Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Role of echocardiography in acute coronary syndromes

The term “acute coronary syndrome” covers a spectrum of presentations, from unstable angina through to ST segment elevation myocardial infarction. There have been remarkable changes in the management of these conditions in the past two decades. With increasing emphasis on early reperfusion and prevention of left ventricular remodelling, echocardiography is assuming a prominent role in this area. It is non-invasive and relatively cheap, and is an ideal portable imaging technique. Newer imaging modalities, including myocardial contrast echo for the assessment of perfusion, hold great promise. The first cardiac ultrasound machines displayed an ultrasound pulse versus depth on an oscilloscope screen. Incorporation of time as a dimension in the late 1960s converted this to a single line M mode display. M mode echocardiography is still in use, but has largely been supplanted by two dimensional (2D) echocardiography,1 which was developed in the 1970s. In the 1980s, spectral and colour Doppler were developed. The Doppler principle allows determination of the velocity and direction of blood flow, enabling assessment of valvar disease, shunts, and diastolic function. Transoesophageal echocardiography (TOE) was also introduced in the 1980s; initial probes were uniplane but multiplane probes are now routinely used, and there has been progressive transducer miniaturisation. TOE is very safe, with a mortality of less than 1/10 000,2 but not completely risk free (table 1) and should be performed by experienced physicians. It is relatively contraindicated in patients with oesophageal disease—for example, varices, stricture, oesophagitis, scleroderma—and may be hazardous in patients with severe coagulopathy or poor respiratory function; it is essential that the performing physician be aware of such conditions. Transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) and TOE are complementary techniques. While TOE avoids image degradation related to the chest wall and lungs, TTE may visualise anterior structures and the cardiac apex better. More windows for Doppler …
Reactive Ion-Assisted Deposition of Cerium Oxide Hole-Blocking Contact for Leakage-Current Suppression in an Amorphous Selenium Multilayer Structure

Cerium oxide has proven as a proper hole-blocking contact in multilayer amorphous selenium X-ray detectors to reduce leakage current by limiting hole injection. To further improve its blocking properties, one of the key factors is to prepare a thin layer of cerium oxide with full oxidation. In this paper, a cerium oxide thin film was deposited by reactive oxygen ion assisted e-beam evaporation that utilized an independent oxygen ion source to create ionized oxygen, allowing for a refined oxidation control without requiring high process temperatures. Compared with films obtained without ion-beam assistance, oxygen ion assisted deposition enhanced the refractive index of oxide film from ~1.8 to 2.2 at a wavelength of 550 nm and improved the electrical resistivity from ~106 to 1010 Qcm. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction measurements further gave insights into the stoichiometry and the crystal structures. To investigate blocking effectiveness, multilayer selenium sandwich structures with and without the cerium oxide blocking contact were fabricated and the leakage current was evaluated.
Heteronuclear filters in two-dimensional [1H, 1H]-NMR spectroscopy: combined use with isotope labelling for studies of macromolecular conformation and intermolecular interactions

The use of heteronuclear filters enables the editing of complex 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra into simplified subspectra containing a lesser number of resonance lines, which are then more easily amenable to detailed spectral analysis. This editing is based on the creation of heteronuclear two-spin or multiple-spin coherence and discrimination between protons that do or do not participate in these heteronuclear coherences. In principle, heteronuclear editing can be used in conjunction with one-dimensional or multidimensional 1H-NMR experiments for studies of a wide variety of low-molecular-weight compounds or macromolecular systems, and is implicitely applied in a wide range of heteronuclear NMR experiments with proton detection (e.g. Bax et al. 1983; Griffey & Redfield, 1987). In the present article we shall focus on the use of heteronuclear filters in two-dimensional (2D) [1H, 1H]-NMR experiments. The selection of the material covered was primarily motivated by its impact on the practice of protein structure determination in solution, and on NMR studies of intermolecular interactions with biological macromolecules. Section 2 surveys potential applications of heteronuclear filters in this area. The remainder of the article is devoted to an introduction of the theoretical principles used in heteronuclear filters, and to a detailed description of the experimental implementation of these measurements. In writing the review we tried to minimize redundancy with the recent article in Quarterly Review of Biophysics by Griffey & Redfield (1987) and to concentrate on experiments that were introduced during the period 1986–9.
A Fine-Grain Variation-Aware Dynamic ${\rm Vdd}$-Hopping AVFS Architecture on a 32 nm GALS MPSoC

In order to optimize global energy efficiency in the context of dynamic process, voltage and temperature variations in advanced nodes, a fine-grain adaptive voltage and frequency scaling architecture is proposed for multiprocessor systems-on-chip (MPSoC), where each processing element is an independent voltage-frequency island. This architecture has been implemented on a 32 nm globally asynchronous locally-synchronous MPSoC. It shows up to 18.2% energy gains thanks to local adaptability compared with a global dynamic voltage and frequency scaling approach using 25% timing margins between slow and nominal process, by reducing margins to 60 ps of the real process. These gains are obtained for a total area overhead of 10% including local frequency/voltage actuators, sensors, and digital controller.
État de l'art: Apprentissage incrémental pour les systèmes biométriques.

Le modele biometrique d'un individu cree lors de son enrollement a tendance a devier du modele reel de l'individu. Un moyen de contourner ce probleme est d'appliquer des mecanismes de mise a jour du modele biometrique. Dans ce document nous presentons l'etat de l'art de ces techniques
Exploring Healthcare Experiences of Transgender Individuals

Abstract Purpose: It has been widely noted that existing healthcare systems do not always function effectively for the transgender population. Despite existing healthcare barriers, however, transgender individuals have been shown to have positive healthcare experiences. This study explored a cohort of transgender individuals who had positive healthcare experiences, and those who were involved in creating a positive healthcare experience for transgender individuals. Methods: A single case study was conducted, which included 10 interviews with transgender individuals, healthcare providers, and friends/family/significant others of transgender individuals. Data were analyzed through thematic analysis. Results: Seven key themes emerged within macro levels (large-scale system), meso levels (local/interpersonal), and micro levels (individual/internal) of healthcare system support. At a macro level, few system strengths were shown, with hope for change in the future. On a meso level, both external supports and informal networking emerged as key factors in positive healthcare experiences. At the micro level, self-navigation, characteristics for success, and personal strategy development were important for achieving positive experiences. Conclusion: Factors that contribute to positive healthcare experiences for transgender individuals were outlined in this study, showing that meso and micro level support compensate for large-scale healthcare system deficits.
Inactivation of Naturally Grown Microorganisms in Orange Juice Using Pulsed Electric Fields

In this paper, the effect of pulsed electric fields (PEFs) on naturally contaminated orange juice was investigated. A 2-log reduction in a colony count for the naturally grown microorganisms was achieved after application of 120 pulses/mL at a PEF level of 46 kV/cm. Also, the effect of the PEF on microorganisms inoculated in orange juice was studied. Compared to the naturally grown microorganisms, about 1-log more reduction was observed with inoculated microorganisms that were subjected to the same PEF conditions. The results suggest that other factors like the increased temperature and antimicrobial additives might be required to enhance the killing efficiency. A 20 degC increase in temperature prior to the application of the PEF resulted in about 1-log more reduction in microorganisms
Resting functional connectivity between the hemispheres in childhood absence epilepsy

Objective: The fundamental mechanisms by which childhood absence epilepsy (CAE) changes neural networks even between seizures remain poorly understood. During seizures, cortical and subcortical networks exhibit bihemspheric synchronous activity based on prior EEG-fMRI studies. Our aim was to investigate whether this abnormal bisynchrony may extend to the interictal period, using a blood oxygen level–dependent (BOLD) resting functional connectivity approach. Methods: EEG-fMRI data were recorded from 16 patients with CAE and 16 age- and gender-matched controls. Three analyses were performed. 1) Using 16 pairs of seizure-related regions of interest (ROI), we compared the between-hemisphere interictal resting functional connectivity of patients and controls. 2) For regions showing significantly increased interhemispheric connectivity in CAE, we then calculated connectivity to the entire brain. 3) A paired-voxel approach was performed to calculate resting functional connectivity between hemispheres without the constraint of predefined ROIs. Results: We found significantly increased resting functional connectivity between hemispheres in the lateral orbitofrontal cortex of patients with CAE compared to normal controls. Enhanced between-hemisphere connectivity localized to the lateral orbitofrontal cortex was confirmed by all 3 analysis methods. Conclusions: Our results demonstrate abnormal increased connectivity between the hemispheres in patients with CAE in seizure-related regions, even when seizures were not occurring. These findings suggest that the lateral orbitofrontal cortex may play an important role in CAE pathophysiology, warranting further investigation. In addition, resting functional connectivity analysis may provide a promising biomarker to improve our understanding of altered brain function in CAE during the interictal period.
Populační biologie rostlin infikovaných systemickými patogeny Population biology of plants infected by systemic pathogens

4 General introduction 6 Paper I. 13 Are environmental factors influencing the prevalence of rust in pathosystem Falcaria vulgaris– Pucinia sii-falcariae? Paper II. 29 Low effect of pathogen on population characteristics in pathosystem Falcaria vulgaris–Pucinia sii-falcariae: matrix model results Paper III. 57 Effect of systemic diseases on clonal integration: modelling approach
A Long, Weakly Charged Actin-binding Loop Is Required for Phosphorylation-dependent Regulation of Smooth Muscle Myosin*

Chimeric substitution of the weak actin-binding loop (ABL) from chicken skeletal muscle myosin for that of gizzard smooth muscle heavy meromyosin (HMM) causes activation of the dephosphorylated mutant (SABL HMM; Rovner, A. S., Freyzon, Y., and Trybus, K. M. (1995) J. Biol. Chem. 270, 30260–30263). The present study determined whether this loss of regulation is due to the greater positive charge density (5versus 3 clustered lysine residues) or lesser length (14versus 26 residues) of the mutant ABL. Charge augmentation had little effect on regulation of expressed mutants, but elimination of the 12 N-terminal amino acids from the wild-type ABL significantly increased actin-activated ATPase activity of the dephosphorylated relative to the phosphorylated molecule while conferring the ability to move actin filaments in vitro on the former. Addition of the same 12 residues to the SABL mutant increased the ratio of phosphorylated to dephosphorylated ATPase activity while imparting wild type-like regulation to motility. However, full actin activation of dephosphorylated ATPase activity required both the shorter length and greater positive charge density found in the SABL loop. These results demonstrate that, compared with skeletal, both the greater length and lesser positive charge density of the smooth muscle myosin ABL are required for proper phosphorylation-mediated regulation of the molecule.
A nuclear export signal within the high mobility group domain regulates the nucleocytoplasmic translocation of SOX9 during sexual determination

In mammals, male sex determination starts when the Y chromosome Sry gene is expressed within the undetermined male gonad. One of the earliest effect of Sry expression is to induce up-regulation of Sox9 gene expression in the developing gonad. SOX9, like SRY, contains a high mobility group domain and is sufficient to induce testis differentiation in transgenic XX mice. Before sexual differentiation, SOX9 protein is initially found in the cytoplasm of undifferentiated gonads from both sexes. At the time of testis differentiation and anti-Müllerian hormone expression, it becomes localized to the nuclear compartment in males whereas it is down-regulated in females. In this report, we used NIH 3T3 cells as a model to examine the regulation of SOX9 nucleo-cytoplasmic shuttling. SOX9-transfected cells expressed nuclear and cytoplasmic SOX9 whereas transfected cells treated with the nuclear export inhibitor leptomycin B, displayed an exclusive nuclear localization of SOX9. By using SOX9 deletion constructs in green fluorescent protein fusion proteins, we identified a functional nuclear export signal sequence between amino acids 134 and 147 of SOX9 high mobility group box. More strikingly, we show that inhibiting nuclear export with leptomycin B in mouse XX gonads cultured in vitro induced a sex reversal phenotype characterized by nuclear SOX9 and anti-Müllerian hormone expression. These results indicate that SOX9 nuclear export signal is essential for SOX9 sex-specific subcellular localization and could be part of a regulatory switch repressing (in females) or triggering (in males) male-specific sexual differentiation.
Bringing It All Back Home

Families are dynamic systems that are permeable to influences from the outside world, such as daily stressors at work and at school. Our research uses naturalistic methods to investigate how family interactions change in response to such experiences and how other family members contribute to that process. We argue that the short-term effects of daily stressors on family dynamics can have cumulative, long-term implications for family health and functioning. Naturalistic studies that incorporate daily diary, observational, and physiological measures can offer new insights into families' everyday stress responding and coping processes.
Error pose correction of mobile robot for SLAM problem using laser range finder based on particle filter

This paper presents the implementation of the particle filter (PF) to solve the simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) problem in mobile robot, particle filter is used to localize the mobile robot with a laser range finder (LRF) sensor. On this experiment we used the real data that taken from our robot. We used the weighted mean in a small window around the best particle called robust mean as the method of selection and calculation weight in every particle. The experiment result shows that the proposed particle filter can improve the performance and give more robustness of mobile robot localization inside our building.
Interpersonal Deficits and Time Spent in Exercise or Active Recreation

This study was designed to investigate the hypothesis that people with interpersonal deficits would spend less time in exercise or active recreation. Participants completed a questionnaire about the time spent per week in exercise or active recreation as well as in other activities such as reading and watching television. They also completed a questionnaire designed to measure both interpersonal and cognitive-perceptual deficits. Interpersonal deficits measured were social anxiety, constricted affect, and lack of close friends. Cognitive-perceptual deficits measured were perceptual aberration, magical ideation, and ideas of reference. Analysis showed that interpersonal deficits were related to reduced time spent in exercise or active recreation. Cognitive-perceptual deficits were not associated with time spent in exercise or active recreation.
Anisotropic`hairs' in string cosmology

We investigate whether the isotropy problem is naturally solved in inflationary cosmologies inspired by string theory, so called pre-big-bang cosmologies. We find that, in contrast to what happens in the more common `potential inflation' models, initial anisotropies do not decay during pre-big-bang inflation.
Do GP Registrars Care about QOF? An Audit of General Practice Registrar Quality and Outcome Framework Achievement

Purpose The Quality and Outcome Framework (QOF) was introduced in 2004 as part of the General Medical Services Contract. In this age of austerity it has never been more important in general practice to ensure that QOF targets are achieved not only to improve the standard of care patients receive but also to ensure that income generation is maximized. We are a six-partner training practice with approximately 13,000 patients and 4 full time GP Registrars. It was an incidental finding that on reviewing the patients’ notes that the registrars had seen, the relevant QOF indicators had not been addressed in the majority of cases during the routine consultations. Methods In the first week of February 2013 random routine surgeries were retrospectively selected for each registrar and each patient’s notes were reviewed with regards to how many QOF indicators had been addressed or missed by the registrar during the consultation. A second round of audit was conducted during the final week of February to investigate if the recommendations for change in practice had made any difference to clinical performance. Results The majority of registrars significantly improved following the tutorials discussing the recommendations for change in practice. Conclusions A formal QOF induction tutorial has been developed containing the recommendations for change arising from this audit. As a result it he hoped that the standards of clinical care, opportunistic health promotion, chronic disease management, practice income and registrar job satisfaction will all improve.
The DNA Sequence Quality Machine at IFOM: A Simple Web-based Tool for Quantitative Assessment of Sequencing Reactions

DNA sequence quality is a factor of paramount importance in the world of modern genetic and genomics. Both the sequencing of Human Genome in the “post-draft” era [NHGRI Standard for quality of Human Genomic Sequences, Rev. 7 July (2002) where http://www.nhgri. nih.gov/Grant_info/Funding/Statements/RFA/quality_standard. html is the HTTP address] and recent “high-throughput” approaches to genetic investigation such as SAGE [Velculescu, V.E. , Zhang, L. , Vogelstein, B. et al. (1995) “Serial analysis of gene expression”, Science 270, 484–487] need a reliable, standardized measure of the quality of a sequencing reaction. The increasing importance of SNP studies also requires a stronger quality control on sequencing reactions by the final user. We propose here a simple, web-based tool for integrated sequence quality evaluation, high quality region quantitative value calculation and chromatogram display. This software is aimed at the small to medium DNA sequence laboratory or to the single researcher, interested in getting a quantitative measure of the sequence quality, browsing the chromatogram and checking the quality values base by base. The program is freely available from the IFOM bioinformatics web Server at http://bio.ifom-firc.it/Phred20/index.html.
Rapid horizontal gaze movement in the monkey.

1. We studied horizontal eye and head movements in three monkeys that were trained to direct their gaze (eye position in space) toward jumping targets while their heads were both fixed and free to rotate about a vertical axis. We considered all gaze movements that traveled > or = 80% of the distance to the new visual target. 2. The relative contributions and metrics of eye and head movements to the gaze shift varied considerably from animal to animal and even within animals. Head movements could be initiated early or late and could be large or small. The eye movements of some monkeys showed a consistent decrease in velocity as the head accelerated, whereas others did not. Although all gaze shifts were hypometric, they were more hypometric in some monkeys than in others. Nevertheless, certain features of the gaze shift were identifiable in all monkeys. To identify those we analyzed gaze, eye in head position, and head position, and their velocities at three points in time during the gaze shift: 1) when the eye had completed its initial rotation toward the target, 2) when the initial gaze shift had landed, and 3) when the head movement was finished. 3. For small gaze shifts (< 20 degrees) the initial gaze movement consisted entirely of an eye movement because the head did not move. As gaze shifts became larger, the eye movement contribution saturated at approximately 30 degrees and the head movement contributed increasingly to the initial gaze movement. For the largest gaze shifts, the eye usually began counterrolling or remained stable in the orbit before gaze landed. During the interval between eye and gaze end, the head alone carried gaze to completion. Finally, when the head movement landed, it was almost aimed at the target and the eye had returned to within 10 +/- 7 degrees, mean +/- SD, of straight ahead. Between the end of the gaze shift and the end of the head movement, gaze remained stable in space or a small correction saccade occurred. 4. Gaze movements < 20 degrees landed accurately on target whether the head was fixed or free. For larger target movements, both head-free and head-fixed gaze shifts became increasingly hypometric. Head-free gaze shifts were more accurate, on average, but also more variable. This suggests that gaze is controlled in a different way with the head free. For target amplitudes < 60 degrees, head position was hypometric but the error was rather constant at approximately 10 degrees. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Dynamic organization and plasticity of sponge bodies

Sponge bodies, cytoplasmic structures containing post‐transcriptional regulatory factors, are distributed throughout the nurse cells and oocytes of the Drosophila ovary and share components with P bodies of yeast and mammalian cells. We show that sponge body composition differs between nurse cells and the oocyte, and that the sponge bodies change composition rapidly after entry into the oocyte. We identify conditions that affect sponge body organization. At one extreme, components are distributed relatively uniformly or in small dispersed bodies. At the other extreme, components are present in large reticulated bodies. Both types of sponge bodies allow normal development, but show substantial differences in distribution of Staufen protein and oskar mRNA, whose localization within the oocyte is essential for axial patterning. Based on these and other results we propose a model for the relationship between P bodies and the various cytoplasmic bodies containing P body proteins in the Drosophila ovary. Developmental Dynamics 238:918–930, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.