Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Mobile Noncontact Monitoring of Heart and Lung Activity

This paper describes two methods for noncontact monitoring of heart and lung activity, namely magnetic bioimpedance monitoring and capacitive electrocardiogram (ECG) recording. In principle, both methods bear the potential for mobile application in a personal healthcare scenario. To illustrate their performance, prototypes for both methods have been developed and first results are presented. Finally, the fundamental drawbacks and limitations of these methods are discussed, including a detailed stability analysis of the capacitively coupled ldquoright legrdquo in capacitive ECG measurements with mismatching electrode capacities and the development of an adaptive noise canceller for magnetic bioimpedance monitoring based on a nonlinear signal coupling model.
Suicide and Other Causes of Death in the Psychiatric Patients of a Mental Health Service over a 5-year Period

Aims: 1) To compare mortality rate and causes of death between psychiatric patients of a Mental Health Department (MHD) and local population of Modena. 2) To appraise the impact of selected demographic and clinical variables on suicide. Study Design: Retrospective analysis. Place and Duration of Study: MHD of Modena between March 2009 and September 2009. Research Article International Neuropsychiatric Disease Journal, 1(1): 46-63, 2013 47 Methodology: Our psychiatric sample was composed by all psychiatric patients followed by the MHD of Modena, who died from 1-1-2004 to 31-12-2008 (n=168). We compared the standardized mortality rate and causes of death of our sample to those of the local population (n=250,000), who died during the same period of time, according to data provided by the registry of the Clinical Epidemiology Service of Modena. From computerized registration system and medical records of MHD and death certificates, we collected: demographic data, psychiatric diagnosis, death causes, time elapsed from the first consultation in MHD to death, time elapsed from the last discharge from psychiatric ward or from the last consultation in MHD to death. Our sample of psychiatric patients was further divided into two groups: the first one was composed of those who committed suicide (n=25) and the second one those that died from other causes (n=143), and all variables of each group were statistically compared to highlight the demographic and clinical features of the two groups. Results: Neoplastic and cardiovascular diseases were the two most frequent causes of death in both psychiatric and local populations and suicide represented the third leading cause of death in the psychiatric sample. Psychiatric patients who committed suicide were statistically significantly younger in comparison to others and killed themselves after 12 days (median) from the last psychiatric consultation or hospital discharge. Conclusion: Our patients presented the same high vulnerability to organic disorders and their fatal consequences as local population with higher risk of suicide which remains a fatal outcome of psychiatric diseases.
A Mixed-Signal Multichip Neural Recording Interface With Bandwidth Reduction

We present a multichip structure assembled with a medical-grade stainless-steel microelectrode array intended for neural recordings from multiple channels. The design features a mixed-signal integrated circuit (IC) that handles conditioning, digitization, and time-division multiplexing of neural signals, and a digital IC that provides control, bandwidth reduction, and data communications for telemetry toward a remote host. Bandwidth reduction is achieved through action potential detection and complete capture of waveforms by means of onchip data buffering. The adopted architecture uses high parallelism and low-power building blocks for safety and long-term implantability. Both ICs are fabricated in a CMOS 0.18-mum process and are subsequently mounted on the base of the microelectrode array. The chips are stacked according to a vertical integration approach for better compactness. The presented device integrates 16 channels, and is scalable to hundreds of recording channels. Its performance was validated on a testbench with synthetic neural signals. The proposed interface presents a power consumption of 138 muW per channel, a size of 2.30 mm2, and achieves a bandwidth reduction factor of up to 48 with typical recordings.
Joint incorporation of randomised and observational evidence in estimating treatment effects

In evidence-based medicine, randomised trials are regarded as a gold standard in estimating relative treatment effects. Nevertheless, a potential gain in precision is forfeited by ignoring observational evidence. We describe a simple estimator that combines treatment estimates from randomised and observational data and investigate its properties by simulation. We show that a substantial gain in estimation accuracy, compared with the estimator based solely on the randomised trial, is possible when the observational evidence has low bias and standard error. In the contrasting scenario where the observational evidence is inaccurate, the estimator automatically discounts its contribution to the estimated treatment effect. Meta-analysis extensions, combining estimators from multiple observational studies and randomised trials, are also explored.
Efficient index caching schemes for data broadcasting in mobile computing environments

Data broadcasting is an efficient technique for disseminating data in mobile computing environments. To reduce the power consumption of the mobile clients, index is used to expedite the access of the disseminated data. In our opinion, caching the indices on the mobile clients can further reduce the tuning time of the mobile clients. In this paper, we propose two policies to reduce the tuning time of the mobile clients. The lower level index tree while the cut plane first policy caches the cut-plane of the index tree. According to our experiments, both policies have significantly reduced the tuning time and the access time of the mobile clients. Further more, the cut plane first policy prevails in the case where the cache size of the clients is small, or when the clients have a uniformly distributed access pattern over the broadcast data items.
A Photovoltaic-Driven and Energy-Autonomous CMOS Implantable Sensor

An energy-autonomous, photovoltaic (PV)-driven and MRI-compatible CMOS implantable sensor is presented. On-chip P+/N-well diode arrays are used as CMOS-compatible PV cells to harvest μW's of power from the light that penetrates into the tissue. In this 2.5 mm × 2.5 mm sub-μW integrated system, the in-vivo physiological signals are first measured by using a subthreshold ring oscillator-based sensor, the acquired data is then modulated into a frequency-shift keying (FSK) signal, and finally transmitted neuromorphically to the skin surface by using a pair of polarized electrodes.
Green Synthesis of Potential Antifungal Agents: 2-Benzyl Substituted Thiobenzoazoles.

A series of benzyl-substituted thiobenzoazoles were synthesized by an environmentally friendly approach, to search for new antifungal agrochemicals. Compounds were prepared starting from 2-mercaptobenzoazoles, using KOH, benzyl halides, and water, resulting in a simple and ecological method. New antifungals were tested against a group of phytopathogenic fungi. Two compounds showed an interesting activity against Botrytis cinerea, Fusarium oxysporum, and Aspergillus spp. : 2-((4-(trifluoromethyl)benzyl)thio)benzo[d]thiazole, 3ac, and 2-((4-methylbenzyl)thio)benzo[d]thiazole, 3al. Thus, 3ac and 3al can be considered as broad spectrum antifungal agents. Furthermore, two new compounds, 2-((4-iodobenzyl)thio)benzo[d]thiazole, 3aj, and 2-(benzylthio)benzo[d]oxazole, 3ba, showed better inhibitory effect against Botrytis cinerea and Fusarium oxysporum when compared to the commercial fungicide Captan. Thus, 3aj and 3ba can be considered reduced-spectrum antifungals.
A Smart Cage With Uniform Wireless Power Distribution in 3D for Enabling Long-Term Experiments With Freely Moving Animals

This paper presents a novel experimental chamber with uniform wireless power distribution in 3D for enabling long-term biomedical experiments with small freely moving animal subjects. The implemented power transmission chamber prototype is based on arrays of parallel resonators and multicoil inductive links, to form a novel and highly efficient wireless power transmission system. The power transmitter unit includes several identical resonators enclosed in a scalable array of overlapping square coils which are connected in parallel to provide uniform power distribution along x and y. Moreover, the proposed chamber uses two arrays of primary resonators, facing each other, and connected in parallel to achieve uniform power distribution along the z axis. Each surface includes 9 overlapped coils connected in parallel and implemented into two layers of FR4 printed circuit board. The chamber features a natural power localization mechanism, which simplifies its implementation and ease its operation by avoiding the need for active detection and control mechanisms. A single power surface based on the proposed approach can provide a power transfer efficiency (PTE) of 69% and a power delivered to the load (PDL) of 120 mW, for a separation distance of 4 cm, whereas the complete chamber prototype provides a uniform PTE of 59% and a PDL of 100 mW in 3D, everywhere inside the chamber with a size of 27×27×16 cm3.
Psychosocial aspects of diabetes in pregnancy

Abstract Recent guidelines promote a patient-centered approach to the management of diabetes. The relevance of the bio-psychosocial model or holistic approach has also been explored in women′s health. Specifically, psychosocial and psychiatric morbidity has been appreciated and analyzed in pregnancy and the postpartum period. However, minimal attention has been focused on the psychosocial and social factors that impact pregnancy complicated by diabetes. This is even more surprising from a South Asian perspective, where deep-rooted sociocultural mores create a milieu that may not be very friendly to the antenatal woman with diabetes. This review discusses the psychosocial issues relevant in the context of pregnancy among diabetics. An approach to address these issues has also been highlighted.
Ultracompact Microwatt CMOS Current Readout With Picoampere Noise and Kilohertz Bandwidth for Biosensor Arrays

High-density on-chip electrochemical biosensor arrays are advancing toward a crucial role in health monitoring and development of new medicines and medical treatments. Nanopore and ion channel based sensors especially have great potential but present demanding resolution/speed/power/area requirements on instrumentation circuits. This paper presents a pixel-level current readout circuit and new group-cluster architecture to address the circuit challenges in high-performance biosensor arrays. Fabricated in 0.5 μm CMOS, this electrochemical voltammetry circuit achieves 7.2 pArms noise in an 11.5-kHz bandwidth and only consumes 21-μ W power and 0.06 mm2 area per readout channel. Cyclic voltammetry experiments in a potassium ferricyanide solution and patch-clamp whole-cell experiments were performed to validate the circuit's feasibility for electrochemical biosensor applications.
Combined on-line lifetime-energy optimization for asymmetric multicores

In this paper we present an architectural and on-line resource management solution to optimize lifetime reliability of asymmetric multicores while minimizing the system energy consumption, targeting both single nodes (multicores) as well as multiple ones (cluster of multicores). The solution exploits the different characteristics of the computing resources to achieve the desired performance while optimizing the lifetime/energy trade-off. The experimental results show that a combined optimization of energy and lifetime allows for achieving an extended lifetime (similar to the one pursued by lifetime-only optimization solutions) with a marginal energy consumption detriment (less than 2%) with respect to energy-aware but aging-unaware systems.
In Vitro Derivation of Functional Sertoli-Like Cells from Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells

Sertoli cells (SCs) in the mammalian testes are well known as supporting cells of spermatogenesis, but have recently become an attractive source of cell therapy because of their capacity for immune modulation and trophic effects. In order to increase their applicable efficacy, we demonstrate a novel differentiation method for mouse embryonic stem cell (ESC)-derived Sertoli-like cells (SLCs) via the intermediate mesoderm (IM). We show that IM derived from an induction of 6 days expressed markers such as Wt1, Lhx1, Pax2 and Osr1, and that a sequential induction of 6 days resulted in ESC-SLCs. The SLCs expressed their marker genes (Sf1, Sox9, Gata4, Wt1, Fshr and Scf), but the pluripotency-marker gene Oct4 was decreased. After sorting by FSHR expression, high-purity (> 90%) SLCs were collected that showed distinct characteristics of SCs such as high phagocytic and immune modulation activities as well as the expression of immune-related genes. In addition, when transplanted into the seminiferous tubule of busulfan-treated mice, SLCs re-located and were maintained in the basal region of the tubule. These results demonstrated that our robust sequential differentiation system produced functional SLCs from mouse ESCs in vitro.
Professor David Poswillo CBE (1927–2003): Skilled oral and maxillofacial surgeon, influential scientist, teacher and adviser

David Poswillo trained at Otago University Dental School, Dunedin, New Zealand (BDS) and the Royal College of Surgeons of England (FDSRCS). His great interest became the genesis and repair of cleft lip and palate and, in addition to clinical work, he undertook an experimental study of the embryology of cleft palate in pregnant rats exposed to three teratogenic agents. The microscopic work was carried out in his garden shed in Christchurch. His groundbreaking work on amniotic puncture at a critical period came to international notice and he was given the first Chair in Teratology of the Royal College of Surgeons. In experimental studies he showed that thalidomide induced focal haemorrhage in the developing embryo. Poswillo was also Consultant Oral Surgeon at Queen Victoria Hospital, East Grinstead and his skills as surgeon and teacher attracted numerous trainee surgeons. He was Professor of Oral Surgery in Adelaide and then in London. Poswillo was Chairman of two advisory committees whose lucid reports on anaesthesia, sedation and resuscitation in dentistry (Poswillo Report) and on tobacco and health were far-reaching and influential. David Poswillo had immense energy and enthusiasm and is remembered by many for his personal interest and stimulating guidance.
CSAR Benchmark of Flexible MedusaDock in Affinity Prediction and Nativelike Binding Pose Selection

While molecular docking with both ligand and receptor flexibilities can help capture conformational changes upon binding, correct ranking of nativelike binding poses and accurate estimation of binding affinities remains a major challenge. In addition to the commonly used scoring approach with intermolecular interaction energies, we included the contribution of intramolecular energies changes upon binding in our flexible docking method, MedusaDock. In CSAR 2013-2014 binding prediction benchmark exercises, the new scoring function MScomplex was found to better recapitulate experimental binding affinities and correctly identify ligand-binding sequences from decoy receptors. Our further analysis with the DUD data sets indicates significant improvement of virtual screening enrichment using the new scoring function when compared to the previous intermolecular energy based scoring method. Our postanalysis also suggests a new approach to select nativelike poses in the clustering-based pose ranking approach by MedusaDock. Since the calculation of intramolecular energy changes and clustering-based pose ranking and selection are not MedusaDock specific, we expect a broad application in force-field based estimation of binding affinities and pose ranking using flexible ligand-receptor docking.
A system-on-chip digital pH meter for use in a wireless diagnostic capsule

This paper describes the design and implementation of a system-on-chip digital pH meter, for use in a wireless capsule application. The system is organized around an 8-bit microcontroller, designed to be functionally identical to the Motorola 6805. The analog subsystem contains a floating-electrode ISFET, which is fully compatible with a commercial CMOS process. On-chip programmable voltage references and multiplexors permit flexibility with the minimum of external connections. The chip is designed in a modular fashion to facilitate verification and component re-use. The single-chip pH meter can be directly connected to a personal computer, and gives a response of 37 bits/pH, within an operating range of 7 pH units.
Quantitative Structure-Retention Relationship Models To Support Nontarget High-Resolution Mass Spectrometric Screening of Emerging Contaminants in Environmental Samples

Over the past decade, the application of liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectroscopy (LC-HRMS) has been growing extensively due to its ability to analyze a wide range of suspected and unknown compounds in environmental samples. However, various criteria, such as mass accuracy and isotopic pattern of the precursor ion, MS/MS spectra evaluation, and retention time plausibility, should be met to reach a certain identification confidence. In this context, a comprehensive workflow based on computational tools was developed to understand the retention time behavior of a large number of compounds belonging to emerging contaminants. Two extensive data sets were built for two chromatographic systems, one for positive and one for negative electrospray ionization mode, containing information for the retention time of 528 and 298 compounds, respectively, to expand the applicability domain of the developed models. Then, the data sets were split into training and test set, employing k-nearest neighborhood c.
Computation of Transmitted and Received$rm B1$Fields in Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Computation of B1 fields is a key issue for determination and correction of intensity nonuniformity in magnetic resonance images. This paper presents a new method for computing transmitted and received B1 fields. Our method combines a modified MRI acquisition protocol and an estimation technique based on the Levenberg-Marquardt algorithm and spatial filtering. It enables accurate estimation of transmitted and received B1 fields for both homogeneous and heterogeneous objects. The method is validated using numerical simulations and experimental data from phantom and human scans. The experimental results are in agreement with theoretical expectations
Robust Lip Region Segmentation Based on Competitive FCM Clustering

Robust and accurate lip segmentation is a significant and fundamental procedure for visual speech analysis. Compared with segmenting a closed mouth from the background, lip segmentation with open mouth is a more challenging task due to the complex components inside the mouth (i.e. teeth, oral cavity, etc.), and most of the current techniques fail to show all the inner mouth details clearly. To deal with this problem, a new fuzzy C-means (FCM) based lip segmentation algorithm is proposed. A competitive learning mechanism is incorporated into the spatial-constrained FCM clustering framework to describe various components inside the mouth region adaptively. Specifically, the number of clusters is first initialized to involve all the possible kinds of components that may appear in a lip image. Subsequently, the membership of each pixel and the cluster centroids can be optimized using the conventional Picard iterations. During each iteration, a competitive learning algorithm is employed to remove some nonexistent inner mouth clusters. If one certain kind of inner mouth cluster fails the competition, it will be directly eliminated and a fresh start of the fuzzy clustering procedure will take place with cluster number one smaller than the pervious. With the competitive learning mechanism, the correct number of components inside the mouth can be automatically determined, as well as the contour of inner mouth can be extracted more precisely.
Barrett's Oesophagus Surveillance versus endoscopy at need Study (BOSS): protocol and analysis plan for a multicentre randomized controlled trial

Objectives The absolute annual risk of patients with Barrett's oesophagus (BO) developing oesophageal adenocarcinoma (OAC) is ≤0.5%. Screening BO patients for malignant progression using endoscopic surveillance is widely practised. To assess the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of this, we developed a protocol for a randomized controlled trial of surveillance versus ‘at need’ endoscopy. Methods In a multicentre trial, 3400 BO patients randomized to either 2-yearly endoscopic surveillance or ‘at need’ endoscopy will be followed up for 10 years. Urgent endoscopy will be offered to all patients who develop symptoms of dysphagia, unexplained weight loss >7lb (3.2kg), iron deficiency anaemia, recurrent vomiting, or worsening upper gastrointestinal symptoms. Participants must have endoscopically and histologically confirmed BO, with circumferential BO ≥1cm or maximal tongue/island length ≥2 cm. Candidates with existing oesophageal high-grade dysplasia or cancer, or previous upper gastrointestinal cancer will be excluded. Primary outcome will be overall survival. Secondary outcomes will be cost effectiveness (cost per life year saved and quality adjusted life years); cancer-specific survival; time to OAC diagnosis and stage at diagnosis; morbidity and mortality related to any interventions; and frequency of endoscopy. Conclusions This randomized trial will provide data to evaluate the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of screening BO patients for OAC.
Development and validation of a social inclusion questionnaire to evaluate the impact of attending a modernised mental health day service

The concept of social inclusion features prominently in current policy and practice developments in mental health services. The Social Exclusion Unit (2006) highlighted the need for mental health day services to promote inclusion and participation, by integrating with the wider community, and by supporting and encouraging users to access opportunities in the local community. The Leeds i3 (inspire, improve, include) project aimed to modernise local mental health day services accordingly. The aim of our study was to develop and validate a measure of social inclusion to be used in mental health day services in Leeds. The underlying assumption was that recent changes in mental health day service provision would substantially improve social inclusion of the service users.The social inclusion questionnaire was developed through extensive iterative consultation with mental health service users and staff, and its reliability was proven using test‐retest statistics. It was shown to be a simple, inexpensive, user‐friendly and repeatable measure that could be used routinely by mental health day services. Factor analysis of the questionnaire showed that social inclusion had seven important components. We suggest that these components form a useful basis for discussion with service users, as well as for planning and evaluating services.