Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Correction for desynchronization of EEG and fMRI clocks through data interpolation optimizes artifact reduction

Co-registration of EEG (Electroencephalogram)- and fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging) remains a challenge due to the large artifacts induced on the EEG by the MR (magnetic resonance) sequence gradient and RF pulses. We present an algorithm, based on the average-subtraction method, which is able to correct EEG data for gradient and RF pulse artifacts. We optimized artifact reduction by correcting the misalignment of EEG and fMRI data samples, resulting from the asynchronous sampling of EEG and fMRI data, through interpolation of EEG data. A clustering algorithm is proposed to account for the variability of the pulse artifact. Results show that the algorithm was able to keep the spontaneous brain activity while removing gradient and pulse artifacts with only a subtraction of selectively averaged data. Pulse artifact clustering showed that most of the variability was due to the time jitter of the pulse artifact markers. We show that artifact reduction by average-subtraction is optimized by interpolating the EEG data to correct for asynchronously sampled EEG and fMRI data.
Identification of a putative response regulator two‐component phosphorelay gene ( CaSSK1) from Candida albicans

We have identified and analysed a putative response regulator two‐component gene (CaSSK1) from Candida albicans and its encoding protein (CaSsk1p). CaSSK1 has an open reading frame of 2022 bp. In the promotor region of CaSSK1 a short sequence is found that matches the consensus sequence of the stress response elements (STRE) from Saccharomyces cerevisiae. CaSSK1 is located on chromosome 1 and is expressed in either yeast or mycelial phases of C. albicans. CaSSK1 encodes a 674 amino acid protein (CaSsk1p) with an estimated molecular mass of 73·5 kDa and a basic isoelectric point (pI 9·5). It has a tripeptide (NKA) located in its C‐terminus, which resembles the peroxisomal signalling target type 1 sequence (PST1) of most of the peroxisomal matrix proteins. A homology search of CaSsk1p with other proteins in databases showed that the C‐terminus of CaSsk1p exhibits the greatest similarity with the C‐terminus of Ssk1p and Mcs4 from Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Schizosaccharomyces pombe, respectively. The response regulator domain of CaSsk1p contains the motifs that are characteristic of all response regulators, including the conserved aspartate and lysine residues as well as the putative aspartate, which is phosphorylated by a phosphohistidine residue. Finally, in spite of the structural similarities among CaSsk1p, Ssk1p and Mcs4, CaSsk1p does not seem to exhibit functional homology with these proteins. The Accession No. for the described sequence is AF084608, as filed in the EMBL/GenBank/DDBJ database. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The impact of household hygiene on the risk of bacterial diarrhea among Egyptian children in rural areas, 2004-2007.

INTRODUCTION The present study, conducted between January 2004 and April 2007, explored the impact of household hygiene on the risk of bacterial diarrhea, using data from a prospective birth cohort of 348 infants in five villages in the Nile Delta in Egypt. METHODOLOGY Neonates were enrolled at birth and followed up until 24 months of age. Children were visited twice a week to survey them for acute diarrhea. A detailed observational household hygiene survey was completed in-house every six months. Adjusted relative risk (aRR) of developing bacterial diarrhea was calculated for exposure to different hygiene variables and examined for specific bacterial pathogens. RESULTS Exclusive breastfeeding reduced the risk of bacterial diarrhea by 70%, while bacterial diarrhea cases were 2.6 times higher in the warm season. Risk of Campylobacter diarrhea increased with the absence of barriers to keep birds and animals out of the eating area, the presence of garbage containers and a bathing facility within the compound, and the presence of feces on the floor of the bathing facility. Use of municipal water for drinking and cooking was associated with a lower risk of Campylobacter diarrhea. Risk of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli diarrhea increased with uncovered garbage containers and the presence of liquid materials in the garbage containers, but decreased with the use of tap water in the washing facility. CONCLUSION The results highlight some potential targets for interventions, such as expanding municipal water supply to all houses and comprehensive mass-media awareness programs to change hygiene-promoting behaviors and practices.
Image Classification Using RapidEye Data: Integration of Spectral and Textual Features in a Random Forest Classifier

Information on crop types derived from remotely sensed images provides valuable input for many applications such as crop growth modeling and yield forecasting. In this paper, a random forest (RF) classifier was used for crop classification using multispectral RapidEye imagery over two study sites, one in north-eastern China and one in eastern Ontario, Canada. Both vegetation indices (VIs) and textural features were derived from the RapidEye imagery and used for classification. A total of 20 VIs, categorized into two groups with and without the red edge (RE) band in an index, were calculated. A total of eight types of textural features were derived using four different window sizes from both the RE and the near-infrared bands. To reduce redundancies among the VIs and textural features, feature selection using the principal component analysis, correlation analysis, and stepwise discriminant analysis was performed. Results showed that the overall classification accuracy was improved by ∼7% when the RE indices were combined with the five spectral bands in classification, as compared with that using the five bands alone. When textural information was included, the overall classification accuracy increased by ∼6% compared with that using the band reflectance alone. Furthermore, when all the features (band reflectance, VIs, and texture) were used, the overall classification accuracy increased by ∼12% compared with that using only the band reflectance. The RF importance measures showed that the RE reflectance was important for classification, as indicated by the high importance for the triangular vegetation index, transformed chlorophyll absorption in reflectance index, and green-rededge normalized difference vegetation index. The gray-level co-occurrence matrix mean is the most useful for classification among the textural features. The study provides a means to feature extraction and selection for crop classification from remote sensing imagery.
The influences of health on labour market outcomes in Canada : analyses from the 2014 Canadian Community Health Survey

This thesis addresses the effects of seventeen chronic health conditions as defined by the 2014 Canadian Community Health Survey on labour market outcomes as measured by their labour force status: employed full-time, employed part-time, and not working. The estimation employed a multinomial logistic regression, which was then used to estimate the marginal effects of each health condition, as well in simulations that predicted probabilities of each employment outcome in the presence and absence of each condition. Further probabilities were estimated to differentiate the effects of major health conditions among demographic variables and levels of educations. Findings include that women are relatively more likely than men to exit full-time employment after the onset of a health condition; additionally, those who are younger and have higher levels of education are also more likely to maintain a full-time employment status relative to individuals who are older or less educated, and there are no differences in the impact of health conditions between immigrants and the native-born. Date: April 12, 2019
Psychometric properties of the Portuguese version of the Quality of Life Questionnaire (QOL-Q).

BACKGROUND This study analyzes the psychometric properties of the Portuguese version of the Quality of Life Questionnaire (QOL-Q; Quality of Life Questionnaire Manual - 1993 Manual and 2004 Revision. 2004, IDS Publishing Company, Worthington, OH; Schalock & Keith 2004). METHOD The analysis of the factorial structure was carried out on a sample of 304 adults with intellectual disabilities, through the use of confirmatory (CFA) and exploratory (EFA) factor analysis. The relationships of the QOL-Q with life satisfaction and self-concept measures were determined in groups composed of respectively 72 and 78 adults with intellectual disabilities. RESULTS Confirmatory factorial analysis indicated a poor adjustment of the original factor structure to the Portuguese data. EFA indicated the existence of four factors, which include 30 items, and that were also supported by CFA. The total score of the QOL-Q revealed a reduced correlation with life satisfaction, and a moderate correlation with the self-concept. CONCLUSIONS The Portuguese version of the QOL-Q shows satisfactory psychometric properties, but also some limitations.
Charge Requirements of Lipid II Flippase Activity in Escherichia coli

ABSTRACT Peptidoglycan (PG) is an extracytoplasmic glycopeptide matrix essential for the integrity of the envelope of most bacteria. The PG building block is a disaccharide-pentapeptide that is synthesized as a lipid-linked precursor called lipid II. The translocation of the amphipathic lipid II across the cytoplasmic membrane is required for subsequent incorporation of the disaccharide-pentapeptide into PG. In Escherichia coli, the essential inner membrane protein MurJ is the lipid II flippase. Previous studies showed that 8 charged residues in the central cavity region of MurJ are crucial for function. Here, we completed the functional analysis of all 57 charged residues in MurJ and demonstrated that the respective positive or negative charge of the 8 aforementioned residues is required for proper MurJ function. Loss of the negative charge in one of these residues, D39, causes a severe defect in MurJ biogenesis; by engineering an intragenic suppressor mutation that restores MurJ biogenesis, we found that this charge is also essential for MurJ function. Because of the low level of homology between MurJ and putative orthologs from Gram-positive bacteria, we explored the conservation of these 8 charged residues in YtgP, a homolog from Streptococcus pyogenes. We found that only 3 positive charges are similarly positioned and essential in YtgP; YtgP possesses additional charged residues within its predicted cavity that are essential for function and conserved among Gram-positive bacteria. From these data, we hypothesize that some charged residues in the cavity region of MurJ homologs are required for interaction with lipid II and/or energy coupling during transport.
Synergistic effect of liver X receptor activation and simvastatin on plaque regression and stabilization: an magnetic resonance imaging study in a model of advanced atherosclerosis.

AIMS The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of liver X receptors (LXRs)-β preferential activation by LXR-623 (WAY-252623), a novel LXRs agonist, on plaque progression/regression in a rabbit model of advanced atherosclerosis. METHODS AND RESULTS Advanced atherosclerosis was induced in New Zealand White Rabbits (n= 41). At the end of atherosclerosis induction, animals underwent a baseline magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and were randomized to receive LXR-623 (1.5, 5, or 15 mg/kg/day), simvastatin (5 mg/kg/day), or placebo. The combination of LXR-1.5/simvastatin was also tested. After a final MRI, animals were euthanized and their aortas processed for further analysis. Simvastatin significantly reduced lesion progression (-25%; P< 0.01) in comparison with the placebo group. A similar effect was observed in the LXR-1.5 and -5 groups. A significant regression (16.5%; P< 0.01) of existing atherosclerosis was observed in the LXR-1.5/simvastatin group. Histological and molecular analysis showed plaque stabilization in the animals treated with the LXR-1.5 and -5, and LXR-1.5/simvastatin. The effects of LXR-623 were observed in the presence of a non-significant effect on total-cholesterol, low-density lipoproteins-cholesterol, and triglyceride levels. CONCLUSION The results of the present study show that LXR-623 significantly reduces the progression of atherosclerosis and induces plaque regression in combination with simvastatin. These observations could drive future development of novel anti-atherosclerotic therapeutic approaches.
Injury-Induced GR-1+ Macrophage Expansion and Activation Occurs Independently of CD4 T-Cell Influence

Burn injury initiates an enhanced inflammatory condition referred to as the systemic inflammatory response syndrome or the two-hit response phenotype. Prior reports indicated that macrophages respond to injury and demonstrate a heightened reactivity to Toll-like receptor stimulation. Since we and others observed a significant increase in splenic GR-1+ F4/80+ CD11b+ macrophages in burn-injured mice, we wished to test if these macrophages might be the primary macrophage subset that shows heightened LPS reactivity. We report here that burn injury promoted higher level TNF-&agr; expression in GR-1+, but not GR-1− macrophages, after LPS activation both in vivo and ex vivo. We next tested whether CD4+ T cells, which are known to suppress injury-induced inflammatory responses, might control the activation and expansion of GR-1+ macrophages. Interestingly, we found that GR-1+ macrophage expansion and LPS-induced TNF-&agr; expression were not significantly different between wild-type and CD4 T cell-deficient CD4(−/−) mice. However, further investigations showed that LPS-induced TNF-&agr; production was significantly influenced by CD4 T cells. Taken together, these data indicate that GR-1+ F4/80+ CD11b+ macrophages represent the primary macrophage subset that expands in response to burn injury and that CD4 T cells do not influence the GR-1+ macrophage expansion process, but do suppress LPS-induced TNF-&agr; production. These data suggest that modulating GR-1+ macrophage activation as well as CD4 T cell responses after severe injury may help control the development of systemic inflammatory response syndrome and the two-hit response phenotype.ABBREVIATIONS-SIRS-systemic inflammatory response syndrome; WT-wild type; MSCs-myeloid suppressor cells; TLR-Toll-like receptor; Tregs-CD4+ regulatory T cells; GR-1-granulocyte receptor 1; FACS-fluorescence-activated cell sorting
Effect of laser detuning frequency and polarization state on optical pumping efficient

The detecting principle of optical pumping cesium magnetometer sensor used for measurement of geomagnetic field is introduced. The population variation of the Zeeman sublevels with time in the laser-pumped cesium atoms is calculated from the approximate form of the optical Bloch equations, and the effect of laser detuning frequency and polarization state on the populations of Zeeman sublevels in cesium atoms is analyzed in detail. Matlab software is used to emulate the population variation curves in different laser detuning frequency and different polarization state. It is obtained from the curves that the polarization degree of cesium atoms is the most obvious and the optical pumping is the most efficient when the detuning frequency is 0 and the laser is left hand circularly polarized light. It is important to improve the detecting sensitivity and enhance the stability of optical pumping magnetometer sensor.
Nonreplication of the type 5 17beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase gene association with polycystic ovary syndrome.

CONTEXT Increased androgen production is a primary feature of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and appears to be an inherited trait. The gene for the steroidogenic enzyme type 5 17beta hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (HSD17B5) was implicated as a candidate for the hyperandrogenemia of PCOS by a previous study that demonstrated an association of a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the promoter of this gene with PCOS. OBJECTIVE The objective of the study was to replicate the previous report of association between the HSD17B5 gene and PCOS risk by genotyping the promoter SNP (as well as other SNPs in the region to provide improved coverage of the gene) in a large, well-characterized cohort suitable for replication study. DESIGN Women with and without PCOS were genotyped for five SNPs in HSD17B5. SNPs and haplotypes were determined and tested for association with PCOS risk and phenotypic markers of PCOS. SETTING Subjects were recruited from the reproductive endocrinology clinic at the University of Alabama at Birmingham; controls were recruited from the surrounding community. Genotyping took place at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. PARTICIPANTS Participants included 287 white women with PCOS and 187 white controls. MAIN MEASUREMENTS HSD17B5 genotype, PCOS risk, and testosterone levels were measured. RESULTS No SNP or haplotype was significantly associated with PCOS risk, testosterone, or any of the traits tested. CONCLUSIONS These data suggest that polymorphisms in the HSD17B5 gene are not associated with PCOS risk or elevated testosterone as previously reported.
The Asymmetric Effect of Sukuk on Government Budget: Dealing with Deficit in Malaysia

Islamic economists sought to find transactions that fit and conform to the principles of Islamic religion, where Islamic bonds were one of the most critical products compatible with Islam. This study aims to shed light on the impact of Sukuk as one of the alternatives available for funding expenditures and deficit in Malaysia. This research using a non-linear autoregressive distributed lag model (NARDL) during the period 1990-2016. After identifying the asymmetric effect and the dynamic multiplier of Sukuk on government budget balance during the fluctuations of the exchange rate of the Ringgit, we have found that Islamic bonds are a very useful tool in financing deficit making Malaysia a pioneering experience in the field of Islamic engineering
Quality of service of internet service provider networks: State of the art and new trends

These ten last years, the emergences of new applications through Internet such as multimedia applications (VoIP, video broadcasting .) or networked control application, users need more and more quality of service (QoS) when using Internet. However, the requested QoS is not the same depending on the application. Some of them request a lot of bandwidth like video broadcasting others need short guaranteed delays. Several new models to manage internet traffic have been proposed. Most of them focus on specific QoS criteria that they want to optimize. This paper focus on approaches based on MPLS that are more adapted to the configuration of ISP networks. The paper first introduces the different mechanisms that can be used to improve the QoS of a network such as the models of traffic classification (IntServ or DiffServ) or multipath routing. It also justifies the choice of MPLS technology versus a simple use of IP. After that, the paper presents main MPLS approaches such as MATE, LDM or LBWDP that try to guaranty a certain quality with respect to specific criteria. In the last part, it presents new models such as PEMS that try to adapt the offered quality depending on the class of the routed traffic.
Mitochondrial translation is essential in bloodstream forms of Trypanosoma brucei

The parasitic protozoa Trypanosoma brucei has a complex life cycle. Oxidative phosphorylation is highly active in the procyclic form but absent from bloodstream cells. The mitochondrial genome encodes several gene products that are required for oxidative phosphorylation, but it completely lacks tRNA genes. For mitochondrial translation to occur, the import of cytosolic tRNAs is therefore essential for procyclic T. brucei. Whether the same is true for the bloodstream form has not been studied so far. Here we show that the steady‐state levels of mitochondrial tRNAs are essentially the same in both life stages. Editing of the imported tRNATrp also occurs in both forms as well as in mitochondria of Trypanosoma evansi, which lacks a genome and a translation system. These results show that mitochondrial tRNA import is a constitutive process that must be mediated by proteins that are expressed in both forms of the life cycle and that are not encoded in the mitochondrial genome. Moreover, bloodstream cells lacking either mitochondria‐specific translation elongation factor Tu or mitochondrial tryptophanyl‐tRNA synthetase are not viable indicating that mitochondrial translation is also essential in this stage. Both of these proteins show trypanosomatid‐specific features and may therefore be excellent novel drug targets.
Familial clustering of tic disorders and obsessive-compulsive disorder.

IMPORTANCE Tourette syndrome/chronic tic disorder (TS/CT) and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) overlap in their phenomenological features and often co-occur in affected individuals and families. Understanding how these disorders cluster in families provides important clinical information and is an important step in understanding the causes of these disorders. OBJECTIVE To determine familial recurrence for TS/CT and OCD using a national epidemiologic sample. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS We performed a population-based study of national health registries in Denmark, including all individuals (n = 1 741 271) born in Denmark from January 1, 1980, through December 31, 2007, and followed up through December 31, 2013. We identified those with TS/CT and/or OCD. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The prevalence of TS/CT and OCD and relative recurrence risk (RRR) for TS/CT or OCD among individuals with an oldest sibling or a parent diagnosed as having TS/CT or OCD compared with individuals without an affected oldest sibling or an affected parent. RESULTS In this sample, 5596 individuals were diagnosed as having TS/CT; 6191, OCD; and 412, both disorders. The overall cohort prevalence of TS/CT was 0.42% (95% CI, 0.41%-0.43%) and of OCD, 0.84% (95% CI, 0.81%-0.87%). The mean sibling recurrence risk for TS/CT across all birth years was 9.88% (95% CI, 8.02%-12.16%) and for OCD, 4.01% (95% CI, 2.78%-5.76%). The sibling RRR for TS/CT was 18.63 (95% CI, 15.34-22.63). In contrast, the sibling RRR for OCD was 4.89 (95% CI, 3.45-6.93). The parent-offspring RRR for TS/CT was 61.02 (95% CI, 44.43-83.82), whereas the parent-offspring RRR for OCD was 6.25 (95% CI, 4.82-8.11). The sibling and parent-offspring cross-disorder risks were also significant, ranging from 3.20 (95% CI, 2.22-4.62) to 10.27 (95% CI, 5.17-20.39). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE Tourette syndrome/CT and OCD cluster in families. The familial aggregation of TS/CT is profound and substantially higher than the familial aggregation for OCD. The recurrence risk estimates provide an important clinical framework for identifying individuals at risk and provide insights into the causes of these disorders.