Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Severity and interference of chronic pain in methadone-maintained outpatients.

OBJECTIVES Patients with opioid use disorder maintained on methadone report more chronic pain than the general population. The current study characterized chronic pain in patients with opioid use disorder. DESIGN A one-time self-report survey. SETTING The Addiction Treatment Services methadone-maintenance clinic, located on the campus of Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center in Baltimore MD. SUBJECTS A convenience sample of 227 methadone-maintained patients. METHODS Participants completed a one-time self-report administration of the brief pain inventory (BPI) and a demographic survey; additional treatment variables were obtained directly from clinic records. RESULTS Sixty percent of the sample endorsed chronic pain. Patients with pain were significantly older, had a higher mean methadone dose, and provided more benzodiazepine-positive urine samples. Pain was primarily located in the lower extremities (59%) and back (51%), and mean BPI severity and interference subscale scores were 5.7 and 5.4 out of 10, respectively. Logistic regressions indicated that age (P < 0.001) and methadone dose (P < 0.001) were significantly associated with having pain and that pain was a significant predictor of benzodiazepine use (P = 0.01). Only 13% (N = 18) of patients with pain were receiving pain management, and few were being treated with any nonopioid adjuvant analgesics. Yet patients who did receive treatment reported a mean 51% improvement in their pain, indicating they are not treatment refractory. CONCLUSIONS Results suggest there is a large discrepancy in the percent of patients who may need treatment for pain and those receiving treatment for pain and that more efforts should be made to provide standard pain management techniques to patients with opioid use disorder to reduce their overall level of pain and potentially improve their overall treatment outcomes.
Texture segmentation based on features in wavelet domain for image retrieval

Texture is a fundamental feature which provides significant information for image classification, and is an important content used in content-based image retrieval (CBIR) system. To implement texture-based image database retrieval, texture segmentation techniques are need to segment textured regions from arbitrary images in the database. Texture segmentation has been recognized as a difficult problem in image analysis. This paper proposed a block-wise automatic texture segmentation algorithm based on texture features in wavelet domain. In this algorithm, texture features of each block are extracted and L2 distance between blocks are calculated; a pre-defined threshold is used to determine if two blocks should be classified into same class, hence belong to same textured region. Results show that the proposed algorithm can efficiently catch the texture mosaics of arbitrary images. In addition, features of each textured region can be obtained directly and used for image retrieval. Applying various thresholds instead of uniform threshold to different blocks according to their homogeneity property, texture segmentation performance can be further improved. Applied to image database, the proposed algorithm shows promising retrieval performance based on texture features.
Isolation and Preliminary Characterization of Proteinaceous Toxins with Insecticidal and Antibacterial Activities from Black Widow Spider (L. tredecimguttatus) Eggs

The eggs of black widow spider (L. tredecimguttatus) have been demonstrated to be rich in toxic proteinaceous components. The study on such active components is of theoretical and practical importance. In the present work, using a combination of multiple biochemical and biological strategies, we isolated and characterized the proteinaceous components from the aqueous extract of the black widow spider eggs. After gel filtration of the egg extract, the resulting main protein and peptide peaks were further fractionated by ion exchange chromatography and reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography. Two proteinaceous components, named latroeggtoxin-III and latroeggtoxin-IV, respectively, were purified to homogeneity. Latroeggtoxin-III was demonstrated to have a molecular weight of about 36 kDa. Activity analysis indicated that latroeggtoxin-III exhibited neurotoxicity against cockroaches but had no obvious effect on mice, suggesting that it is an insect-specific toxin. Latroeggtoxin-IV, with a molecular weight of 3.6 kDa, was shown to be a broad-spectrum antibacterial peptide, showing inhibitory activity against all five species of bacteria tested, with the highest activity against Staphylococcus aureus. Finally, the implications of the proteinaceous toxins in egg protection and their potential applications were analyzed and discussed.
Coordinated Activation of Cellulose and Repression of Lignin Biosynthesis Pathways in Rice1[C][W][OA]

Cellulose from plant biomass is the largest renewable energy resource of carbon fixed from the atmosphere, which can be converted into fermentable sugars for production into ethanol. However, the cellulose present as lignocellulosic biomass is embedded in a hemicellulose and lignin matrix from which it needs to be extracted for efficient processing. Here, we show that expression of an Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) transcription factor, SHINE (SHN), in rice (Oryza sativa), a model for the grasses, causes a 34% increase in cellulose and a 45% reduction in lignin content. The rice AtSHN lines also exhibit an altered lignin composition correlated with improved digestibility, with no compromise in plant strength and performance. Using a detailed systems-level analysis of global gene expression in rice, we reveal the SHN regulatory network coordinating down-regulation of lignin biosynthesis and up-regulation of cellulose and other cell wall biosynthesis pathway genes. The results thus support the development of nonfood crops and crop wastes with increased cellulose and low lignin with good agronomic performance that could improve the economic viability of lignocellulosic crop utilization for biofuels.
Barcelona Economics Working Paper Series Estimating Cross-industry Cross- Country Models Using Benchmark Industry Characteristics Estimating Cross-industry Cross-country Models Using Benchmark Industry Characteristics

International industry data permits testing whether the industry-speci…c impact of crosscountry di¤erences in institutions or policies is consistent with economic theory. Empirical implementation requires specifying the industry characteristics that determine impact strength. Most of the literature has been using US proxies of the relevant industry characteristics. We show that using industry characteristics in a benchmark country as a proxy of the relevant industry characteristics can result in an attenuation bias or an ampli…cation bias. We also describe circumstances allowing for an alternative approach that yields consistent estimates. As an application, we reexamine the in ‡uential conjecture that …nancial development facilitates the reallocation of capital from declining to expanding industries.
Neurocan Is Dispensable for Brain Development

ABSTRACT Neurocan is a component of the extracellular matrix in brain. Due to its inhibition of neuronal adhesion and outgrowth in vitro and its expression pattern in vivo it was suggested to play an important role in axon guidance and neurite growth. To study the role of neurocan in brain development we generated neurocan-deficient mice by targeted disruption of the neurocan gene. These mice are viable and fertile and have no obvious deficits in reproduction and general performance. Brain anatomy, morphology, and ultrastructure are similar to those of wild-type mice. Perineuronal nets surrounding neurons appear largely normal. Mild deficits in synaptic plasticity may exist, as maintenance of late-phase hippocampal long-term potentiation is reduced. These data indicate that neurocan has either a redundant or a more subtle function in the development of the brain.
Age related induction of platelet‐derived growth factor A‐chain mRNA in normal human fibroblasts

We have previously found that stimulation of normal neonatal fibroblasts with PDGF or EGF leads to a transient induction of PDGF A‐chain mRNA and the synthesis of PDGF‐AA proteins. This finding may imply the existence of an autocrine feedback mechanism to amplify the mitogenic signal under certain conditions. We have now studied the PDGF‐BB mediated PDGF A‐chain induction in a set of fibroblasts from young and old donors to clarify if the levels of induction are correlated to the donor age and the replicative capacity of the cells. The PDGF A‐chain induction was found to be reduced in cells from old donors compared with cells from embryonic and neonatal donors. The different cell strains were also characterized further with respect to PDGF receptor expression and PDGF binding properties. PDGF β‐receptors were found to be enhanced in old donor cells strains, whereas the PDGF α‐receptors showed more variability in expression between the strains. The PDGF A‐chain mRNA induction was also decreased or absent in late passage human fibroblasts (senescent cells) when compared with early passage cells. These data suggest that the PDGF A‐chain mRNA induction is regulated by an age related mechanism in human fibroblasts. © 1994 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Outbreak of NDM-1-Producing Klebsiella pneumoniae Causing Neonatal Infection in a Teaching Hospital in Mainland China

ABSTRACT The emergence and spread of bacteria carrying the blaNDM-1 gene has become a worldwide concern. Here, we report eight cases of Klebsiella pneumoniae with blaNDM-1 in the neonatal ward of a teaching hospital in mainland China. Multilocus sequence typing showed that seven isolates were clonally related and confirmed them as sequence type 17 (ST17). One isolate belonged to ST433. These findings suggest continuous spread of blaNDM-1 in mainland China and emphasize the need for intensive surveillance and precautions.
Isolation and Characterization of Microsatellite Loci for Cotesia plutellae (Hymenoptera: Braconidae)

Fourteen polymorphic microsatellite loci were isolated in this transcriptome-based data analysis for Cotesia plutellae, which is an important larval parasitoid of the worldwide pest Plutella xylostella. A subsequent test was performed for a wild C. plutellae population (N = 32) from Fuzhou, Fujian, southeastern China, to verify the effectiveness of the 14 microsatellite loci in future studies on C. plutellae genetic diversity. The observed number of alleles ranged from two to six. The expected and observed heterozygosity ranged from 0.123 to 0.316 and from 0.141 to 0.281, respectively. The polymorphism information content (PIC) value ranged from 0.272 to 0.622. Potentially due to the substructure of the sampled population, three of the 14 microsatellite loci deviated from Hardy—Weinberg equilibrium (HWE). Further, loci C6, C22, and C31 could be amplified in Cocobius fulvus and Encarsia japonica, suggesting the transferability of these three polymorphic loci to other species of Hymenoptera.
Czech Information Retrieval with Syntax-based Language Models

In recent years, considerable attention has been dedicated to language modeling methods in information retrieval. Although these approaches generally allow exploitation of any type of language model, most of the published experiments were conducted with a classical n-gram model, usually limited only to unigrams. A few works exploiting syntax in information retrieval can be cited in this context, but significant contribution of syntax based language modeling for information retrieval is yet to be proved. In this paper, we propose, implement, and evaluate an enrichment of language model employing syntactic dependency information acquired automatically from both documents and queries. Our experiments are conducted on Czech which is a morphologically rich language and has a considerably free word order, therefore a syntactic language model is expected to contribute positively to the unigram and bigram language model based on surface word order. By testing our model on the Czech test collection from Cross Language Evaluation Forum 2007 Ad-Hoc track, we show positive contribution of using dependency syntax in this context.
Exploring the potentials and limitations of the time-reversal imaging of finite seismic sources

Abstract. The characterisation of seismic sources with time-reversed wave fields is developing into a standard technique that has already been successful in numerous applications. While the time-reversal imaging of effective point sources is now well-understood, little work has been done to extend this technique to the study of finite rupture processes. This is despite the pronounced non-uniqueness in classic finite source inversions. The need to better constrain the details of finite rupture processes motivates the series of synthetic and real-data time reversal experiments described in this paper. We address questions concerning the quality of focussing in the source area, the localisation of the fault plane, the estimation of the slip distribution and the source complexity up to which time-reversal imaging can be applied successfully. The frequency band for the synthetic experiments is chosen such that it is comparable to the band usually employed for finite source inversion. Contrary to our expectations, we find that time-reversal imaging is useful only for effective point sources, where it yields good estimates of both the source location and the origin time. In the case of finite sources, however, the time-reversed field does not provide meaningful characterisations of the fault location and the rupture process. This result cannot be improved sufficiently with the help of different imaging fields, realistic modifications of the receiver geometry or weights applied to the time-reversed sources. The reasons for this failure are manifold. They include the choice of the frequency band, the incomplete recording of wave field information at the surface, the excitation of large-amplitude surface waves that deteriorate the depth resolution, the absence of a sink that should absorb energy radiated during the later stages of the rupture process, the invisibility of small slip and the neglect of prior information concerning the fault geometry and the inherent smoothness of seismologically inferred Earth models that prevents the beneficial occurrence of strong multiple-scattering. The condensed conclusion of our study is that the limitations of time-reversal imaging – at least in the frequency band considered here – start where the seismic source stops being effectively point-localised.
Speed control of BLDC motor using PV powered synchronous Zeta converter

With the increase in the power demand and limited fossil fuels the renewable energy source plays a vital role to overcome these challenges. This paper presents a speed control of BLDC motor using synchronous Zeta converter for stand-alone PV system. To harvest the electrical energy generated from the PV modules requires MPPT technique to increase the maximum throughput. In the proposed system Perturb and Observe methods (P&O) is implemented. The synchronous Zeta converter is controlled by the p & o controller (MPPT technique) with generates the PWM with higher precision. The output power of the synchronous Zeta converter drives the BLDC motor. The variable speed control of the motor is achieved by varying the voltage at the converter side (by controlling the duty cycle). The simulation is performed for BLDC motor using the converter in PSIM 9.3.
Experiment Coordination for Large-scale Measurement Platforms

The risk of placing an undesired load on networks and networked services through probes originating from measurement platforms has always been present. While several scheduling schemes have been proposed to avoid undue loads or DDoS-like effects from uncontrolled experiments, the motivation scenarios for such schemes have generally been considered "sufficiently unlikely" and safely ignored by most existing measurement platforms. We argue that the growth of large, crowdsourced measurement systems means we cannot ignore this risk any longer. In this paper we expand on our original lease-based coordination scheme designed for measurement platforms that embrace crowdsourcing as their method-of-choice. We compare it with two alternative strategies currently implemented by some of the existing crowdsourced measurement platforms: centralized rate-limiting and individual rate limiting. Our preliminary results show that our solution outperforms these two naive strategies for coordination according to at least two different intuitive metrics: resource utilization and bound compliance. We find that our scheme efficiently allows the scalable and effective coordination of measurements among potentially thousands of hosts while providing individual clients with enough flexibility to act on their own.
Análise e modelamento dinâmicos da prosódia do português brasileiro

This work presents, from output to input, a dynamical model ofspeech rhythm able to become a model of speech prosody. Themodel is based on coupled-oscillator theory, a class of dynamicalsystems theory that brings temporal variability into language by thebias of speech. From segmental duration to syntax-prosody interface,the model simulates several phonological processes such as secondarystress, variation of the duration patterns undergone by speech rate change,segmental effects conditioned by prosodic structure, compensatoryeffects on duration, and so on. Regularity and structuring are linkedtogether in a principled way from coupling of both speech productionand perception, highlighting the importance of a dynamical cyclicattractor. The model can deal with duration perturbation as a resultof paralinguistic information or speech pathology.
Handwritten Yi Character Recognition with Density-Based Clustering Algorithm and Convolutional Neural Network

A great deal of research has focused on using convolutional neural network for optical character recognition. However we encountered two typical problem in this field when applied convolutional neural network to handwritten Yi character recognition. First, since convolutional neural network is a kind of supervised deep learning model, the manual training data labeling is a very time consuming and labor intensive work. Second, because the theory is not well studied, the structure design and parameter adjustment of convolutional neural network depend heavily on experience, and our recognition accuracy was not satisfactory at the beginning. To address these two problems, in this paper, for one thing, we use entropy theory improved a density-based clustering algorithm, which is proved very effective in data labeling. For another, as to the problem of structure design and parameter adjustment, we compared performance of models with different scales and different parameters, and gave some experience about this problem. Finally we achieved 99.65% accuracy on the test set. We hope that this paper will inspire more researches on convolutional neural network applied to dataset-lacked optical character recognition problems.
Is there a role for growth hormone therapy in refractory critical illness?

Purpose of reviewProtein catabolism is common among critically ill patients, contributing to organ dysfunction, muscle weakness, prolonged mechanical ventilation and length of stay in the ICU, with adverse impact on patient prognosis and resource utilization. Neither adequate enteral nutrition nor parenteral nutrition stems this catabolism. Recombinant growth hormone supplementation in surgical trauma and burn injury patients has demonstrated nitrogen retention, increased insulin-like growth factor-1 levels, decreased length of stay and improved survival. As a result, growth hormone became widely used in the ICU, until two large randomized trials in 1999 noted increased mortality associated with infection and organ dysfunction. Recent findingsSmall clinical trials have revisited growth hormone supplementation in prolonged critical illness, demonstrating nitrogen conservation and increased serum levels of insulin-like growth factor-1 and insulin-like growth factor-1 binding protein in patients receiving adequate nutrition support. These trials suggest growth hormone supplementation may be safe and more efficacious in a subclass of chronic critically ill patients. SummaryPrior to proposing new prospective randomized clinical trials, case reports describing anecdotal experience with growth hormone in selected chronically critically ill patients may provide insight into redefining the ICU population most likely to benefit from growth hormone supplementation. Current guidelines continue to recommend against the use of growth hormone in critical illness.
Random node sampling in Kademlia

We present a novel distributed method for selecting random nodes uniformly in Kademlia DHT networks. The algorithm does not require any extension to the Kademlia protocol and can be applied to any Kademlia-type network. It is easily tunable with one parameter to set an appropriate tradeoff between the evenness of the distribution and time - message - complexity. The method may be used as a building block for network algorithms in areas such as load balancing, Byzantine agreement, fault recovery and statistical measurements.
Cutting Edge: IL-15 Costimulates the Generalized Shwartzman Reaction and Innate Immune IFN-γ Production In Vivo1

Sequential administration of LPS to SCID mice results in the generalized Shwartzman reaction, manifesting as rapid mortality via cytokine-induced shock. Here we demonstrate that in vivo neutralization of IL-15 before LPS priming significantly reduced lethality in this reaction (p = 0.0172). We hypothesize that LPS priming induces IL-12 and IL-15 that costimulate NK cell-derived IFN-γ. Such IFN-γ may then in turn sensitize macrophages to elicit the Shwartzman reaction following a subsequent LPS challenge. Supporting this, IL-12 and IL-15 synergized to induce murine NK cell IFN-γ production in vitro. LPS stimulation of SCID mouse splenocytes resulted in measurable IFN-γ production, which was reduced when IL-15 was neutralized or IL-2/15Rβ was blocked. Pretreatment with either anti-IL-2/15Rβ or anti-IL-15 Abs reduced serum IFN-γ protein following LPS administration to SCID mice. Collectively, these data provide the first in vivo evidence that IL-15 participates in LPS-induced innate immune IFN-γ production and significantly contributes to the lethal Shwartzman reaction.
Balancing and hopping motion of a planar hopper with one actuator

In this paper, a new control algorithm is presented for implementing hopping and balancing motions on a planar hopping machine with a single actuated revolute joint. Starting with a simple control algorithm for balancing, it is extended to perform trajectory-tracking maneuvers, which enables it to perform the crouching, lift-off and flight phases of a single hop, as well as re-balancing after landing. Simulation results are presented showing that the control system works well, and that it is not significantly affected by small amounts of slipping between the foot and the ground.
Pygmy: a ring-shaped robotic device that promotes the presence of an agent on human hand

The human hand is an appropriate part to attach an agent robot. Pygmy is an anthropomorphic device that produces a presence on a human hand by magnifying the finger expressions. This device is in trial to develop an interaction model of an agent on the hand. It is based on the concept of hand anthropomorphism and uses finger movements to create the anthropomorphic effect. Wearing the device is similar to having eyes and a mouth on the hand; the wearer's hand spontaneously expresses the agent's presence with the emotions conveyed by the eyes and mouth. Interactive manipulation by controllers and sensors make the hand look animated. We observed that the character animated with the device provided user collaboration and interaction as though there were a living thing on the user's hand. Further, the users play with the device by representing characters animated with Pygmy as their doubles.