Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Objective vs. subjective measurements of sleep in depressed insomniacs: first night effect or reverse first night effect?

STUDY OBJECTIVES This study examined changes in sleep parameters between the laboratory and the home setting before and after laboratory monitoring in depressed insomniacs undergoing treatment. METHODS This study was a post hoc analysis of a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial performed with 60 depressed, insomniac outpatients. Patients underwent actigraphic monitoring along with sleep diaries over a continuous 2-week period. After one week of baseline monitoring, subjects spent one night in the laboratory with concurrent actigraphic and PSG monitoring with sleep diaries. Actigraphic monitoring and sleep diaries were continued for another week at home, along with initiation of open-label fluoxetine (FLX). RESULTS Actigraphically recorded laboratory sleep during the night in the laboratory was found to be improved relative to actigraphically recorded sleep at home, with less wake time and greater sleep time and sleep efficiency occurring in the laboratory. In contrast, sleep diaries indicated a slight worsening of sleep in the laboratory compared to home, with significantly more awakenings in the laboratory compared to the week at home before and after the laboratory night. CONCLUSIONS The differences between objective and subjective sleep measurements seen in depressed insomniacs may be influenced by the monitoring setting and measurement modality. CLINICAL TRIAL INFORMATION ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00247624.
A systematic generation of optimized heterogeneous 3D Networks-on-Chip architecture

In this paper, we present a novel algorithm which systematically generates heterogeneous three-dimensional Networks-on-Chips (3D NoCs) topologies for a given application such that the vertical connections as well as the communication energy is reduced while the NoC performance is maintained. The proposed algorithm analyzes the target application and generates heterogeneous architectures by efficiently redistributing the vertical links and buffer spaces based on the vertical link and buffer utilization. The algorithm has been evaluated by synthetic and various real-world traffic patterns. Experimental results show that the proposed algorithm generates optimized architectures with lower energy consumption and significant reduction in packet delays compared to the existing 3D NoC architectures.
Registration of Biplane Angiography and Intravascular Ultrasound for 3D Vessel Reconstruction

Summary Abstract: If planned and applied correctly, intra-vascular brachytherapy (IVB) can significantly reduce the risk of restenosis after interventional treatment of stenotic arteries. Objectives: In order to facilitate computer-based IVB planning, a three-dimensional reconstruction of the stenotic artery based on intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) sequences is desirable. Methods: To attain a 3D reconstruction, the frames of the IVUS sequence are properly aligned in space and completed with additional intermediate frames generated by interpolation. The alignment procedure uses additional information that is obtained from biplane X-ray angiography performed simultaneously during the capturing of the IVUS sequence. After IVUS images and biplane angiography data are acquired from the patient, the vessel-wall borders and the IVUS catheter are detected by an active contour algorithm. Next, the twist between adjacent IVUS frames is determined by a sequential triangulation method combined with stochastic analysis. Results: The above procedure results in a 3D volume-model of the vessel, which also contains information from the IVUS modality. This data is sufficient for computer-based intravascular brachytherapy planning. Conclusion: The proposed methodology can be used to improve the current state-of-the-art IVB treatment planning by enabling computerized dosage computations on a highly accurate 3D model.
A novel extracorporeal shock wave system for enhancing microcirculation and angiogenesis after full thickness burn in an animal study

The extended wounds of burn patients remain a challenge due to wound infection and following septicemia. The aim of this study was to analyze microcirculation, angiogenesis and leukocyte endothelium interaction after burn injury with and without extracorporeal shock wave application (ESWA). A novel shockwave system was developed based on a commercially available device for orthopedics (Dornier Aries®) that was equipped with a newly developed applicator. This system is based on the electromagnetic shock wave emitter (EMSE) technology and was introduced to accomplish a localized treatment for wound healing. The system includes a novel field of focus for new applications, with high precision and ease of use. In the animal study, full-thickness burns were inflicted on to the ears of hairless mice (n=51). Intravital fluorescent microscopy was used to assess microcirculatory parameters, angiogenesis and leukocyte behavior. ESWA was performed on day 1, 3 and 7. Values were obtained immediately after burn, as well as at days 1, 3, 7, and 12 post burn. All shockwave treated groups showed an accelerated angiogenesis with a less non-perfused area and an improved blood flow after burn injury compared to the placebo control group. After three treatments, the shock waves increased the number of rolling leukocytes significantly compared to the nontreated animals. Shock waves seem to have a positive effect on several parameters of wound healing after burn injury. However, further investigations are necessary to detect positive influence of shock waves on microcirculation after burn injuries.
The Technical Research and System Realization of 3D Dice Game

Dice is familiar to everyone, but there is few applied 3D dice game. This paper introduces the key technology of 3D dice game developed by C++ and OpenGL. Itpsilas possible to run the game on embedded in future as abundant mathematic knowledge is performed to the 3D dice game that collision effect would be more realistic and dices would run with high speed.This paper discusses how to conquer dice-circle collision and dice-dice collision, how to draw 3d dice with round corners and a simple cylinder in which dices will bounce .
Elimination of intestinally absorbed antigen into the bile by IgA.

Polymeric serum IgA has been shown to transport antigens in the form of IgA immune complexes from the circulation into the bile. To test the hypothesis that this mechanism could aid in the clearance of intestinally absorbed antigens, mice were gastrically intubated with trinitrophenylated human serum albumin (TNP-HSA). After 3 hr, two groups were injected i.v. with either MOPC 315 (IgA, anti-TNP) or control ascitic fluid. One hour later, blood and bile samples were taken. Small amounts of antigen (0.0008% of the intubated dose) were detected in the serum of control animals by solid phase radioimmunoassay. In animals receiving anti-TNP IgA, serum levels were decreased significantly and intact antigen appeared in the bile, whereas no antigen was detectable in the bile of control mice. These results suggest that IgA-mediated hepatobiliary transport can function as one of the mechanisms for the elimination of intestinally absorbed antigens.
Decadal changes in the type and extent of Wetlands in Alaska using L-band SAR data — A preliminary analysis

Northern peatlands are estimated to hold about 30 % of the total global pool of soil carbon or 13 % of the total terrestrial carbon in the biosphere [1]. The warmer, drier conditions being experienced throughout the Arctic appear to be accelerating both aerobic and anaerobic decomposition of northern peatland soils, thereby increasing emissions of methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO2) [2]. If continued, this trend could cause northern peatlands to become major sources of atmospheric carbon, with existing models predicting large increases in CH4 emissions as CO2 levels continue to rise [3]. To better understand sources, sinks, and net fluxes of atmospheric CO2 and CH4 validated high-resolution maps of the extent and distribution of northern wetlands are needed [4].
Flexure control using piezostack actuators: design and implementation

In this paper, the application of high control authority piezostack actuators (PSAs) for active vibration control of large-scale flexible structures is studied. The idea is to add PSAs at appropriate locations of a flexible structure in order to strengthen its stiffness characteristics. In this regard, a flexible link of a macro-micro manipulator system actuated with PSAs is considered. The design of a mechanism for converting the force produced by a PSA to a bending moment is presented and a model for a system consisting of a flexible beam and a PSA is obtained. To this end, the solution of the governing partial differential equation with nonhomogeneous boundary conditions is obtained. Using singular value decomposition of the controllability Grammian of the system, optimum values for actuator parameters are obtained. The experimental results confirm that the suggested method can open up new possibilities in active vibration control of large-scale structures that require a large amount of control authority.
Complete sequence and comparative analysis of the chloroplast genome of Plinia trunciflora

Abstract Plinia trunciflora is a Brazilian native fruit tree from the Myrtaceae family, also known as jaboticaba. This species has great potential by its fruit production. Due to the high content of essential oils in their leaves and of anthocyanins in the fruits, there is also an increasing interest by the pharmaceutical industry. Nevertheless, there are few studies focusing on its molecular biology and genetic characterization. We herein report the complete chloroplast (cp) genome of P. trunciflora using high-throughput sequencing and compare it to other previously sequenced Myrtaceae genomes. The cp genome of P. trunciflora is 159,512 bp in size, comprising inverted repeats of 26,414 bp and single-copy regions of 88,097 bp (LSC) and 18,587 bp (SSC). The genome contains 111 single-copy genes (77 protein-coding, 30 tRNA and four rRNA genes). Phylogenetic analysis using 57 cp protein-coding genes demonstrated that P. trunciflora, Eugenia uniflora and Acca sellowiana form a cluster with closer relationship to Syzygium cumini than with Eucalyptus. The complete cp sequence reported here can be used in evolutionary and population genetics studies, contributing to resolve the complex taxonomy of this species and fill the gap in genetic characterization.
Multiple Pdr1p/Pdr3p Binding Sites Are Essential for Normal Expression of the ATP Binding Cassette Transporter Protein-encoding Gene PDR5*

Saccharomyces cerevisiae has large number of genes that can be genetically altered to produce a multiple or pleiotropic drug resistance phenotype. The homologous zinc finger transcription factors Pdr1p and Pdr3p both elevate resistance to many drugs, including cycloheximide. This elevation in cycloheximide tolerance only occurs in the presence of an intact copy of the PDR5 gene that encodes a plasma membrane-localized ATP binding cassette transporter protein. Previously, we have found that a single binding site for Pdr3p present in the PDR5 promoter is sufficient to provide Pdr3p-responsive gene expression. In this study, we have found that there are three sites in the PDR5 5′-noncoding region that are closely related to one another and are bound by both Pdr1p and Pdr3p. These elements have been designated Pdr1p/Pdr3p response elements (PDREs), and their role in the maintenance of normal PDR5 expression has been analyzed. Mutations have been constructed in each PDRE and shown to eliminate Pdr1p/Pdr3p binding in vitro. Analysis of the effect of these mutant PDREs on normal PDR5 promoter function indicates that each element is required for wild-type expression and drug resistance. A single PDRE placed upstream of a yeast gene lacking its normal upstream activation sequence is sufficient to confer Pdr1p responsiveness to this heterologous promoter.
New and improved diagnostics for detection of drug-resistant pulmonary tuberculosis

Purpose of review Tuberculosis (TB) remains a global emergency and continues to kill 1.7 million people globally each year. Drug-resistant TB is now well established throughout the world and most TB patients are not being screened for drug resistance due to lack of laboratory resources and rapid accurate point-of-care tests. Accurate and rapid diagnosis of TB and drug-resistant TB is of paramount importance in establishing appropriate clinical management and infection control measures. During the past decade, there have been significant advances in diagnostic technologies for TB and drug-resistant TB. The purpose of this article is to review the current data, recommendations and evidence base for these tests. Recent findings Second-line drug susceptibility testing (DST) is complex and expensive. Automated liquid culture systems and molecular line probe assays are recommended by the WHO as the current ‘gold standard’ for first-line DST. Liquid culture DST for aminoglycosides, polypeptides and fluoroquinolones has been shown to have relatively good reliability and reproducibility for diagnosis of extensively drug-resistant TB; however, DST for other second-line drugs (ethionamide, prothionamide, cycloserine, terizidone, para-aminosalicylic acid, clofazimine, amoxicillin-clavulanate, clarithromycin, linezolid) is not recommended. Automated liquid culture systems are currently recommended by the WHO as the ‘gold standard’ for second-line DST. Summary In this review, we describe the phenotypic and genotypic methods currently available for the diagnosis of TB and drug-resistant forms of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and discuss future prospects for TB diagnostics. Current technologies for the detection of drug resistant M. tuberculosis vary greatly in terms of turnaround time, cost and complexity. Ultimately, the ‘holy grail’ diagnostic for TB must fulfil all technical specifications for a good point-of-care test, screen for drug resistance concurrently and be adaptable to the various health system levels and to countries with diverse economic status and TB burden.
Designing a Multi-Level Support Based Association Mining Algorithm

Finding of hidden and previously unknown information in large collection of data is the process of data mining. Mining association rules is a very important model in data mining. Using association rules different type of regularities and patterns can be identified. In most of the previous approaches a single minimum support threshold value is used for all the items or itemsets. But all the items in an itemset do not behave in the same way. Some appear very frequently and some very rarely. Therefore the support requirements should vary with different items. In this paper, a simple algorithm based on the Apriori approach is proposed to find the large-itemsets and association rules under arithmetic mean constraint and with multiple minimum supports to overcome the above mentioned problem. The proposed algorithm is easy and efficient and it saves time by focusing only on necessary associations.
Population-specific effects of the Asn40Asp polymorphism at the μ-opioid receptor gene (OPRM1) on HPA-axis activation

Background Studies in European Americans (EAs) have shown that the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA)-axis activation by the opioid blockade is moderated by the single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) A118G (Asn40Asp) at the μ-opioid receptor locus (OPRM1). We examined the effect of this, and of five intronic OPRM1 SNPs, on adrenocorticotropic hormone and cortisol concentrations, following the placebo-controlled administration of naloxone to healthy individuals who were of EA or Asian ancestry. Methods We used a balanced, within-participant design with two test sessions to examine the hormonal responses to intravenous naloxone (an opioid antagonist) (125 μg/kg) or placebo in 29 healthy participants (62% men, 59% of Asian ancestry). DNA isolated from whole blood was PCR amplified and genotyped using a fluorogenic 5 nuclease assay (TaqMan) method. Results Consistent with earlier reports, participants with one or two Asp40 alleles (n=16) had a significantly greater cortisol response to naloxone than Asn40 homozygotes, but the effect was limited to EAs. Asians with the Asp40 allele did not show a greater increase in cortisol response compared with Asn40 homozygotes. None of the intronic SNPs was associated with cortisol response either directly or via an interaction effect with Asn40Asp. Conclusions Effects of the Asn40Asp polymorphism at OPRM1 on HPA-axis activation seem to be population-specific. The association between the Asn40Asp and the HPA-axis response to naloxone cannot, therefore, be explained with reference only to the amino acid substitution encoded by that polymorphism. Further research to understand the basis for the observed association is warranted.
Serum leptin and cholesterol levels in schizophrenic patients with and without suicide attempts

Objective: Previous studies demonstrate a relationship between lipid metabolism and suicide or impulsive–aggressive behaviours. Leptin seems to be related with lipid metabolism. Therefore, the aim was to measure total serum cholesterol and leptin levels in 16 medication‐free schizophrenic patients with and without suicide attempts and in 16 healthy controls.
Peak enhancement of the liver in children using power injection and helical CT.

OBJECTIVE Our objective was to determine the level and timing of peak hepatic enhancement in children using power injection of contrast media, helical CT, and computer-automated scan technology. SUBJECTS AND METHODS Forty-nine abdominal CT studies were performed using computer-automated scan technology. Patients were divided into four groups on the basis of body weight and contrast dose (group 1A, < or = 20 kg and 2 ml/kg; group 1B, < or = 20 kg and 3 ml/kg; group 2, 21-40 kg and 2 ml/kg; group 3, > 40 kg and < or = 2 ml/kg). Contrast injection rates were based on body weight (groups 1A and 1B, 1 ml/sec; group 2, 1.5 ml/sec; and group 3, 2 ml/sec). The peak hepatic enhancement level in Hounsfield units and the time to reach peak enhancement were determined for each patient. RESULTS The mean peak hepatic enhancement and time to peak enhancement after completion of contrast injection were group 1A, 45 H and 11 sec; group 1B, 62 H and 3 sec; group 2, 52 H and 12 sec; and group 3, 45 H and 10 sec. CONCLUSION The level and timing of peak hepatic enhancement in pediatric patients can be obtained using computer-automated scan technology. These data may then be used to optimize hepatic enhancement when obtaining helical abdominal CT scans of pediatric patients.
Using Short URLs in Tweets to Improve Twitter Opinion Mining

Using short URLs in Twitter messages has increased in popularity in the past few years. This is mostly due to the fact that Twitter, as one of the most popular social media networks, imposes a 140 character limit to the messages distributed over the network. This paper analyzes the use of short URLs by Twitter users. Specifically, the goal is to examine the content pointed by the short URLs as well as the potential impact on the performance of sentiment analysis (opinion mining) tasks. Opinion mining based on Twitter feed has been used in an array of applications, including healthcare, identifying public opinion on political issues, financial modeling and advertising. Past research has however completely disregarded tweets which contain URLs. It is not hard to see how opinion mining can be improved considering the fact that Twitter users regularly post URLs pointing to articles endorsing a particular political figure, articles in important financial outlets or reviews of products. This study is based on the analysis of three distinct Twitter datasets with varying number of tweets which include short URLs. Popular machine learning techniques used in opinion mining were deployed in different experimental settings to conclude which are the most lucrative options.
Sialendoscopy: Getting started, how long does it take?

Dilation of the salivary gland papilla for access is well‐recognized as one of the major rate‐limiting steps to sialendoscopy and has been shown to be a major challenge for beginners. The purpose of this study was to demonstrate that an algorithm involving multiple techniques for salivary duct access in sialendoscopy results in excellent success rates and acceptable operative times.
Preliminary Evidence of “Other-Race Effect”-Like Behavior Induced by Cathodal-tDCS over the Right Occipital Cortex, in the Absence of Overall Effects on Face/Object Processing

Neuromodulation techniques such as tDCS have provided important insight into the neurophysiological mechanisms that mediate cognition. Albeit anodal tDCS (a-tDCS) often enhances cognitive skills, the role of cathodal tDCS (c-tDCS) in visual cognition is largely unexplored and inconclusive. Here, in a single-blind, sham-controlled study, we investigated the offline effects of 1.5 mA c-tDCS over the right occipital cortex of 86 participants on four tasks assessing perception and memory of both faces and objects. Results demonstrated that c-tDCS does not overall affect performance on the four tasks. However, post-hoc exploratory analysis on participants' race (Caucasian vs. non-Caucasians), showed a “face-specific” performance decrease (≈10%) in non-Caucasian participants only. This preliminary evidence suggests that c-tDCS can induce “other-race effect (ORE)-like” behavior in non-Caucasian participants that did not show any ORE before stimulation (and in case of sham stimulation). Our results add relevant information about the breadth of cognitive processes and visual stimuli that can be modulated by c-tDCS, about the design of effective neuromodulation protocols, and have important implications for the potential neurophysiological bases of ORE.
Silicon-Carbide Power MOSFET Performance in High Efficiency Boost Power Processing Unit for Extreme Environments

Abstract Silicon-Carbide (SiC) device technology has generated much interest in recent years. With superior thermal performance, power ratings and potential switching frequencies over its Silicon (Si) counterpart, SiC offers a greater possibility for high powered switching applications in extreme environment. In particular, SiC Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistors' (MOSFETs) maturing process technology has produced a plethora of commercially available power dense, low on-state resistance devices capable of switching at high frequencies. A novel hard-switched power processing unit (PPU) is implemented utilizing SiC power devices. Accelerated life data is captured and assessed in conjunction with a damage accumulation model of gate oxide and drain-source junction lifetime to evaluate potential system performance at high temperature environments.