼が往復運動をしなくなる現象が見られた. 眼球運動の乱れは数的問題において言語問題や空間的問題におけるより著しかった. 滑らかに移動するターゲットを追跡視する作業の場合も問題解決時に追跡視できなくなるケースがしばしば見られた
Global stabilization of a four rotor helicopter with bounded inputs

This paper proposes a global asymptotic stabilizing control law for a quad-rotor helicopter with bounded inputs. The proposed control design exploits the technique based on the sum of saturating functions and is based on the global stabilization of multiple integrators with bounded inputs. The positiveness of the thrust and the boundedness of the control inputs are taken into account. Numerical simulations show the effectiveness of the proposed controller.
A Game Model of Irreversible Investment under Uncertainty

Most of the literature on real options considers the optimal decision of a firm in isolation from competitors. In reality, however, the actions of competing firms often affect each other's investment opportunities. We develop a game model where many firms compete for a single investment opportunity. When one of the firms triggers the investment the opportunity is completely lost for the other firms. The value of the project for the firms is assumed to follow a geometric Brownian motion. The model combines game theory and the theory of irreversible investment under uncertainty. We characterize the resulting Nash equilibrium under different assumptions on the information that the firms have about each other's valuations for the project. As an example, we present a case of building a telecommunications network.
Narcissism and Internet Pornography Use

This study examined the relation between Internet pornography use and narcissism. Participants (N=257) completed an online survey that included questions on Internet pornography use and 3 narcissism measures (i.e., Narcissistic Personality Inventory, Pathological Narcissistic Inventory, and the Index of Sexual Narcissism). The hours spent viewing Internet pornography was positively correlated to participants’ narcissism level. In addition, those who have ever used Internet pornography endorsed higher levels of all 3 measures of narcissism than did those who have never used Internet pornography.
Attack against electricity market-attacker and defender gaming

Application of cyber technologies improves the quality of monitoring and decision making in smart grid. These cyber technologies are vulnerable to malicious attacks, and compromising them can have serious technical and economical problems. This paper specifies the effect of compromising each measurement on the prices of electricity, so that the attacker is able to change the prices in the desired direction (increasing or decreasing). Attacking and defending all measurements are impossible for attacker and defender, respectively. This situation is modeled as a zero-sum game between the attacker and defender. The game defines the proportion of times that the attacker and defender like to attack and defend different measurements, respectively. From the simulation results based on the PJM 5-Bus test system, we can show the effectiveness and properties of the studied game.
Analysis of Prescriptions of Alpha-Blockers and Phosphodiesterase 5 Inhibitors from the Urology Department and Other Departments

Purpose We analyzed the prescriptions of alpha-blockers and phosphodiesterase 5 inhibitors (PDE5Is) in the urology department as well as in other departments of the general hospital. Methods We investigated the frequency of prescription of alpha-blockers and PDE5Is from 3 general hospitals from January 1, 2007 to December 31, 2009. For alpha-blockers, data were collected from patients to whom alpha-blockers were prescribed from among patients recorded as having benign prostatic hyperplasia according to the 5th Korean Standard Classification of Diseases. For PDE5Is, data were collected from patients to whom PDE5Is were prescribed by the urology department and by other departments. Alpha-blockers were classified into tamsulosin, alfuzosin, doxazosin, and terazosin, whereas PDE5Is were classified into sildenafil, tadalafil, vardenafil, udenafil, and mirodenafil. Results Alpha-blockers were prescribed to 11,436 patients in total over 3 years, and the total frequency of prescriptions was 68,565. Among other departments, the nephrology department had the highest frequency of prescription of 3,225 (4.7%), followed by the cardiology (3,101, 4.5%), neurology (2,576, 3.8%), endocrinology (2,400, 3.5%), pulmonology (1,102, 1.6%), and family medicine (915, 1.3%) departments in order. PDE5Is were prescribed to 2,854 patients in total over 3 years, and the total frequency of prescriptions was 10,558. The prescription frequency from the urology department was 4,900 (46.4%). Among other departments, the endocrinology department showed the highest prescription frequency of 3,488 (33.0%), followed by the neurology (542, 5.1%), cardiology (467, 4.4%), and family medicine (407, 3.9%) departments in order. Conclusions A high percentage of prescriptions of alpha-blockers and PDE5Is were from other departments. For more specialized medical care by urologists is required in the treatment of lower urinary tract symptoms and erectile dysfunction.
Evaluation of capillary zone electrophoresis for the quality control of complex biologic samples: Application to snake venoms

Snake venoms constitute a very promising resource for the development of new medicines. They are mainly composed of very complex peptide and protein mixtures, which composition may vary significantly from batch to batch. This latter consideration is a challenge for routine quality control (QC) in the pharmaceutical industry. In this paper, we report the use of capillary zone electrophoresis for the development of an analytical fingerprint methodology to assess the quality of snake venoms. The analytical fingerprint concept is being widely used for the QC of herbal drugs but rarely for venoms QC so far. CZE was chosen for its intrinsic efficiency in the separation of protein and peptide mixtures. The analytical fingerprint methodology was first developed and evaluated for a particular snake venom, Lachesis muta. Optimal analysis conditions required the use of PDADMAC capillary coating to avoid protein and peptide adsorption. Same analytical conditions were then applied to other snake venom species. Different electrophoretic profiles were obtained for each venom. Excellent repeatability and intermediate precision was observed for each batch. Analysis of different batches of the same species revealed inherent qualitative and quantitative composition variations of the venoms between individuals.