Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Quality of life in patients with primary axillary hyperhidrosis before and after treatment with fractionated microneedle radiofrequency

Background: Primary axillary hyperhidrosis (PAH) is a common condition with a great impact on the patient's quality of life (QOL). It is associated with serious social, emotional, and occupational distress. The aim of this study was to investigate the QOL in patients with PAH before and after treatment with fractionated microneedle radiofrequency (FMR). Materials and Methods: We evaluated 25 patients with severe PAH. Each patient had three sessions of FMR treatment using a novel applicator at 3-week intervals. The study was based on Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) Questionnaires. Patients were evaluated at baseline and 3 months after the last session. Results: Our patients included 32% males and 68% females. The mean ± standard deviation (SD) age of subjects was 30.2 ± 6.27 years. The mean ± SD of the DLQI before and after treatment was 12.96 ± 5.93, and 4.29 ± 2.21, respectively. There was a statistically significant difference between the before and after intervention (P < 0.001). No major, permanent adverse effects were shown. Conclusion: Treatment with FMR can improve the DLQI of patients with PAH.
International Conference On Medical Imaging Understanding and Analysis 2016 , MIUA 2016 , 6-8 July 2016 , Loughborough , UK Multi-point Regression Voting for Shape Model Matching

Regression-based schemes have proven effective for locating landmarks on images. Most previous approaches either predict the positions of all points simultaneously, or use regressors that predict individual points combined with a global shape constraint. The former can be efficient, but such models tend to be less robust. Conversely, Random Forest (RF) voting methods for individual points have been shown to be robust and accurate, but can lead to very large models. We explore the continuum between these two approaches by training RF regressors to predict subsets of points. Multi-point regression voting was implemented within the Random Forest Regression Voting Constrained Local Model framework and evaluated on clinical and facial images. Significant model size reductions were achieved with little difference in accuracy. The approach may therefore be useful where high numbers of points, and limitations on memory or disk space, make single-point models impractically large. c © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. Peer-review under responsibility of the Organizing Committee of MIUA 2016.
Degrees-of-freedom for the 4-user SISO interference channel with improper signaling

It has been recently shown that for the 3-user single-input single-output (SISO) interference channel with constant channel coefficients, a maximum of 1.2 degrees-of-freedom (DoF) are achievable using linear interference alignment schemes when improper (a.k.a. asymmetric) Gaussian signaling is applied. In this paper, we study the 4-user SISO interference channel and provide inner and outer bounds for the total number of DoF achievable for this channel. We prove that at least 4/3 DoF are achievable for the 4-user channel using also linear interference alignment techniques and improper signaling. A simple converse proof shows that no more than 8/5 DoF are achievable for this scheme. Simulation results seem to indicate that the inner bound is in fact tight for this channel, and serve to illustrate the sum-rate improvement with respect to time division multiple access (TDMA) techniques.
Complementation of the Saccharomyces cerevisiaePlasma Membrane H+-ATPase by a Plant H+-ATPase Generates a Highly Abundant Fusicoccin Binding Site*

Accumulating evidence suggests that the H+-ATPase of the plant plasma membrane is activated by a direct, reversible interaction with 14-3-3 proteins involving the displacement of the C-terminal autoinhibitory domain of the enzyme. The fungal phytotoxin fusicoccin (FC) appears to stabilize this H+-ATPase·14-3-3 complex, thus leading to a persistent activation of the H+-ATPase in vivo. In this study we show that functional replacement of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae H+-ATPase genes by a Nicotiana plumbaginifolia H+-ATPase (pma2) results in the generation of a high affinity fusicoccin binding site that is exceptionally abundant. Acquisition of FC binding capacity is accompanied by a significant increase in the amount of plasma membrane-associated yeast 14-3-3 homologs. The existence of a (plant) PMA2·(yeast)14-3-3 complex was demonstrated using two-dimensional gel systems (native/denaturing). After expression of PMA2 lacking most of its C-terminal region, neither H+-ATPase·14-3-3 complex formation nor FC binding activity could be observed. Furthermore, we obtained direct biochemical evidence for a minimal FC binding complex consisting of the C-terminal PMA2 domain and yeast 14-3-3 homologs. Thus we demonstrated unambiguously the relevance of this regulatory ATPase domain for 14-3-3 interaction as well as its requirement for FC binding.
Influence of pursed-lip breathing on heart rate variability and cardiorespiratory parameters in subjects with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)

OBJECTIVES: To assess the effects of pursed-lip breathing (PLB) at rest on the behavior of heart rate (HR) and its variability, and on variations in blood pressure (BP), respiratory rate (RR) and pulse oxygen saturation (SpO2) in subjects with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). METHODS: Sixteen subjects with COPD (seven in GOLD stage I, three in GOLD stage II and six in GOLD stage III; mean age 64±11 years; mean FEV1 60±25% of predicted value) were assessed at rest, in a seated position, under the following conditions: ten minutes of normal breathing without PLB (R1), eight minutes with PLB (R2) and ten minutes of normal breathing once more (R3). HR was recorded, beat-to-beat, by means of a Polar S810 heart monitor. The RMSSD index (root mean square of the difference between successive R-R intervals) was determined. BP, RR and SpO2 were also assessed during the trials. ANOVA for repeated measures followed by the Tukey test and Kruskal-Wallis test were used for data analysis, with a 5% significance level. RESULTS: There was a significant increase in the RMSSD index during R2, in comparison with R1. The HR variation between inspiration and expiration was 8.98 bpm, and the variation between HR at rest and HR with PLB was 8.25 bpm. During R2, RR decreased and SpO2 increased significantly in comparison with R1 and R3. BP values did not show significant changes. CONCLUSIONS: The results showed that PLB produced significant changes in HR, RR and SpO2, and did not alter BP in subjects with COPD. Furthermore, analysis of the RMSSD index showed that PLB promoted increased parasympathetic activity in these subjects, thus indicating that this technique influenced the autonomic cardiac modulation.
Challenges For Scaling Applications Across Enclaves

At Fortanix, we are developing cloud-scale security infrastructure using SGX. For example, our Self-Defending Key Management Service (SDKMS) can span multiple machines and enclaves, rendering a more scalable and cost-effective alternative to a traditional Hardware Security Module (HSM). This paper describes several subtle, practical, and under-explored problems in the space of building scalable, trusted applications, based on our experience building distributed SGX systems. In particular, we discuss shortcomings in remote attestation for microservice-style applications, software updates, and opportunities to reflect trustworthy development practices in attestation features.
Quantitative amino acid and proteomic analysis: very low excretion of polypeptides >750 Da in normal urine.

BACKGROUND Quantitative data on protein and polypeptide excretion in normal urine are lacking. In Fanconi syndrome, failure of proximal tubular protein reabsorption leads to 'tubular' proteinuria, but little is known about peptide excretion. METHODS Urine from normal (N=5) and Fanconi patients (Dent's disease, N=2; Lowe syndrome, N=3) was fractionated by size-exclusion chromatography into proteins (>10 kD) and smaller polypeptides. Each fraction was subjected to amino acid analysis after acid hydrolysis. In complementary proteomic approaches, urinary polypeptides were each subjected to reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) followed by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) and nano-flow liquid chromatography directly coupled to electrospray ionization/tandem mass spectrometry (NanoLC-ESI-MS/MS) before and after tryptic digestion. RESULTS Based on amino acid composition, normal human urine, excluding Tamm-Horsfall protein, contains 33.7 +/- 10.7 mg protein per 24 hr (mean +/- SEM) protein defined as polypeptide >10 kD; peptide content in range 750 Da to 10 kD is 22.0 +/- 9.6 mg. Fanconi patients excrete greatly increased amounts of protein, 1740 +/- 660 mg/24 hr, and peptide, 446 +/- 145 mg/24 hr. Peptides 2 to 5 kD were present in 12.9- +/- 3.9-fold excess in Fanconi compared with normal urine. In contrast, free amino acid excretion in Fanconi was elevated only 2.14- +/- 0.73-fold. Mass spectrometric techniques determined that the major form of albumin in both normal and Fanconi urine was the full-length protein, and did not detect significant peptides of nonrenal origin. CONCLUSION There is only very low excretion of polypeptides >750 Da in normal human urine. In Fanconi syndrome, excretion of unknown peptides of mass 2 to 5 kD, possibly relevant to the development of renal failure, is greatly increased.
Robust Framework of Single-Frame Face Superresolution Across Head Pose, Facial Expression, and Illumination Variations

This paper presents a robust framework to solve the face hallucination problem across multiple factors, i.e., different expressions, head poses, and illuminations. It proposes a redundant transformation with diagonal loading for modeling the mappings among different new face factors, and a local reconstruction with geometry and position constraints for incorporating image details in the new factor spaces. Our proposed redundant and sparse strategies are discussed, and the experiments indicate that it is not necessary to adopt sparse representation in the proposed framework. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed framework offers robustness when dealing with the inputs that have different expressions, head poses, and illuminations compared with the state-of-the-art methods, can generate high-resolution face images with better image qualities than the hierarchical tensor-based method, and improves the state of the art from single one output to multiple outputs with new factors.
Rate limit of protein elastic response is tether dependent

The elastic restoring force of tissues must be able to operate over the very wide range of loading rates experienced by living organisms. It is surprising that even the fastest events involving animal muscle tissues do not surpass a few hundred hertz. We propose that this limit is set in part by the elastic dynamics of tethered proteins extending and relaxing under a changing load. Here we study the elastic dynamics of tethered proteins using a fast force spectrometer with sub-millisecond time resolution, combined with Brownian and Molecular Dynamics simulations. We show that the act of tethering a polypeptide to an object, an inseparable part of protein elasticity in vivo and in experimental setups, greatly reduces the attempt frequency with which the protein samples its free energy. Indeed, our data shows that a tethered polypeptide can traverse its free-energy landscape with a surprisingly low effective diffusion coefficient Deff ∼ 1,200 nm2/s. By contrast, our Molecular Dynamics simulations show that diffusion of an isolated protein under force occurs at Deff ∼ 108 nm2/s. This discrepancy is attributed to the drag force caused by the tethering object. From the physiological time scales of tissue elasticity, we calculate that tethered elastic proteins equilibrate in vivo with Deff ∼ 104–106 nm2/s which is two to four orders magnitude smaller than the values measured for untethered proteins in bulk.
Empirical Evaluation of the Genetic Similarity of Samples From Twin Registries in Australia and the Netherlands Using 359 STRP Markers

Abstract One way to achieve the large sample sizes required for genetic studies of complex traits is to combine samples collected by different groups. It is not often clear, however, whether this practice is reasonable from a genetic perspective. To assess the comparability of samples from the Australian and the Netherlands twin studies, we estimated Fst (the proportion of total genetic variability attributable to genetic differences between cohorts) based on 359 short tandem repeat polymorphisms in 1068 individuals. Fst was estimated to be 0.30% between the Australian and the Netherlands cohorts, a smaller value than between many European groups. We conclude that it is reasonable to combine the Australian and the Netherlands samples for joint genetic analyses.
Effects of Early Nutrition on Free Radical Formation in VLBW Infants with Respiratory Distress

Objective: We studied the development of essential fatty acid deficiency (EFAD) and its effects together with those of vitamin E deficiency on the free radical formation of very low birth weight (VLBW) infants with respiratory distress. Methods: Infants were divided into three groups based on the way each was supplied with daily total energy intake: (1) by fat free parenteral nutrition only or by nutrition composed of (2) less than or (3) higher than 25% of total daily energy intake given in oral feeding. We measured plasma lipid parameters and autoxidative susceptibility (AOS) of red blood cells (RBCs). Results: Plasma concentrations of linoleic acid were low in all the groups. After at least 14 days of feeding, eicosatrienoic acid (EA) was not detected. One week after the introduction of oral feeding, the abnormal triene/tetraene ratio of the groups had decreased, but was not normalized. Vitamin E deficiency was associated with significantly increased AOS, but EFAD was not. The two factors together caused an increase of AOS, that was additive. Conclusions: Our data confirm that EFAD increases AOS of RBCs in VLBW infants. We assume that prevention of EFAD in VLBW infants could decrease the prevalence of complications associated with free radical formation.
A novel design for a cryogenic Fabry-Pérot interferometer

The sensitivity of state-of-the-art superconducting far-infrared detectors is such that astronomical observations at these wavelengths are limited by photon noise from the astronomical source unless a method of restricting the spectral bandpass is employed. One such method is to use a high resolution Fabry-Pérot interferometer (FPI) in conjunction with a lower resolution, post dispersing system, such as a grating spectrometer. The resonant wavelength of an FPI is typically tuned by changing the spacing or medium between the parallel reflecting plates of the etalon. We present a novel design in which the wavelength is tuned by scanning the angle of incidence, which simplifies the cryo-mechanical design, actuation and metrology. The effects on the spectral response as a function of incident angle have been simulated and shown to be manageable.
The needs of patients with cancer and their caregivers in rural areas.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES To describe physical and psychological needs, rank their importance, and identify needs that were not met of patients with cancer and their caregivers living in rural settings. DESIGN Exploratory descriptive. SETTING Rural Vermont. SAMPLE 30 patients with cancer and 30 caregivers. METHODS Patients completed the self-administered. 104-item Patient Needs Scale; caregivers completed the self-administered, 90-item Caregiver Needs Scale. Respondents were asked to rate the importance of an item on a scale of 1-10 if they considered if a need. If a numbered item was scored, respondents identified whether the need was met. FINDINGS The patient group identified 49% of scale items as needs; the caregiver group identified 41% of scale items as needs. Greater than 50% of the patient and caregiver respondents identified needs in areas of personal care. Involvement with health care, and interpersonal Interaction as very important. The patient group reported that 5% of identified needs were unmet, whereas the caregiver group reported that 14% of identified needs were unmet. CONCLUSIONS In rural settings, caregiver needs, while fewer in number, are not met three times more frequently than patient needs. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING PRACTICE The needs identified by more than 50% of both groups should be included in assessment and care plans. The variability of patient and caregiver needs reinforces the importance of individual assessment and planning rather than making assumptions about needs. Future research may include identifying questions to elicit current needs and determining how often these questions should be asked to meet changing needs.
Bronchial hyperresponsiveness to 4.5% hypertonic saline indicates a past history of asthma‐like symptoms in children

Summary. To evaluate the importance of a past history of asthma‐like symptoms over a period of 2 years and current bronchial hyperreactivity (BHR), 538 randomly selected schoolchildren, initially aged 7–8 years, were examined. At yearly intervals, three standardized questionnaires, including items from the ISAAC panel, were answered by parents. Following the last questionnaire, BHR to 4.5% hypertonic saline (HS) was recorded.
Herbal medicine use by children presenting for ambulatory anesthesia and surgery

Background : Herbal medicine use has become increasingly popular throughout the world. Some of these agents may have serious interactions with anesthetic drugs. Children may potentially be more vulnerable to such interactions because of altered drug handling. While the prevalence of herbal medicine use by children with some chronic illnesses has been estimated, the incidence of this in a population of otherwise healthy children admitted for minor ambulatory anesthesia and surgery is currently unknown.
Short dental implants in posterior partial edentulism: a multicenter retrospective 6-year case series study.

BACKGROUND Implants <10 mm long in the posterior regions of partial edentulous patients have a higher failure rate in many clinical reports. The purpose of this case series study was to evaluate implant survival when a biomechanical approach was used to decrease stress to the bone-implant interface. METHODS A retrospective evaluation of 273 consecutive posterior partially edentulous patients treated with 745 implants. 7 or 9 mm long, supporting 338 restorations over a 1- to 5-year period was reviewed from four private offices. Implant survival data were collected relative to stage I to stage II healing, stage II to prosthesis delivery, and prosthesis delivery to as long as 6 years follow-up. A biomechanical approach to decrease stress to the posterior implants included splinting implants together with no cantilever load, restoring the patient with a mutually protected or canine guidance occlusion, and selecting an implant designed to increase bone-implant contact surface area. RESULTS Of the 745 implants inserted, there were six surgical failures from stage I to stage II healing to prosthesis delivery. No implants failed after the 338 final implant prostheses were delivered. A 98.9% survival rate was obtained from stage I surgery to prosthetic follow-up. CONCLUSIONS Short-length implants may predictably be used to support fixed restorations in posterior partial edentulism. Methods to decrease biomechanical stress to the bone-implant interface appear appropriate for this treatment.
State Observation Using the Phase and the Beat Frequency of a FMCW Radar for Precise Local Positioning and Line-of-Sight Detection

The accuracy of an FMCW radar working in a multipath environment is mainly limited by the radar signal bandwidth. Furthermore, the separation and identification of line-of-sight (LOS) and non-line-of-sight (NLOS) signals are important and challenging problems in many radar and local positioning applications. In this article, a method is proposed to overcome these restrictions. A state observer is used for an improved fusion of the FMCW radar beat signal frequency and phase. It is shown that the concepts allow for an accuracy improvement of more than one order of magnitude. In addition, the new approach is able to distinguish between NLOS and LOS measurements. The robustness of the system is improved by the implementation of motion type detection algorithms. Practical experiments illustrate that the new technique is superior to standard FMCW radar location methods.
Video Enhancement Based on A Robust Hampel Iterative SRR with a General Observation Model

This paper proposes a novel robust Super Resolution Reconstruction (SRR) framework that can enhance a real complex video sequence and is applicable to any noise models. Although SRR algorithms have received considerable attention within the traditional research community, these algorithms are typically very sensitive to their assumed model of data and noise, which limits their utility. The real noise models that corrupt the measured sequence are unknown; consequently, SRR algorithms using L1 or L2 norm may degrade the image sequence rather than enhance it therefore the robust norm applicable to several noise and data models is desired in SRR algorithms. This paper proposes a SRR framework based on the stochastic regularization technique of Bayesian MAP estimation by minimizing a cost function. In order to tolerate to any noise models, the Hampel norm is used for measuring the difference between the projected estimate of the high-resolution image and each low resolution image, and removing outliers in the data. Tikhonov regularization is used to remove artifacts from the final result and improve the rate of convergence. Moreover, in order to cope with real video sequences and complex motion sequences, this paper proposes a SRR General Observation Model (GOM or a±ne block-based transform) devoted to the case of nonisometric inter-frame motion. In the experimental section, the proposed framework can enhance real complex motion sequences, such as Suzie and Foreman sequence, and con¯rm the effectiveness of our algorithm and demonstrate its superiority to other SRR algorithms based on L1 and L2 norm for several noise models (such as AWGN, Poisson noise, Salt & Pepper noise and Speckle noise) at several noise power.
Long Non-Coding RNAs Involved in Gynecological Cancer

Abstract Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are defined as transcripts longer than 200 nucleotides with little or no protein-coding capacity. Previously, they were considered transcription byproducts without biological functions. Further studies have shown that lncRNAs are involved in multiple biological and pathological processes, including regulation of epigenetic, transcriptional, and posttranscriptional events. Long non-coding RNA expression patterns in various malignant tumors differ from those of benign tumors and normal tissue, and such alterations may promote or suppress tumorigenesis and cancer progression. The expression profiles of lncRNAs are abnormal in gynecological cancers, such as ovarian cancer, cervical cancer, and endometrial cancer, suggesting an important role for lncRNAs in tumorigenesis/progression of these cancers. Here, we summarized the research progress on identifying the biological functions of lncRNAs in tumorigenesis, progression, and metastasis in gynecological cancers. We provide references for exploring the clinical applications of lncRNAs as early diagnostic biomarkers or ideal therapeutic targets in gynecological cancers.