Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Numerical bifurcation Analysis of differential equations with State-Dependent Delay

In this paper we apply existing numerical methods for bifurcation analysis of delay differential equations with constant delay to equations with state-dependent delay. In particular, we study the computation, continuation and stability analysis of steady state solutions and periodic solutions. We collect the relevant theory and describe open theoretical problems in the context of bifurcation analysis. We present computational results for two examples and compare with analytical results whenever possible.
Parenting Efficacy and the Early School Adjustment of Poor and Near-Poor Black Children

This short-term longitudinal study investigates whether maternal educational attainment, maternal employment status, and family income affect African American children’s behavioral and cognitive functioning over time through their impacts on mothers’ psychological functioning and parenting efficacy in a sample of 100 poor and near-poor single Black mothers and their 3- and 4-year-old focal children. Results indicate that education, working status, and earnings display statistically significant, negative, indirect relations with behavior problems and, with the exception of earnings, statistically significant, positive, indirect relationships with teacher-rated adaptive language skills over time. Findings suggest further that parenting efficacy may mediate the link between poor and near-poor single Black mothers’ depressive symptoms and their preschoolers’ subsequent school adjustment. Implications of these findings for policy and program interventions are discussed.
Patients’ perceptions of informed consent in acute myocardial infarction research: a questionnaire based survey of the consent process in the DANAMI-2 trial

Objective: To analyse how patients in the acute phase of a myocardial infarct experience the informed consent procedure of a clinical trial. Design: A questionnaire based follow up survey including patients who gave informed consent as well as patients who did not consent to the trial. Patients: 103 patients who gave informed consent and 78 who did not consent to the second Danish acute myocardial infarction trial (DANAMI-2). Results: 76% of the trial participants and 63% of the non-participants agreed or mostly agreed that they felt able to make a decision about whether or not to participate in the trial; 50% of the trial participants and 34% of the non-participants found it acceptable that patients in their situation have to make such a decision. Only 28% of the trial participants and 7% of the non-participants read the information sheet before they made the decision. Conclusions: Informed consent should be sought in acute myocardial infarction trials despite the emergency situation and the medical condition of the patients. Patients’ self assessed ability to make a decision should be explicitly addressed during the informed consent process and patients should not be pressurised into decision making. Physicians and research ethics committees should focus specifically on improving the oral information.
Small signal modeling and control of PV based QZSI for grid connected applications

This article proposes modeling and control system design for PV based Quasi-Z-Source Inverter (QZSI) for grid-tied applications. The control system is designed based on two cascaded controllers. Firstly, output current controller designed in the stationary frame. The second is DC-link voltage controller. Also, Modified Direct Incremental Conductance Maximum Power Point Tracking (MDIC-MPPT) method is proposed for quick and accurate MPP optimization. Simulation results are presented to validate the controllers design.
Functional MRI correlates of the recall of unresolved life events in borderline personality disorder

Background. Patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD) frequently report unresolved life events but it is still poorly understood, how these experiences are represented in the brain. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), the present study aimed at investigating the neural correlates of the recall of unresolved life events in patients with BPD and healthy controls. Method. Twenty female BPD patients and 21 healthy control subjects underwent fMRI. During measurement subjects recalled unresolved and resolved negative life events. Individual cue words were used to stimulate autobiographical memory. After scanning, subjects rated their emotional states during the recall of both types of memories. Results. When contrasting unresolved and resolved life events, patients showed significant bilateral activation of frontotemporal areas including the insula, amygdala, and the anterior cingulate cortex, the left posterior cingulate cortex, right occipital cortex, the bilateral cerebellum and the midbrain. In healthy subjects, no differential brain activation was related to these conditions. The 2×2 factorial analysis (ΔBPD−Δcontrols) revealed similar results with bilateral activation of the frontal cortex including parts of the insula and of the orbitofrontal cortex, temporal activation including the amygdala, activation of the right occipital cortex, and parts of the cerebellum. Patients but not controls reported higher levels of anxiety and helplessness during the unresolved versus resolved memory condition. Conclusions. The activation of both, the amygdala and prefrontal areas, might reflect an increased effortful but insufficient attempt to control intensive emotions during the recall of unresolved life events in patients with BPD.
Interferometric measurement of neutron Fizeau effect.

For thermal neutrons we have measured the Fizeau effect to 1.5% accuracy. The quoted accuracy was achieved by use of a newly designed neutron interferometer. Four fast-moving samples, all parts of a single, four-winged, aluminum, rotating propeller, could be made to engage simultaneously in the interfering beams. Our experiment complements and exceeds two recent Fizeau experiments, one of which was performed with cold neutrons and much lower accuracy and the other with a moving medium inside stationary boundaries resulting in a null Fizeau effect.
Cytokine‐Induced Slowing of STAT3 Nuclear Import; Faster Basal Trafficking of the STAT3β Isoform

The STAT3 signal transducer and activator of transcription is a key mediator of gene transcription in response to cytokines such as oncostatin M (OSM). We performed direct live cell imaging of GFP‐tagged STAT3 proteins for the first time, showing transient relocalization of STAT3α to the nucleus following OSM exposure, in contrast to sustained nuclear relocalization of the shorter STAT3β spliceform. To explore this further, we applied fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) to determine the nuclear import kinetics of STAT3α and β, as well as of a C‐terminal truncation derivative STAT3ΔC comprising only the sequence shared by the spliceforms, in the absence or presence of OSM. The rates of basal nuclear import for STAT3β and STAT3ΔC were significantly faster than those for STAT3α. Strikingly, OSM slowed the import rates of all the three STAT3 proteins, whereas the import rates of GFP alone or a classical importin‐mediated cargo were unaffected, with analysis of Y705F mutant derivatives for all the three STAT3 constructs, or of a S727A mutant within the unique C‐terminus of STAT3α, reinforcing the contribution of specific phosphorylation to the cytokine‐stimulated changes. The results introduce a new paradigm where cytokine treatment prolongs nuclear retention simultaneous with decreasing rather than increasing the rate of nuclear import.
Clinical significance of NOD2/CARD15 and Toll-like receptor 4 gene single nucleotide polymorphisms in inflammatory bowel disease.

AIM To evaluate the role of genetic factors in the pathogenesis of Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), we investigated the single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of NOD2/CARD15 (R702W, G908R and L1007finsC), and Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) genes (D299G and T399I) in a selected inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) population coming from Southern Italy. METHODS Allele and genotype frequencies of NOD2/CARD15 (R702W, G908R and L1007finsC) and TLR4 (D299G and T399I) SNPs were examined in 133 CD patients, in 45 UC patients, and in 103 healthy controls. A genotype-phenotype correlation was performed. RESULTS NOD2/CARD15 R702W mutation was significantly more frequent in CD (9.8%) than in controls (2.4%, P = 0.001) and in UC (2.3%, P = 0.03). No significant difference was found between UC patients and control group (P > 0.05). In CD and UC patients, no significant association with G908R variant was found. L1007finsC SNP showed an association with CD (9.8%) compared with controls (2.9%, P = 0.002) and UC patients (2.3%, P = 0.01). Moreover, in CD patients, G908R and L1007finsC mutations were significantly associated with different phenotypes compared to CD wild-type patients. No association of IBD with the TLR4 SNPs was found in either cohort (allele frequencies: D299G-controls 3.9%, CD 3.7%, UC 3.4%, P > 0.05; T399I-controls 2.9%, CD 3.0%, UC 3.4%, P > 0.05). CONCLUSION These findings confirm that, in our IBD patients selected from Southern Italy, the NOD2/CARD15, but not TLR4 SNPs, are associated with increased risk of CD.
Scoping Review on Search Queries and Social Media for Disease Surveillance: A Chronology of Innovation

Background The threat of a global pandemic posed by outbreaks of influenza H5N1 (1997) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS, 2002), both diseases of zoonotic origin, provoked interest in improving early warning systems and reinforced the need for combining data from different sources. It led to the use of search query data from search engines such as Google and Yahoo! as an indicator of when and where influenza was occurring. This methodology has subsequently been extended to other diseases and has led to experimentation with new types of social media for disease surveillance. Objective The objective of this scoping review was to formally assess the current state of knowledge regarding the use of search queries and social media for disease surveillance in order to inform future work on early detection and more effective mitigation of the effects of foodborne illness. Methods Structured scoping review methods were used to identify, characterize, and evaluate all published primary research, expert review, and commentary articles regarding the use of social media in surveillance of infectious diseases from 2002-2011. Results Thirty-two primary research articles and 19 reviews and case studies were identified as relevant. Most relevant citations were peer-reviewed journal articles (29/32, 91%) published in 2010-11 (28/32, 88%) and reported use of a Google program for surveillance of influenza. Only four primary research articles investigated social media in the context of foodborne disease or gastroenteritis. Most authors (21/32 articles, 66%) reported that social media-based surveillance had comparable performance when compared to an existing surveillance program. The most commonly reported strengths of social media surveillance programs included their effectiveness (21/32, 66%) and rapid detection of disease (21/32, 66%). The most commonly reported weaknesses were the potential for false positive (16/32, 50%) and false negative (11/32, 34%) results. Most authors (24/32, 75%) recommended that social media programs should primarily be used to support existing surveillance programs. Conclusions The use of search queries and social media for disease surveillance are relatively recent phenomena (first reported in 2006). Both the tools themselves and the methodologies for exploiting them are evolving over time. While their accuracy, speed, and cost compare favorably with existing surveillance systems, the primary challenge is to refine the data signal by reducing surrounding noise. Further developments in digital disease surveillance have the potential to improve sensitivity and specificity, passively through advances in machine learning and actively through engagement of users. Adoption, even as supporting systems for existing surveillance, will entail a high level of familiarity with the tools and collaboration across jurisdictions.
Predicting Transitory Mood From Physical Activity Level Among People With Severe Mental Illness in Two Cultures

Background: Previous studies have indicated that physical activity (PA) is positively related to health-related quality of life and well-being among people with severe mental illness (SMI). Physical activity is broadly defined in this research as any skeletal muscle movement resulting in energy expenditure, including common daily activities such as housework and gardening, as well as walking for transportation and formal exercise. Although the physical health benefits of PA are well documented, evidence suggests that PA provides psychological benefits as well. Aims: The purpose of this study was to identify if PA level was associated with transitory mood in the everyday lives of people with SMI across two cultures. Methods: Subjects were drawn through mental health centres in Serbia (n = 12) and the USA (n = 11). Data were collected using both experience sampling methodology and accelerometry. Data were analyzed using hierarchical linear modelling. Results: Subjects demonstrated low levels of PA, which did not differ significantly between groups. Hierarchical analysis indicated that PA remained significantly positively associated with mood after accounting for individual variation, and this was consistent across groups. Conclusions: This study reinforces previous findings that people with SMI demonstrate low PA levels generally. It also supports the consideration of physical activity interventions as a regular part of psychiatric rehabilitation. It appears that increased PA may have the potential to affect both physical health and mood among people with SMI.
Segmentation of Ill-Defined Objects by Convoluting Context Window of Each Pixel with a Non-Parametric Function

Taking cue from the fact of Context-dependence in Human Cognition process, in this work an image segmentation method is introduced where each pixel are classified into its object-class depending on properties of its neighboring pixels within a context-window-frame surrounding it. In brief methodological steps, the convolution of array obtained as intensities of pixels of a context window is done with weights obtained through a specific architecture of Artificial Neural Network after training. The result of convolution is utilized to define class of an object. The training set of pixels is selected judiciously considering exhaustive variety of context-types which includes pixels inside, outside, boundary of objects. This work also gives a novel approach for quantitative assessment of segmentation-efficiency for a segmentation process. Also the use of context-window appears to improve the segmentation process because of equivalence of this approach with those which use a combination of local texture and color for segmentation.
Time and dose-dependent activation of p53 serine 15 phosphorylation among cell lines with different radiation sensitivity

Purpose: Proper detection of DNA damage and signal transduction to other proteins following irradiation (IR) is essential for cellular integrity. The serine 15 (Ser15) on p53 is crucial for p53 stabilization and a requirement for transient and permanent cell cycle arrest. Here, we sought to determine the relationship between p53 serine 15 phosphorylation (p53-p-Ser15) on cellular sensitivity and if this modification is associated with DNA double-strand break (DSB) repair. Materials and methods: Eight lymphoblastoid cell lines including ataxia-telangiectasia (A-T), Nijmegen breakage syndrome (NBS) and radiosensitive patient derived cell lines were irradiated with 1 Gy, 2 Gy and 5 Gy. Then growth inhibition, p53 induction and phosphorylation on Ser15 as assessed by immunoblotting and DNA DSB repair as assessed by constant field gel electrophoresis were examined. Results: Phosphorylation of p53 at Ser15 in control cells rapidly increased, peaking at 3 – 6 hours and then sustained a low level of phosphorylation for up to 6 days following IR. For these cell lines, the amount of p53-p-Ser15 corresponded to the sensitivity of cells and the amount of DNA DSB. In A-T cells, p53-p-Ser15 was reduced in spite of increased DNA DSB. NBS cells had similar phosphorylation dynamics as the control cell line, which was not consistent with their increased sensitivity. Radiosensitive patients' cell lines differed only slightly from controls. Conclusions: Cells that are competent in signal transduction have p53-p-Ser15 kinetics corresponding to cellular radiosensitivity as assessed by clonogenicity and DNA DSB repair, and cells impaired in signal transduction lack this correspondence. Therefore, using p53-p-Ser15 as a general marker of radiation sensitivity has confounding factors which may impair proper radiosensitivity prediction.
Comparison of Inhibition in Two Timed Reaction Tasks: The Color and Emotion Stroop Tasks

The authors examined the cross-task consistency of the ability to inhibit the processing of irrelevant information. They compared interference scores on 2 widely used inhibition tasks and found that color word Stroop interference scores correlated with emotion word Stroop interference scores. An examination of physiological reactivity showed that, in general, the color Stroop was more arousing than was the emotion Stroop, most likely due to increased response conflict.
Activity-Based Prospective Memory in Schizophrenia

The study reports activity-based prospective memory as well as its clinical and neuropsychological correlates in schizophrenia. A total of 42 persons diagnosed with schizophrenia and 42 healthy controls were administered prospective memory, set-shifting, and verbal working memory tasks. The schizophrenia group was additionally administered various psychopathology rating scales. Group differences, with poorer performances of the schizophrenia group, were observed on the measures of prospective memory, working memory, and set shifting. The performance on prospective memory tasks correlated with the performance levels on verbal working memory and set-shifting tasks but not with the clinical measures. This study demonstrated impaired activity-based prospective memory in schizophrenia. The impairment can be due to deficits in various neuropsychological domains.
The Heterogeneity of Category-Specific Semantic Disorders: Evidence from a New Case

We report a new case of category-specific semantic impairment, affecting living entities, in a patient with traumatic brain damage. In the present investigation we attempted to replicate as closely as possible the testing procedures which have been developed by Caramazza and Shelton (1998) to evaluate EW, a patient with a selective semantic disorder for the animal category. The results in our patient indicated a different performance profile, characterised by a more extensive semantic disorder for living entities, and by a more severe loss of specific visual rather than functional knowledge. These findings concur with other evidence indicating that category-specific semantic disorders are heterogeneous, reflecting different mechanisms of impairment, most likely associated with different neurobiological underpinnings.
Hardware computing for brain network analysis

As the scale of computer clusters and supercomputers is getting larger, the problem of power consumption and heat dissipation has become the biggest obstacle for the ever growing need for computation. Designing platforms for specific applications using the reconfigurable logic such as Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) or highly parallel processors such as Graphic Processing Units (GPUs) will dramatically increase power efficiency. This is the concept of domain specific computing. Combining the advantages of different platforms to build a heterogeneous computing platform is the trend of domain specific computing. On the other hand, the research on brain networks plays a vital role in understanding the connectivity patterns of the human brain and disease-related alterations. Recent studies have suggested a noninvasive way of modeling and analyzing the human cortical networks with MRI by graph theory based approaches. However, both the construction and analysis of brain networks require tremendous computation. Currently, only hundreds of nodes can be analyzed due to lack of computing power. By increasing the number of nodes, the resolution of cortical networks will be greatly enhanced, thus hopefully helps the early diagnosis of brain diseases such as Alzheimer's disease. A well-designed computing platform is the key to this problem. In this work, we inject the power of heterogeneous hardware computing into the brain network research, to help the research on the connectivity patterns of both normal and diseased brains. Besides, one important outcome is an accelerated BLAS and Graph algorithms package, which will provide insights into domain specific computing to boarder audience in both biomedical and computer science domains.
Optimal force distribution of multiple cooperating robots using nonlinear programming dual method

An optimal force distribution scheme of multiple cooperating robots is proposed. General formulations of the optimal force distribution problem are built into quadratic programming with linear equality and quadratic inequality constraints. The quadratic constraints are due to the norm constraints of grasping forces and the approximation of maximum joint torque constraints which is used for simplification of the problem. This paper presents a technique for solving these general optimal force distribution problems. The original problem is transformed into a compact problem by eliminating the linear equality constraints. Then, the compact problem is transformed into a dual problem to be solved by using Lagrange multipliers and nonlinear programming dual method. This technique reduces the problem size considerably and makes the problem almost unconstrained so that no initial feasible points are needed. These features exhibit the efficiency of this technique. Simulation results for two cooperating PUMA robots indicating the ability of real time applications of the proposed technique are presented.
General dentists' referrals of 3- to 5-year-old children to pediatric dentists.

BACKGROUND Little is known about general dentists' referral patterns. The authors explored the practice, dentist and patient characteristics associated with general dentists' likelihood of referring children aged 3 to 5 years to pediatric dentists. METHODS The authors sent all Iowa general dentists (N = 1,089) a 25-item questionnaire regarding the referral of children in their practices. The authors merged the resulting information with an existing database (Iowa Dentist Tracking System) to create the dataset. A total of 65.4 percent of the dentists (712) participated. RESULTS Logistic regression analysis demonstrated that an increase in the percentage of children in the practice decreased the likelihood of the dentist's referring the children (odds ratio [OR] = 0.93, 95 percent confidence interval [CI] = 0.90 to 0.96). Practices with more than 5 percent of patients with public insurance were more likely to refer children (OR = 1.96, 95 percent CI = 1.26 to 3.06), as were dentists with additional training beyond dental school (OR = 1.69, 95 percent CI = 1.06 to 2.69). CONCLUSION These data indicate that both practice and dentist characteristics are associated with the likelihood of making referals; however, there needs to be further study on general dentists' referral decisions. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS As the characteristics of the dental work force evolve, there is a need to study referral patterns and the influence they have on work force policy, patient accessibility and educational curriculum.