Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Timing of Clinical Improvement and Symptom Resolution in the Treatment of Major Depressive Disorder

Background: Our objective was to assess for the relationship between timing of clinical improvement and resolution of depressive symptoms during the treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD). Thirty-nine MDD outpatients who responded following a 12-week, double-blind study comparing Hypericum perforatum, fluoxetine or placebo were included in the analysis. Methods: Onset of clinical improvement was defined as a 25% decrease in 17-item Hamilton Depression Scale (HDRS-17) scores that was not followed by a subsequent worsening of symptoms. Controlling for baseline symptom severity, we then assessed for the relationship between timing of clinical improvement and depressive symptom severity at endpoint. Results: Among responders, earlier clinical improvement predicted lower HDRS-17 scores at week 12 (p = 0013). This was also true of responders who received active treatment (n = 29, p = 0.0113) but not placebo responders (n = 10; p > 0.05). Finally, patients with an early onset of clinical improvement (occurring during the first 2 weeks) had lower week 12 HDRS-17 scores than patients with a late onset of clinical improvement (p = 0.0404). Conclusion: In the present work, earlier as well as early clinical improvement during treatment is predictive of greater symptom resolution at endpoint among responders. This was replicated among patients who received active treatment (either hypericum or fluoxetine) but not placebo.
Reversal of the glycolytic phenotype of primary effusion lymphoma cells by combined targeting of cellular metabolism and PI3K/Akt/ mTOR signaling

PEL is a B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma, occurring predominantly as a lymphomatous effusion in body cavities, characterized by aggressive clinical course, with no standard therapy. Based on previous reports that PEL cells display a Warburg phenotype, we hypothesized that the highly hypoxic environment in which they grow in vivo makes them more reliant on glycolysis, and more vulnerable to drugs targeting this pathway. We established here that indeed PEL cells in hypoxia are more sensitive to glycolysis inhibition. Furthermore, since PI3K/Akt/mTOR has been proposed as a drug target in PEL, we ascertained that pathway-specific inhibitors, namely the dual PI3K and mTOR inhibitor, PF-04691502, and the Akt inhibitor, Akti 1/2, display improved cytotoxicity to PEL cells in hypoxic conditions. Unexpectedly, we found that these drugs reduce lactate production/extracellular acidification rate, and, in combination with the glycolysis inhibitor 2-deoxyglucose (2-DG), they shift PEL cells metabolism from aerobic glycolysis towards oxidative respiration. Moreover, the associations possess strong synergistic cytotoxicity towards PEL cells, and thus may reduce adverse reaction in vivo, while displaying very low toxicity to normal lymphocytes. Finally, we showed that the association of 2-DG and PF-04691502 maintains its cytotoxic and proapoptotic effect also in PEL cells co-cultured with human primary mesothelial cells, a condition known to mimic the in vivo environment and to exert a protective and pro-survival action. All together, these results provide a compelling rationale for the clinical development of new therapies for the treatment of PEL, based on combined targeting of glycolytic metabolism and constitutively activated signaling pathways.
Wall Thermal Conductivity Effects on Nucleation Site Interaction During Boiling: An Experimental Study

The past decades have witnessed the diverse applications of boiling heat transfer enhancement in the removal of high density heat flux released by electronic components or power devices. People have developed many enhanced surfaces to obtain the highest heat transfer coefficient in nucleate boiling or to raise the CHF. In the boiling arena bubbling and nucleation site density play core parts, and hence it is crucial to correlate them quantitatively with surface structure and heat transfer conditions. For example one can determine by that correlation the best arrangement of boiling cavities for a given heat flux. However, the bubbling is highly influenced by inter-bubble actions. It has been found that the interactions can considerably change the bubble’s size, frequency and spatial distribution. The interactions are needed to be taken accounts of for a good correlation. Researchers tried to formulate the interactions as a single function of the inter-site spacing but have obtained contradictory conclusions, as suggests that they depend also on other parameters. In the present study we conducted a saturated boiling heat transfer experiment to investigate the interactions with respects to both the inter-site spacing and the wall thermal conductivity. The test section was fabricated by both copper and stainless steel, whose surface has two cylindrical artificial cavities of 50μm in diameter. It was heated with a uniform heat flux. The results show that both the bubble diameter Db and frequency f are functions of the inter-cavity distance s, but they vary in different manners in the copper and the stainless steel surfaces. In the copper surface, we observed evident enhancement of the boiling heat transfer at 1> S >0.4 and a slight inhibitive effect at 1.6> S >1, where S = s/Db . On the contrary the two nucleate sites in the stainless steel surface interfere with each other giving rise to evident suppression of boiling heat transfer at 1.6> S >0.65 and only slight enhancement at 0.65> S >0.3. Note that the copper’s thermal conductivity is 22 times larger than the stainless steel. Numerical simulation has revealed that the temperature variation beneath the copper cavities is much less than the stainless steel, which partly explains the differences in our experimental results. It is suggested that modeling the bubble interactions should take accounts of not only the distance-to-diameter ratio but also the fluid and wall properties.Copyright © 2010 by ASME
Anti- Helicobacter Pylori Activities of Natural Isopentenyloxycinnamyl Derivatives from Boronia Pinnata

In this study we investigated the anti- Helicobacter pylori activity of four isopentenyloxycinnamyl derivatives from the Australian shrub Boronia pinnata Sm. (Rutaceae), structurally related to boropinic acid: (E)-3-(4-(3-methylbut-2-enyloxy)-3,5-dimethoxyphenyl)acrylaldehyde (1), boropinol C (2), boropinal (3) and boropinol A (4). In vitro growth of H. pylori strains 26695 and B128 was analyzed in liquid culture with increasing doses of these compounds. Bacterial morphology was visualized by scanning electron microscopy. The in vivo effects of the two most efficient molecules that reduced bacterial growth in vitro, compounds 3 and 4, were investigated on H. pylori gastric colonization in the mouse model. The presence of these compounds in the bacterial cultures led to alterations of bacterial surface and flagella. In vivo, both compounds 3 and 4 at 250 μM reduced significantly the ability of H. pylori to colonize the gastric mucosa of mice, compared with untreated ones. These data indicate that these natural isopentenyloxycinnamyl derivatives related to boropinic acid can be considered as novel antibacterial agents with anti-H. pylori activity.
pH Regulation of Electrogenic Sugar/H+ Symport in MFS Sugar Permeases

Bacterial sugar symporters in the Major Facilitator Superfamily (MFS) use the H+ (and in a few cases Na+) electrochemical gradients to achieve active transport of sugar into the cell. Because a number of structures of MFS sugar symporters have been solved recently, molecular insight into the transport mechanism is possible from detailed functional analysis. We present here a comparative electrophysiological study of the lactose permease (LacY), the fucose permease (FucP) and the xylose permease (XylE), which reveals common mechanistic principles and differences. In all three symporters energetically downhill electrogenic sugar/H+ symport is observed. Comparison of the pH dependence of symport at symmetrical pH exhibits broad bell-shaped pH profiles extending over 3 to 6 pH units and a decrease at extremely alkaline pH ≥ 9.4 and at acidic to neutral pH = 4.6–7.5. The pH dependence can be described by an acidic to neutral apparent pK (pKapp) and an alkaline pKapp. Experimental evidence suggests that the alkaline pKapp is due to H+ depletion at the protonation site, while the acidic pKapp is due to inhibition of deprotonation. Since previous studies suggest that a single carboxyl group in LacY (Glu325) may be the only side chain directly involved in H+ translocation and a carboxyl side chain with similar properties has been identified in FucP (Asp46) and XylE (Asp27), the present results imply that the pK of this residue is switched during H+/sugar symport in all three symporters.
Sonochemical Synthesis of Poly (Methyl Acrylate)

Polymers are prepared by various methods. The method of preparation plays an important role in deciding many of the physical properties of polymers. In this work Poly (Methyl Acrylate), PMA, is synthesized by free radical addition polymerization in the presence a monomer, an initiator under the influence of ultrasound. Methyl Acrylate (E-Merck, India) of proper strength is mixed with aqueous sodium peroxodisulphate solution of known strength and the time of passage of ultrasound is varied in steps of 30 minutes and 10 samples of solid PMA are obtained for 10 different periods of passage of ultrasound. Solid PMA samples are purified and air-dried under clean environment. TGA, DTA measurements are done on all the 10 PMA samples. The thermal stability of PMA with the change in the time of passage of ultrasound is discussed quantitatively. The thermal stability of PMA, synthesized sonochemically shows better results over the thermal method of synthesis. However in this paper we report the measurements made on PMA samples synthesized at 30 and 300 minutes sonication periods respectively.
Designing and Constructing an Optical System to measure Continuous and Cuffless Blood Pressure Using Two Pulse Signals

Introduction: Blood pressure (BP) is one of the important vital signs that need to be monitored for personal healthcare. Arterial blood pressure is estimated from pulse transit time (PTT). This study uses two pulse sensors to get PTT. The aim of this study was to construct an optical system and to monitor blood pressure continuously and without cuff in people with different ages. Materials and Methods: To measure blood pressure changes, two infrared optical transmitters were used at the distances of 5 mm to the receivers. Output of the optical receivers was inserted in analog circuits. PTT was defined as the time between the two peaks of pulse signals by the software. Signals were measured continuously through a serial network communication. An external personal computer monitored measured waveforms in real time. BP was related to PTT and the relationship coefficients were calculated at different physical activities. After determining the linear correlation coefficients for each individual, blood pressure was measured by the cuff and the PTT method and the results were compared. Results: PTT computed between the two peaks of wave pulses was strongly correlated with systolic blood pressure (R=0.88Â±0.034) and the diastolic blood pressure (R=0.82Â±0.058). Systolic blood pressure (SBP) was measured more accurately than the diastolic blood pressure (DBP). The results of SBP showed that the maximum difference and the error percentages between the cuff method and the present method were 7. 98Â±2.88 and 6. 33Â±2.51, respectively. Moreover, the maximum difference and the percentage errors between the cuff method and the present method of DBP were 10. 13Â±3.82 and 10. 97Â±3.89, respectively. Conclusion: Monitoring blood pressure with the designed system can be recommended as a useful method to indicate cardiovascular diseases and used for personal healthcare purposes.
Relationship of type 1 cannabinoid receptor availability in the human brain to novelty-seeking temperament.

CONTEXT Brain neurochemistry can partially account for personality traits as a variance of normal human behavior, as has been demonstrated for monoamine neurotransmission. Positron emission tomography using fluorine 18-labeled MK-9470 now enables quantification of type 1 cannabinoid receptors (CB1R) in the brain. OBJECTIVE To investigate whether there is a relationship between human temperament traits and regional cerebral CB1R availability. DESIGN Forty-seven [(18)F]MK-9470 baseline scanning sessions were performed and correlated with the temperament dimensions and subdimensions of the 240-item Cloninger Temperament and Character Inventory. SETTING Academic brain imaging center. PARTICIPANTS Forty-seven nonsmoking, healthy volunteers (paid). Main Outcome Measure Voxel-based correlation of temperament variables of the inventory with regional CB1R availability. RESULTS Novelty seeking was inversely correlated with global CB1R availability (r = -0.33, P = .02), with the most significant correlation in the left amygdala (r = -0.41, P = .005). In particular, the subdimension extravagance showed a highly significant inverse correlation to global CB1R availability (r = -0.53, P <.001), most pronounced in the amygdala, anterior cingulate, parietal cortex, and precuneus. Also, disorderliness was inversely correlated with global CB1R availability (r = -0.31, P = .04). CONCLUSIONS Low baseline cerebral CB1R availability is related to a high novelty-seeking personality, in particular to extravagance, most pronounced in the amygdala. Further investigation of the functional role of the CB1R is warranted in pathological behavior known to be strongly related to novelty seeking, such as addiction and eating disorders.
Integrating content-based access mechanisms with hierarchical file systems

We describe a new file system that provides, at the same time, both name and content based access to files. To make this possible, we introduce the concept of a semantic directory. Every semantic directory has a query associated with it. When a user creates a semantic directory, the file system automatically creates a set of pointers to the files in the file system that satisfy the query associated with the directory. This set of pointers is called the query-result of the directory. To access the files that satisfy the query, users just need to de-reference the appropriate pointers. Users can also create files and sub-directories within semantic directories in the usual way. Hence, users can organize files in a hierarchy and access them by specifying path names, and at the same time, retrieve files by asking queries that describe their content. Our file system also provides facilities for query-refinement and customization. When a user creates a new semantic sub-directory within a semantic directory, the file system ensures that the query-result of the sub-directory is a subset of the query-result of its parent. Hence, users can create a hierarchy of semantic directories to refine their queries. Users can also edit the set of pointers in a semantic directory, and thereby modify its query-result without modifying its query or the files in the file system. In this way, users can customize the results of queries according to their personal tastes, and use customized results to refine queries in the future. That is, users do not have to depend solely on the query language to achieve these objectives. Our file system has many other features, including semantic mount-points that allow users to access information in other file systems by content. The file system does not depend on the query language used for content-based access. Hence, it is possible to integrate any content-based access mechanism into our file system.
Least Absolute Policy Iteration-A Robust Approach to Value Function Approximation

Least-squares policy iteration is a useful reinforcement learning method in robotics due to its computational efficiency. However, it tends to be sensitive to outliers in observed rewards. In this paper, we propose an alternative method that employs the absolute loss for enhancing robustness and reliability. The proposed method is formulated as a linear programming problem which can be solved efficiently by standard optimization software, so the computational advantage is not sacrificed for gaining robustness and reliability. We demonstrate the usefulness of the proposed approach through a simulated robot-control task.
The Effect of Amifostine on Submandibular Gland Histology after Radiation

Background. The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of amifostine on submandibular gland histology in patients receiving chemoradiation therapy. Methods. We conducted a retrospective submandibular gland histologic slide review of HNSCC patients receiving chemoradiation for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma with three different levels of amifostine exposure. We used six scoring parameters: fatty replacement, lobular architecture degeneration, interstitial fibrosis, ductal degeneration, acinar degeneration, and inflammatory component presence. Results. Differences in gender, tumor stage, amifostine dose, age, number of days after neck dissection, and smoking history (pack years) exposure were not significant between the three groups, although there was a difference between groups in the primary subsite (P = 0.006). The nonparametric Cuzick's test for histologic parameters with varied amifostine treatment showed no significance among the three groups. Conclusions. Although patients did not receive a full dose of amifostine due to side effects, varying doses of amifostine had no apparent evident cytoprotective effects in three groups of cancer patients treated with primary chemoradiation.
Two-Stage Biometric Authentication Method Using Thought Activity Brain Waves

Brain waves are proposed as a biometric for verification of the identities of individuals in a small group. The approach is based on a novel two-stage biometric authentication method that minimizes both false accept error (FAE) and false reject error (FRE). These brain waves (or electroencephalogram (EEG) signals) are recorded while the user performs either one or several thought activities. As different individuals have different thought processes, this idea would be appropriate for individual authentication. In this study, autoregressive coefficients, channel spectral powers, inter-hemispheric channel spectral power differences, inter-hemispheric channel linear complexity and non-linear complexity (approximate entropy) values were used as EEG features by the two-stage authentication method with a modified four fold cross validation procedure. The results indicated that perfect accuracy was obtained, i.e. the FRE and FAE were both zero when the proposed method was tested on five subjects using certain thought activities. This initial study has shown that the combination of the two-stage authentication method with EEG features from thought activities has good potential as a biometric as it is highly resistant to fraud. However, this is only a pilot type of study and further extensive research with more subjects would be necessary to establish the suitability of the proposed method for biometric applications.
Modeling of diffusion-reaction behavior of sulfate ion in concrete under sulfate environments

This paper estimates theoretically the diffusion-reaction behaviour of sulfate ion in concrete caused by environmental sulfate attack. Based on Fick`s second law and chemical reaction kinetics, a nonlinear and nonsteady diffusion-reaction equation of sulfate ion in concrete, in which the variable diffusion coefficient and the chemical reactions depleting sulfate ion concentration in concrete are considered, is proposed. The finite difference method is utilized to solve the diffusion-reaction equation of sulfate ion in concrete, and then it is used to simulate the diffusion-reaction process and the concentration distribution of sulfate ion in concrete. Afterwards, the experiments for measuring the sulfate ion concentration in concrete are carried out by using EDTA method to verify the proposal model, and results show that the proposed model is basically in agreement with the experimental results. Finally, Numerical example has been completed to investigate the diffusion-reaction behavior of sulfate ion in the concrete plate specimen immersed into sulfate solution.
Target-space covariance of worldvolume solutions of massive IIA D-branes

We investigate the worldvolume actions of massive IIA D-branes (i.e. D-branes in a massive IIA background) and obtain explicitly in each case a supersymmetric point charge solution of the worldvolume gauge field with an appropriate excitation of the transverse scalar field. Affected by the background, the form of one of the solutions is very unusual. However, we show that the regularized energy of each solution is proportional to the geodesic distance from the D-brane to the point parametrized by the regularized value of the scalar field, revealing that these solutions correspond to fundamental strings ending on the D-branes. The string tension is obtained correctly. The massless limit of the solutions can also be taken consistently. We conclude that the way of describing one of intersecting branes as a worldvolume solution of another brane has nontrivial “targetspace covariance”. tsato@icrr.u-tokyo.ac. jp
Episodes of Care for First-Ever Psychiatric Patients a Long-Term Case-Register Evaluation in a Mainly Urban Area

Background Psychiatric case registers (PCRs) are particularly useful for studying patterns of care over time. Methods of ‘survival analysis’ have rarely been used for assessing such data. Method A longitudinal study was conducted over 10 years (1 January 1982 to 31 December 1991) on 1423 first-ever psychiatric patients, using the PCR of South Verona, Italy. The product-limit method, the log-rank test, the Cox regression model and the Poisson regression analysis were used to analyse episodes of care and relapses. Results The duration of the episodes of care increased consistently from the first to the fifth episode. The probability of opening a new episode of care after the first one increased consistently from the second to the sixth episode. The only variable significantly associated with the length of the first episode of care was diagnosis (highest probability of having longer episodes for schizophrenic patients), while the length of the breaks following the first episode of care was associated with diagnosis, sex and occupational status (highest probability of opening a second episode of care for schizophrenic subjects and those with alcohol and personality disorders, for males, and for unemployed patients). The probability of opening a new episode of care decreased with time since last contact and increased with number of previous contacts. Conclusions The community psychiatric service in South Verona is fulfilling its original aim, that is, to give priority to the continuity of care for patients with chronic and severe mental illnesses. Survival analyses proved to be useful methods for assessing episodes of care.
Multiversion Data Broadcast

Recently, broadcasting has attracted considerable attention as a means of disseminating information to large client populations in both wired and wireless settings. In this paper, we consider broadcasting multiple versions of data items to increase the concurrency of client transactions in the presence of updates. We introduce various techniques for organizing multiple versions on the broadcast channel. Performance results show that the overhead of supporting multiple versions can be kept low while providing a considerable increase in concurrency. Besides increasing the concurrency of client transactions, multiversion broadcast provides clients with the possibility of accessing multiple server states in a single broadcast cycle. Furthermore, multiversioning increases the tolerance of client transactions of disconnections from the broadcast channel.