Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Petri Net Based Modelling of Communication in Systems on Chip

1. Motivation Due to the progress of modern microelectronics the complexity of integrated electronic systems is steadily increasing. For example, the number of transistors which can be integrated on a single piece of silicon doubles every 18 months according to Moore’s Law (Moore, 1965). At the same time, the costs for manufacturing deep-sub-μ devices with feature sizes down to 45 nm are dramatically increasing. Due to this progress, today, complete systems are integrated on a single silicon die as socalled Systems on Chip (SoCs). The huge complexity of these SoCs and the very high manufacturing costs demand sophisticated design strategies as it is not possible to simulate a sufficiently large number of implementation alternatives in advance. Furthermore, errors within the design process lead to dramatically increased costs. Therefore, the field of model based design space exploration (DSE) is of increasing importance. Model based DSE allows a reduction of the number of implementatio n alternatives in an early stage of the design process by quantitative analysis of possible implementation alternatives (Blume, 2005). Especially, the design of a sophisticated communication structure on a SoC is of great interest. For SoCs with moderate complexity mainly bus based communication structures are applied, but this is not sufficient for modern high complex SoCs, since bus based communication provides only very limited scalability, reduced bandwidth and no guaranteed latencies. Furthermore, with a high number of system components the need for simultaneous communication between different communicating units increases. All these requirements are already known from multi computer networks. Therefore, for complex onchip communication requirements also network-like structures are considered. Hence, the concept of multi computer networks is transferred and adapted to on-chip communication problems building so-called Networks on Chip (NoCs) featuring in future the communication infrastructure for many processor cores.
Mobile Mindfulness Intervention on an Acute Psychiatric Unit: Feasibility and Acceptability Study

Background Aggression and violence on acute psychiatric inpatient units is extensive and leads to negative sequelae for staff and patients. With increasingly acute inpatient milieus due to shorter lengths of stay, inpatient staff is limited in training and time to be able to provide treatments. Mobile technology provides a new platform for offering treatment on such units, but it has not been tested for feasibility or usability in this particular setting. Objective The aim of this study was to examine the feasibility, usability, and acceptability of a brief mindfulness meditation mobile phone app intended to reduce anger and aggression in acute psychiatric inpatients with schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, or bipolar disorder, and a history of violence. Methods Participants were recruited between November 1, 2015 and June 1, 2016. A total of 13 inpatients at an acute care state hospital carried mobile phones for 1 week and were asked to try a commercially available mindfulness app called Headspace. The participants completed a usability questionnaire and engaged in a qualitative interview upon completion of the 7 days. In addition, measures of mindfulness, state and trait anger, and cognitive ability were administered before and after the intervention. Results Of the 13 enrolled participants, 10 used the app for the 7 days of the study and completed all measures. Two additional participants used the app for fewer than 7 days and completed all measures. All participants found the app to be engaging and easy to use. Most (10/12, 83%) felt comfortable using Headspace and 83% (10/12) would recommend it to others. All participants made some effort to try the app, with 6 participants (6/12, 50%) completing the first 10 10-minute “foundation” guided meditations. Conclusions This is the first known study of the use of a commercially available app as an intervention on acute psychiatric inpatient units. Acutely ill psychiatric inpatients at a state hospital found the Headspace app easy to use, were able to complete a series of meditations, and felt the app helped with anxiety, sleep, and boredom on the unit. There were no instances of an increase in psychotic symptoms reported and there were no episodes of aggression or violence noted in the record.
Singing and Vocal Interventions in Palliative and Cancer Care: Music Therapists’ Perceptions of Usage

Background Music therapists in palliative and cancer care settings often use singing and vocal interventions. Although benefits for these interventions are emerging, more information is needed on what type of singing interventions are being used by credentialed music therapists, and what goal areas are being addressed. Objective To assess music therapists' perceptions on how they use singing and vocal interventions in palliative and cancer care environments. Method Eighty credentialed music therapists from Canada and the United States participated in this two-part convergent mixed-methods study that began with an online survey, followed by individual interviews with 50% (n = 40) of the survey participants. Results In both palliative and cancer care, singing client-preferred music and singing for relaxation were the most frequently used interventions. In palliative care, the most commonly addressed goals were to increase self-expression, improve mood, and create a feeling of togetherness between individuals receiving palliative care and their family. In cancer care, the most commonly addressed goals were to support breathing, improve mood, and support reminiscence. Seven themes emerged from therapist interviews: containing the space, connection, soothing, identity, freeing the voice within, letting go, and honoring. Conclusions Music therapists use singing to address the physical, emotional, social, and spiritual goals of patients, and described singing interventions as accessible and effective. Further research is recommended to examine intervention efficacy and identify factors responsible that contribute to clinical benefit.
Near infrared spectroscopy for measuring changes in bone hemoglobin content after exercise in individuals with spinal cord injury

Bone blood perfusion has an essential role in maintaining a healthy bone. However, current methods for measuring bone blood perfusion are expensive and highly invasive. This study presents a custom built near‐infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) instrument to measure changes in bone blood perfusion. We demonstrated the efficacy of this device by monitoring oxygenated and deoxygenated hemoglobin changes in the human tibia during and after exercise in able‐bodied and in individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI), a population with known impaired peripheral blood perfusion. Nine able‐bodied individuals and six volunteers with SCI performed a 10 min rowing exercise (functional electrical stimulation rowing for those with SCI). With exercise, during rowing, able‐bodied showed an increase in deoxygenated hemoglobin in the tibia. Post rowing, able‐bodied showed an increase in total blood content, characterized by an increase in total hemoglobin content due primarily to an increase in deoxygenated hemoglobin. During rowing and post‐rowing, those with SCI showed no change in total blood content in the tibia. The current study demonstrates that NIRS can non‐invasively detect changes in hemoglobin concentration in the tibia. © 2017 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 36:183–191, 2018.
Multi-focus Attention Network for Efficient Deep Reinforcement Learning

Deep reinforcement learning (DRL) has shown incredible performance in learning various tasks to the human level. However, unlike human perception, current DRL models connect the entire low-level sensory input to the state-action values rather than exploiting the relationship between and among entities that constitute the sensory input. Because of this difference, DRL needs vast amount of experience samples to learn. In this paper, we propose a Multi-focus Attention Network (MANet) which mimics human ability to spatially abstract the low-level sensory input into multiple entities and attend to them simultaneously. The proposed method first divides the low-level input into several segments which we refer to as partial states. After this segmentation, parallel attention layers attend to the partial states relevant to solving the task. Our model estimates state-action values using these attended partial states. In our experiments, MANet attains highest scores with significantly less experience samples. Additionally, the model shows higher performance compared to the Deep Q-network and the single attention model as benchmarks. Furthermore, we extend our model to attentive communication model for performing multi-agent cooperative tasks. In multi-agent cooperative task experiments, our model shows 20% faster learning than existing state-of-the-art model.
3D printed polyurethane prosthesis for partial tracheal reconstruction: a pilot animal study

A ready-made, acellular patch-type prosthesis is desirable in repairing partial tracheal defects in the clinical setting. However, many of these prostheses may not show proper biological integration and biomechanical function when they are transplanted. In this study, we developed a novel 3D printed polyurethane (PU) tracheal scaffold with micro-scale architecture to allow host tissue infiltration and adequate biomechanical properties to withstand physiological tracheal condition. A half-pipe shaped PU scaffold (1.8 cm of height, 0.18 cm thickness, and 2 cm of diameter) was fabricated by 3D printing of PU 200 μm PU beam. The 3D printed tracheal scaffolds consisted of a porous inner microstructure with 200 × 200 × 200 μm3 sized pores and a non-porous outer layer. The mechanical properties of the scaffolds were 3.21 ± 1.02 MPa of ultimate tensile strength, 2.81 ± 0.58 MPa of Young’s modulus, and 725% ± 41% of elongation at break. To examine the function of the 3D printed tracheal scaffolds in vivo, the scaffolds were implanted into 1.0 × 0.7 cm2 sized anterior tracheal defect of rabbits. After implantation, bronchoscopic examinations revealed that the implanted tracheal scaffolds were patent for a 16 week-period. Histologic findings showed that re-epithelialization after 4 weeks of implantation and ciliated respiratory epithelium with ciliary beating after 8 weeks of implantation were observed at the lumen of the implanted tracheal scaffolds. The ingrowth of the connective tissue into the scaffolds was observed at 4 weeks after implantation. The biomechanical properties of the implanted tracheal scaffolds were continually maintained for 16 week-period. The results demonstrated that 3D printed tracheal scaffold could provide an alternative solution as a therapeutic treatment for partial tracheal defects.
One‐Step Fabrication of ZnWO4 Hollow Spheres by Nanoparticle Aggregation and Ripening in Alcohol Solution

A one-step method has been developed to synthesize ZnWO4 spheres with a hollow-core diameter of 450 nm and an outer spherical diameter of 1.2 μm. Experimental investigation reveals that the ZnWO4 spheres are formed through nanoparticle aggregation and ripening. Furthermore, introduction of appropriate water quantity to the reaction system is a key to obtain hollow-core ZnWO4. The as-obtained ZnWO4 hollow spheres exhibit a blue emission in the range of 350–550 nm, centered around 460 nm when excited at 254 nm.
Intratumoral STING Activation with T-cell Checkpoint Modulation Generates Systemic Antitumor Immunity

Intratumoral administration of myeloid agonists combined with a cocktail of T-cell checkpoint–modulating antibodies elicited systemic antitumor immunity against bilateral TRAMP-C2 prostate tumors. Limited agonist dosing coupled with intratumoral antibody injection reduced toxicity but preserved abscopal immunity. Coordinated manipulation of independent immune regulatory pathways in the tumor microenvironment—including blockade of T-cell checkpoint receptors and reversal of suppressive myeloid programs—can render aggressive cancers susceptible to immune rejection. Elevated toxicity associated with combination immunotherapy, however, prevents translation of the most efficacious regimens. We evaluated T-cell checkpoint–modulating antibodies targeting CTLA-4, PD-1, and 4-1BB together with myeloid agonists targeting either STING or Flt3 in the TRAMP-C2 model of prostate cancer to determine whether low-dose intratumoral delivery of these agents could elicit systemic control of multifocal disease. Intratumoral administration of the STING agonist cyclic di-GMP (CDG) or Flt3 Ligand (Flt3L) augmented the therapeutic effect of systemic triple checkpoint modulation and promoted the cure of 75% of mice with bilateral TRAMP-C2; however, when all agents were administered locally, only CDG mobilized abscopal immunity. Combination efficacy correlated with globally enhanced ratios of CD8+ T cells to regulatory T cells (Treg), macrophages, and myeloid-derived suppressor cells, and downregulation of the M2 marker CD206 on tumor-associated macrophages. Flt3L improved CD8+ T-cell and dendritic cell infiltration of tumors, but was diminished in efficacy by concomitant Treg expansion. Although intratumoral CDG/checkpoint therapy invokes substantial ulceration at the injection site, reduced CDG dosing can preserve tissue integrity without sacrificing therapeutic benefit. For high-order combinations of T-cell checkpoint antibodies and local myeloid agonists, systemic antibody administration provides the greatest efficacy; however, local administration of CDG and antibody provides substantial systemic benefit while minimizing the potential for immune-related adverse events. Cancer Immunol Res; 5(8); 676–84. ©2017 AACR.
Targeting brain cells with glutathione-modulated nanoliposomes: in vitro and in vivo study

Background The blood–brain barrier prevents many drug moieties from reaching the central nervous system. Therefore, glutathione-modulated nanoliposomes have been engineered to enhance the targeting of flucytosine to the brain. Methods Glutathione-modulated nanoliposomes were prepared by thin-film hydration technique and evaluated in the primary brain cells of rats. Lecithin, cholesterol, and span 65 were mixed at 1:1:1 molar ratio. The molar percentage of PEGylated glutathione varied from 0 mol% to 0.75 mol%. The cellular binding and the uptake of the targeted liposomes were both monitored by epifluorescent microscope and flow cytometry techniques. A biodistribution and a pharmacokinetic study of flucytosine and flucytosine-loaded glutathione–modulated liposomes was carried out to evaluate the in vivo brain-targeting efficiency. Results The size of glutathione-modulated nanoliposomes was <100 nm and the zeta potential was more than −65 mV. The cumulative release reached 70% for certain formulations. The cellular uptake increased as molar percent of glutathione increased to reach the maximum at 0.75 mol%. The uptake of the targeted liposomes by brain cells of the rats was three times greater than that of the nontargeted liposomes. An in vivo study showed that the relative efficiency was 2.632±0.089 and the concentration efficiency was 1.590±0.049, and also, the drug-targeting index was 3.670±0.824. Conclusion Overall, these results revealed that glutathione-PEGylated nanoliposomes enhance the effective delivery of flucytosine to brain and could become a promising new therapeutic option for the treatment of the brain infections.
Three-dimensional tissues using human pluripotent stem cell spheroids as biofabrication building blocks

A recently emerged approach for tissue engineering is to biofabricate tissues using cellular spheroids as building blocks. Human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs), including human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), can be cultured to generate large numbers of cells and can presumably be differentiated into all the cell types of the human body in vitro, thus are an ideal cell source for biofabrication. We previously developed a hydrogel-based cell culture system that can economically produce large numbers of hPSC spheroids. With hPSCs and this culture system, there are two potential methods to biofabricate a desired tissue. In Method 1, hPSC spheroids are first utilized to biofabricate an hPSC tissue that is subsequently differentiated into the desired tissue. In Method 2, hPSC spheroids are first converted into tissue spheroids in the hydrogel-based culture system and the tissue spheroids are then utilized to biofabricate the desired tissue. In this paper, we systematically measured the fusion rates of hPSC spheroids without and with differentiation toward cortical and midbrain dopaminergic neurons and found spheroids’ fusion rates dropped sharply as differentiation progressed. We found Method 1 was appropriate for biofabricating neural tissues.
Relationship Between 12 Adipocytokines and Distinct Components of the Metabolic Syndrome

Objective Adipose tissue-derived signals potentially link obesity and adipose tissue dysfunction with metabolic and cardiovascular diseases. Although some adipocytokines have been closely related to metabolic and cardiovascular traits, it is unknown which adipocytokine or adipocytokine clusters serve as meaningful markers of metabolic syndrome (MS) components. Therefore, this study investigated the associations of 12 adipocytokines with components of the MS to identify the most relevant cytokines potentially related to specific metabolic profiles. Research Design and Methods Twelve cytokines [adiponectin, adipocyte fatty acid-binding protein (AFABP), angiopoietin-related growth factor, chemerin, fibroblast growth factor (FGF) 19, FGF21, FGF23, insulin-like growth factor-1, interleukin 10, irisin, progranulin, and vaspin] were quantified in a cross-sectional cohort of 1046 subjects. Hypothesis-free cluster analysis, multivariate regression analyses with parameters of the MS, and discriminant analysis were performed to assess associations and the relative importance of each cytokine for reflecting MS and its components. Results Among the studied adipocytokines, adiponectin, AFABP, chemerin, and FGF21 showed the strongest associations with MS and several MS components in discriminant analyses and multiple regression models. For certain metabolic components, these adipocytokines were better discriminators than routine metabolic markers. Other cytokines investigated in the present cohort are less able to distinguish between metabolically healthy and unhealthy subjects. Conclusions Adiponectin, AFABP, chemerin, and FGF21 showed the strongest associations with MS components in a general population, suggesting that adverse adipose tissue function is a major contributor to these metabolic abnormalities. Future prospective studies should address the question whether these adipocytokines can predict the development of metabolic disease states.
Comparison of sleep structure and psychometric profiles in patients with fibromyalgia, osteoarthritis and healthy controls

While research indicates that both the macro‐ and microstructure of sleep may be altered in fibromyalgia syndrome, few studies have controlled for symptom duration or included pain‐control participants (i.e. patients with chronic pain and sleep disturbance not associated with fibromyalgia syndrome). A frequently reported alteration found in the sleep microstructure of patients with fibromyalgia syndrome is the alpha‐delta sleep anomaly. Although alpha waves have been observed during N3 sleep in healthy individuals, it has been proposed that there is an increase in alpha wave activity during slow‐wave sleep in fibromyalgia syndrome. Originally considered a possible neurological contribution to fibromyalgia syndrome, whether the alpha‐delta sleep anomaly is fundamental to the development of fibromyalgia syndrome, or results mainly from the pain experience remains unknown. The present study was designed to compare sleep macro‐ and microstructure, and psychometric profiles, in three broadly age‐matched groups of female participants: patients with fibromyalgia syndrome (n = 19); patients with osteoarthritis with sleep disturbance (n = 17); and healthy adults (n = 10). Patients with fibromyalgia syndrome met the American College of Rheumatology diagnostic criteria and were recruited within 6 months of diagnosis. Subjective sleep quality was significantly lowest, and levels of anxiety and depressive symptoms were significantly highest for patients with fibromyalgia syndrome. However, the groups showed no significant differences in polysomnographic measures of total sleep time, sleep latency and total wake after sleep onset. Levels of alpha‐delta sleep were statistically similar in both clinical (fibromyalgia syndrome and osteoarthritis) groups, indicating that it is not a specific abnormality of fibromyalgia syndrome. Overall, subjective measurements of anxiety, depression, fatigue and sleep quality better discriminated between the three groups than did objective measurements of sleep variables.
The Impact of Lipid Types and Liposomal Formulations on Osteoblast Adiposity and Mineralization

Recent studies have demonstrated that fat accumulation in bone cells is detrimental to bone mass. Both adipocytes and osteoblasts are derived from common multipotent mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and hence the presence of fat may increase adipocyte proliferation, differentiation and fat accumulation while inhibiting osteoblast differentiation and bone formation. Lipids are common constituents in supramolecular vesicles (e.g., micelles or liposomes) that serve as drug delivery systems. Liposomal formulations such as Meriva® were proven to decrease joint pain and improve joint function in osteoarthritis (OA) patients. In this study, we evaluated how lipid types and liposomal formulations affect osteoblast behavior including cell viability, differentiation, mineralization and inflammation. Various liposomal formulations were prepared using different types of lipids, including phosphatidylcholine (PC), 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phospho-ethanolamine (DOPE), cholesterol (Chol), 3β-[N-(N′,N′-dimethylaminoethane)-carbamoyl] cholesterol hydrochloride (DC-cholesterol HCl), and 1,2-dioleoyl-3-trimethylammonium-propane chloride salt (DOTAP) to investigate the impact on osteoblast differentiation and inflammation. The results indicated that cationic lipids, DC-cholesterol and DOTAP, presented higher dose-dependent cytotoxicity and caused high level of inflammatory responses. Due to the natural properties of lipids, all the lipids can induce lipid droplet formation in osteoblasts but the level of lipid droplet accumulation was different. In comparison with cationic lipids, neutral lipids induced less adiposity, and maintained high osteoblast mineralization. Similar to previous researches, we also confirmed an inverse relationship between lipid droplet formation and osteoblast mineralization in 7F2 mouse osteoblasts. Importantly, PC containing liposomes (PC only and PC/DOTAP) suppressed IL-1β-induced gene expression of COX-2 and MMP-3 but not Chol/DOTAP liposomes or DC-Chol/DOPE liposomes. Taken together, we suggested that PC contained liposomes could provide the best liposomal formulation for the treatment of bone diseases.