Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Maximal cardiac output in athletes: Influence of age

Background The decline in maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max) with age seems to be exacerbated in endurance-trained athletes (EA) relative to untrained healthy subjects. Whether maximal cardiac output (Qmax) parallels this group-specific decline with age remains uncertain. Therefore, we sought to systematically review the literature and determine whether Qmax is similarly enhanced in EA across all ages relative to age-matched untrained counterparts. Design and methods We conducted a systematic search of MEDLINE, Cochrane and Web of Science from their inceptions until June 2014 for articles evaluating Qmax in athletes. A meta-analysis was performed to determine the standardized mean difference (SMD) in Qmax between EA and age-matched untrained healthy subjects. Included studies had to (i) comprise EA and control groups matched for body size or (ii) present Qmax values normalized for body size. Subgroup and meta-regression analyses were used to study the influence of age and potential moderating factors. Results Eighteen studies were selected after systematic review, comprising 268 EA and 232 age-matched untrained subjects. Nine studies involved young EA (mean age ≤40 years) while nine studies involved master EA (mean age >55 years). After data pooling, young and master EA groups showed higher Qmax compared with control groups (SMD = 1.49 and SMD = 1.68, respectively; both p < 0.0001). The SMD in Qmax between EA and control groups was similar in studies in young EA compared with studies in master EA (p = 0.61). Moreover, the SMD in VO2max between EA and control groups did not differ in studies in young EA compared with studies in master EA (p = 0.37). In meta-regression analyses, the difference in percentage of body fat between EA and control groups was inversely associated with the SMD in Qmax (B = − 0.17, p = 0.01) and the SMD in VO2max (B = −0.20, p = 0.01). Mean age was not associated with the SMD in Qmax (B = −0.001, P = 0.90) nor with the SMD in VO2max (B = 0.01, P = 0.58). Conclusions Based on current published studies, the enhanced Qmax observed in EA compared with untrained healthy subjects matched for body size is not affected by age but may be related, at least in part, to the improved body composition of EA.
Towards quantitative microstructural modeling for 3D electronic packaging

With the electronic packaging technologies entering the 3D era, researches are needed to associate the microstructures with reliability and accurately predict the performance of solder joints/interconnects. It has been demonstrated that both the size and geometry have an impact on the microstructural formations within solder bumps. More detailed researches are required to study this size and geometry effect quantitatively in order to secure the reliability of ultrafine interconnects for the next generation electronic products. In this paper, morphologies of dendrites within solder bumps with different sizes and geometries are simulated using a phase field method. The results indicate that the size and geometry effects on the microstructural formation are not evident for the cases investigated in the present study. However, the variations in sizes and geometries of solder bumps are not substantial due to the scale that a phase field model can deal with. In addition, mass diffusion, which is the primary source accounting for the size and geometry effect has not yet coupled with the phase field equations. Although the process of heat transfer via convection, which has been considered in the present model, shares a similar mechanism with mass diffusion, the solidification of highly undercooled melt proceeds so fast that the convective cooling effect is negligible. This paper also examines numerical errors on simulated microstructures from the phase field model. The numerical errors are found to have a significant effect on the microstructures from simulations and thus have to be carefully controlled in order to achieve quantitative microstructural modeling.
Toll-like Receptor 4-Myeloid Differentiation Factor 88 Signaling Contributes to Ventilator-induced Lung Injury in Mice

Background:The mechanisms of ventilator-induced lung injury, an iatrogenic inflammatory condition induced by mechanical ventilation, are not completely understood. Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) signaling via the adaptor protein myeloid differentiation factor 88 (MyD88) is proinflammatory and plays a critical role in host immune response to invading pathogen and noninfectious tissue injury. The role of TLR4-MyD88 signaling in ventilator-induced lung injury remains incompletely understood. Methods:Mice were ventilated with low or high tidal volume (HTV), 7 or 20 ml/kg, after tracheotomy for 4 h. Control mice were tracheotomized without ventilation. Lung injury was assessed by: alveolar capillary permeability to Evans blue albumin, wet/dry ratio, bronchoalveolar lavage analysis for cell counts, total proteins and cytokines, results of histopathological examination of the lung, and plasma cytokine levels. Results:Wild-type mice subjected to HTV had increased pulmonary permeability, inflammatory cell infiltration/lung edema, and interleukin-6/macrophage-inflammatory protein-2 in the lavage compared with control mice. In HTV, levels of inhibitor of &kgr;B &agr; decreased, whereas phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated kinases increased. TLR4 mutant and MyD88−/− mice showed markedly attenuated response to HTV, including less lung inflammation, pulmonary edema, cell number, protein content, and the cytokines in the lavage. Furthermore, compared with wild-type mice, both TLR4 mutant and MyD88−/− mice had significantly higher levels of inhibitor of &kgr;B &agr; and reduced extracellular signal-regulated kinase phosphorylation after HTV. Conclusions:TLR4-MyD88 signaling plays an important role in the development of ventilator-induced lung injury in mice, possibly through mechanisms involving nuclear factor-&kgr;B and mitogen-activated protein kinase pathways.
Production of ordered silicon nanocrystals by low-energy ion sputtering

We report on the production of ordered assemblies of silicon nanostructures by means of irradiation of a Si (100) substrate with 1.2 keV Ar+ ions at normal incidence. Atomic force and high-resolution transmission electron microscopies show that the silicon structures are crystalline, display homogeneous height, and spontaneously arrange into short-range hexagonal ordering. Under prolonged irradiation (up to 16 h) all dot characteristics remain largely unchanged and a small corrugation develops at long wavelengths. We interpret the formation of the dots as a result of an instability due to the sputtering yield dependence on the local surface curvature.
Respiratory Modulation of Spontaneous Subthreshold Synaptic Activity in Olfactory Bulb Granule Cells Recorded in Awake, Head-Fixed Mice

Although the firing patterns of principal neurons in the olfactory bulb are known to be modulated strongly by respiration even under basal conditions, less is known about whether inhibitory local circuit activity in the olfactory bulb (OB) is modulated phasically. The diverse phase preferences of principal neurons in the OB and olfactory cortex that innervate granule cells (GCs) may interfere and prevent robust respiratory coupling, as suggested by recent findings. Using whole-cell recording, we examined the spontaneous, subthreshold membrane potential of GCs in the OBs of awake head-fixed mice. We found that, during periods of basal respiration, the synaptic input to GCs was strongly phase modulated, leading to a phase preference in the average, cycle-normalized membrane potential. Subthreshold phase tuning was heterogeneous in both mitral and tufted cells (MTCs) and GCs but relatively constant within each GC during periods of increased respiratory frequency. The timing of individual EPSPs in GC recordings also was phase modulated with the phase preference imparted by large-amplitude EPSPs, with fast kinetics often matching the phase tuning of the average membrane potential. These results suggest that activity in a subset of excitatory afferents to GCs, presumably including cortical feedback projections and other sources of large-amplitude unitary EPSPs, function to provide a timing signal linked to respiration. The phase preference we find in the membrane potential may provide a mechanism to dynamically modulate recurrent and lateral dendrodendritic inhibition of MTCs and to selective engage a subpopulation of interneurons based on the alignment of their phase tuning relative to sensory-driven MTC discharges.
Arthroscopically Assisted Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction Using Patellar Tendon Autograft

We retrospectively reviewed the results of 97 patients with anterior cruciate ligament reconstructions using an arthroscopically assisted two-incision technique without extraarticular augmentation at an intermediate followup of 5 to 9 years postoperatively. Evaluation included detailed history, physical examination, functional testing, KT-1000 arthrometer measurements, multiple scoring systems, and radiographs. The results were compared with those from a previous study that evaluated a smaller patient cohort using the identical surgical technique at a 2- to 4-year followup. The post-operative physical examination and KT-1000 arthrometer results were statistically improved when compared with preoperative findings. A negative pivot shift result was noted in 83% of patients, and a 1 result in 17% of patients. Seventy percent of patients had 3 mm difference on manual maximum side-to-side testing. Functional testing averaged less than 2% asymmetry for vertical jump, single-legged hop, or timed 6-meter hop. The Tegner activity level was significantly improved from prereconstruction ratings and similar to preinjury ratings. The mean Lysholm score was 87. The modified Hospital for Special Surgery scores resulted in good or excellent results in 82% of the patients (mean, 87 points). The mean Noyes sports function score was 89, and the reoperation rate for a symptomatic knee flexion contracture was 12%. Ninety-seven percent of patients indicated that they would undergo the procedure again. When compared with this same population at 2 to 4 years, we saw no deterioration in scoring scale results.
Needs Assessment

The National Health Service and Community Care Act 1990 defines needs as “the requirements of individuals to enable them to achieve, maintain or restore an acceptable level of social independence or quality of life” (Department of Health Social Services Inspectorate, 1991). Other definitions of need have also been used by researchers, based on different theoretical perspectives. Psychological theories have used the concept of need as a basis for understanding action. Psychiatry, by contrast, often employs the construct to inform service provision, and plan individual care. These issues are important because implementing the NHS and Community Care Act in a consistent manner will involve agreement on defining and prioritising need.
Psychotic symptom and cannabis relapse in recent-onset psychosis

Background Cannabis use appears to exacerbate psychotic symptoms and increase risk of psychotic relapse. However, the relative contribution of cannabis use compared with other risk factors is unclear. The influence of psychotic symptoms on cannabis use has received little attention. Aims To examine the influence of cannabis use on psychotic symptom relapse and the influence of psychotic symptom severity on relapse in cannabis use in the 6 months following hospital admission. Method At baseline, 84 participants with recent-onset psychosis were assessed and 81 were followed up weekly for 6 months, using telephone and face-to-face interviews. Results A higher frequency of cannabis use was predictive of psychotic relapse, after controlling for medication adherence, other substance use and duration of untreated psychosis. An increase in psychotic symptoms was predictive of relapse to cannabis use, and medication adherence reduced cannabis relapse risk. Conclusions The relationship between cannabis use and psychosis may be bidirectional, highlighting the need for early intervention programmes to target cannabis use and psychotic symptom severity in this population.
Review article: the role of the microcirculation in liver cirrhosis

Intrahepatic microvascular derangements and microcirculatory dysfunction are key in the development of liver cirrhosis and its associated complications. While much has been documented relating to cirrhosis and the dysfunction of the microcirculation in the liver parenchyma, far less is known about the state of the extrahepatic microcirculation and the role this may have in the pathogenesis of multiple organ failure in end stage liver cirrhosis.
Run-to-run control and performance monitoring of overlay in semiconductor manufacturing

Abstract In the manufacture of semiconductor products, overlay is one of the most critical design specifications. Overlay is the position of a pattern relative to underlying layers, and overlay control largely determines the minimum feature size that may be incorporated into semiconductor device designs. Overlay control must be performed on a run-to-run basis, i.e. at the end of a run when product characteristics are available because they cannot be directly measured during a run. In this research a process model and a run-to-run control scheme was developed for overlay control, based on linear model predictive control (LMPC), and successfully implemented in a commercial facility. Performance monitoring of the closed-loop process was also carried out.
Letter to the Editor

We read with great interest the original article titled ‘‘Neurologic Complications Caused by Epstein-Barr Virus in Pediatric Patients’’ authored by Katarzyna Mazur-Melewska and published in the April 2016 issue of Journal of Child Neurology. In this retrospective article, 194 children infected with EpsteinBarr virus were analyzed. Patients with severe neurologic complications who underwent neurologic examination, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and electroencephalography (EEG) were described. Herein, we demanded some corrections in this article as your readers may be misled by technical problems. We have noticed that there are common mistakes in figure legends of Figures 2, 3, and 4 as well. The definitions of lesions in both MRI and computed tomography (CT) images have been described as hyperechoic or increased echogenicity, which is absolutely wrong. Lesions are basically described as intensity in MRI, as density in CT, and as echogenicity in ultrasonography. According to this knowledge, figure legends should be corrected as follows. Figure 2: Hyperintense (instead of hyperechoic) focal lesion located in the dorsolateral part of the thalamus in T2-related (A) and fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (B) magnetic resonance image. Figure 3: (A) Computed tomography shows (brain window) increased density (instead of echogenicity) of cerebellar white matter. (B, C, D) T2-related and fluid-attenuated inversion recovery magnetic resonance image showed hyperechoic lesions in both cerebellar hemispheres. Figure 4: (A, C) T2-related magnetic resonance image shows the thickened thoracic spinal cord with focal lesions. (B, D) T1-related, postcontrast MRI shows hyperintense (instead of hyperechoic) filum terminale. Additionally in Figure 3, the images B, C, and D are described as T2 and fluid-attenuated inversion recovery sequences but Figure 3B is clearly a T1-weighted image. We believe that correction of these mistakes will increase this original article’s value. Metin Dogan, MD Department of Radiology, Inonu University School of Medicine, Malatya, Turkey
Adaptation of polystyrene/multi‐wall carbon nanotube composite properties in respect of its thermal stability

Polystyrene (PS)/multi-wall carbon nanotube (MWCNT) nanocomposites were prepared by melt mixing and by coagulation of PS/MWCNT sonicated dispersion. Before mixing and coagulation particles of MWCNT were covered with PS nanospheres by microemulsion polymerization to increase their dispersibility and compatibility with the matrix. Microemulsion polymerization was carried out under sonication in the presence of surfactants and a cross-linking agent. The structure of modified MWCNT filler was revealed by SEM and TEM microscopy analyses. They show that PS is well grafted onto surface of MWCNT in form of ca 30 nm nanospheres or as ca 3–8 nm PS film layer. Significant changes in properties were recorded mainly for the coagulated sample. Although no shift of Tg was recorded for the melt mixed composite, the coagulated sample shows an increase by 9°C. Also the reinforcing effect of MWCNT was more pronounced for the same method of preparation (further supported by the filler modification). The creep response of this material shifts to longer times not only in the Tg area, but also as low as 70°C below it, which is perceived as an improvement of temperature stability (the same properties kept for a longer time). This was also proved by the increase of creep modulus, and consequently by the prolonged time needed to reach the same tensile creep compliance after aging. POLYM. COMPOS. , 2010. © 2009 Society of Plastics Engineers
Eban Health Promotion Intervention: Conceptual Basis and Procedures

Objective:This article concerns the health promotion intervention that served as the comparison condition in Project Eban, the NIMH Multisite HIV/STD Prevention Trial for African American Couples. Considerable research has documented the high rates of chronic diseases, including heart disease, cancer, stroke, and diabetes, among African Americans. Many of these diseases are tied to behavioral risk factors-the things that people do or do not do, their diet, the amount of exercise they get, and their substance use practices. Design:The Eban Health Promotion Intervention was designed to increase healthful behaviors, including physical activity, healthful dietary practices, ceasing cigarette smoking and alcohol abuse, practicing early detection and screening behaviors, and improving medication adherence. As a comparison condition, the Eban Health Promotion Intervention was designed to be structurally similar to the Eban HIV/STD Risk Reduction Intervention. Methods:This article describes the intervention and how it was developed, integrating social cognitive theory with information collected in formative research to ensure that the intervention was appropriate for African Americans affected by HIV. Conclusion:Project Eban not only tests the efficacy of an HIV/STD risk reduction intervention for African American serodiscordant couples, but also tests the efficacy of an intervention addressing many of the other health problems common in this population.
Ultrasonic beamforming with Delta-Sigma modulators

Delta - Sigma (ΔΣ) modulation allows delay resolution in ultrasound beamformers to be achieved by simple clock cycle delays applied to the undecimated bitstream, greatly reducing the complexity of the signal processing and the number of bits in the data path. The signal resampling involved in dynamic ΔΣ beamforming, however, disrupts synchronization between the modulators and demodulator, causing significant degradation in the signal-to-noise ratio. As a solution a beamformer architecture based on non-uniform oversampling ΔΣ conversion was explored. Using this approach, the echo signals received by the transducer array are sampled at time instants determined by the beamforming timing and then digitized by single-bit ΔΣ A/D conversion prior to the coherent beam summation. The ΔΣ coded beamsums obtained by adding the delayed 1-bit echo signals are then processed through a decimation filter to produce final outputs.
Dónde está la educación: actividad común interna y elementos estructurales de la intervención

Enhorabuena. Estamos de enhorabuena los que nos dedicamos a la Educación. Y, a la Teoría de la Educación. Así, con mayúscula. Estamos viviendo tiempos interesantes en la Educación. La época de “crisis” actual exige a la Educación dar respuestas, ideas y soluciones adecuadas a las necesidades efectivas de los ciudadanos para que aquella esté a la altura que la sociedad actual requiere. Ante tanta crítica y desmitificación de la educación, aparece, muy oportunamente, el libro del Dr. Touriñán Dónde está la educación: actividad común interna y elementos estructurales de la intervención. Una preocupación básica de la Pedagogía como disciplina de estudio e investigación en la universidad es llegar a comprender la extensión del concepto “educación”. Y en este sentido, la pregunta “Dónde está la educación” tiene una respuesta directa en este libro.
Error correction in mobile robot map learning

An issue that must be addressed in map-learning systems is that of error accumulation. The primary emphasis in the literature has been on reducing errors entering the map. The authors suggest that this methodology must reach a point of diminishing returns, and hence focus on explicit error detection and correction. By identifying the possible types of mapping errors, structural constraints can be exploited to detect and diagnose mapping errors. Such robust mapping requires little overhead beyond that needed for nonrobust mapping. A mapping system was implemented based on those ideas. Extensive testing in simulation demonstrated the effectiveness of the proposed error-correction strategies. <<ETX>>
Estimation of NBTI Degradation using IDDQ Measurement

Negative bias temperature instability (NBTI) has emerged as a major reliability degradation factor in nano-scale CMOS technology. In this paper, we analyze the impact of NBTI degradation in both the maximum operating frequency (f<sub>MAX</sub>) and the total standby leakage current (I<sub>DDQ</sub>) of digital CMOS circuits. Our analysis shows that due to NBTI, both f<sub>MAX</sub> and I<sub>DDQ</sub> reduce with time with a fix exponent of 1/6 (~t<sup>1/6</sup>). Based on this analysis, we develop temporal f<sub>MAX</sub>-I<sub>DDQ</sub> model and apply it to several ISCAS'85 benchmark circuits designed using BPTM 70nm file. Results show that f<sub>MAX</sub> and I<sub>DDQ</sub> can reduce by more than 8% and 30% in 3 years operation time, respectively. Furthermore, we show that f<sub>MAX</sub> and I<sub>DDQ</sub> degradations are highly correlated throughout the operating lifetime, and using this fact, one can avoid expensive f<sub>MAX</sub> testing and predict f<sub>MAX</sub> degradations as a function of I<sub>DDQ</sub> measures.