Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of depression and anxiety in parents of children undergoing cardiac catheterization.

OBJECTIVE This study aimed to determine pre-procedure depression and anxiety levels among a group of parents whose children had congenital heart disease and were undergoing angiography. METHODS The study comprised parents of 73 congenital heart disease patients undergoing angiography. The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) were used to evaluate the depression and anxiety scores. RESULTS Sixty-one patients (83.6%) had acyanotic congenital heart disease, and 25 patients (34.2%) were undergoing diagnostic angiography. BDI scores among the mothers determined that 8 (11%) had mild, 14 (19.2%) moderate, and 10 (13.7%) severe depression. Their BAI scores showed that 16 (21.9%) had mild, 8 (11%) moderate, and 13 (17.8%) severe anxiety. BDI scores for the fathers showed that 12 (16.4%) had mild, 10 (13.7%) moderate, and 8 (11%) severe depression. Their BAI scores showed that 12 (16.4%) had mild, 10 (13.7%) moderate, and 8 (11%) severe anxiety. A comparison of mothers of cyanotic patients and those of acyanotic patients in terms of depression and anxiety levels revealed a statistically significant difference (p=0.050 and 0.043, respectively). CONCLUSION Angiography was associated with increased levels of depression and anxiety in parents of children with congenital heart diseases. In comparison to parents of patients with acyanotic congenital heart disease, mothers of patients with cyanotic congenital heart disease had significantly higher levels of depression and anxiety.
Molecular analysis of the Lactococcus lactis subspecies lactis CNRZ270 bidirectional theta replicating lactose plasmid pUCL22

pUCL22 is the lactose protease plasmid of Lactococcus lactis ssp. lactis CNRZ270. The nucleotide sequence of its replication region Rep22 contains a non‐transcribed region, the replication origin, followed by a gene encoding a putative 388‐amino‐acid protein named Rep22A. The promoter regions of the rep22A and pC194 cat genes share strong similarities and the pUCL22 replicon exerted trans or cis negative control on the pC194 cat gene expression in L. lactis. We suggest that Rep22A binds to its own promoter as well as to the pC194 cat promoter and thus is autoregulated. We show that pUCL22 replicates mainly by a bidirectional theta mechanism in L. lactis, and is representative of a widely distributed replicon family, members of which could be co‐resident. We propose that compatibility between these closely related replicons results from minor replication protein modifications coupled with base changes in their respective binding sites, supporting the co‐existence of numerous related replicons in lactococcal strains.
Location Determination with Four Elements Antenna Using Matrix Pencil Method

A 3D location determination method using only four elements antenna is proposed. A group of frequencies is received from the transmitter (on mobile phone) or returned signals (Radar). The matrix pencil method is used to identify the length of each path. Depending on the geometrical distribution of the four elements, the phase shifts are determined for each path. Knowing the phase shift between the elements helps to find the direction of arrival for each path. Small dipole or small circular loop antennas are used in the numerical examples to clarify this method in the presence of noise.
Multishot partial‐k‐space EPI for high‐resolution fMRI demonstrated in a rat whisker barrel stimulation model at 3t

A multishot partial‐k‐space EPI technique is presented and validated by fMRI at high spatial resolution. High‐resolution phase maps corrected by phase‐encoded reference scans have less off‐resonance effects. Phantom studies demonstrate that this method can substantially improve partial‐k‐space EPI image formation. BOLD fMRI at submillimeter spatial resolution (156 × 156 × 2000 μm3, 0.049 μl) was achieved in a rat whisker barrel stimulation model using this technique. The study included eight rats, five of which were administered an intravascular contrast agent (monocrystalline iron oxide nanocolloid (MION)) after the BOLD experiments. In two rats the highest BOLD responses were in the deep layers (IV–VI), and in six rats the highest responses were on the surface and in the deep cortical layers. Most of the pixels that exhibited high BOLD responses had high blood volume weightings. The benefits of this technique are expected to increase for high‐resolution fMRI at higher magnetic fields, where T 2* is shorter. Magn Reson Med 50:1215–1222, 2003. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Molecular orbital studies of gas-phase interactions between complex molecules.

Describing interactions among large molecules theoretically is a challenging task. As an example, we investigated gas-phase interactions between a linear nonionic oligomer and various model compounds (cofactors), which have been reported to associate experimentally, using PM3 semiempirical molecular orbital theory. As oligomer, we studied the hexamer of poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO), and as cofactors, we studied corilagin and related compounds containing phenolic groups (R-OH). These systems are of interest because they are models for PEO/cofactor flocculation systems, used in industrial applications. The PM3 delocalized molecular orbitals (DLMO) describe the bonding between (PEO)6 and cofactors, and some of them cover the complete complex. The DLMOs which cover the traditionally considered hydrogen bonds R-OH.O or R-CH.O show a distinct "pinch", a decrease of the electron density, between the H.O atoms. Calculations of Gibbs free energy, entropy, and enthalpy show that the PEO/cofactor complexes do not form at room temperature, because the loss of entropy exceeds the increase in enthalpy. The change in enthalpy is linearly related to the change in entropy for the different complexes. Even though bond lengths, bond angles, DLMOs, and electron densities for the PEO/cofactor complexes are consistent with the definition of hydrogen bonds, the number of intermolecular R-OH.O and R-CH.O bonds does not correlate with the enthalpy of association, indicating that the bonding mechanism for these systems is the sum of many small contributions of many delocalized orbitals.
LSR: Mitigating Zero-Day Sybil Vulnerability in Privacy-Preserving Vehicular Peer-to-Peer Networks

Privacy-preserving Vehicular Peer-to-Peer Network (VPNET) is particularly vulnerable to sybil attack, where a malicious vehicle can abuse its multiple unlinkable pseudo-ids to pretend multiple and distinct vehicles in the network. To make the matter even worse, due to the privacy-preserving network environment, zero-day sybil vulnerability is hard to defend against, i.e., a vehicle cannot locally detect a sybil attacker before the attacker is formally revoked. In this paper, aiming at mitigating zero-day sybil vulnerability in privacy-preserving VPNET, we propose an efficient Local Sybil Resistance scheme, called LSR, to locally detect sybil attack. Especially, in the proposed LSR scheme, if a vehicle never signs an event more than once, the signatures it signed cannot be linked, and its privacy can be well protected. However, if a vehicle signs two or more signatures on the same event, any vehicle can easily link these signatures and thus detect a sybil attack locally. Moreover, with two-layer/multi-layer reporting, a sybil attack can be quickly reported to a trusted authority (TA) for tracking the sybil attacker's real identity and making global revocation. Detailed security analysis demonstrates that the proposed LSR scheme can enhance the security of a privacy-preserving VPNET, such as locally detecting sybil attack, preventing a sybil attacker's future attacks before its being revoked by TA, et al. In addition, performance evaluation via extensive simulations also confirms the high effectiveness of the proposed LSR scheme.
The Adequacy of Competition Policy for Cryptocurrency Markets

Several cryptocurrencies are now circulating in the economy. Many have significant market value measured in national currencies. The intention behind most of these currencies is to replace or supplement the traditional payment system based on national currencies. Cryptocurrencies can potentially obtain a significant role in the payment system. However, the presence of cryptocurrencies raises several public policy concerns. This paper addresses competition policy. It discusses as to whether traditional competition policy instruments such as antitrust and regulation are adequate to address competition policy concerns. It is found that traditional competition policy instruments are inadequate. Direct participation by the public in the form of central bank digital currencies may be an adequate remedy. The relationship between competition policy and other relevant policies for the cryptocurrency markets is also discussed.
Association between a 17-gene genomic prostate score and multi-parametric prostate MRI in men with low and intermediate risk prostate cancer (PCa)

Background We aimed to directly compare results from multi-parametric prostate MRI (mpMRI) and a biopsy-based 17-gene RT-PCR assay providing a Genomic Prostate Score (GPS) among individuals who were candidates for active surveillance with low and intermediate risk prostate cancer (PCa). Patients and methods We evaluated the association between GPS results (scale 0–100) and endorectal mpMRI findings in men with clinically localized PCa. MR studies were reviewed to a five-tier scale of increasing suspicion of malignancy. Mean apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) was calculated from a single dominant lesion. Mean rank of the GPS (0–100) among MRI strata was compared with the Kruskal-Wallis test and Dunn's multiple comparison test. Spearman's correlation was performed to examine the association between mean ADC and scaled GPS. Results Of 186 patients who received GPS testing, 100 were identified who received mpMRI. Mean GPS results differed between mpMRI categories (p = 0.001); however a broad range was observed in all mpMRI categories. Among men with biopsy Gleason pattern 3+3, mean GPS results were not significantly different among MRI groups (p = 0.179), but GPS differences were seen among MRI categories for patients with pattern 3+4 (p = 0.010). Mean ADC was weakly associated with GPS (σ = -0.151). Stromal response (p = 0.015) and cellular organization (p = 0.045) gene group scores differed significantly by MRI findings, but no differences were seen among androgen signaling or proliferation genes. Conclusions Although a statistically significant association was observed between GPS results and MRI scores, a wide range of GPS values were observed across imaging categories suggesting that mpMRI and genomic profiling may offer non- overlapping clinical insights.
Microchannel splitting and scaling for thermal balancing of liquid-cooled 3DIC

This paper introduces the notion of channel splitting to augment the scaling of microchannels for a balanced microflu-idic cooling of 3DIC. The idea is to place appropriate number of channel splitters along various sections of microchannels to reduce the convective resistances at potential hotspots. The increases in pressure drops due to channel splitting are then redistributed by scaling the channel widths to match the coolant flowrates with the power distribution, which is usually nonuniform in practice. Unlike the existing techniques, this thermal balancing method requires no extra pump or valve. Only the customization of etching masks is needed for the deposition of silicon splitters and different sizes of microchannels. Experiment on a 4-layer multicore 3DIC stack shows that the proposed microchannel design technique can effectively reduce both the maximum temperature and thermal gradient in the 3D circuit.
Designing elementary-tree space compressors using AND/NAND and XOR/XNOR combinations

Implementing aliasing-free (zero-aliasing) space compressors for built-in self-testing of very large scale integration circuits and systems is of great significance, especially in view of the technological paradigm shift in recent years from system-on-board to system-on-chip design. This paper investigates and provides new approach to realizing aliasing-free elementary-tree space compaction hardware targeting specifically embedded cores-based system-on-chips for single stuck-line faults, extending well-known concept from conventional switching theory, viz. that of compatibility relation as used in the minimization of incompletely specified sequential machines. For a pair of response data outputs of the circuit under test, the paper introduces the notion of fault detection compatibility and conditional fault detection compatibility (conditional upon some other response output pair being simultaneously fault detection compatible) with respect to two-input AND/NAND and XOR/XNOR logic. The process is illustrated in the paper with details of synthesis of space compressors for the International Symposium on Circuits and Systems (ISCAS) 85 combinational and ISCAS 89 full-scan sequential benchmark circuits using fault simulation programs ATALANTA, FSIM and HOPE, exemplifying the relevance of the technique from the standpoint of simplicity, resultant low area overhead and full fault coverage for single stuck-line faults, making it thus a logical choice in commercial design environments.
Firm heterogeneity in sources of total factor productivity growth for Japanese manufacturing firms

ABSTRACT We investigate firm heterogeneity in productivity sources across technology sectors for Japanese manufacturers. Firm heterogeneity in productivity sources conveys more information about firm-specific differences in productivity. In this regard, large firms are more productive, largely because they are more innovative, despite being slow to catch up during booms or operating at a less-than-efficient scale. We find that the beneficial impact of exports on productivity is most evident when firms become exporters, and intrafirm trade causes enough inefficiency to offset the salutary effects of trade after a certain threshold. Notably, firm heterogeneity in productivity varies considerably across the technology sectors.
Three Essays on the Effect of Overconfidence on Economic Decision Making

This dissertation uses experimental evidence to explore the effects of overconfidence on economic decision making. In Chapter 1 I provide experimental evidence of the effects of alcohol on overconfidence and several other important tasks. I also explore the relationship between overconfidence and the behavior in the other tasks. The data from this experiment show that an alcohol level of 0.08 does not have a systemic effect on behavior and more importantly it does not affect ones level of overconfidence. I also show that overconfidence is not significantly correlated with risk preferences, math, strategic behavior, anchoring, altruism, and food choices. In Chapter 2 I use feedback to establish a causal link between overconfidence and trading behavior. Feedback is used to eliminate the possibility for subjects to be overconfident about the accuracy of their signals. The data from this experiment show that overconfidence affects trading volume and profits, but when feedback is provided trading volume is no longer affected by overconfidence. This shows that there exists a causal relationship between overconfidence and trading volume. Lastly, Chapter 3 explores the role of overconfidence on insurance purchasing decisions. I show that overconfident people buy significantly less insurance. The stability of overconfidence using different measures and the relationship between overconfidence and risk is also explored. I find that different tasks do not elicit the same level of overconfidence and that risk preferences and overconfidence are not statistically significantly correlated.
Cost-Utility of a Psychoeducational Intervention in Fibromyalgia Patients Compared With Usual Care: An Economic Evaluation Alongside a 12-Month Randomized Controlled Trial

Objective:To determine the effectiveness of adding psychoeducational treatment implemented in general practice to usual care for patients with fibromyalgia (FM), and to analyze the cost-utility of the intervention from health care and societal perspectives. Methods:Twelve-month randomized controlled trial. A total of 216 primary care patients meeting the American College of Rheumatology criteria for FM participated in the study. The intervention included 9, 2-hour sessions of psychoeducation (5 sessions of education about the illness+4 sessions of autogenic relaxation) added to usual care provided by a multidisciplinary group in general practice was compared to usual care in the public health system. Results:At 12-month follow-up, patients who received psychoeducation showed greater improvement in global functional status (Cohen d=0.36; −2.49 to 3.81), physical functioning (Cohen d=0.56; 0.08 to 1.00), days feeling well (Cohen d=0.40; −0.16 to 1.02), pain (Cohen d= 0.35; −0.04 to 0.80), morning fatigue (Cohen d=0.24; −0.20 to 0.76), stiffness (Cohen d=0.34; −0.10 to 0.87), and depression (Cohen d=0.30; −0.26 to 0.93). Mean incremental cost per person receiving the intervention was &OV0556;−215.49 (−615.13 to 287.81) from the health care perspective, and &OV0556;−197.32 (−785.12 to 395.74) from the societal perspective. The incremental gain in quality-adjusted life-years per person was 0.12 (0.06 to 0.19), yielding a “dominant” intervention from both perspectives. The sensitivity analysis suggested that the intervention was cost-effective even imputing all missing data. Discussion:Our findings demonstrate the long-term clinical effectiveness of a psychoeducational treatment program for FM implemented at primary care level and the cost-utility from a health care and societal perspective. Trial Registration:NCT00550966
bcl-2 inhibits wild-type p53-triggered apoptosis but not G1 cell cycle arrest and transactivation of WAF1 and bax.

We have earlier shown that wild-type (wt) p53 expressed from a temperature-sensitive construct (ts p53) triggers apoptosis in the v-myc retrovirus-induced, p53-negative T-cell lymphoma line J3D (Y. Wang et al., Cell Growth & Differ., 4: 467-473, 1993). We also found that constitutive bcl-2 expression inhibits wt p53-triggered apoptosis in these cells (Y. Wang et al., Oncogene, 8: 3427-3431, 1993). Here we demonstrate that more than 90% of the ts p53-transfected J3D cells were arrested in G1 at 18 h after induction of wt p53 expression by temperature shift to 32 degrees C. At this time, at least 80% of the cells remained viable. After 30 h at 32 degrees C, around 50% of the cells had died by apoptosis, while most of the remaining cells were still alive in G1, indicating that p53-induced apoptosis occurred following G1 arrest. The G1 cell cycle arrest at 18 h after temperature shift to 32 degrees C was reversible, as shown by the fact that the cells readily resumed exponential growth following temperature shift back to 37 degrees C, although viability dropped from around 80 to 65%. Expression of both WAF1 and bax mRNA was induced by wt p53 in both the ts p53 and ts p53/bcl-2 transfected cells. The kinetics of G1 cell cycle arrest at 32 degrees C was similar in both the ts p53 and the ts p53/bcl-2 double transfectants. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Translocation of group 1 capsular polysaccharide to the surface of Escherichia coli requires a multimeric complex in the outer membrane

Surface expression of the group 1 K30 capsular polysaccharide of Escherichia coli strain E69 (O9a:K30) requires WzaK30, a member of the outer membrane auxiliary (OMA) protein family. A mutation in wzaK30 severely restricts the formation of the K30 capsular structure on the cell surface, but does not interfere with the biosynthesis or polymerization of the K30 repeat unit. Here we show that WzaK30 is a surface‐exposed outer membrane lipoprotein. WzaK30 multimers form ring‐like structures in the outer membrane that are reminiscent of the secretins of type II and III protein translocation systems. We propose that WzaK30 forms an outer membrane pore through which the K30‐capsular antigen is translocated. This is the first evidence of a potential mechanism for translocation of high molecular weight polysaccharide across the outer membrane. The broad distribution of the OMA protein family suggests a similar process for polysaccharide export in diverse Gram‐negative bacteria.
Patient perception of pain versus observed pain behavior during a standardized electrodiagnostic test

Introduction: Clinicians often assume that observations of pain behavior are adequate for assessment of patient pain perception during procedures. This has not been tested during a standardized electrodiagnostic experience. Methods: During a prospective trial including extensive, standardized electrodiagnostic testing on persons with lumbar stenosis, vascular claudication, and asymptomatic volunteers, the subjects and an observer rated levels of pain. Results: In 60 subjects, observers significantly under‐rated pain (Visual Analog Scale 3.17 ± 2.23 vs. 4.38 ± 2.01, t = −4.577, df = 59, P < 0.001). Perceived pain during testing related to bodily pain as measured by the visual analog, McGill, Pain Disability, and Quebec scales, but not age, duration of symptoms, Tampa kinesiphobia, Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression scale, or SF‐36 health quality of life. Conclusions: Persons with worse pain syndromes may perceive more pain during testing than others. Clinicians and researchers should understand that patients may have more pain than they recognize. Muscle Nerve 51: 185–191, 2015
In vitro cytotoxicity of dental alloys and cpTi obtained by casting.

BACKGROUND This study aimed to compare the cytotoxicity of base-metal dental alloys and to evaluate if the casting method could influence their cytotoxicity. METHODS Disks of base-metal dental alloys were cast by two methods: plasma, under argon atmosphere, injected by vacuum-pressure; and oxygen-gas flame, injected by centrifugation, except Ti-6Al-4V and commercially pure titanium (cpTi), cast only by plasma. SCC9 cells were cultured in culture media D-MEM/Ham's F12 supplemented, at 37 degrees C in a humidified atmosphere of 5% carbon dioxide and 95% air, on the previously prepared disks. At subconfluence in wells without disks (control), cell number and viability were evaluated. RESULTS In plasma method, cpTi and Ti-6Al-4V were similar to control and presented higher number of cells than all other alloys, followed by Ni-Cr. In oxygen-gas flame method, all alloys presented fewer cells than control. Ni-Cr presented more cells than any other alloy, followed by Co-Cr-Mo-W which presented more cells than Ni-Cr-Ti, Co-Cr-Mo, and Ni-Cr-Be. There were no significant differences between casting methods related to cell number. Cell viability was not affected by either chemical composition or casting methods. CONCLUSION cpTi and Ti-6Al-4V were not cytotoxic while Ni-Cr-Be was the most cytotoxic among tested alloys. The casting method did not affect cytotoxicity of the alloys.
A cDNA Resource for Gene Expression Studies of a Hemichordate, Ptychodera flava

Recent investigations into the evolution of deuterostomes and the origin of chordates have paid considerable attention to hemichordates (acorn worms), as hemichordates and echinoderms are the closest chordate relatives. The present study prepared cDNA libraries from Ptychodera flava, to study expression and function of genes involved in development of the hemichordate body plan. Expressed sequence tag (EST) analyses of nine cDNA libraries yielded 18,832 cloned genes expressed in eggs, 18,739 in blastulae, 18,539 in gastrulae, 18,811 in larvae, 18,978 in juveniles, 11,802 in adult proboscis, 17,259 in stomochord, 11,886 in gills, and 11,580 in liver, respectively. A set of 34,159 uni-gene clones of P. flava was obtained. This cDNA resource will be valuable for studying temporal and spatial expression of acorn worm genes during development.