Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Effect of Continuous Positive Airway Pressure on Stair-Climbing Performance in Severe COPD Patients

Abstract Stair climbing is associated with dynamic pulmonary hyperinflation and the development of severe dyspnea in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This study aimed to assess whether (i) continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) applied during stair climbing prevents dynamic hyperinflation and thereby reduces exercise-induced dyspnea in oxygen-dependent COPD-patients, and (ii) the CPAP-device and oxygen tank can be carried in a hip belt. In a randomised cross-over design, oxygen-dependent COPD patients performed two stair-climbing tests (44 steps): with supplemental oxygen only, then with the addition of CPAP (7 mbar). The oxygen tank and CPAP-device were carried in a hip belt during both trials. Eighteen COPD patients were included in the study. Although all patients could tolerate stair climbing with oxygen alone, 4 patients were unable to perform stair climbing while using CPAP. Fourteen COPD patients (mean FEV1 36 ± 14% pred.) completed the trial and were analyzed. The mean flow rate of supplemental oxygen was 3 ± 2 l/min during stair climbing. Lung hyperinflation, deoxygenation, hypoventilation, blood lactate production, dyspnea and the time needed to manage stair climbing were not improved by the application of CPAP (all p > 0.05). However, in comparison to climbing with oxygen alone, limb discomfort was reduced when oxygen was supplemented with CPAP (p = 0.008). In conclusion, very severe COPD patients are able to carry supporting devices such as oxygen tanks or CPAP-devices in a hip belt during stair climbing. However, the application of CPAP in addition to supplemental oxygen during stair climbing prevents neither exercise-induced dynamic hyperinflation, nor dyspnea.
Distribution of Prolyl Oligopeptidase in Human Peripheral Tissues and in Ovarian and Colorectal Tumors

Prolyl oligopeptidase (PREP) is a serine protease that hydrolyzes peptides shorter than 30-mer, and it has been connected with multiple physiological and pathological conditions. PREP has been mostly studied in the brain, but significant PREP activities have been measured in peripheral tissues. Moreover, increased PREP activities have been found in tumors. In this study, the authors studied the immunohistochemical distribution of PREP protein in human peripheral tissues and in ovarian and colorectal tumors. PREP was found to be widely distributed in human peripheral tissues and specifically in certain cells. The most intense PREP expression was seen in the testis, ovaries, liver, and some parts of the skin. At the cellular level, high PREP levels were seen as a rule in secreting epithelial cells and cells involved in reproduction. Increased PREP expression was seen in most of the tumors studied. PREP expression was higher in malignant than benign tumors, and in ovarian epithelial cancers, there was a trend for increased PREP staining with increased malignancy grade. Results suggest that PREP may be associated with secretory processes as well as in reproduction. A more abundant expression of PREP in malignant than benign tumors suggests that PREP may be associated with expansion and metastasis of tumors.
A low-complexity modified SLM with new phase sequences for PAPR reduction in OFDM system

The major issue in orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) system is a high peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) of transmitting signal. Selective mapping (SLM) is the promising technique to reduce PAPR in OFDM system. However, it suffers from high computational complexity. In our proposed method, to achieve low computational complexity, the input data sequences are partitioned into two sub blocks in such a way that the candidate signals are generated by performing circular convolution for the first sub block and by conventional SLM in the second sub block. The candidate signals of modified SLM are obtained by combining two sub block candidate signals. The proposed method reduces PAPR marginally along with reduction in computational complexity. To further reduce PAPR, different phase sequences namely Riemann, New Riemann and chaotic sequences are used in C-SLM. The Matlab simulation shows that, the modified SLM with new Riemann sequence results in high PAPR reduction than other phase sequences. In addition, it provides significant reduction computational complexity compared to C-SLM.
Min-Max Criterion for Global Link Budget Analysis of Digital Channelized SATCOM System and Classical Transponder System

A min-max criterion is proposed to implement global link budget analysis for both digital channelized satellite communication (SATCOM) systems and classical transponder systems, and a variable neighborhood search (VNS) based algorithm is put forward for interpreting the proposed min-max criterion. With the combination of the min-max criterion and the VNS-based algorithm, both the optimal gain of each subchannel and the uplink effective isotropic radiated power (EIRP) can be obtained simultaneously. By minimizing the maximum of carrier powers output from the satellite transponder, the proposed criterion aims at reducing the difference among carrier powers in the satellite transponder as much as possible to avoid carrier power being irregular so that we can optimally set the transponder's operating point to improve the transponder power utility, and minimize each terminal's uplink EIRP so that as many links as possible could be supported and thus the system capacity could be enhanced. Furthermore, this proposed approach is generalized to analyze the capacity of classical transponder systems. Practical examples are also presented to verify the proposed approach's superior performance in improving a digital channelized SATCOM system's capacity.
Dietary intake and olfactory function in patients with newly diagnosed Parkinson's disease: a case-control study

Abstract Objective To evaluate energy and nutrient intake in newly diagnosed Parkinson's disease (PD) patients and association between olfaction and nutrient density of the diet. Design Baseline data from a prospective cohort study. Subjects Eighty-seven patients and 28 age- and sex-matched controls participated in the study. Methods Dietary intake was assessed by using 3-day dietary records and 24-hour dietary recalls. The Brief Smell Identification Test (B-SIT) was used to test olfaction. Results Patients, compared with controls, had lower intake of polyunsaturated fatty acids (P = 0.024) and a higher intake of carbohydrates (P = 0.027) in energy percent (E%). Lower intake of protein (E%) (P = 0.045), and a low nutrient density of folate (P = 0.022), magnesium (P = 0.012), and phosphorus (P = 0.029) were associated with lower B-SIT score in both patients and controls. PD patients had a lower B-SIT score than controls (P < 0.001). Conclusion The results indicate a higher relative contribution of energy from carbohydrates in PD patients. An association between low protein, folate, magnesium, and phosphorus density of the diet and olfaction was seen in the whole population.
EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONS IN MORALITY, RELIGION, AND PARANORMAL BELIEFS

Moral, religious, and paranormal beliefs share some degree of overlap and play important roles in guiding peoples' behavior. Although partly cultural phenomena, they also have neurobiological components based on functional neuroimaging studies and research in clinical populations. Because all three show relationships to prefrontal system functioning, the current study examined whether they related to executive functions as measured by the Executive Function Inventory in a community sample. As in previous research, religious beliefs related positively to both moral attitudes and paranormal beliefs. Moral attitudes, however, did not relate to paranormal beliefs. Paranormal beliefs related inversely to impulse control and organization, whereas small positive correlations occurred between traditional religious beliefs, impulse control, and empathy. Moral attitudes, on the other hand, showed consistent positive correlations with all executive functions measured, independent of demographic influences. These findings concordantly support that prefrontal systems play a role in morality, religion, and paranormal beliefs.
Prospective memory function in mild cognitive impairment and early dementia

Abstract When compared with controls, both mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia are each associated with impaired memory for future intentions, or prospective memory (PM). However, prior studies have failed to agree on whether there are group differences in PM function between those with MCI and dementia. Furthermore, the degree and nature of the impairment remains to be clarified, as does the degree to which this impairment is secondary to deficits in other aspects of cognition. In the present study, MCI (n = 48), dementia (n = 39), and control participants (n = 53) were compared on Virtual Week, a measure that closely represents the types of PM tasks that occur in everyday life. Both clinical groups exhibited impairment irrespective of the specific task demands, but the magnitude of this deficit was greater for those with dementia. After covarying for other key cognitive parameters, although the absolute magnitude of the deficit was reduced, significant impairment remained. These results indicate that individuals with MCI, and to a greater extent dementia, experience generalized difficulties with PM. It is suggested that, while other cognitive deficits contribute to these difficulties, there is something unique to prospective remembering that may be additionally disrupted in these groups. (JINS, 2010, 16, 318–325.)
Correcting Chord Classification Errors Based on Tonal Organization Information of Classical Music

Chord progression in Classical music is not random. It follows some specific structure and rules. In this paper, we present a generative account of chord progression described by a set of phrase-structure grammar rules from Martin Rohr Meier. With some modifications and simplifications, these rules can be used to correct chord errors. A chord classification system for classical music is developed. With the aid of beat and melodic information, processed pitch class vector is obtained from the extracted constant-Q transform spectra. Exploiting tonal grammar rules, the most probable and musically sensible chord sequence is derived from that sequence of pitch class vectors. Some examples of classical piano excerpts are evaluated. The experimental result shows that our system is useful to improve chord classification accuracy.
Analysis of the membrane proteome of canine pancreatic rough microsomes identifies a novel Hsp40, termed ERj7

The rough ER (rER) plays a central role in the biogenesis of most extracellular and many organellar proteins in eukaryotic cells. Cells that are specialized in protein secretion, such as pancreatic cells, are particularly rich in rER. In the process of cell homogenization, the rER is converted into ribosome‐studded vesicles, the so‐called rough microsomes. Here we report on a membrane proteomic analysis of canine pancreatic rough microsomes. Special emphasis was placed on components involved in the various aspects of protein biogenesis, such as protein transport, protein folding, protein modification, and protein degradation. Our results indicate that the Hsp70‐chaperone network that is present in the pancreatic ER is even more complex than previously thought, and suggest that the pancreatic rER has a significant capacity for protein degradation.
New control strategy for bidirectional LLC resonant converter in energy storage systems

This paper proposes a topology which is based on the traditional LLC resonant converter and has a symmetrical circuit structure to achieve the bidirectional power flow capability. With the advantage of ZVS and ZCS, reverse energy is eliminated, so high efficiency is achieved of the proposed topology, which can be above 97% at full load. In order to be adoptable in bidirectional applications like batteries and super-capacitors, a new control scheme is also proposed in the paper, by which the power flow direction can be regulated automatically. Simulation and experimental results are given to verify the analysis.
Neural evidence for cultural differences in the valuation of positive facial expressions.

European Americans value excitement more and calm less than Chinese. Within cultures, European Americans value excited and calm states similarly, whereas Chinese value calm more than excited states. To examine how these cultural differences influence people's immediate responses to excited vs calm facial expressions, we combined a facial rating task with functional magnetic resonance imaging. During scanning, European American (n = 19) and Chinese (n = 19) females viewed and rated faces that varied by expression (excited, calm), ethnicity (White, Asian) and gender (male, female). As predicted, European Americans showed greater activity in circuits associated with affect and reward (bilateral ventral striatum, left caudate) while viewing excited vs calm expressions than did Chinese. Within cultures, European Americans responded to excited vs calm expressions similarly, whereas Chinese showed greater activity in these circuits in response to calm vs excited expressions regardless of targets' ethnicity or gender. Across cultural groups, greater ventral striatal activity while viewing excited vs. calm expressions predicted greater preference for excited vs calm expressions months later. These findings provide neural evidence that people find viewing the specific positive facial expressions valued by their cultures to be rewarding and relevant.
Ternary complex formation of pVHL, elongin B and elongin C visualized in living cells by a fluorescence resonance energy transfer–fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy technique

The tumor suppressor von Hippel–Lindau (VHL) gene product forms a complex with elongin B and elongin C, and acts as a recognition subunit of a ubiquitin E3 ligase. Interactions between components in the complex were investigated in living cells by fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET)–fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM). Elongin B–cerulean or cerulean–elongin B was coexpressed with elongin C‐citrine or citrine‐elongin C in CHO‐K1 cells. FRET signals were examined by measuring a change in the fluorescence lifetime of donors and by monitoring a corresponding fluorescence rise of acceptors. Clear FRET signals between elongin B and elongin C were observed in all combinations, except for the combination of elongin B‐cerulean and citrine‐elongin C. Although similar experiments to examine interaction between pVHL30 and elongin C linked to cerulean or citrine were performed, FRET signals were rarely observed among all the combinations. However, the signal was greatly increased by coexpression of elongin B. These results, together with results of coimmunoprecipitation experiment using pVHL, elongin C and elongin B, suggest that a conformational change of elongin C and/or pVHL was induced by binding of elongin B. The conformational change of elongin C was investigated by measuring changes in the intramolecular FRET signal of elongin C linked to cerulean and citrine at its N‐ and C‐terminus, respectively. A strong FRET signal was observed in the absence of elongin B, and this signal was modestly increased by coexpression of elongin B, demonstrating that a conformation change of elongin C was induced by the binding of elongin B.
Robust Resource Allocation in Full-Duplex-Enabled OFDMA Femtocell Networks

In this paper, we study resource allocation for full-duplex communications in an orthogonal frequency division multiple access femtocell network. We aim to maximize the throughput of the femtocell while avoiding severe inter-tier interference to the macrocell via joint sub-channel assignment and power allocation. To be more practical, we take channel estimation error into account and use the robust optimization theory to model the uncertainty in interference channels. By using the Lagrangian dual method, we decompose the original optimization problem into a primal problem and a dual problem. We adopt the concave-convex procedure to transform the non-convex primal problem into a tractable form through sequential convex approximations and then utilize the sub-gradient method to solve the dual problem. Simulation results show the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm and demonstrate the impact of channel uncertainty on the system performance.
Health-related quality of life in children with high-functioning autism

The health-related quality of life of school-aged children with high-functioning autism is poorly understood. The objectives of this study were to compare the health-related quality of life of children with high-functioning autism to that of typically developing peers and to compare child-self and parent-proxy reports of health-related quality of life of children. A cross-sectional study of children with high-functioning autism (n = 30) and peers (n = 31) was conducted using the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory 4.0 Generic Core Scales. Children with high-functioning autism had significantly poorer health-related quality of life than peers whether reported by themselves (p < .001) or their parents (p < .001), although disagreement (intra-class coefficient = −.075) between children and parental scores suggested variance in points of view. This study specifically investigated health-related quality of life in children with high-functioning autism as compared to a sample of peers, from the child’s perspective. It strengthens earlier findings that children with high-functioning autism experience poorer health-related quality of life than those without this disorder and points to the importance of clinicians working with families to identify areas in a child’s life that promote or hinder their sense of well-being.
Predictors of Adverse Outcomes in Children With Staphylococcus aureus Bacteremia.

OBJECTIVES Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia is a common infection, associated with significant morbidity and mortality in children. Factors associated with adverse treatment outcomes are poorly understood in the pediatric population. METHODS Our study compared clinical and microbiologic characteristics of children admitted during a 5-year period (2007-2012) to a large university-based hospital and found to have S aureus bacteremia with outcome measures, in order to identify risk factors associated with treatment failure (defined as 30-day mortality, delayed microbiologic resolution, or recurrence of S aureus bacteremia within 60 days of completing effective antibiotic therapy). RESULTS In all, 71 patients were found to have S aureus bacteremia, and of these, 17 patients (24%) experienced treatment failure. Based on the logistic regression model, only high vancomycin minimum inhibitory concentration in combination with a high-risk source of infection (i.e., infected graft or device, intra-abdominal infection, or respiratory tract infection) was significantly associated with risk of treatment failure. CONCLUSIONS Infection associated with a high-risk source may increase the chance of treatment failure in pediatric patients with S aureus bacteremia. Vancomycin minimum inhibitory concentration alone was not found to be a predictor of treatment outcomes.
Methylation alterations at imprinted genes detected among long‐term shiftworkers

Exposure to light at night through shiftwork has been linked to alterations in DNA methylation and increased risk of cancer development. Using an Illumina Infinium Methylation Assay, we analyzed methylation levels of 397 CpG sites in the promoter regions of 56 normally imprinted genes to investigate whether shiftwork is associated with alteration of methylation patterns. Methylation was significantly higher at 20 CpG sites and significantly lower at 30 CpG sites (P < 0.05) in 10 female long‐term shiftworkers as compared to 10 female age‐ and folate intake‐matched day workers. The strongest evidence for altered methylation patterns in shiftworkers was observed for DLX5, IGF2AS, and TP73 based on the magnitude of methylation change and consistency in the direction of change across multiple CpG sites, and consistent results were observed using quantitative DNA methylation analysis. We conclude that long‐term shiftwork may alter methylation patterns at imprinted genes, which may be an important mechanism by which shiftwork has carcinogenic potential and warrants further investigation. Environ. Mol. Mutagen. , 2013. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Utilización del análisis secuencial en el estudio de las interacciones entre jugadores en el fútbol de rendimiento

En este trabajo nos hemos centrado en el estudio del proceso de interaccion que se establece entre los miembros de un equipo de futbol. Para llevar a cabo el estudio hemos utilizado la metodologia observacional, registrandoseun total de seis partidos disputados por el Real Club Deportivo de A Coruna durante la temporada 2000-01. Una vez elaborado el sistema taxonomico, donde se ha contextualizado la participacion de los jugadores en el seno del equipo, se ha llevado a cabo un analisis secuencial con el fin de constatar la existencia de patrones de conducta entre las categorias que configuran la herramienta de registro y codificacion.
Classification of High-Resolution Images Based on MRF Fusion and Multiscale Segmentation

Very high spatial resolution (HR) data provide plenty of detailed information about the ground on a regular basis for applications such as urban planning, precision farming, or damage assessment after environmental disasters. However, the complex nature of the HR observations, especially when acquired over urban/artificial environments, makes the accurate discrimination of distinct thematic classes a difficult task. In the present paper, a novel technique is proposed for supervised classification of multispectral HR images, that is based on the key-idea to combine the Markov random field (MRF) approach to data fusion with a graph-based approach to image classification in a multiscale strategy. A multiscale segmentation method is adopted in order to jointly exploit the capability to detect large structures in coarse-scale observations and to refine the identification of spatial details in fine-scale observations. Then, a novel MRF model is proposed that fuses the information conveyed by the segmentation maps at all scales and by the spatial neighborhood of each pixel. The method is validated by experiments on spaceborne and airborne HR images.
A novel station online re-commssioning strategy for MMC-MTDC systems

A multi-terminal VSC-HVDC system based on the MMC technology (MMC-MTDC) has great application prospects for city center in-feed, grid connection and offshore wind energy integration because of its flexible power transmission. However, how to re-commission a converter station (after maintenance) online to the operating system without expensive dc Circuit Breakers(CBs) presents a huge challenge. By employing the structural characteristics of MMC, followed by certain sequential operations of the disconnectors (DSs) at dc side are proposed to implement the station online re-commissioning instead of using dc CBs. The charging process of a MMC station with a combination of ac and dc sources is studied firstly, and then a one-order circuit has been assumed to simplify the complicated charging process to get the potential maximum surge current and its decay constant. In order to decrease the surge current after closing the DSs at the positive and negative polarities separately, the valve should be blocked and the dc voltage of the operating system should be decreased properly. At last, the valve will be deblocked with increased dc voltage at the rated value. Besides easy operation, the strategy doesn't increase any cost. The simulation of a real three-terminal VSC-HVDC system, which is currently under construction in Shantou, China, has been performed in PSCAD/EMTDC to verify the strategy.