Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Course of Depressive Symptoms After Myocardial Infarction and Cardiac Prognosis: A Latent Class Analysis

Objective: The presence of depressive symptoms after myocardial infarction (MI) is a risk factor for new cardiovascular events. The importance of the course of post-MI depressive symptoms for cardiac prognosis is not clear. We therefore set out to investigate whether different courses of post-MI depressive symptoms can be identified and determine their associations with cardiac events. Methods: Data were derived from the Depression after Myocardial Infarction (DepreMI) study, a naturalistic follow-up study of patients admitted for an MI in four hospitals in the Netherlands (N = 475). Scores on the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) during hospitalization and at 3, 6, and 12 months post-MI were analyzed. Using latent class analysis (LCA), we identified classes characterized by distinctive courses of depressive symptoms and then examined their link to cardiac prognosis. Results: The prevalence of significant depressive symptoms ranged from 22.7% to 25.5% throughout the post-MI year. Five distinct courses were found: no depressive symptoms (56.4%), mild depressive symptoms (25.7%), moderate and increasing depressive symptoms (9.3%), significant but decreasing depressive symptoms (4.6%), and significant and increasing depressive symptoms (4.0%). Subjects in this last class had, statistically, a significantly higher risk for a new cardiovascular event compared with subjects without depressive symptoms (hazard ratio (HR) = 2.73; p = . 01). Controlling for baseline cardiac status and sociodemographic data did not alter the association (HR = 2.46; p = .03). Conclusions: Post-MI depressed subjects with significant and increasing depressive symptoms are at particular risk of new cardiac events. This subgroup may be most suited for evaluation of the effects of antidepressant treatment on cardiac prognosis. BDI = Beck Depression Inventory; BIC = Bayesian Information Criteria; CABG = coronary artery bypass graft; CIDI = Composite International Diagnostic Interview; DepreMI = Depression after Myocardial Infarction; HR = hazard ratio; ICD-10 = International Classification of Diseases, Version 10; LCA = latent class analysis; LVEF = left ventricular ejection fraction; MI = myocardial infarction; PTCA = percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty.
Alpha rhythm onset detector based on localized EEG sensor

The goal of this study is to detect the onset of alpha rhythm in the electroencephalography (EEG) signal after eye closure. We developed an algorithm that detects the alpha rhythm onset by analyzing the FFT of an EEG signal, obtained by means of a localized sensor in the occipital zone, developed with specific characteristics for alpha rhythm acquisition. The EEG signal of eight subjects was recorded while they were performed a simple task of opening and closing the eyes and annotated the eye closure event with a manual triggering switch. The results show that, in average, the latency of the alpha rhythm onset in this group of subjects is 1.01 s, with a standard deviation of 0.49 s. Keywords— Electroencephalography (EEG), eye closure, alpha rhythm, Fast Fourier Transform (FFT), signal processing.
A Second Cell Wall Acid Invertase Gene in Arabidopsis thaliana

Invertases, or P-fructofuranosidases, hydrolyze SUC into Fru and Glc. Immobilized acid invertases in plants have been described as localized in the cell wall (Eschrich, 1980; Gogarten, 1986; Sturm and Chrispeels, 1990). Soluble acid invertases were ascribed to the vacuole (Leigh et al., 1979). At least in dicotyledonous plants these organelle-specific isoforms are encoded by separate genes (Sturm and Chrispeels, 1990; Unger et al., 1992). In maize a single mutation causes miniature seeds (Miller and Chourey, 1992) and these mutant seeds do not contain insoluble or soluble acid invertase. A characteristic of the known cell wall invertases in dicotyledonous plants is their acid pH optimum and their high pI (Eschrich, 1980; Gogarten, 1986; Hedley et al., 1993). The latter probably facilitates immobilization of the enzyme in the cell wall by ionic interactions; the former was interpreted to represent an acidcontrolled switch for photosynthate partitioning (Eschrich, 1980). We report here the nucleotide sequence of a gene encoding an acid invertase in Arabidopsis thaliana (Table I). The predicted pI of the encoded protein and the high sequence similarity to the carrot cell wall invertase (Table I), as well as our phylogenetic analysis (Fig. l), indicate that this gene encodes a cell wall isoform. Recently another cell wall acid invertase from A. thaliana (isoform 1) was reported (Schwebel-Dugue et al., 1994). The deduced amino acid sequences of the two Arabidopsis acid invertases are only 54% identical; however, both invertases have a high predicted pI (isoform 1,9.5; isoform 2,9.7), and both are more similar to the carrot cell wall invertase (isoform 1, 54.3%; isoform 2, 66.5% identity) than to the soluble intracellular acid invertase from carrot (isoform 1,46.4%; isoform 2,43% identity) (see legend to Fig. 1 for accession numbers; see Unger et al. [19921, for the characterization of the soluble invertase from carrots). To determine whether these two cell wall isoforms are restricted to Arabidopsis or whether they have a wider phylogenetic distribution, we reconstructed the evolutionary history of severa1 cell wall invertases whose sequences had been submitted to GenBank (Fig. 1). As expected from
ppGpp negatively impacts ribosome assembly affecting growth and antimicrobial tolerance in Gram-positive bacteria

Significance When bacteria encounter stresses such as nutrient deprivation, they react by switching on the stringent response, the effects of which are mediated by two nucleotides collectively referred to as (p)ppGpp. These nucleotides function by binding to target proteins, leading to bacterial cells shutting down active growth and entering a state that promotes survival. In Staphylococcus aureus, relatively little is known about the target proteins with which these nucleotides interact. In this work, a genome-wide nucleotide–protein interaction screen was used to identify protein targets of (p)ppGpp to fully establish the pathways these nucleotides control in Gram-positive bacteria. In doing so, we identify several previously unknown targets with roles in ribosomal assembly, cell growth, and antimicrobial tolerance. The stringent response is a survival mechanism used by bacteria to deal with stress. It is coordinated by the nucleotides guanosine tetraphosphate and pentaphosphate [(p)ppGpp], which interact with target proteins to promote bacterial survival. Although this response has been well characterized in proteobacteria, very little is known about the effectors of this signaling system in Gram-positive species. Here, we report on the identification of seven target proteins for the stringent response nucleotides in the Gram-positive bacterium Staphylococcus aureus. We demonstrate that the GTP synthesis enzymes HprT and Gmk bind with a high affinity, leading to an inhibition of GTP production. In addition, we identified five putative GTPases—RsgA, RbgA, Era, HflX, and ObgE—as (p)ppGpp target proteins. We show that RsgA, RbgA, Era, and HflX are functional GTPases and that their activity is promoted in the presence of ribosomes but strongly inhibited by the stringent response nucleotides. By characterizing the function of RsgA in vivo, we ascertain that this protein is involved in ribosome assembly, with an rsgA deletion strain, or a strain inactivated for GTPase activity, displaying decreased growth, a decrease in the amount of mature 70S ribosomes, and an increased level of tolerance to antimicrobials. We additionally demonstrate that the interaction of ppGpp with cellular GTPases is not unique to the staphylococci, as homologs from Bacillus subtilis and Enterococcus faecalis retain this ability. Taken together, this study reveals ribosome inactivation as a previously unidentified mechanism through which the stringent response functions in Gram-positive bacteria.
Design methodology for over-temperature protection of an LDO voltage regulator by using electro-thermal simulations

This paper presents a design methodology based on electro-thermal simulations for the over-temperature protection (OTP) of low drop-out voltage regulators (LDO). The OTP monitors the die temperature developed within the LDO and shuts down the circuit when the temperature reaches a set maximum level (the OTP trigger point). The proposed methodology involves running iteratively electrical, thermal and electro-thermal simulations. It addresses two major issues: first, it allows the designer to identify the suitable location of the OTP sensor by considering the temperature distribution within the LDO's power-stage. Second, the OTP trigger point can be set accurately taking into account coupled electro-thermal phenomena, so that the circuit is shut down when any section of the die reaches the maximum allowable temperature. The proposed methodology is validated by measurements performed on an LDO designed using it.
Coalition based interference mitigation in femtocell networks with multi-resource allocation

In this paper, we investigate the interference mitigation in femtocell networks, where femtocell access points (FAPs) are allowed to cooperate as different cooperative groups to allocate resources. We model the femtocell cooperation characteristics as a coalition formation game in partition form with non-transferable utility. Furthermore, a distributed coalition formation algorithm is proposed to enable each FAP to decide to depart from or join in a coalition independently, moreover, we devise a low complex iterative algorithm to optimize the allocation of each coalition's multi-dimensional resources for maximizing its FAPs' payoffs. By applying our proposed coalition formation scheme, a Nash stable FAP partition is formed and FAPs in each coalition can effectively exploit the cooperative gain to mitigate the interference and maximize the sum rate. Numerical results are provided to corroborate our proposed studies.
Polyethyleneimine‐based immunopolyplex for targeted gene transfer in human lymphoma celllines

Specific and efficient delivery of genes into targeted cells is a priority objective in non‐viral gene therapy. Polyethyleneimine‐based polyplexes have been reported to be good non‐viral transfection reagents. However, polyplex‐mediated DNA delivery occurs through a non‐specific mechanism. This article reports the construction of an immunopolyplex, a targeted non‐viral vector based on a polyplex backbone, and its application in gene transfer over human lymphoma cell lines.
The effect of acute administration of (meta trifluoro methyl‐phenyl)‐l‐(benzoyl oxy) ethyl amino‐2‐propane (780 SE) and fenfluramine on human sleep

In contrast to other amphetamine derivatives, fenfluramine (40 mg) and 780 SE (300 mg) had no effect on the rapid eye movement (REM) phase of sleep. Like other amphetamines they disturbed sleep, increasing the number of shifts to stage 1 (drowsiness) and stage W (arousal).
Size differences between human X and Y spermatozoa and prefertilization diagnosis.

Normal human spermatozoa carry either the X or the Y chromosome. The differences between X and Y spermatozoa (X and Y haploid cells) may exist in two areas: the different chromosomes (i.e. different kinds and numbers of genes) and the different sperm structures and functions (i.e. different genetic expression). The aim of this study was to determine whether there are any size between X and Y spermatozoa and whether sperm size and shape varies between men. Identification of the Y (and X inferred) status of individual spermatozoa was carried out by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), amplifying the putative testis-determining gene (SRY) together with a control gene (ZP3). PCR amplification of 871 out of 895 (97.3%) single motile spermatozoa showed that 444 (51.0%) were Y and 427 (49.0%) were X-bearing spermatozoa. Of 233 normally-shaped but immobilized spermatozoa, 217 (93.1%) were photographed and measured. Statistically, the length, perimeter and area of the sperm heads, and the length of the sperm necks and tails of X-bearing spermatozoa were significantly larger and longer than those of Y-bearing spermatozoa. Some peculiarities (or variations) in the X and Y sperm shape and size in individual donors were found. The pre-screening by micro-measurement of these specific haploid characteristics of individual spermatozoa in different donors, which may be closely related to their different genetic conditions (or diseases), may be important in human medicine and animal husbandry, especially in sperm prefertilization diagnosis.
Towards Mobile Information Systems for Indoor Space

With the rapid development of Internet of things (IOT) and indoor positioning technologies such as Wi-Fi and RFID, indoor mobile information systems have become a new research hotspot. Based on the unique features of indoor space and urgent needs on indoor mobile applications, in this paper we analyze some key issues in indoor mobile information systems, including positioning technologies in indoor environments, representation models for indoor spaces, query processing techniques for indoor moving objects, and index structures for indoor mobile applications. Then, we present an indoor mobile information management system named IndoorDB. Finally, we give some future research topics about indoor mobile information systems.
Sélection de la taille du noyau pour l'estimation à noyau dans des espaces multidimensionnels hétérogènes.

Les methodes d'estimation a noyau, telles que le mean shift, ont un inconvenient majeur : le choix de la taille du noyau. La selection de cette taille devient vraiment difficile dans le cas de donnees multidimensionnelles et heterogenes. Nous presentons une solution a ce probleme. La taille est choisie iterativement pour chaque type de donnees, en cherchant parmi un ensemble de tailles predefinies celle qui donne localement les resultats les plus stables. La selection iterative necessite l'introduction d'un nouvel estimateur. La methode est validee dans le contexte de la segmentation d'image couleur et de mouvement.
Agreement Between Administrative Claims and the Medical Record in Identifying Patients With a Diagnosis of Hypertension

Objective:This study evaluated the accuracy of 2 administrative claims-based selection rules to identify patients with hypertension (HTN) using medical records as the gold standard. Research Design:The claims database consisted of inpatient, outpatient, pharmacy, and eligibility claims for members of a single insurance company from January 2000 through March 2003. Medical records were abstracted for 258 matched patient pairs selected by Rule A (at least 1 HTN-related International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision [ICD-9] claim) and 138 pairs selected by Rule B (at least 1 HTN-related ICD-9 and at least 1 HTN prescription claim) from 31 provider sites. Sensitivity and specificity of the 2 selection rules were computed using medical chart review as the gold standard for a diagnosis of HTN. Subjects:Of patients selected by Rule A, chart review identified 281 patients with and 235 patients without HTN. Of patients selected by Rule B, chart review identified 172 patients with and 104 patients without HTN. Results:The sensitivity and specificity was 70.8% and 74.9% for Rule A and 76.2% and 93.3% for Rule B. The kappa score was 0.45 for Rule A and 0.65 for Rule B. Conclusion:To identify patients with HTN, a selection rule using both a diagnosis and prescription claim has greater sensitivity and specificity than a rule using a diagnosis claim only.
Comparison between Two Non-Halogenated Glucocorticoid Ointments in Psoriasis

Observations made in a controlled double-blind investigation of two non-halogenated topical steroids, hydrocortisone-17-butyrate (HCB) and budesonide in thirty-six patients with psoriasis revealed a clear difference in therapeutic effect between the two ointments, indicating that they belong to different groups of topical steroids according to a classification accepted in the Nordic countries. Budesonide had a good therapeutic effect in all the patients studied, while, as a rule, HCB was clearly less effective.
Tracking cohesive subgroups over time in inferred social networks

As a first step in the development of community trackers for large-scale online interaction, this paper shows how cohesive subgroup analysis using the Social Cohesion Analysis of Networks (SCAN; Chin and Chignell 2008) and Data-Intensive Socially Similar Evolving Community Tracker (DISSECT; Chin and Chignell 2010) methods can be applied to the problem of identifying cohesive subgroups and tracking them over time. Three case studies are reported, and the findings are used to evaluate how well the SCAN and DISSECT methods work for different types of data. In the largest of the case studies, variations in temporal cohesiveness are identified across a set of subgroups extracted from the inferred social network. Further modifications to the DISSECT methodology are suggested based on the results obtained. The paper concludes with recommendations concerning further research that would be beneficial in addressing the community tracking problem for online data.
In vitro studies with "transfer factor": transfer of the cell-migration inhibition correlate of delayed hypersensitivity in humans with cell lysates from humans sensitized to histoplasmin, coccidioidin, or PPD.

When “nonsensitive” cells from skin test negative donors were incubated with specific antigen and specific cell lysates obtained from strongly skin test-positive histoplasmin, coccidioidin, or tuberculin skin test donors, the “nonsensitive” cells were “sensitized” and liberated a substance which specifically inhibited the migration of guinea pig macrophages. Cell lysates, antigen, or nonspecific combinations of both, either in the presence or absence of “nonsensitive” cells, failed to inhibit the migration of guinea pig macrophages.
A Novel Integrating Virtual Reality Approach for the Assessment of the Attachment Behavioral System

Virtual reality (VR) technology represents a novel and powerful tool for behavioral research in psychological assessment. VR provides simulated experiences able to create the sensation of undergoing real situations. Users become active participants in the virtual environment seeing, hearing, feeling, and actuating as if they were in the real world. Currently, the most psychological VR applications concern the treatment of various mental disorders but not the assessment, that it is mainly based on paper and pencil tests. The observation of behaviors is costly, labor-intensive, and it is hard to create social situations in laboratory settings, even if the observation of actual behaviors could be particularly informative. In this framework, social stressful experiences can activate various behaviors of attachment for a significant person that can help to control and soothe them to promote individual’s well-being. Social support seeking, physical proximity, and positive and negative behaviors represent the main attachment behaviors that people can carry out during experiences of distress. We proposed VR as a novel integrating approach to measure real attachment behaviors. The first studies on attachment behavioral system by VR showed the potentiality of this approach. To improve the assessment during the VR experience, we proposed virtual stealth assessment (VSA) as a new method. VSA could represent a valid and novel technique to measure various psychological attributes in real-time during the virtual experience. The possible use of this method in psychology could be to generate a more complete, exhaustive, and accurate individual’s psychological evaluation.
Characterization of Line-of-Sight MIMO Channel for Fixed Wireless Communications

In this letter, we proposed an approach to construct multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) channel in line-of-sight (LOS) environment. It could be a potential technique for high-speed data transmission in fixed broadband wireless access (BWA). Based on Ricean fading channel model, our research is focused on the characteristics of the channel matrix such as the condition number. The initial discussion starts from a 4 times 4 MIMO scheme that the four antennas formed a square array on each side. A design constraint for antenna arrangement as a function of frequency and distance is derived for the LOS MIMO communication. Since rigorous constraint is difficult to achieve in practice, simulation results of the acceptable deviation from optimal design in different cases are presented. Smart geometrical arrangement and multipolarization may also weaken this constraint
Low power channel selection filtering for highly integrated wireless receivers

Las aportaciones economicas de los siguientes organismos han hecho posible esta tesis: 1) Comision Interministerial de Ciencia y Tecnologia, mediante los proyectos TEC2007-67460-C03-01/MIC y TEC2010-21563-C0201/MIC; 2) Universidad Publica de Navarra, mediante sus programas de ayudas a tesis doctorales.
Compensating images for absorption variations before acoustic seabed classification

Dividing sonar images into regions that have similar seabeds is often done by expert interpretation. Automated classification systems are becoming more widely used. This paper describes techniques, based on image amplitudes and texture, that lead to useful and practical automated segmentation of multibeam images. Seabed (or riverbed or lakebed) type affects amplitudes and texture, but so do system operating details, water conditions, and survey geometry. Effects of the last three must be compensated to isolate the effects of seabed type. Images from multibeam surveys are accompanied by bathymetric data from which grazing angles of all sonar footprints can be calculated. By compiling tables of amplitude against range and grazing angle, systematic changes in amplitude with these two variables can be removed consistently. If sound absorption varies, though, this empirical method compensates with some average absorption and local effects get lost. This paper explores using independent absorption data for calculated range compensation, and shows that the accuracy of maps of acoustic classes is thereby improved.
Attentional deficits in fibromyalgia and its relationships with pain, emotional distress and sleep dysfunction complaints

Cognitive complaints are common among subjects with fibromyalgia (FM). Yet, few studies have been able to document these deficits with cognitive tasks. A main limitation of existing studies is that attention has been broadly defined and the tasks used to measure attention are not designed to cover all the main components of the attentional system. Research on attention has identified three primary functions of attention, known as alerting, orienting and executive functioning. This study used the attentional network test-interactions task to explore whether and which of the three attentional networks are altered in FM. Results showed that FM patients have impaired executive control (greater interference), reduced vigilance (slower overall reaction time) and greater alertness (higher reduction in errors after a warning cue). Vigilance and alertness showed several relations with depression, anxiety and sleep quality. Sleep dysfunction was a significant predictor for alertness, whereas there were no significant predictors for vigilance. These findings highlight that the treatment of sleep difficulties in FM patients may help with some of their cognitive complaints.