Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Investigation of the implementation of a Communication Enhanced Environment model on an acute/slow stream rehabilitation and a rehabilitation ward: A before-and-after pilot study

Objectives: Develop and implement a Communication Enhanced Environment model and explore its effect on language activities for patients early after stroke. Method and design: Before-and-after pilot study. Setting: An acute/slow stream rehabilitation and a rehabilitation ward in a private hospital in Perth, Western Australia. Participants: Fourteen patients recruited within 21 days of stroke. Seven recruited during the before-phase (control group: patients with aphasia = 3, patients without aphasia = 4) and seven recruited in the after-phase (intervention group: patients with aphasia = 4, patients without aphasia = 3). Intervention: The intervention group exposed to a Communication Enhanced Environment model had access to equipment, resources, planned social activities and trained communication partners. Both groups received usual stroke care. Data collection: Hospital site champions monitored the availability of the intervention. Behavioural mapping completed during the first minute of each 5-minute interval over 12 hours (between 7 am and 7 pm) determined patient engagement in language activities. Results: Seventy-one percent of the Communication Enhanced Environment model was available to the intervention group who engaged in higher, but not significant (95% CI), levels of language activities (600 of 816 observation time points, 73%) than the control group (551 of 835 observation time points, 66%). Unforeseen reorganisation of the acute ward occurred during the study. Conclusions: Implementation of a Communication Enhanced Environment model was feasible in this specific setting and may potentially influence patients’ engagement in language activities. The unforeseen contextual challenges that occurred during the study period demonstrate the challenging nature of the hospital environment and will be useful in future research planning.
Comparison between boost and buckboost implemented PFC inverter with build-in soft switching and a unified controller

This paper presents two approaches for power factor corrected (PFC), low frequency to high frequency power supplies for high frequency power distribution architecture. Boost and buck-boost topologies are applied to the PFC stage respectively. In both approaches, a unified controller controls the PFC stage and the inversion stage. Performance characteristics of the two approaches are presented and a detailed comparison is given. Laboratory prototypes are also built to support the comparison.
Design and analysis of an internally cooled smart cutting tool for dry cutting

Cutting fluid is traditionally used to remove heat generated during the cutting process, but it can cause environmental pollution, health hazards, and high cost of production. Dry cutting, without using the cooling liquid, is thus desirable and promising for the machining industry to produce components and products, both ecologically and more economically. In this paper, an internally cooled cutting tool for dry cutting is presented as a temperature-sensored smart cutting tool in its own right, with further applications for adaptive machining purposes. The cutting tool is characterized by a simple changeable internal cooling structure near the cutting tip. Simulations were performed to study the theoretical cooling efficiency and to optimize the cooling structure by combining it with the Taguchi Method. Furthermore, cutting trials were carried out to validate the novel cutting tool experimentally.
Integrated molecular analysis identifies a conserved pericyte gene signature in zebrafish

Pericytes reside in capillary beds where they share a basement membrane with endothelial cells and regulate their function. However, little is known about embryonic pericyte development, in part, due to lack of specific molecular markers and genetic tools. Here, we applied single cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) of platelet derived growth factor beta (pdgfrb)-positive cells to molecularly characterize pericytes in zebrafish larvae. scRNA-seq revealed zebrafish cells expressing mouse pericyte gene orthologs while comparison to bulk RNA-seq from wild type and pdgfrb mutant larvae further refined a pericyte geneset. Subsequent integration with mouse pericyte scRNA-seq profiles revealed a core set of conserved pericyte genes. Using transgenic reporter lines, we validated pericyte expression of two genes identified in our analysis: NDUFA4 mitochondrial complex associated like 2a (ndufa4l2a), and potassium voltage-gated channel, Isk-related family, member 4 (kcne4). Both reporter lines exhibited pericyte expression in multiple anatomical locations, while kcne4 was also detected in a subset of vascular smooth muscle cells. Thus, our integrated molecular analysis revealed a molecular profile for zebrafish pericytes and allowed us to develop new tools to observe these cells in vivo. SUMMARY STATEMENT An integrated molecular analysis in zebrafish identifies new molecular markers for pericytes.
Biological Effects of Activated Carbon on Benthic Macroinvertebrates are Determined by Particle Size and Ingestibility of Activated Carbon

The application of activated carbon (AC) to the surface of contaminated sediments is a promising technology for sediment remediation in situ. Amendment with AC has proved to be effective in reducing bioavailability and sediment‐to‐water release of hydrophobic organic contaminants. However, AC may cause positive or negative biological responses in benthic organisms. The causes of these effects, which include changes in growth, reproduction, and mortality, are unclear but are thought to be related to the size of AC particles. The present study investigated biological response to AC ranging from ingestible powdered AC to noningestible granular AC in two benthic deposit feeders: the polychaete Marenzelleria spp. and the clam Limecola balthica (syn. Macoma balthica). In the polychaete, exposure to powdered AC (ingestible) reduced both dry weight and carbon assimilation, whereas exposure to granular AC (noningestible) increased both dry weight and carbon assimilation. Responses in the clam were similar but less pronounced, indicating that response levels are species‐specific and may vary within a benthic community. In addition, worms exposed to the finest ingestible AC particles had reduced gut microvilli length and reduced gut lumen, indicating starvation. These results strongly suggest that biological responses to AC depend on particle ingestibility, whereby exposure to ingestible particles may cause starvation through reduced bioavailability of food coingested with AC or due to rejection of AC‐treated sediment as a food source. Environ Toxicol Chem 2021;40:3465–3477. © 2021 The Authors. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of SETAC.
Early Childhood Caries and Iron Deficiency Anaemia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Identification of the association between Early Childhood Caries (ECC) and Iron Deficiency Anaemia (IDA) will aid paediatricians and paediatric dentists to enhance health promotion measures to reduce the related morbidity in children. This systematic review aims to determine an evidence-based association between ECC and IDA. A systematic search was carried out from MEDLINE via PubMed, EMBASE, LILACS, Cochrane Oral Health Group’s Specialized Register, CINAHL via EBSCO, Web of Science, and Scopus up to May 2020. Hand searching and grey literature screening were also conducted. Cross-sectional, case-control, and cohort studies in English language which assessed the association was included. Two reviewers independently assessed the study quality and extracted the outcome data. A total of 1,434 studies were identified. Fourteen studies qualified for qualitative review and 7 of them for a meta-analysis. In comparison with children not affected by ECC, those affected had an increased likelihood of IDA (OR = 6.07 [3.61, 10.21]). The meta-analysis showed no statistical difference when comparing blood parameters (Hb, MCV, and serum ferritin) in children with and without ECC. This systematic review demonstrates an association between ECC and increased odds of IDA rather than it being the cause for IDA. Further longitudinal studies with robust methodology are required to determine an evidence-based association.
NAMPT-derived NAD+ fuels PARP1 to promote skin inflammation through parthanatos cell death

Several studies have revealed a correlation between chronic inflammation and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) metabolism, but the precise mechanism involved is unknown. Here, we report that the genetic and pharmacological inhibition of nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase (Nampt), the rate-limiting enzyme in the salvage pathway of NAD+ biosynthesis, reduced oxidative stress, inflammation, and keratinocyte DNA damage, hyperproliferation, and cell death in zebrafish models of chronic skin inflammation, while all these effects were reversed by NAD+ supplementation. Similarly, genetic and pharmacological inhibition of poly(ADP-ribose) (PAR) polymerase 1 (Parp1), overexpression of PAR glycohydrolase, inhibition of apoptosis-inducing factor 1, inhibition of NADPH oxidases, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging all phenocopied the effects of Nampt inhibition. Pharmacological inhibition of NADPH oxidases/NAMPT/PARP/AIFM1 axis decreased the expression of pathology-associated genes in human organotypic 3D skin models of psoriasis. Consistently, an aberrant induction of NAMPT and PARP activity, together with AIFM1 nuclear translocation, was observed in lesional skin from psoriasis patients. In conclusion, hyperactivation of PARP1 in response to ROS-induced DNA damage, fueled by NAMPT-derived NAD+, mediates skin inflammation through parthanatos cell death.
DIFFERENT TYPES OF POWER TRANSFORMING MACHINES WITH ROTATING PISTONS

This article describes the basic principles for determining the geometry of different types of power transforming machines with rotating pistons. Those machines can be used as internal combustion engines, pumps, hydraulic engines, compressors, flowmeters, feeders etc. An attempt is made to clarify whether it is possible to construct machines with rotating pistons for more general use. Differences in description in many sources lead to problems when it comes to comparison of information coming from these sources. An analysis of the data indicates that reorganizing the basic mathematical issues would be useful. In this article we choose and describe one most convenient name and form of mathematical equation. Many other applications of the chosen form of mathematical equation ascertain proper and convenient use. This is the first time that the chosen form of mathematical equation is proposed to be used to find constructions of different types of power transforming machines with rotating pistons. The main advantage of this form of mathematical equation is the application of two main parameters: curve size parameter and dimensionless curve parameter. These two parameters decided about the convenience in changing volume of internal combustion engines and comparisons of performance characteristic of different types of power transforming machines with rotating pistons. In this paper some convenient values of parameters dimensionless curve parameter are put and discussed.
Characterising a homozygous two‐exon deletion in UQCRH: comparing human and mouse phenotypes

Mitochondrial disorders are clinically and genetically diverse, with isolated complex III (CIII) deficiency being relatively rare. Here, we describe two affected cousins, presenting with recurrent episodes of severe lactic acidosis, hyperammonaemia, hypoglycaemia and encephalopathy. Genetic investigations in both cases identified a homozygous deletion of exons 2 and 3 of UQCRH, which encodes a structural complex III (CIII) subunit. We generated a mouse model with the equivalent homozygous Uqcrh deletion (Uqcrh−/−), which also presented with lactic acidosis and hyperammonaemia, but had a more severe, non‐episodic phenotype, resulting in failure to thrive and early death. The biochemical phenotypes observed in patient and Uqcrh−/− mouse tissues were remarkably similar, displaying impaired CIII activity, decreased molecular weight of fully assembled holoenzyme and an increase of an unexpected large supercomplex (SXL), comprising mostly of one complex I (CI) dimer and one CIII dimer. This phenotypic similarity along with lentiviral rescue experiments in patient fibroblasts verifies the pathogenicity of the shared genetic defect, demonstrating that the Uqcrh−/− mouse is a valuable model for future studies of human CIII deficiency.
Data Quality of Longitudinally Collected Patient-Reported Outcomes After Thoracic Surgery: Comparison of Paper- and Web-Based Assessments

Background High-frequency patient-reported outcome (PRO) assessments are used to measure patients' symptoms after surgery for surgical research; however, the quality of those longitudinal PRO data has seldom been discussed. Objective The aim of this study was to determine data quality-influencing factors and to profile error trajectories of data longitudinally collected via paper-and-pencil (P&P) or web-based assessment (electronic PRO [ePRO]) after thoracic surgery. Methods We extracted longitudinal PRO data with 678 patients scheduled for lung surgery from an observational study (n=512) and a randomized clinical trial (n=166) on the evaluation of different perioperative care strategies. PROs were assessed by the MD Anderson Symptom Inventory Lung Cancer Module and single-item Quality of Life Scale before surgery and then daily after surgery until discharge or up to 14 days of hospitalization. Patient compliance and data error were identified and compared between P&P and ePRO. Generalized estimating equations model and 2-piecewise model were used to describe trajectories of error incidence over time and to identify the risk factors. Results Among 678 patients, 629 with at least 2 PRO assessments, 440 completed 3347 P&P assessments and 189 completed 1291 ePRO assessments. In total, 49.4% of patients had at least one error, including (1) missing items (64.69%, 1070/1654), (2) modifications without signatures (27.99%, 463/1654), (3) selection of multiple options (3.02%, 50/1654), (4) missing patient signatures (2.54%, 42/1654), (5) missing researcher signatures (1.45%, 24/1654), and (6) missing completion dates (0.30%, 5/1654). Patients who completed ePRO had fewer errors than those who completed P&P assessments (ePRO: 30.2% [57/189] vs. P&P: 57.7% [254/440]; P<.001). Compared with ePRO patients, those using P&P were older, less educated, and sicker. Common risk factors of having errors were a lower education level (P&P: odds ratio [OR] 1.39, 95% CI 1.20-1.62; P<.001; ePRO: OR 1.82, 95% CI 1.22-2.72; P=.003), treated in a provincial hospital (P&P: OR 3.34, 95% CI 2.10-5.33; P<.001; ePRO: OR 4.73, 95% CI 2.18-10.25; P<.001), and with severe disease (P&P: OR 1.63, 95% CI 1.33-1.99; P<.001; ePRO: OR 2.70, 95% CI 1.53-4.75; P<.001). Errors peaked on postoperative day (POD) 1 for P&P, and on POD 2 for ePRO. Conclusions It is possible to improve data quality of longitudinally collected PRO through ePRO, compared with P&P. However, ePRO-related sampling bias needs to be considered when designing clinical research using longitudinal PROs as major outcomes.
Active Noise Control Using Piezoelectric Actuators in Hard Disk Drives

Abstract With the increasing use of electromechanical microsystems, such as hard disk drives, CD-ROM drives, and DVD drives in the consumer electronics industry, there is a growing demand for quieter products. The noise emitted from these devices may originate from the vibration of mechanical components in operation, such as bearings, gears, and actuators. The vibration is then transmitted to other parts of the device, such as the covers, and the noise emitted may then be amplified. The objective of this article is to find a way to control seek noise in hard disk drives. Piezoelectric actuators are attached to the cover, which are used to excite the cover and suppress noise transmission of the cover of hard disk drives. A controller feedback of vibration observes through piezoelectric sensors and adjusts the voltage inputs to the actuators to minimize the radiated sound level. To get the optimal piezoelectric actuator location, genetic algorithms with immune diversity are adopted. Numerical results show that piezoelectric actuators can be effective for reducing seek noise.
Structural dynamics and determinants of 2-aminoadenine specificity in DNA polymerase DpoZ of vibriophage ϕVC8

Abstract All genetic information in cellular life is stored in DNA copolymers composed of four basic building blocks (ATGC-DNA). In contrast, a group of bacteriophages belonging to families Siphoviridae and Podoviridae has abandoned the usage of one of them, adenine (A), replacing it with 2-aminoadenine (Z). The resulting ZTGC-DNA is more stable than its ATGC-DNA counterpart, owing to the additional hydrogen bond present in the 2-aminoadenine:thymine (Z:T) base pair, while the additional amino group also confers resistance to the host endonucleases. Recently, two classes of replicative proteins found in ZTGC-DNA-containing phages were characterized and one of them, DpoZ from DNA polymerase A (PolA) family, was shown to possess significant Z-vs-A specificity. Here, we present the crystallographic structure of the apo form of DpoZ of vibriophage ϕVC8, composed of the 3′-5′ exonuclease and polymerase domains. We captured the enzyme in two conformations that involve the tip of the thumb subdomain and the exonuclease domain. We highlight insertions and mutations characteristic of ϕVC8 DpoZ and its close homologues. Through mutagenesis and functional assays we suggest that the preference of ϕVC8 DpoZ towards Z relies on a polymerase backtracking process, more efficient when the nascent base pair is A:T than when it is Z:T.
Regulation of neuronal excitation–transcription coupling by Kv2.1-induced clustering of somatic L-type Ca2+ channels at ER-PM junctions

Significance In hippocampal neurons, gene expression is triggered by electrical activity and Ca2+ entry via L-type Cav1.2 channels in a process called excitation–transcription coupling. We identified a domain on the voltage-gated K+ channel Kv2.1 that promotes the clustering of L-type Cav1.2 channels at endoplasmic reticulum–plasma membrane junctions in the soma of neurons. Importantly, we discovered by disrupting this domain that the Kv2.1-mediated clustering of Cav1.2 at this somatic microdomain is critical for depolarization-induced excitation–transcription coupling. In mammalian brain neurons, membrane depolarization leads to voltage-gated Ca2+ channel-mediated Ca2+ influx that triggers diverse cellular responses, including gene expression, in a process termed excitation–transcription coupling. Neuronal L-type Ca2+ channels, which have prominent populations on the soma and distal dendrites of hippocampal neurons, play a privileged role in excitation–transcription coupling. The voltage-gated K+ channel Kv2.1 organizes signaling complexes containing the L-type Ca2+ channel Cav1.2 at somatic endoplasmic reticulum–plasma membrane junctions. This leads to enhanced clustering of Cav1.2 channels, increasing their activity. However, the downstream consequences of the Kv2.1-mediated regulation of Cav1.2 localization and function on excitation–transcription coupling are not known. Here, we have identified a region between residues 478 to 486 of Kv2.1’s C terminus that mediates the Kv2.1-dependent clustering of Cav1.2. By disrupting this Ca2+ channel association domain with either mutations or with a cell-penetrating interfering peptide, we blocked the Kv2.1-mediated clustering of Cav1.2 at endoplasmic reticulum–plasma membrane junctions and the subsequent enhancement of its channel activity and somatic Ca2+ signals without affecting the clustering of Kv2.1. These interventions abolished the depolarization-induced and L-type Ca2+ channel-dependent phosphorylation of the transcription factor CREB and the subsequent expression of c-Fos in hippocampal neurons. Our findings support a model whereby the Kv2.1-Ca2+ channel association domain-mediated clustering of Cav1.2 channels imparts a mechanism to control somatic Ca2+ signals that couple neuronal excitation to gene expression.
Approximate SIF of Mode-I Crack Closure in Matrix by Knotted SMA Fiber

In this article, a theoretical model is proposed on closure of mode-I crack in matrix embedded with prestrained shape memory alloy (SMA) fiber as an actuator. To overcome fiber de-bonding in matrix, two knots are made on a SMA fiber. By shape memory effect with the rise in temperature, the SMA fiber generates a couple of recovery forces acting on the matrix at the two knots. This couple of recovery forces may restrain opening of the mode-I crack. Based on Tanaka constitutive law on SMA fiber and complex stress function near an elliptic hole under a point load, we have an analytical expression of relation between stress intensity factor (SIF) of mode-I crack closure and temperature in SMA fiber. Simulation results show that SIF of mode-I crack closure decreases obviously with the rise in temperature higher than the austenite start temperature of SMA fiber, and that there is an optimal position for SMA fiber to restrain crack opening, which is behind the crack tip.
Use of saccadic latency for visual inspection system

In some industrial inspection processes, multiprocess‐handling workers are required to enter the results of visual inspection tests without using their hands because of efficiency or hygiene reasons. We have developed a hands‐free visual inspection system by using saccadic latency, a temporal characteristic of saccadic eye movements. The proposed system is free from the Midas touch problem (i.e., the difficulty in developing an eye‐typing interface owing to the difficulty in differentiating between intentional blinks and gazes and natural ones). For verifying the system, an experiment was conducted in which ten subjects performed a visual inspection task. The average defect detection rates were 99.4%, and no Midas touch–related errors were observed. Results of the error analysis showed that redesigning the system interface would lead to a further enhancement of the system performance. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.