Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Using the Telephone to Call for Help and Caregiver Awareness in Alzheimer Disease

We assessed the ability of 73 patients with Alzheimer disease (AD) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) from our outpatient clinic to demonstrate how they would use the telephone to call for help in case of an emergency. We also assessed their caregivers' awareness of their abilities. Overall, 44% of the patients did not demonstrate how to call for help correctly if they had no written telephone number to call, and 18% did not when they had a written number. There was an association between the abilities of the patients and their Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores, with the patients with the lowest scores having the most difficulty (P < 0.0001). Surprisingly, 21% of those with MMSE scores 26-30 did not use the telephone correctly when they had no written number. Of the caregivers, 31% were incorrect in predicting their patients' abilities for the first task, and 11% were incorrect in predicting the second task. We conclude that AD patients lose their ability to use the telephone to call for help as their illness progresses. Furthermore, many caregivers are unaware of their patients' impairment. These findings highlight safety concerns in AD and suggest that caregivers could benefit from education about potential patient losses.
Design and performance of BICM-ID systems with hypercube constellations

This paper introduces new mappings of QPSK symbols, viewed as a multi-dimensional hypercube, to improve the performance of bit-interleaved coded modulation with iterative decoding (BICM-ID). By evaluating the upper bound of the bit error rate performance of BICM-ID, a condition to find the best mapping of a hypercube constellation in terms of the asymptotic performance under different channel models is established. A general and simple algorithm to construct the best mapping of a hypercube is then proposed. Analytical and simulation results show that the use of the proposed mappings together with very simple convolutional codes can offer significant coding gains over the conventional BICM-ID systems for all the channel models considered. Such coding gains are achieved without bandwidth or power expansion and with a very small increase in the system complexity.
Analyses of copy number variation reveal putative susceptibility loci in MTX‐induced mouse neural tube defects

Copy number variations (CNVs) are thought to act as an important genetic mechanism underlying phenotypic heterogeneity. Impaired folate metabolism can result in neural tube defects (NTDs). However, the precise nature of the relationship between low folate status and NTDs remains unclear. Using an array‐comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH) assay, we investigated whether CNVs could be detected in the NTD embryonic neural tissues of methotrexate (MTX)‐induced folate dysmetabolism pregnant C57BL/6 mice and confirmed the findings with quantitative real‐time PCR (qPCR). The CNVs were then comprehensively investigated using bioinformatics methods to prioritize candidate genes. We measured dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) activity and concentrations of folate and relevant metabolites in maternal serum using enzymologic method and liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS). Three high confidence CNVs on XqA1.1, XqA1.1‐qA2, and XqE3 were found in the NTD embryonic neural tissues. Twelve putative genes and three microRNAs were identified as potential susceptibility candidates in MTX‐induced NTDs and possible roles in NTD pathogenesis. DHFR activity and 5‐methyltetrahydrofolate (5‐MeTHF), 5‐formyltetrahydrofolate (5‐FoTHF), and S‐adenosylmethionine (SAM) concentrations of maternal serum decreased significantly after MTX injection. These findings suggest that CNVs caused by defects in folate metabolism lead to NTD, and further support the hypothesis that folate dysmetabolism is a direct cause for CNVs in MTX‐induced NTDs. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Develop Neurobiol 74: 877–893, 2014
The first clinical trial for determination of alpha 1 fetoprotein by means of Sevatest-ELISA AFP Kit (micro I).

At the Institute of Sera and Vaccines, Praha, was invented and tested on clinical samples a kit for detection and quantification of alpha 1 fetoprotein in human serum. It is a heterogeneous EIA on the "sandwich" principle. Rabbit antibody to alpha 1 fetoprotein (further AFP) was used for coating the solid surface and goat horse-radish peroxidase labelled antibody to AFP was used as the tracer. Microtitration plate of Czechoslovak manufacture (KOH-I-NOOR, Dalecín) type P with 96 wells was used as the solid phase. The range of an approximately linear part of the calibration curve was intentionally chosen between 10 and 400 ng/ml, since in this way it fills the detection gap in AFP determination between 10 and 200 ng/ml, which is, on the one hand, a physiological value of AFP in human serum and, on the other hand, the bottom limit of sensitivity of counter immunoelectrophoresis (CIEP). Attention was devoted both to reproducibility of the method, i.e. results of intra- and interassays, and comparability with other foreign ELISA Kits. According to the correlation analysis, the kit was ascertained to be very well comparable with kits of foreign provenance. The coefficient of variation (CV) for the interassays varied between 11 and 16% and for intraassays it equalled 15%.
Detection technique of muscle activation intervals for sEMG signals based on the empirical mode decomposition

The best way to detect the onset and offset time of muscle activation is through visual decision making by clinical experts like physical therapists. Humans can recognize muscle activation trends recorded from surface EMG signals. Current computer-based algorithms are being researched toward yielding similar results by clinical experts. A new algorithm in this paper has the ability, like humans, to recognize a trend from noisy input signals. We propose using the Empirical Mode Decomposition (EMD), because it is effectual to recognize trends which are decomposed by Hilbert transform and synthesized of Intrinsic Mode Functions (IMFs). These synthesized functions represent hidden low-frequency trends according to more iterative processes. Iterations will be stopped at the minimum SD of a resting period of EMG signals. The proposed method is very useful and easy implemented, but there are some limitations. The EMD method is only available on an off-line data and requires relatively high computational performances to find the IMFs. To use the proposed method, it is possible to detect muscle activation intervals of sEMG signals.
Energy Expenditure, Inflammation, and Oxidative Stress in Steady-State Adolescents With Sickle Cell Anemia

Sickle cell anemia (HbSS) is characterized by hypermetabolism, chronic inflammation, and increased oxidative stress, but the relationship between these factors is undefined. In this study, we examined indicators of inflammatory process and markers of oxidative damage and their impact on resting energy expenditure (REE) in stable HbSS adolescents (n = 35) and healthy controls carrying normal hemoglobin genotype (HbAA) (n = 39). C-reactive protein (CRP), white blood cell (WBC) count, and proinflammatory cytokines were measured as markers of inflammation and 2,3-dinor-5,6-dihydro-15-F2t-isoprostane (F2-IsoPM) as a marker of oxidative stress. REE was measured by indirect calorimetry. WBC counts (11.90 ± 5.3 ×103/μL versus 5.6 ± 1.9 ×103/μL; p < 0.001), serum CRP (9.1 ± 11.0 μg/mL versus 0.4 ± 0.7 μg/mL; p < 0.001) and serum IL-8 (7.5 ± 4.4 pg/mL versus 5.5 ± 4.8 pg/mL; p = 0.011) were higher in HbSS than HbAA, suggesting an anti-inflammatory response in HbSS. Higher urinary F2-IsoPM in HbSS (1.2 ± 0.4 versus 0.7 ± 0.3 ng/mg creatinine; p < 0.001) indicates increased oxidative stress. Fat free mass (FFM), hemoglobin (Hgb), interleukin (IL)-8, and F2-IsoPM were independent predictors of REE in HbSS (overall r2 = 0.778; p < 0.001). Low-grade inflammation and increased oxidative stress are present in adolescents with HbSS in the absence of acute crisis, and their markers are correlated with elevated REE.
Scalp Nerve Blocks Decrease the Severity of Pain After Craniotomy

Up to 80% of patients report moderate to severe pain after craniotomy. In this study, we assessed the efficacy of scalp block for decreasing postoperative pain in brain surgery. Thirty patients scheduled for supratentorial craniotomy were enrolled. They were randomly divided into two groups: Ropivacaine (scalp block with 20 mL of ropivacaine 0.75%) and Saline (scalp block with 20 mL of saline 0.9%). Anesthesia was standardized. The scalp block was performed after skin closure and before awakening. Postoperative pain was assessed at 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, 24, and 48 h by using a 10-cm visual analog scale. Analgesia was provided with sub- cutaneous codeine as requested by the patient. Average visual analog scale scores were higher in the Saline group as compared with Ropivacaine (3.7 ± 2.4 vs 2.0 ± 1.6;P = 0.036). The total dose of codeine did not differ, nor did the duration of time before the first dose of codeine was required in the Ropivacaine (571 ± 765 min) versus Saline (319 ± 409 min;P = 0.17) group. In conclusion, we found that postoperative scalp block decreases the severity of pain after craniotomy and that this effect is long lasting, possibly through a preemptive mechanism.
A sticky problem: The Xenopus cement gland as a paradigm for anteroposterior patterning

The cement gland is a mucus‐secreting organ found at the extreme anterior of frog embryos. It attaches the embryo to a solid support before swimming and feeding begin, and also serves a related sensory function that stops the embryo from moving once it is attached. Cement gland is an extremely useful anterior marker, whose study continues to yield fundamental information concerning vertebrate axial patterning. Cement gland arises from the outer layer of the embryonic ectoderm and, in Xenopus, forms a cone of columnar epithelium. It is the first ectodermal organ to differentiate, beginning to do so by late gastrula. A battery of genes expressed in the developing and mature cement gland serve as useful markers. Cement gland development can be influenced by both stimulatory and inhibitory cell interactions. Stimulatory signals arise from the anterior neural plate, head endoderm, and the dorsal mesoderm. Inhibitory signals are present in the posterior dorsal mesoderm and in ventral ectoderm and mesoderm. Further, signalling between the ectodermal layers may restrict cement gland differentiation to the outer ectodermal cells. Several secreted molecules are able to induce or repress cement gland formation: these include noggin, follistatin, hedgehog, chordin, retinoic acid, embryonic fibroblast growth factor (eFGF), Bone Morphogenetic Protein‐4 (BMP‐4), and Xwnt‐8. Several of these factors alter expression of the homeodomain gene Xotx2, which may be a transcriptional activator of cement gland differentiation genes. The significance of the cell interactions and factors described in positioning cement gland at the front of the embryo is explored. © 1996 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Development of a gene-based marker for the non-ripening (nor) gene in cultivated tomato

Long shelf-life is an important trait for providing fresh fruits to consumers in cultivated tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) The molecular mechanism of fruit ripening in tomato was previously defined by identifying several genes associated with abnormal ripening. Of these genes, non-ripening (nor) encodes a member of NAC domain family transcription factors that is important for diverse physiological processes, including fruit ripening. In this study, we investigated sequence variations associated with the nor mutation to develop a gene-based marker. Two varieties of S. lycopersicum with representative nor mutants (LA1793 and LA3013) and a wild-type variety (San Marzano) were used for sequence analysis of the nor gene. A total of eight primer sets were designed to sequence the full length of nor gene including a 2.8 kb open reading frame (three exons and two introns) as well as 2.0 kb region upstream from the start codon. Analysis of the 4.8 kb sequence for the nor gene found a 2 bp insertion and deletion (InDel) in the longest exon (725 bp) that results in a frame-shift mutation in the two mutant varieties. This InDel was used to genotype a collection of additional 81 varieties consisting of 30 inbred and 51 commercial F1 hybrid varieties. Of these varieties, two inbred and one F1 hybrid varieties had nor mutations that were in homozygous or heterozygous forms. These results will be useful for marker-assisted selection (MAS) for improving long shelf-life and quality of fruit in tomato breeding programs. OPEN ACCESS Received: Revised: Accepted: July 5, 2017 July 13, 2017 July 14, 2017 Abstract
Polypyrrole-based conducting polymers and interactions with biological tissues

Polypyrrole (PPy) is a conjugated polymer that displays particular electronic properties including conductivity. In biomedical applications, it is usually electrochemically generated with the incorporation of any anionic species including also negatively charged biological macromolecules such as proteins and polysaccharides to give composite materials. In biomedical research, it has mainly been assessed for its role as a reporting interface in biosensors. However, there is an increasing literature on the application of PPy as a potentially electrically addressable tissue/cell support substrate. Here, we review studies that have considered such PPy based conducting polymers in direct contact with biological tissues and conclude that due to its versatile functional properties, it could contribute to a new generation of biomaterials.
Implementation of DSP-based three-phase AC-AC matrix converter

The matrix converter can connect three phase input power source directly to three-phase load. Without the need for a fictitious dc link, it has many advantages in comparison with traditional topologies, such as unity input power factor, bi-directional power flow, sinusoidal input and output currents and small size etc. So in recent years more and more attention has been paid to it. This paper dedicates to describe the direct modulation method of matrix converter, DSP configuration and program method based on a low cost, fixed-point DSP, and the control software flow chart is described in details. Experimental results have already verified the validation of this three-phase matrix converter.
Improving access to new diagnostics through harmonised regulation: priorities for action

A new generation of diagnostic tests is being developed for use at the point of care that could save lives and reduce the spread of infectious diseases through early detection and treatment. It is important that patients in developing countries have access to these products at affordable prices and without delay. Regulation of medical products is intended to ensure safety and quality whilst balancing the need for timely access to beneficial new products. Current regulatory oversight of diagnostic tests in developing countries is highly variable and weak regulation allows poor-quality tests to enter the market. However, inefficient or overzealous regulation results in unnecessary delays, increases costs and acts as a barrier to innovation and market entry. Setting international standards and streamlining the regulatory process could reduce these barriers. Four priority activities have been identified where convergence of standards and protocols or joint review of data would be advantageous: (1) adoption of a common registration file for pre-market approval; (2) convergence of quality standards for manufacturing site inspections; (3) use of common evaluation protocols, as well as joint review of data, to reduce unnecessary duplication of lengthy and costly clinical performance studies; and (4) use of networks of laboratories for post-market surveillance in order to monitor ongoing quality of diagnostic devices. The adoption and implementation of such measures in developing countries could accelerate access to new diagnostic tests that are safe and affordable.
HOG algorithm simplification and its impact on FPGA implementation: With applications in car detection

In this paper we propose and investigate some simplifications to the original Histogram of Oriented Gradients (HOG) algorithm, in order to allow a more efficient hardware implementation, while keeping the overall classification accuracy. The most aggressive simplification is the removal of the bin interpolation step in the algorithm, which does not affect the classification performance, but significantly reduces the FPGA area, which finally allows more parallelism and hence a faster processing speed of a full image.
on Accurate Multiple View 3 D Reconstruction Using Depth Map Merging Ms

This paper presents a quantitative comparison of several multi-view stereo reconstruction algorithms. In this paper, we propose a depth-map merging based hybrid method for large-scale scenes which takes both accuracy and efficiency is used into account. Different from typical multiview stereo methods, our approach is not only imposes the photo consistency constraint, but also associates explicitly the geometric coherence with multiple frames in a statistical way. An efficient stereo matching process will be used to generate depth-map at each image, followed by a depth-map refinement process to enforce consistency over neighboring views. Each depth-map is computed individually, which makes it appropriate for large scale scene reconstruction with high resolution images.
Comparison of two different meat inspection techniques

Summary Field studies of meat inspection procedures in three different slaughter houses were performed in Germany, in 1996. In total 22,634 fattening pigs from 63 farms were inspected twice, using a visual and the traditional (mandatory inspection system) procedure. Statistical analysis was performed using the rate of ND+ (Non‐Detected Positives) for both visual and traditional inspection. Neither the visual nor the traditional methods detected all lesions which were supposed to be in the lot of animals inspected. Some of the results could be explained by the nature and obviousness of the respective lesion. Conclusions regarding the future performance of inspection should not be drawn before a formal risk analysis procedure for the particular lesion has been done.
A new model of network cascading failures with dependent nodes

As real network systems are becoming ever more complex and widely-used, network failures often bring about devastating effects on our personal and professional lives. Therefore, failure regularity and reliability issues of real-world networks are primary concerns for network science researchers. In many real-world networks, cascading failures are not only caused by dynamical redistribution of network loads. Dependency relations among network nodes could also increase the spread of network failures, and even markedly impact the process of cascading failures. However, most of the existent cascading failure models used for network reliability analysis still merely focus on the dynamics of network loads for causing cascades without considering the joint effect of dependencies among network nodes. Based on previous studies and complex network theories, a new cascading failure model considering the synergies existing between dependency clusters of nodes and the dynamic distribution of network loads is proposed, upon which we analyze the effect of dependencies among network nodes on propagation of network failures. Firstly, we group network nodes into dependency clusters. Then, by triggering random break down of network nodes, we simulate cascading failures on random networks. The simulation results show that dependencies among network nodes will severely accelerate failure propagation and exacerbate the damage of cascading failures, in accordance with real situations. The obtained results firmly verify that the proposed cascading failure model describes the actual mixed failure behavior of networks with dependent nodes.
Can baseline magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) status become a foremost factor in selecting optimal acute stroke patients for recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rt-PA) thrombolysis beyond 3 hours?

Abstract Objective: We investigated whether baseline vessel status evaluated by magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) can be the foremost factor to classify acute ischemic stroke patients into subgroups for thrombolytic therapy within 3–6 hours of symptom onset. Methods: Acute ischemic stroke patients beyond 3 hours after symptom onset were examined by stroke magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) (diffusion- and perfusion-weighted imaging, and MRA) before and after thrombolysis treatment within 24–48 hours. Stroke MRI was used to classify acute ischemic stroke patients into subgroups and select optimal patients for thrombolytic treatment. Clinical scores were compared to determine whether there were significant differences among subgroups. Results: The difference in day 90 modified Rankin scale (mRS) between treated salvageable and untreated salvageable patients with recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rt-PA) was remarkably statistically significant (p=0.02). Treated salvageable patients had more favorable clinical outcomes as compared with the untreated salvageable patients. Patients who did not have baseline artery occlusion were associated with more favorable clinical outcomes than untreated salvageable patients (p<0.001). The difference between treated salvageable and patients without artery occlusion in 90 day mRS score was not statistically significant (p=0.058). Conclusion: Baseline vessel status evaluated by MRA may be used as the first factor ahead of mismatch to categorize acute ischemic stroke patients into subgroups. Patients who do not have initial vessel occlusion may not need thrombolytic therapy.
Academic tourism from an equity theory perspective

Academic tourism has many definitions, mostly framed positively. However, when academics attend conferences or courses at foreign destinations, they are often accused of opportunism, implying that tourism and leisure take preference to academic goals. In this article the benefits associated with a visit to an academic institution in a foreign country are discussed. The article contrasts the leisure and monetary position of an academic attending a short course abroad versus someone who does not have the opportunity to travel. The results indicate that some leisure is afforded to those attending conferences, though this cannot be viewed in absolute terms. With regard to monetary benefits, no advantages are formally afforded to the academic who wants to engage in tourism activities while visiting foreign countries. Sceptics of academics travelling abroad and those who accuse them of opportunism are encouraged to quantify their arguments and not to blindly criticise those who travel for academic purposes.
Can funding platforms’ self-initiated financial innovation improve credit availability? Evidence from China’s P2P market

ABSTRACT In this article, we used loan transaction data from a Chinese Peer-to-Peer (P2P) platform and employed a Difference-In-Differences (DID) approach to detect the effect of a self-initiated financial innovation introduced via P2P borrowing and lending. We found that the self-initiated financial innovation improved the availability of credit.