Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An action spectrum for melatonin suppression: evidence for a novel non‐rod, non‐cone photoreceptor system in humans

1 Non‐image forming, irradiance‐dependent responses mediated by the human eye include synchronisation of the circadian axis and suppression of pineal melatonin production. The retinal photopigment(s) transducing these light responses in humans have not been characterised. 2 Using the ability of light to suppress nocturnal melatonin production, we aimed to investigate its spectral sensitivity and produce an action spectrum. Melatonin suppression was quantified in 22 volunteers in 215 light exposure trials using monochromatic light (30 min pulse administered at circadian time (CT) 16‐18) of different wavelengths (λmax 424, 456, 472, 496, 520 and 548 nm) and irradiances (0.7‐65.0 μW cm−2). 3 At each wavelength, suppression of plasma melatonin increased with increasing irradiance. Irradiance‐response curves (IRCs) were fitted and the generated half‐maximal responses (IR50) were corrected for lens filtering and used to construct an action spectrum. 4 The resulting action spectrum showed unique short‐wavelength sensitivity very different from the classical scotopic and photopic visual systems. The lack of fit (r2 < 0.1) of our action spectrum with the published rod and cone absorption spectra precluded these photoreceptors from having a major role. Cryptochromes 1 and 2 also had a poor fit to the data. Fitting a series of Dartnall nomograms generated for rhodopsin‐based photopigments over the λmax range 420‐480 nm showed that rhodopsin templates between λmax 457 and 462 nm fitted the data well (r2≥ 0.73). Of these, the best fit was to the rhodopsin template with λmax 459 nm (r2= 0.74). 5 Our data strongly support a primary role for a novel short‐wavelength photopigment in light‐induced melatonin suppression and provide the first direct evidence of a non‐rod, non‐cone photoreceptive system in humans.
Pathogenic FBN1 mutations in 146 adults not meeting clinical diagnostic criteria for Marfan syndrome: Further delineation of type 1 fibrillinopathies and focus on patients with an isolated major criterion

Mutations in the FBN1 gene cause Marfan syndrome (MFS) and have been associated with a wide range of milder overlapping phenotypes. A proportion of patients carrying a FBN1 mutation does not meet diagnostic criteria for MFS, and are diagnosed with “other type I fibrillinopathy. ” In order to better describe this entity, we analyzed a subgroup of 146 out of 689 adult propositi with incomplete “clinical” international criteria (Ghent nosology) from a large collaborative international study including 1,009 propositi with a pathogenic FBN1 mutation. We focused on patients with only one major clinical criterion, [including isolated ectopia lentis (EL; 12 patients), isolated ascending aortic dilatation (17 patients), and isolated major skeletal manifestations (1 patient)] or with no major criterion but only minor criteria in 1 or more organ systems (16 patients). At least one component of the Ghent nosology, insufficient alone to make a minor criterion, was found in the majority of patients with isolated ascending aortic dilatation and isolated EL. In patients with isolated EL, missense mutations involving a cysteine were predominant, mutations in exons 24–32 were underrepresented, and no mutations leading to a premature truncation were found. Studies of recurrent mutations and affected family members of propositi with only one major clinical criterion argue for a clinical continuum between such phenotypes and classical MFS. Using strict definitions, we conclude that patients with FBN1 mutation and only one major clinical criterion or with only minor clinical criteria of one or more organ system do exist but represent only 5% of the adult cohort. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Electromagnetic modelling of current flow in the heart from TASER devices and the risk of cardiac dysrhythmias

Increasing use by law enforcement agencies of the M26 and X26 TASERTASER is an acronym for Thomas A. Swift's Electric Rifle from the book Tom Swift and His Electric Rifle (1911) by Victor Appleton, ISBN-10: 1594561257. electrical incapacitation devices has raised concerns about the arrhythmogenic potential of these weapons. Using a numerical phantom constructed from medical images of the human body in which the material properties of the tissues are represented, computational electromagnetic modelling has been used to predict the currents arising at the heart following injection of M26 and X26 waveforms at the anterior surface of the chest (with one TASER ‘barb’ directly overlying the ventricles). The modelling indicated that the peak absolute current densities at the ventricles were 0.66 and 0.11 mA mm−2 for the M26 and X26 waveforms, respectively. When applied during the vulnerable period to the ventricular epicardial surface of guinea-pig isolated hearts, the M26 and X26 waveforms induced ectopic beats, but only at current densities greater than 60-fold those predicted by the modelling. When applied to the ventricles in trains designed to mimic the discharge patterns of the TASER devices, neither waveform induced ventricular fibrillation at peak currents >70-fold (for the M26 waveform) and >240-fold (for the X26) higher than the modelled current densities. This study provides evidence for a lack of arrhythmogenic action of the M26 and X26 TASER devices. For more information on this article, see medicalphysicsweb.org
Full genomic amplification and subtyping of influenza A virus using a single set of universal primers

Influenza A virus has eight‐segmented RNA molecules as a genome and, among all strains of the virus, both ends of each segment have 13 and 12 nucleotide sequences conserved. In the present study, a simple RT‐PCR method to amplify all eight segments of the virus and determine the HA and NA subtype using a single primer set based on the conserved terminal sequences has been established. This method is also capable of detecting subgenomic defective interfering RNA of the influenza A virus. Since the primers used here cope with each and every RNA segment of influenza A virus, this simple RT‐PCR method is valuable not only for cloning each gene of the virus, but also for identifying subtypes, including subtypes other than 16 HA and 9 NA subtypes.
Immunoblot detection of soluble protein antigens from sodium dodecyl sulfate- and sodium deoxycholate-treated candidate bioscaffold tissues.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS OF THE STUDY The detergent-based 'decellularization' of xenogeneic tissues is one approach to scaffolding a tissue-engineered heart valve construct; however, concern persists regarding the immunogenicity of decellularized xenogeneic bioscaffolds. The study aims were to: (i) develop a sensitive and robust immunoblot-based assay for the detection of soluble protein antigens in xenogeneic bioscaffolds; and (ii) evaluate the completeness of protein antigen removal from sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)- or sodium deoxycholate (SD)-treated bovine pericardium (BP) or porcine aortic valve (PAV) conduit. METHODS Homogenized BP or PAV were injected into rabbits to generate immune serum towards these tissues. Soluble proteins were extracted from untreated BP and PAV. Immunoblot analyses of the extracts were performed using pre-immune and 14-, 28-, 42-, 56- and 70-day post-immune serum. BP and PAV were treated sequentially with 4 h hypotonic lysis; with 0, 0.01, 0.025, 0.05, 0.1, 0.25 or 0.5% SDS or SD for 24 h; and with 96 h of aqueous wash-out. Immunoblot analyses of protein extracts from treated tissues were performed using 70-day post-immune rabbit serum. RESULTS Immunoblot analysis of untreated BP or PAV with pre-immune serum showed no immune banding. The immune banding density increased progressively when immunoblots were performed with 14-day through 70-day post-immune serum. The immunoblot analysis of treated BP and PAV showed that soluble protein antigen removal from SDS- or SD-treated tissues was incomplete. CONCLUSION Immunoblot analysis is a sensitive and robust assay for detecting soluble protein xenogeneic antigens after the decellularization of xenogeneic bioscaffolds. Under the study conditions, hypotonic lysis, SDS or SD detergent treatment, and aqueous wash-out-based decellularization of bovine pericardium and porcine aortic valve conduit did not completely remove detectable protein antigens.
A modified Epley’s procedure for self-treatment of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo

Article abstract We compared the efficacy of a modified Epley’s procedure (MEP) and Brandt-Daroff exercises (BDE) for self-treatment of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo of the posterior semicircular canal (PC-BPPV) in 54 patients. PC-BPPV resolved within 1 week in 18 of 28 patients (64%) using the MEP and in 6 of 26 patients (23%) performing BDE (p < 0.01). Type and adequate performance of the maneuver predicted treatment outcome in the multivariate analysis. The frequency of side effects was not significantly different between the two groups. The MEP is more suitable for self-treatment of PC-BPPV than conventional BDE.
A pointing system based on acoustic position estimation and gravity sensing

This paper presents a novel pointing system for distant displays based on an acoustic position estimation technique in conjunction with a gravity sensor on a smartphone. The system is designed to interact with a distant large display such as a television set at home or digital signage in public. The system consists of a display, two loudspeakers set around the display, and a smartphone as a pointing device containing a microphone and a gravity sensor inside. The position of the pointer is theoretically determined by the position and direction of the smartphone, given by the three-dimensional acoustic position estimation. This smartphone-based system approximates the position and direction by the two-dimensional position of the microphone horizontally and the pitch angle from the gravity sensor vertically. The loudspeakers of the prototype system radiate burst signals of 20 kHz modulated by pre-windowed M-sequence, which are reproducible by normal television sets. The position of the smartphone is estimated at a frame rate of 23 Hz, and the pointer is rendered at a frame rate of over 100 Hz with linear interpolation and with a latency of 0.4 second.
Testin Induction: The Role of Cyclic 3′,5′-Adenosine Monophosphate/Protein Kinase A Signaling in the Regulation of Basal and Lonidamine-Induced Testin Expression by Rat Sertoli Cells1

Abstract Results of previous in vitro and in vivo studies have illustrated that the expression of testin by Sertoli cells is tightly associated with the disruption of Sertoli-germ cell junctions. In the present study, treatment of rats with cadmium chloride (CdCl2), which disrupted the inter-Sertoli tight junctions, failed to induce any changes in testicular testin expression. In contrast, lonidamine, an antispermatogenic drug that rearranges the Sertoli cell membrane microfilament structure causing a disruption of Sertoli-germ cell adhesion junctions, induced a drastic increase in testicular testin expression when administered orally. Lonidamine-induced Sertoli cell testin expression involved both ongoing RNA and de novo protein synthesis. Basal testin expression remained stable during the 27-h incubation with actinomycin D but required de novo protein synthesis in vitro. An inhibitor of protein kinase A, Rp-cAMPS, caused a 50% inhibition of Sertoli cell testin expression at 10 μM within 24 h. A biphasic response was noted in testin expression when forskolin was included in the Sertoli cell culture, and high concentrations of cAMP analogues (1 mM) rapidly reduced testin expression. However, lonidamine can abolish the inhibitory effect of cAMP analogues on Sertoli cell testin expression. These results illustrate that the induction of testin expression may involve several signal transduction pathways.
QoS based energy efficient key management in body sensor networks

Body Area Network is a distributed system which is formed by the group of sensor nodes and a central processing unit which collects all the vital signals from these nodes, process them and send them to the medical server at a remote location. The sensor nodes record the Personal Health Information about the patient, therefore the security of the network is mandatory. Due to limited computational resources and bandwidth, the conventional security techniques used in Wireless Sensor Networks are not directly applied. In this paper, a key management scheme with Fuzzycommitment and weak time synchronization along with QoS parameters for key negotiation is developed. The Heart Variability Rate (HRV) is used as a biometric trait for encryption and synchronization. Performance evaluation has been provided to validate the proposed method.
Effectiveness of The Triple P Positive Parenting Program on Behavioral Problems in Children

The Triple P Positive Parenting Program is a multilevel parenting program to prevent and offer treatment for severe behavioral, emotional, and developmental problems in children. The aim of this meta-analysis is to assess the effectiveness of Triple P Level 4 interventions in the management of behavioral problems in children by pooling the evidence from relevant literature that included Level 4 Triple P interventions. Level 4 intervention is indicated if the child has multiple behavior problems in a variety of settings and there are clear deficits in parenting skills. Results indicate that Level 4 of Triple P interventions reduced disruptive behaviors in children. These improvements were maintained well over time, with further improvements in long-term follow-up. These effects support the widespread adoption and implementation of Triple P that is taking place in an increasing number of countries in quite diverse cultural contexts around the world.
Radio Resource Management for Ultra-Reliable and Low-Latency Communications

Supporting ultra-reliable and low-latency communications (URLLC) is one of the major goals in 5G communication systems. Previous studies focus on ensuring end-to-end delay requirement by reducing transmission delay and coding delay, and only consider reliability in data transmission. However, the reliability reflected by overall packet loss also includes other components such as queueing delay violation. Moreover, which tools are appropriate to design radio resource allocation under constraints on delay, reliability, and availability is not well understood. As a result, how to optimize resource allocation for URLLC is still unclear. In this article, we first discuss the delay and packet loss components in URLLC and the network availability for supporting the quality of service of users. Then we present tools for resource optimization in URLLC. Last, we summarize the major challenges related to resource management for URLLC, and perform a case study.
Harsh parenting and adolescent health: a longitudinal analysis with genetic moderation.

OBJECTIVE This study was designed to examine the prospective relations of harsh parenting during preadolescence, anger across adolescence, and a health phenotype at late adolescence among African American youths living in the rural South. A second purpose was to determine whether, for genetic reasons, some youths will be more sensitive than others to a harsh parenting to anger to poor health pathway. METHOD Participants were 368 youths (age 11.2 at the first assessment) who provided data on receipt of harsh parenting during preadolescence (ages 11 to 13), anger across adolescence (ages 16 to 18), and a health phenotype consisting of C Reactive Protein, depressive symptoms, and health problems at age 19. Youths were genotyped at the 5-HTTLPR at age 16. RESULTS The data analysis revealed that (a) harsher parenting was associated positively across time with anger and poor health, (b) anger across adolescence also was associated positively across time with poor health, (c) anger served as a mediator connecting harsh parenting and poor health, and (d) the harsh parenting to anger to poor health pathway was significant only for youths carrying one or two copies of a short allele at the 5-HTTLPR. CONCLUSIONS These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that harsh parent-child interactions presage health through effects on emotion regulation, particularly anger. This mediational pathway pertained only to youths carrying a gene that confers sensitivity and reactivity to harsh family processes and the negative emotional states they occasion.
Refractive Index Measurement of Liquids Based on Microstructured Optical Fibers

This review is focused on microstructured optical fiber sensors developed in recent years for liquid RI sensing. The review is divided into three parts: the first section introduces a general view of the most relevant refractometric sensors that have been reported over the last thirty years. Section 2 discusses several microstructured optical fiber designs, namely, suspended-core fiber, photonic crystal fiber, large-core air-clad photonic crystal fiber, and others. This part is also divided into two main groups: the interferometric-based and resonance-based configurations. The sensing methods rely either on full/selective filling of the microstructured fiber air holes with a liquid analyte or by simply immersing the sensing fiber into the liquid analyte. The sensitivities and resolutions are tabled at the end of this section followed by a brief discussion of the obtained results. The last section concludes with some remarks about the microstructured fiber-based configurations developed for RI sensing and their potential for future applications.
Calculation of the electron-proton scattering cross sections in a strongly magnetized plasma.

We calculate and discuss the differential cross sections for nonrelativistic electrons in a strong magnetic field scattered by free protons with and without the emission of a photon. The electrons are assumed to be in the lowest Landau state before and after scattering. Forward scattering is the dominant part of the cross section but leads only to a small energy change per scattering. Another relevant contribution occurs if a cyclotron photon is emitted during the scattering event. This resonant process can change the electron energy by a large amount. \textcopyright{} 1996 The American Physical Society.
Electrochemical applications of carbon nanotube

Carbon nanotubes (CNT) have attracted the fancy of many scientists worldwide. The small dimensions, strength and the remarkable physical properties of these structures make them a very unique material with a whole range of promising applications. In this review we describe the construction of the carbon nanotube paste electrode and discuss some of the electrochemical applications of nanotubes including: (i) batteries; (ii) electric double-layer capacitors; (iii) fuel cells; (iv) solar cells; (v) electrodeposition on its surface and (vi) electroanalytical sensing. Keyword: N2 Carbon nanotubes; batteries; double-layer capacitor; fuel cell; solar cell; electrodeposition; electroanalytical sensors
Tracking the Left Ventricular Motion by Harmonic State Model

We developed a new method of tracking closed contour which is based on a harmonic state model (HSM), in order to carry out the tracking of the left ventricle (LV) during all the cardiac cycle. This method provides us the trajectories of the LV contour, and information necessary to the analysis of the cardiac motion. The state vector generated by the HSM, who is local descriptor of LV, allows a robust and correct modeling of closed contour. The tracking of motion is carried out by a search for similar state vectors during all the cardiac cycle. The application in simulation of our method gives satisfactory results. On the real data extracted from MRI sequences, the calculated trajectories, points of the LV contour throughout the cardiac cycle, allow us to have a clearly visible difference between a healthy heart and a pathological heart.
Duplication or amplification of chromosome band 11q23, including the unrearranged MLL gene, is a recurrent abnormality in therapy‐related MDS and AML, and is closely related to mutation of the TP53 gene and to previous therapy with alkylating agents

Gene amplification is a rare phenomenon in acute leukemia, but recently amplification of specific chromosome bands containing genes rearranged in leukemia‐specific balanced chromosome translocations has been reported in a few cases. We detected duplication or amplification of chromosome band 11q23 with 3–7 copies of the MLL gene by fluorescence in situ hybridization in 12 out of 70 unselected patients with therapy‐related myelodysplasia or acute myeloid leukemia (17%). In all but one case, the supernumerary copies of MLL were located to previously unidentified marker chromosomes or unbalanced translocations. In 4 of the 12 patients, 2–6 copies were located together on the same chromosome arm representing amplification, 7 patients had single, extra duplicated copies of MLL, whereas both amplification and duplication were observed in the same cell in 1 patient. Comparative genomic hybridization demonstrated gain of varying, often large parts of 11q in five patients. The MLL gene was shown to be unrearranged in all 12 patients. Seven out of eight patients with duplication or amplification of MLL had mutations of TP53. Patients with supernumerary copies of MLL were in general older (P = 0.007) and had a shorter survival (P < 0.001) compared to other patients. Duplication or amplification of MLL was significantly associated with a complex karyotype (P = 0.002), with deletion or loss of 5q (P = 0.001), and with prior therapy with alkylating agents. These results support the existence of a specific genetic pathway in t‐MDS and t‐AML with many previously unidentified chromosome aberrations demonstrated to represent extra copies of parts of 11q, including the unrearranged MLL gene. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Estimating Aggression from Emotionally Neutral Faces: Which Facial Cues are Diagnostic?

The facial width-to-height ratio, a size-independent sexually dimorphic property of the human face, is correlated with aggressive behaviour in men. Furthermore, observers' estimates of aggression from emotionally neutral faces are accurate and are highly correlated with the facial width-to-height ratio. We investigated whether observers use the facial width-to-height ratio to estimate propensity for aggression. In experiments 1a–1c, estimates of aggression remained accurate when faces were blurred or cropped, manipulations that reduce featural cues but maintain the facial width-to-height ratio. Accuracy decreased when faces were scrambled, a manipulation that retains featural information but disrupts the facial width-to-height ratio. In experiment 2, computer-modeling software identified eight facial metrics that correlated with estimates of aggression; regression analyses revealed that the facial width-to-height ratio was the only metric that uniquely predicted these estimates. In experiment 3, we used a computer-generated set of faces varying in perceived threat (Oosterhof and Todorov, 2008 Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA 105 11087–11092) and found that as emotionally neutral faces became more ‘threatening’, the facial width-to-height ratio increased. Together, these experiments suggest that the facial width-to-height ratio is an honest signal of propensity for aggressive behaviour.