Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Analysis of dissolved gases by headspace sampling gas chromatography with column and detector switching. Preliminary results

This preliminary study presents a new method for the determination of dissolved gases in sea-water. After headspace extraction, gaseous compounds are separated by GC on a dual column adsorption system. The individual species are thereafter eluted to three different detectors (thermal conductivity, flame ionization and FPD) using a second switching valve. The analysis is quantitative for methane and carbon dioxide with limits of determination of 0.1 and 50 µmol l–1, respectively, and corresponding standard deviations of 4 and 7%, and has been applied to deep sea hydrothermal samples. Further optimization is necessary to allow the quantitative determination of hydrogen sulfide, nitrogen, oxygen and carbon monoxide.
Involvement of Nitric Oxide Released from Microglia–Macrophages in Pathological Changes of Cathepsin D-Deficient Mice

Cathepsin D (CD) deficiency has been shown to induce ceroid-lipofuscin storage in lysosomes of mouse CNS neuron (Koike et al., 2000). To understand the behavior of microglial cells corresponding to these neuronal changes, CD-deficient (CD−/−) mice, which die at approximately postnatal day (P) 25 by intestinal necrosis, were examined using morphological as well as biochemical approaches. Light and electron microscopic observations revealed that microglia showing large round cell bodies with few processes appeared in the cerebral cortex and thalamus after P16. At P24, microglia often encircled neurons that were occupied with autolysosomes, indicating increased phagocytic activity. These morphologically transformed microglia markedly expressed inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), which was also detected in the intestine of the mice. To assess the role of microglial nitric oxide (NO) in neuropathological changes in CD−/− mice,l-NG-nitro-arginine methylester (l-NAME), a competitive NOS inhibitor, or S-methylisothiourea hemisulfate (SMT), an iNOS inhibitor, was administered intraperitoneally for 13 consecutive days. The total number of terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated biotinylated UTP nick end labeling-positive cells counted in the thalamus was found to be significantly decreased by chronic treatment of l-NAME or SMT, whereas neither the neuronal accumulation of ceroid–lipofuscin nor the microglial phagocytic activity was affected by these treatments. Moreover, the chronic treatment ofl-NAME or SMT completely suppressed hemorrhage-necrotic changes in the small intestine of CD−/− mice, resulting in normal growth of the body weight of the mice. These results suggest that NO production via iNOS activity in microglia and peripheral macrophages contributes to secondary tissue damages such as neuronal apoptosis and intestinal necrosis, respectively.
Detection of cerebral aneurysms in MRA, CTA and 3D-RA data sets

We propose a system to automatically detect cerebral aneurysms in 3D X-ray rotational angiography images (3D-RA), magnetic resonance angiography images (MRA) and computed tomography angiography images (CTA). After image normalization, initial candidates are found by applying a blob-enhancing filter on the data sets. Clusters are computed by a modified k-means algorithm. A post-processing step reduces the false positive (FP) rate on the basis of computed features. This is implemented as a rule-based system that is adapted according to the modality. In MRA, clusters are excluded that are not neighbored to a vessel. As a final step, FP are further reduced by applying a threshold classification on a feature. Our method was tested on 93 angiographic data sets containing aneurysm and non-aneurysm cases. We achieved 95 % sensitivity with an average rate of 2.6 FP per data set (FP/DS) in case of 3D-RA, 89 % sensitivity at 6.6 FP/DS for MRA and 95 % sensitivity at 37.6 FP/DS with CTA, respectively. We showed that our post-processing approach eliminates FP in MRA with only a slight decrease of sensitivity. In contrast to other approaches, our algorithm does not require a vessel segmentation and does not require training of distributional properties.
TREC-7 Evaluation of Conceptual Interlingua Document Retrieval (CINDOR) in English and French

TextWise LLC. participated in the TREC-7 Cross-Language Retrieval track using the CINDOR system, which utilizes a “conceptual interlingua” representation of documents and queries. The current CINDOR research system uses a conceptual interlingua constructed around the Princeton WordNet, which we are mapping into French and Spanish. The use of an interlingual representation of documents and queries allows us to perform retrieval on any combination of supported languages, rather than having to rely on pairwise translations, while the use of a resource like WordNet allows us to match equivalent terms (including synonyms) across languages. Although the analysis of our TREC-7 results is clouded somewhat by the kinds of system errors which inevitably occur in a first-time evaluation over large TREC corpora, our evaluation of the conceptual interlingua approach suggests that it provides highly effective cross-language retrieval performance. In particular, we notice that the CINDOR system achieves cross-language retrieval results equivalent in many cases to corresponding monolingual queries, without the loss in retrieval precision observed in many other approaches to cross-language retrieval. Future work on the CINDOR system, which was evaluated here in its research prototype form, will focus on improving further the coverage of our conceptual interlingua resources and the efficiency of our document processing modules. We are also investigating the construction of an interlingual resource of proper nouns, using technology from other TextWise products, since proper nouns constitute the largest category of ‘out-of-vocabulary’ terms with respect to our current conceptual interlingua knowledge base. We will also continue to adapt the CINDOR system to handle more languages.
Circularly Polarized Shorted Patch Antenna on High Permittivity Substrate With Wideband

A wideband coaxial feed shorted patch antenna for circular polarization on high permittivity substrate is designed, fabricated and measured. This antenna is implemented by dividing the slotted patch into two parts (excited shorted part and coupled part) at the center. With adding different arms at the diagonal corners, each part can generate a proper circularly polarized (CP) resonance such that a wideband axial ratio (AR) bandwidth is obtained. Measured results show that the proposed antenna has an axial ratio bandwidth (AR ≤ 3 dB) of 3.7% (2.563-2.660 GHz), an impedance bandwidth (reflection coefficient, S11 ≤ -10 dB) of 6.9% (2.49-2.67 GHz) and a peak gain of 4 dBic.
Visible/Infrared Imaging on the Rise [In the Spotlight]

The news media recently showed how infrared imagery aided the authorities in capturing the second Boston Marathon bomber suspect, now a significant tool in the public safety arsenal [1]. It also clearly illustrates the progress in infrared hardware technology since Desert Storm in 1991. The images shown were less grainy (noisy) and had more gray scales, the result of focal plane array materials and designs. In addition, they displayed better image resolution due to larger focal plane array availability. What was not shown is the significant signal processing improvement in target detection that can be obtained from this new hardware because of its improved dynamic range and linearity. In particular, these aspects enhance our ability to image objects through optical channels that either blur or mask the object because of particulate or turbulent scattering [2]. In this article, we will highlight some of the progress in this area that takes advantage of the improvements of new visible and infrared camera systems.
Two-year effects of quality improvement programs on medication management for depression.

BACKGROUND Significant underuse of evidence-based treatments for depression persists in primary care. We examined the effects of 2 primary care-based quality improvement (QI) programs on medication management for depression. METHODS A total of 1356 patients with depressive symptoms (60% with depressive disorders and 40% with subthreshold depression) from 46 primary care practices in 6 nonacademic managed care organizations were enrolled in a randomized controlled trial of QI for depression. Clinics were randomized to usual care or to 1 of 2 QI programs that involved training of local experts who worked with patients' regular primary care providers (physicians and nurse practitioners) to improve care for depression. In the QI-medications program, depression nurse specialists provided patient education and assessment and followed up patients taking antidepressants for up to 12 months. In the QI-therapy program, depression nurse specialists provided patient education, assessment, and referral to study-trained psychotherapists. RESULTS Participants enrolled in both QI programs had significantly higher rates of antidepressant use than those in the usual care group during the initial 6 months of the study (52% in the QI-medications group, 40% in the QI-therapy group, and 33% in the usual care group). Patients in the QI-medications group had higher rates of antidepressant use and a reduction in long-term use of minor tranquilizers for up to 2 years, compared with patients in the QI-therapy or usual care group. CONCLUSIONS Quality improvement programs for depression in which mental health specialists collaborate with primary care providers can substantially increase rates of antidepressant treatment. Active follow-up by a depression nurse specialist in the QI-medications program was associated with longer-term increases in antidepressant use than in the QI model without such follow-up.
Concept Lattices and Median Networks

In phylogenetic analysis, median networks have been proposed as an improvement over tree representations. This paper argues that concept lattices represent a further improvement over median networks because FCA provides a detailed formal description and there are a number of existing software solutions for creating lattices. The purpose of this paper is to raise awareness in the FCA community for this interesting application area in bioinformatics.
Re-examining the potential effectiveness of interactive query expansion

Much attention has been paid to the relative effectiveness of interactive query expansion versus automatic query expansion. Although interactive query expansion has the potential to be an effective means of improving a search, in this paper we show that, on average, human searchers are less likely than systems to make good expansion decisions. To enable good expansion decisions, searchers must have adequate instructions on how to use interactive query expansion functionalities. We show that simple instructions on using interactive query expansion do not necessarily help searchers make good expansion decisions and discuss difficulties found in making query expansion decisions.
PRIVATE SECTOR VERSUS PUBLIC SECTOR RESEARCH ON SOFTWARE PROJECT MANAGEMENT: AN EXPLORATORY STUDY

Project managers typically set three success criteria for their projects: meet specifications, be on time, and be on budget. However, software projects frequently fail to meet these criteria. Software engineers, acquisition officers, and project managers have all studied this issue and made recommendations for achieving success. But most of this research in peer reviewed journals has focused on the private sector. Private sector project success depends on many elements. Critical success factors are those factors a project manager must properly handle to avoid failure. And priorities influence which success criteria the project manager will most likely succeed in meeting. Through a survey of software project managers at two USAF software development organizations, our research discovered the following: Air Force and private sector projects share many of the same critical success factors for nonweapon systems, but there are still some sharp differences.
Postanalytical external quality assessment of warfarin monitoring in primary healthcare.

BACKGROUND An increasing number of patients are treated with warfarin worldwide, and many are monitored in general practice, often with office instruments. Bleeding or thromboembolic episodes may be consequences of inadequate treatment. We have therefore examined some important aspects of general practitioners' (GPs') knowledge of warfarin treatment. METHODS A questionnaire including 2 case histories with familiar indications for warfarin treatment (mechanical heart valve prosthesis and pulmonary embolism) was circulated to 3781 GPs in Norway as a postanalytical quality assessment. RESULTS A total of 1547 GPs (41%) responded. There were substantial variations among GPs concerning the frequency of international normalized ratio (INR) monitoring, stated therapeutic ranges for arterial (but not venous) indications for anticoagulation therapy, and handling of a moderately high INR result of 5.9. Most GPs estimated an unrealistically high risk of serious bleeding in the latter situation (median, 15%; 10th and 90th percentiles, 4% and 50%, respectively). The critical difference necessary to change the warfarin dose was highly dependent on perceived therapeutic intervals, and about half of the GPs suggested a critical difference of 0.8 INR, which is attainable with office instruments. Sex and age of the GPs, practice size, and availability of an INR instrument in the office laboratory did not influence the results to any substantial degree, as variations within subgroups were similar. CONCLUSIONS Gross variations in practice were found, especially for aspects of warfarin treatment that lacked uniform guidelines. Evidence-based and practicable recommendations for treatment and monitoring of these patients are still needed.
Longitudinal Evaluation of Resting-State fMRI After Acute Stroke With Hemiparesis

Background. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) of motor impairment after stroke strongly depends on patient effort and capacity to make a movement. Hence fMRI has had limited use in clinical management. Alternatively, resting-state fMRI (ie, with no task) can elucidate the brain’s functional connections by determining temporal synchrony between brain regions. Objective. The authors examined whether resting-state fMRI can elucidate the disruption of functional connections within hours of ischemic stroke as well as during recovery. Methods. A total of 51 ischemic stroke patients—31 with mild-to-moderate hand deficits (National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale [NIHSS] motor score ≥1) and 20 with NIHSS score of 0—underwent resting-state fMRI at <24 hours, 7 days, and 90 days poststroke; 15 age-matched healthy individuals participated in 1 session. Using the resting-state fMRI signal from the ipsilesional motor cortex, the strength of functional connections with the contralesional motor cortex was computed. Whole-brain maps of the resting-state motor network were also generated and compared between groups and sessions. Results. Within hours poststroke, patients with motor deficits exhibited significantly lower connectivity than controls (P = .02) and patients with no motor impairment (P = .03). Connectivity was reestablished after 7 days in recovered (ie, NIHSS score = 0) participants. After 90 days, recovered patients exhibited normal motor connectivity; however, reduced connectivity with subcortical regions associated with effort and cognitive processing remained. Conclusion. Resting-state fMRI within hours of ischemic stroke can demonstrate the impact of stroke on functional connections throughout the brain. This tool has the potential to help select appropriate stroke therapies in an acute imaging setting and to monitor the efficacy of rehabilitation.
Topology Repair of Solid Models Using Skeletons

We present a method for repairing topological errors on solid models in the form of small surface handles, which often arise from surface reconstruction algorithms. We utilize a skeleton representation that offers a new mechanism for identifying and measuring handles. Our method presents two unique advantages over previous approaches. First, handle removal is guaranteed not to introduce invalid geometry or additional handles. Second, by using an adaptive grid structure, our method is capable of processing huge models efficiently at high resolutions.
Growing a New Study: Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes

Prevalence rates for asthma, autism spectrum disorders, obesity, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and many other chronic childhood diseases remain stubbornly high in the United States.1 It is also now widely understood that environmental exposures in early development and even preconception can adversely affect an individual’s health long after childhood.2 Environmental factors in child development therefore affect the health not just of children themselves but of all society. Now the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is developing a large-scale long-term program to better understand these factors, dubbed Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO). A new program known as Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes will take advantage of existing birth cohorts, and possibly new cohorts, as well to study key areas of concern to children’s development and health. NIH leaders envision building ECHO around four areas of public health interest: 1) upper- and lower-airway conditions, such as asthma and allergies; 2) obesity and related conditions such as diabetes and metabolic syndrome; 3) pre-, peri-, and postnatal outcomes, including birth defects; and 4) neurodevelopment and related conditions and outcomes such as autism, behavior, and cognition. Standardized core elements expected to be measured across each focus area will include demographics, growth, sleep, nutrition, and activity patterns, among others, plus newer parameters enabled by more recent scientific advances, including those pertaining to the microbiome and epigenetic influences on childhood development. In a Request for Information (RFI) issued 13 July 2015, the NIH solicited input on these plans.3 Approximately 190 comments were received. As a general theme, the comments applauded the NIH’s effort to pull together a large, racially diverse study, while also raising concerns about how ECHO will integrate data sets derived from different sources and address the effects of early-life exposures, especially during gestation.
[Optic neuropathy induced by prenatal drug or alcohol exposure].

PURPOSE The main aim of this work was to analyse the cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in retinal and optic nerve development, and the consequences of methamphetamine "ice" (MA) or alcohol (EtOH) abuse during pregnancy on the developing visual system. MATERIAL AND METHODS Wistar rats were exposed to MA or EtOH during gestation and lactation and their offspring studied. Control isocaloric rats were maintained in parallel. The eyes and optic nerves from pups (at 7, 14 and 21 postnatal days) were processed using morphologic, morphometric and western blot approaches using antibodies against glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), myelin basic protein (MBP) and neurofilament protein (NFP). RESULTS Statistically significant differences were observed between the methamphetamine-exposed and the alcohol-exposed rats, as compared to the controls. The optic nerve cross-sectional area was smaller in the drug or alcohol-exposed animals. The expression of developmental protein markers (GFAP and MBP) in the retina and optic nerve displayed striking alterations related to drug or alcohol abuse during gestation and lactation. CONCLUSIONS Psychostimulant and alcohol exposure alters the development of the retina and optic nerve.
Antioxidants and embryo phenotype: is there experimental evidence for strong integration of the antioxidant system?

ABSTRACT Organisms have evolved complex defense systems against oxidative stress. Bird eggs contain maternally derived antioxidants that protect embryos from oxidative damage. The antioxidant system components are thought to be integrated, but few studies have analyzed the covariation between antioxidant concentrations, embryo ‘oxidative status’ and morphology. In addition, no study has tested the effects of experimental change in yolk antioxidant concentration on other antioxidants, on their reciprocal relationships and on their relationships with embryo oxidative status or growth, which are expected if antioxidants defenses are integrated. In yellow-legged gull (Larus michahellis) embryos, we analyzed the covariation between several antioxidants, markers of ‘oxidative status’ [total antioxidant capacity (TAC), concentration of pro-oxidants (TOS), lipid peroxidation (LPO) and protein carbonylation (PC)] in the yolk, liver and brain, and morphology. Yolk and liver antioxidant concentrations were positively correlated reciprocally and with embryo size, and positively predicted TAC but not oxidative status. TOS and LPO were positively correlated in the liver, while TAC and LPO were negatively correlated in the brain. Weak relationships existed between antioxidants and TOS, PC and LPO. The effects of antioxidants on oxidative status and morphology were non-synergistic. An experimental physiological increase in yolk vitamin E had very weak effects on the relationships between other antioxidants or oxidative status and vitamin E concentration, the concentration of other antioxidants or oxidative status; the covariation between other antioxidants and oxidative status, and relationships between morphology or oxidative status and other antioxidants, challenging the common wisdom of strong functional relationships among antioxidants, at least for embryos in the wild. Summary: Weak relationships exist between several yolk antioxidants, oxidative status markers in the yolk, liver and brain, and embryo morphology in the yellow-legged gull.
Influence of executive function on medication adherence in neurologically impaired and non-impaired elderly.

Medication non-compliance has become one of the most prevalent reasons for hospitalization and doctor's visits by the elderly. As the elderly population is more likely to have decreased cognitive abilities, it is suggested that neuropsychological factors, especially executive function, are more influential in medication non-compliance than once thought. This study looked at executive function performance on a traditional battery of neuropsychological tests, self-report of perceived ability to perform executive function tasks, and the newly developed Pillbox Test, a performance based IADL measure. The Pillbox Test is designed to replicate a type of medication-management specific IADL as a means to asses executive function. Standard executive function measures only tap a portion of executive function, but it is believed that the Pillbox Test incorporates all four theoretical domains of executive function. The multiple measures of executive function performance were compared in three prevalent subgroups of the elderly population (mixed neurological group, cardiac medical-control group, and healthy community-control group). Results found significant differences, where the community-control and cardiac groups outperformed the mixed neurological group on the large majority of executive function tasks. Smaller differences were also noted between the community-control and cardiac groups and between the cardiac and mixed neurological groups. Together, these findings provide support for the diagnostic prevalence of mild cognitive impairment in the older adult cardiac population. Results also indicated the level of executive dysfunction on standardized neuropsychological measures was highly correlated with performance on both the Pillbox Test and the IADL based Direct Assessment of Functional Status measure. Finally, the Pillbox Test has moderate to strong ecological validity with 75% sensitivity and 87.5% specificity for five or more errors on this test.