Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Poststroke Depression

Abstract Neuropsychological symptoms are probably among the most commonly ignored complications in stroke patients. Depression is a common yet often unrecognized neuropsychological consequence of stroke, having biological, psychobehavioral, and social dimensions. The reported prevalence of depression following a stroke varies from 20% to 50% within the first year, with an apparent peak within the first 6 months of onset event. The disparity of reported prevalence rates significantly depends on study methodology, diagnostic assessment tools, and time elapsed after stroke onset. The etiology of depression after a stroke is complex; it is likely determined by multiple factors, including lesion location, social handicap, and family support. Depression impedes rehabilitation progress following stroke and is associated with impaired functional outcome, cognitive decline, and increased mortality. Similarly, depression has been linked to increased risk of stroke occurrence. Despite high prevalence and serious sequels, poststroke depression (PSD) remains undetected and untreated. Early diagnosis and successful intervention may improve clinical outcome and should be considered a key for better stroke care. In this article, we review the clinical presentation, epidemiology, pathogenesis, and consequences of PSD and summarize current recommendations for therapeutic intervention.
Structural and Functional Analyses of Human Cerebral Cortex Using a Surface-Based Atlas

We have analyzed the geometry, geography, and functional organization of human cerebral cortex using surface reconstructions and cortical flat maps of the left and right hemispheres generated from a digital atlas (the Visible Man). The total surface area of the reconstructed Visible Man neocortex is 1570 cm2(both hemispheres), ∼70% of which is buried in sulci. By linking the Visible Man cerebrum to the Talairach stereotaxic coordinate space, the locations of activation foci reported in neuroimaging studies can be readily visualized in relation to the cortical surface. The associated spatial uncertainty was empirically shown to have a radius in three dimensions of ∼10 mm. Application of this approach to studies of visual cortex reveals the overall patterns of activation associated with different aspects of visual function and the relationship of these patterns to topographically organized visual areas. Our analysis supports a distinction between an anterior region in ventral occipito-temporal cortex that is selectively involved in form processing and a more posterior region (in or near areas VP and V4v) involved in both form and color processing. Foci associated with motion processing are mainly concentrated in a region along the occipito-temporal junction, the ventral portion of which overlaps with foci also implicated in form processing. Comparisons between flat maps of human and macaque monkey cerebral cortex indicate significant differences as well as many similarities in the relative sizes and positions of cortical regions known or suspected to be homologous in the two species.
Pulsed laser deposition and characterisation of rare earth doped glass-polymer optical materials

Tellurite glass is well known for its excellent optical properties in the application of optical fiber and planar waveguide devices, particularly for optical amplifiers. This thesis is focused on the design, fabrication and characterisation of tellurite glass in both bulk and thin films (glass, glass and polymer thin films) used as optical materials. It consists of four major parts, including the fabrication and characterisation of rare earth doped tungsten lanthanum modified tellurite (TWL) glasses, TWL glass thin films, glass and polymer composite thin films as well as the fabrication of channel waveguide structures on the surface of thin films. One of the main objectives of this research is to engineer rare earth doped glass and polymer composite thin films using pulsed laser deposition (PLD). Thin films are the main form of the prototype for planar devices. Two dissimilar materials with comparable refractive indices have been deposited alternatively to obtain a periodic layer by layer structures using PLD. These two materials, namely, phosphate modified tellurite (PT) glass and siloxane polymer (PDMS), are both excellent optical materials with low propagation loss at the optical communication window. One of the merits of PT-polymer composite is that it could combine the advantages of the good characteristics of both PT glass and siloxane polymer as optical materials. The success of this fabrication opens a door to engineering composite thin films using a simple and low cost technique with a precise control. The second objective of this research is to fabricate rare earth doped tungsten and lanthanum modified tellurite (TWL) glass thin films on polymer coated silica to produce another kind of glass-polymer composite. The TWL glass has a significantly different refractive index to siloxane polymer. It is not suitable for fabricating multilayer thin films. Here, dual layer composite thin films were produced by depositing rare earth doped TWL glass onto polymer coated silica substrate using PLD. Furthermore, to optimize the composition of rare earth doped TWL glass and the deposition parameters of the fabrication of TWL glass thin films, a series of rare earth doped TWL glasses and series of TWL glass thin films on silica were produced and characterized in detail. Finally, to study the feasibility of making optical devices on these thin films, reactive ion etching (RIE) and fs laser micromaching techniques were utilized to a create ridge waveguide which is the primary structure of optical amplifiers. The SEM images of the ridge waveguide and depths of the waveguides were studied. In addition, the mode profile and propagation loss of the ridge waveguide obtained using fs laser micromachining were investigated.
Specialized sperm function tests in varicocele and the future of andrology laboratory

Varicocele is a common medical condition entangled with many controversies. Though it is highly prevalent in men with infertility, still it marks its presence in males who do have normal fertility. Determining which patients are negatively affected by varicocele would enable clinicians to better select those men who benefitted the most from surgery. Since conventional semen analysis has been limited in its ability to evaluate the negative effects of varicocele on fertility, a multitude of specialized laboratory tests have emerged. In this review, we examine the role and significance of specialized sperm function tests with regards to varicocele. Among the various tests, analysis of sperm DNA fragmentation and measurements of oxidative stress markers provide an independent measure of fertility in men with varicocele. These diagnostic modalities have both diagnostic and prognostic information complementary to, but distinct from conventional sperm parameters. Test results can guide management and aid in monitoring intervention outcomes. Proteomics, metabolomics, and genomics are areas; though still developing, holding promise to revolutionize our understanding of reproductive physiology, including varicocele.
SIMD implementation of the bilateral filter

Bilateral filter is a state-of-the-art method for noise reduction and color depth enhancement. The plausible visual result the filter produces makes it highly desired for video processing applications, yet, its high computational complexity makes a real-time implementation a challenging task. Presented here is a highly-parallel version of the bilateral filter for noise reduction in color video sequences, oriented to SIMD-type architecture.
Herpes Simplex Virus 2 (HSV-2) Infected Cell Proteins Are among the Most Dominant Antigens of a Live-Attenuated HSV-2 Vaccine

Virion glycoproteins such as glycoprotein D (gD) are believed to be the dominant antigens of herpes simplex virus 2 (HSV-2). We have observed that mice immunized with a live HSV-2 ICP0 - mutant virus, HSV-2 0ΔNLS, are 10 to 100 times better protected against genital herpes than mice immunized with a HSV-2 gD subunit vaccine (PLoS ONE 6:e17748). In light of these results, we sought to determine which viral proteins were the dominant antibody-generators (antigens) of the live HSV-2 0ΔNLS vaccine. Western blot analyses indicated the live HSV-2 0ΔNLS vaccine elicited an IgG antibody response against 9 or more viral proteins. Many antibodies were directed against infected-cell proteins of >100 kDa in size, and only 10 ± 5% of antibodies were directed against gD. Immunoprecipitation (IP) of total HSV-2 antigen with 0ΔNLS antiserum pulled down 19 viral proteins. Mass spectrometry suggested 44% of immunoprecipitated viral peptides were derived from two HSV-2 infected cells proteins, RR-1 and ICP8, whereas only 14% of immunoprecipitated peptides were derived from HSV-2’s thirteen glycoproteins. Collectively, the results suggest the immune response to the live HSV-2 0ΔNLS vaccine includes antibodies specific for infected cell proteins, capsid proteins, tegument proteins, and glycoproteins. This increased breadth of antibody-generating proteins may contribute to the live HSV-2 vaccine’s capacity to elicit superior protection against genital herpes relative to a gD subunit vaccine.
Mice with Different Susceptibility to Japanese Encephalitis Virus Infection Show Selective Neutralizing Antibody Response and Myeloid Cell Infectivity

Background Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) is a mosquito-borne flavivirus that causes public health problems in Asian countries. Only a limited number of JEV-infected individuals show symptoms and develop severe encephalitis, indicating host-dependent susceptibilities. Methodology/Principal Findings C3H/HeN and DBA/2 mice, which exhibit different mortalities when infected by intraperitoneal inoculation with JEV, were used as experimental models to compare viral pathogenesis and host responses. One hundred infectious virus particles killed 95% of C3H/HeN mice whereas only 40% of DBA/2 mice died. JEV RNA was detected with similar low levels in peripheral lymphoid organs and in the sera of both mouse strains. High levels of viral and cytokine RNA were observed simultaneously in the brains of C3H/HeN and DBA/2 mice starting on days 6 and 9 post-infection, respectively. The kinetics of the cytokines in sera correlated with the viral replication in the brain. Significantly earlier and higher titers of neutralizing antibodies were detected in the DBA/2 strain. Primary embryonic fibroblasts, bone marrow-derived dendritic cells and macrophages from the two mouse strains were cultured. Fibroblasts displayed similar JEV replication abilities, whereas DBA/2-derived myeloid antigen-presenting cells had lower viral infectivity and production compared to the C3H/HeN–derived cells. Conclusions/Significance Mice with different susceptibilities to JEV neuroinvasion did not show changes in viral tropism and host innate immune responses prior to viral entry into the central nervous system. However, early and high neutralizing antibody responses may be crucial for preventing viral neuroinvasion and host fatality. In addition, low permissiveness of myeloid dendritic cells and macrophages to JEV infection in vitro may be elements associated with late and decreased mouse neuroinvasion.
The Role of Time in Price Discovery: Ultra-high frequency trading in a Limit Order Book Market

In this paper we investigate the price effects of trading intensity. Extending on the Madhavan et al. (1997) model, we split the intensity effect into liquidity and information effects. We provide a measure of market quality that is the ratio of the covariance bias to the variance bias. Analyzing about 6 years of tick by tick data, we find that the bid-ask spread in a pure limit order book market contains a risk component associated with managing the time to trade, and this component accounts for roughly 19.6% of the implied bid-ask spread. Extending our model to investigate intraday patterns, we find that the adverse selection cost exhibits a U-shaped pattern reflecting uncertainty at market openings in the Helsinki Stock Exchange (HEX) and in the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). The results emphasize the importance of managing time in limit order book markets. JEL classification: C30; C41; G14
Dyrk1 inhibition improves Alzheimer's disease‐like pathology

There is an urgent need for the development of new therapeutic strategies for Alzheimer's disease (AD). The dual‐specificity tyrosine phosphorylation‐regulated kinase‐1A (Dyrk1a) is a protein kinase that phosphorylates the amyloid precursor protein (APP) and tau and thus represents a link between two key proteins involved in AD pathogenesis. Furthermore, Dyrk1a is upregulated in postmortem human brains, and high levels of Dyrk1a are associated with mental retardation. Here, we sought to determine the effects of Dyrk1 inhibition on AD‐like pathology developed by 3xTg‐AD mice, a widely used animal model of AD. We dosed 10‐month‐old 3xTg‐AD and nontransgenic (NonTg) mice with a Dyrk1 inhibitor (Dyrk1‐inh) or vehicle for eight weeks. During the last three weeks of treatment, we tested the mice in a battery of behavioral tests. The brains were then analyzed for the pathological markers of AD. We found that chronic Dyrk1 inhibition reversed cognitive deficits in 3xTg‐AD mice. These effects were associated with a reduction in amyloid‐β (Aβ) and tau pathology. Mechanistically, Dyrk1 inhibition reduced APP and insoluble tau phosphorylation. The reduction in APP phosphorylation increased its turnover and decreased Aβ levels. These results suggest that targeting Dyrk1 could represent a new viable therapeutic approach for AD.
Long-term treatment with lanthanum carbonate reduces mineral and bone abnormalities in rats with chronic renal failure

Background. Lanthanum carbonate (FOSRENOL®, Shire Pharmaceuticals) is an effective non-calcium, non-resin phosphate binder for the treatment of hyperphosphataemia in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). In this study, we used a rat model of chronic renal failure (CRF) to examine the long-term effects of controlling serum phosphorus with lanthanum carbonate treatment on the biochemical and bone abnormalities associated with CKD–mineral and bone disorder (CKD–MBD). Methods. Rats were fed a normal diet (normal renal function, NRF), or a diet containing 0.75% adenine for 3 weeks to induce CRF. NRF rats continued to receive normal diet plus vehicle or normal diet supplemented with 2% (w/w) lanthanum carbonate for 22 weeks. CRF rats received a diet containing 0.1% adenine, with or without 2% (w/w) lanthanum carbonate. Blood and urine biochemistry were assessed, and bone histomorphometry was performed at study completion. Results. Treatment with 0.75% adenine induced severe CRF, as demonstrated by elevated serum creatinine. Hyperphosphataemia, hypocalcaemia, elevated calcium × phosphorus product and secondary hyperparathyroidism were evident in CRF + vehicle animals. Treatment with lanthanum carbonate reduced hyperphosphataemia and secondary hyperparathyroidism in CRF animals (P < 0.05), and had little effect in NRF animals. Bone histomorphometry revealed a severe form of bone disease with fibrosis in CRF + vehicle animals; lanthanum carbonate treatment reduced the severity of the bone abnormalities observed, particularly woven bone formation and fibrosis. Conclusions. Long-term treatment with lanthanum carbonate reduced the biochemical and bone abnormalities of CKD–MBD in a rat model of CRF.
Modeling the kinetics of non-isothermal heterogeneous interaction during combustion synthesis of advanced micro- and nanocrystalline materials

The combustion synthesis (CS), or self-propagating high-temperature synthesis (SHS) is a cost and energy efficient route for producing a wide range of refractory compounds (carbides, silicides, intermetallics) and advanced micro- and nanocrystalline materials. However, despite 40 years of extensive studies and industrial applications, intricate phase formation mechanisms that operate during CS are still not well understood. This hinders the development of novel materials and SHS-based technologies. An answer to the most urgent question in this area, viz. "why in CS the interaction accomplishes in a short time, ~0.1-1 s, while the traditional furnace synthesis of the same material takes several hours for the same starting composition, particle size and final temperature," can be found only through mathematical modeling. In this work, the results of mathematical modeling of the interaction kinetics in condensed systems in non-isothermal conditions typical of CS are reported. Calculations were performed using the experimental data on SHS and diffusion parameters for the product phases on the example of TiC and NiAl. The maps of phase formation mechanisms that operate during CS are constructed. The uncommon, non-equilibrium interaction pathways, which were observed experimentally and debated in literature, are confirmed theoretically ex contrario.
The design and evaluation of a task-centered battery interface

Battery interfaces provide important feedback about how much time users can continue using their mobile devices. Based on this information, they may develop mental models of the types of activities, tasks, and applications they can use before needing to recharge. Many of today's battery interfaces tend to report energy in coarse granularities or are highly inaccurate. As a result, users may find it difficult to depend on the estimates given. We conducted a survey with 104 participants to understand how users interact with various mobile battery interfaces. Based on the survey results, we designed and prototyped a task-centered battery interface on a mobile device that shows more accurate information about how long individual and combinations of tasks with several applications can be performed. Our pilot study of eight users demonstrated that fine-grained information separated by tasks can help users be more effective with and increase their understanding of their device's battery usage.
AN ARTIFICIAL FISH SWARM OPTIMIZED FUZZY MRI IMAGE SEGMENTATION APPROACH FOR IMPROVING IDENTIFICATION OF BRAIN TUMOUR

In image processing, it is difficult to detect the abnormalities in brain especially in MRI brain images. Also the tumor segmentation from MRI image data is an important; however it is time consuming while carried out by medical specialists. A lot of methods have been proposed to solve MR images problems, quite difficult to develop an automated recognition system which could process on a large information of patient and provide a correct estimation. Hence enhanced k-means and fuzzy c-means with firefly algorithm for a segmentation of brain magnetic resonance images were developed. This algorithm is based on maximum measure of the distance function which is found for cluster center detection process using the Mahalanobis concept. Particularly the firefly algorithm is implemented to optimize the Fuzzy C-means membership function for better accuracy segmentation process. At the same time the convergence criteria is fixed for the efficient clustering method. The Firefly algorithm parameters are set fixed and they do not adjust by the time. As well Firefly algorithm does not memorize any history of better situation for each firefly and this reasons they travel in any case of it, and they miss their situations. So there is a need of better algorithm that could provide even better solution than the firefly algorithm. To attain this requirement as a proposed work the Artificial Fish Swarm Algorithm to optimize the fuzzy membership function. During surveying of the previous literature, it has been found out that no work has been done in segmentation of brain tumor using AFSA based clustering. In AFSA, artificial fishes for next movement act completely independent from past and next movement is just related to current position of artificial fish and its other companions which lead to select best initial centers for the MRI brain tumor segmentation. Experimental results show that presented method has an acceptable performance than the previous method.
I. On crystallization and liquefaction, as influenced by stresses tending to change of form in the crystals

In a paper submitted to the Royal Society, and printed in the ‘Proceedings’ for April 25th, 1861, I directed attention in a note (page 201), to the question of how the surface of a bar of ice in icecold water, as distinguished from the interior of the bar, may, by the application of tension to the bar, be influenced in respect to tendency either to melt away, or to solidify to itself additional ice from the water; but did not then venture to offer a positive answer.
The Indian Ocean Experiment: Widespread Air Pollution from South and Southeast Asia

The Indian Ocean Experiment (INDOEX) was an international, multiplatform field campaign to measure long-range transport of air pollution from South and Southeast Asia toward the Indian Ocean during the dry monsoon season in January to March 1999. Surprisingly high pollution levels were observed over the entire northern Indian Ocean toward the Intertropical Convergence Zone at about 6°S. We show that agricultural burning and especially biofuel use enhance carbon monoxide concentrations. Fossil fuel combustion and biomass burning cause a high aerosol loading. The growing pollution in this region gives rise to extensive air quality degradation with local, regional, and global implications, including a reduction of the oxidizing power of the atmosphere.
Saccadic Probability Influences Motor Preparation Signals and Time to Saccadic Initiation

One must be prudent when selecting potential saccadic targets because the eyes can only move to one location at a time, yet movements must occur quickly enough to permit interaction with a rapidly changing world. This process of efficiently acquiring relevant targets may be aided by advanced planning of a movement toward an upcoming target whose location is gathered via environmental cues or situational experience. We studied how saccadic reaction times (SRTs) and early pretarget neuronal activity covaried as a function of saccadic probability. Monkeys performed a saccadic task in which the probability of the required saccade being directed into the response field of a neuron varied systematically between blocks of trials. We recorded simultaneously the early pretarget activity of saccade-related neurons in the intermediate layers of the superior colliculus. We found that, as the likelihood of the saccade being generated into the response field of the neuron increased, the level of neuronal activity preceding target presentation also increased. Our data suggest that this early activity codes motor preparation because its activity was related to not only the metrics but also the timing of the saccade, with 94% (29/31) of the neurons tested having significant negative correlations between discharge rate and SRT. This view is supported by cases in which exceptionally high levels of pretarget activity were associated with anticipatory saccades into the response field of a neuron that occurred in advance of the target being presented. This study demonstrates how situational experience can expedite motor behavior via the advanced preparation of motor programs.