Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cause of complete atrioventricular block after percutaneous aortic valve implantation: insights from a necropsy study.

Transcatheter aortic valve implantation is being established as an alternative treatment for some patients with symptomatic severe aortic stenosis who are not considered suitable for surgical aortic valve replacement because of prohibitive surgical risk. 1–3 One of the potential complications is complete atrioventricular block requiring definitive pacemaker implantation. This complication occurs in 4% to 5% with the Edwards-Sapiens prosthesis (Edwards Lifesciences, Irvine, Calif), 1 and in 30% with the CoreValve system (Medtronic CV, Luxembourg),3 but it also occurs in 5% of patients after percutaneous aortic valvuloplasty4 or surgical aortic valve replacement. 5 The cause of complete atrioventricular block after transcatheter aortic valve implantation is unknown. Apart from traumatic lesions produced by aortic valve prosthesis expansion, ischemia of the conduction pathways resulting from insufficient myocardial protection might play a role. Here, necropsy findings in a patient with complete atrioventricular block after transcatheter aortic valve implantation are presented for the first time, showing the physiopathology of this complication. A 79-year-old woman with symptomatic severe aortic stenosis and prohibitive surgical risk was referred for transcatheter aortic valve implantation. A 26-mm EdwardsSapiens prosthetic valve was implanted without complications except complete atrioventricular block requiring transvenous pacemaker stimulation. Three days after transcatheter aortic valve implantation, the patient suffered sudden cardiac death that could not be resolved with resuscitation. Necropsy was performed to evaluate the status of the pros
Clinical assessment is sufficient to allow outcome evaluation following surgical management of Achilles tendon ruptures.

STUDY DESIGN cross-sectional study in otherwise healthy athletic adults with a unilateral Achilles tendon rupture. OBJECTIVES define the relationships of active range of motion, calf circumference or number of heel raises to a full set of isokinetic parameters. BACKGROUND Achilles tendon ruptures commonly occur during sports and create a considerable amount of morbidity. The benefits of different treatments are difficult to determine. Complex and expensive isokinetic testing is often required. If a simple force measurement could replace this testing, large clinical trials would be more easily feasible. METHODS 74 patients with acute Achilles tendon rupture and surgical treatment were evaluated retrospectively. Active range of motion (ROM), ratio of ROM, number of heel raises, ratio of heel raises, calf circumference and isokintetic measurements were recorded. Regression using a Bayesian elastic net showed the most important correlations. RESULTS Active range of motion showed a significant correlation to peak torque angle at flexion and extension as well as increased sports activity. There was a negative correlation to percutaneous therapy. Active Heel raise showed a positive correlation to peak torque at dorsal extension and increased sports activity as well as a negative correlation to high postoperative pain, where as calf circumference was positive correlated to peak torque at dorsal extension and body height as well as negative correlated to female gender. CONCLUSION device independent measures, like range of Motion, and amount of Heel raise, are an excellent tool providing similar information compared to isokinetic testing and could be used to evaluate clinical outcome after Achilles tendon rupture.
Reconfigurable acceleration for Monte Carlo based financial simulation

This paper describes a novel hardware accelerator for Monte Carlo (MC) simulation, and illustrates its implementation in field programmable gate array (FPGA) technology for speeding up financial applications. Our accelerator is based on a generic architecture, which combines speed and flexibility by integrating a pipelined MC core with an on-chip instruction processor. We develop a generic number system representation for determining the choice of number representation that meets numerical precision requirements. Our approach is then used in a complex financial engineering application, involving the Brace, Gatarek and Musiela (BGM) interest rate model for pricing derivatives. We address, in our BGM model, several challenges including the generation of Gaussian distributed random numbers and pipelining of the MC simulation. Our BGM application, based on an off-the-shelf system with a Xilinx XC2VP30 device at 50 MHz, is over 25 times faster than software running on a 1.5 GHz, Intel Pentium machine
Emotion, Development, and Self-Organization: Dynamic Systems Approaches to Emotional Development.

Lewis, Granic and the several chapter authors have produced a rich volume encompassing emotion theory and research with integration to clinical practice. The book begins with a necessary introduction which defines several key terms one must grasp in order to follow the book with its heavy emphasis on emotion theory. These definitions include dynamic systems theory, non-linear dynamic, state space, chaos theory and variants of self-organization. The book is otherwise broken into 3 major sections. Intrapersonal processes focuses on internal working emotional systems and their development. Neurobiological processes focuses on the neurobiological equivalents of emotion and emotion development. Interpersonal processes elaborate, in detail, on the role of parent-child relationships, attachment, interpersonal dynamics and the role of marital relationships as a model. The various chapters take an in depth look at both recent and some more classical research findings. This is interwoven with new thinking of some of the brightest minds in this field today, The chapter on Marital Modelling for example blends theory to this (Washington University) group’s own research, to practical assessment and therapeutic instruments. To whet the theorist/researcher’s appetite, the chapter goes into a mathematical model describing the marital dyad. Finally, it concludes with eight hypotheses that this group is studying toward the development of an empirically based marital intervention. Such a chapter is bound to stir up other researchers’ competitive and collaborative instincts, resulting in the provocation of both thought and emotion. This book is definitely dense, and, despite its relative brevity, it is geared primarily for a subgroup of research based professionals and interested others. Regardless of this challenge, it is well worth the read as much more than a primer on this evolving and cutting-edge research and clinical area.
Detection of Denial of Service Attacks against Domain Name System Using Neural Networks

In this paper we introduce an intrusion detection system for Denial of Service (DoS) attacks against Domain Name System (DNS). Our system architecture consists of two most important parts: a statistical preprocessor and a neural network classifier. The preprocessor extracts required statistical features in a shorttime frame from traffic received by the target name server. We compared three different neural networks for detecting and classifying different types of DoS attacks. The proposed system is evaluated in a simulated network and showed that the best performed neural network is a feed-forward backpropagation with an accuracy of 99%.
Glutamate-evoked release of arachidonic acid from mouse brain astrocytes

Brain astrocytes in primary culture from the rat or the mouse have been shown to possess ionotropic and metabotropic glutamatergic receptors. The activation of both types of receptors is responsible for a rise in the cytosolic concentration of calcium, while the stimulation of metabotropic receptors induces the accumulation of inositol phosphates. In the present study, it is demonstrated that in striatal astrocytes from mouse embryos, glutamate evokes a release of arachidonic acid. The nonionotropic receptors involved in this effect appeared to be pharmacologically distinct from those coupled to phospholipase C: (1) glutamate displayed different dose-response curves for the production of inositol phosphates (biphasic: EC50 = 25 and 300 microM) and the release of arachidonic acid (monophasic: EC50 = 200 microM); (2) L(+)-2- amino-4-phosphonobutyric acid (AP4) only antagonized the glutamate- evoked release of arachidonic acid without altering the production of inositol phosphates; (3) when used at a concentration of 0.1 mM, quisqualate induced a higher formation of inositol phosphates than glutamate (2 mM) while, in contrast to glutamate, it only weakly stimulated arachidonic acid release when used either at 0.1 mM or 1 mM. L(+)-2-amino-3-phosphonopropionic acid (AP3) suppressed both responses. The glutamate-evoked release of arachidonic acid seems to be oppositely regulated by protein kinases A and C. Indeed, the stimulation of adenylate cyclase by the beta-adrenergic agonist isoproterenol, vasoactive intestinal peptide, or pretreatment of striatal astrocytes with cholera toxin decreased the glutamate-evoked release of arachidonic acid. In contrast, ATP, which markedly stimulated inositol phosphate production, strongly potentiated the glutamate-evoked release of arachidonic acid. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
A reasoned overview on Boussinesq-type models: the interplay between physics, mathematics and numerics

This paper, which is largely the fruit of an invited talk on the topic at the latest International Conference on Coastal Engineering, describes the state of the art of modelling by means of Boussinesq-type models (BTMs). Motivations for using BTMs as well as their fundamentals are illustrated, with special attention to the interplay between the physics to be described, the chosen model equations and the numerics in use. The perspective of the analysis is that of a physicist/engineer rather than of an applied mathematician. The chronological progress of the currently available BTMs from the pioneering models of the late 1960s is given. The main applications of BTMs are illustrated, with reference to specific models and methods. The evolution in time of the numerical methods used to solve BTMs (e.g. finite differences, finite elements, finite volumes) is described, with specific focus on finite volumes. Finally, an overview of the most important BTMs currently available is presented, as well as some indications on improvements required and fields of applications that call for attention.
A new structure of universal motor using soft magnetic composites

The universal or AC commutator motor, widely used in hand tools or domestic appliances, generally uses a two-pole stator with a concentrated winding and an armature with interlocked coils elements. The copper volume and the axial length of the end windings of such conventional structures are then usually very important. In this paper, the authors present a new universal motor structure based on an efficient use of the isotropic magnetic properties of the soft magnetic composites (SMC) and on the concentrated winding technique. The stator core presents a claw pole structure and the armature has a concentrated winding with several coils wound around the same tooth. With this new AC commutator motor structure, a reduction of the total volume by a ratio equal to 200% is obtained when compared to classical universal motor structure with nearly identical performance.
C5a Receptor Targeting in Neointima Formation After Arterial Injury in Atherosclerosis-Prone Mice

Background— Receptor binding of complement C5a leads to proinflammatory activation of many cell types, but the role of receptor-mediated action during arterial remodeling after injury has not been studied. In the present study, we examined the contribution of the C5a receptor (C5aR) to neointima formation in apolipoprotein E–deficient mice employing a C5aR antagonist (C5aRA) and a C5aR-blocking monoclonal antibody. Methods and Results— Mice fed an atherogenic diet were subjected to wire-induced endothelial denudation of the carotid artery and treated with C5aRA and anti-C5aR-blocking monoclonal antibody or vehicle control. Compared with controls, neointima formation was significantly reduced in mice receiving C5aRA or anti-C5aR-blocking monoclonal antibody for 1 week but not for 3 weeks, attributable to an increased content of vascular smooth muscle cells, whereas a marked decrease in monocyte and neutrophil content was associated with reduced vascular cell adhesion molecule-1. As assessed by immunohistochemistry, reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, and flow cytometry, C5aR was expressed in lesional and cultured vascular smooth muscle cells, upregulated by injury or tumor necrosis factor-&agr;, and reduced by C5aRA. Plasma levels and neointimal plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 peaked 1 week after injury and were downregulated in C5aRA-treated mice. In vitro, C5a induced plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 expression in endothelial cells and vascular smooth muscle cells in a C5aRA-dependent manner, possibly accounting for higher vascular smooth muscle cell immigration. Conclusions— One-week treatment with C5aRA or anti-C5aR-blocking monoclonal antibody limited neointimal hyperplasia and inflammatory cell content and was associated with reduced vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 expression. However, treatment for 3 weeks failed to reduce but rather stabilized plaques, likely by reducing vascular plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 and increasing vascular smooth muscle cell migration.
Delay-QoS-Driven Secrecy Power Allocation in Underlay Secure Cognitive Radio System

In this paper, we investigate the power allocation policy for an underlay secure cognitive radio (CR) system with statistical delay quality-of-service (QoS) guarantees. The objective is to maximize the secure effective capacity of the secondary user (SU) in CR system, which represents the maximum secrecy constant arrival rate with delay QoS requirements for the secrecy system. The constrains include the average transmission power of the SU and the interference power to the PU. Both the average interference power and the peak interference power are taken into account in the problem formulation. A closed-form power allocation scheme is derived via employing the Lagrangian dual method and the Karush-Kuhn-Tucker optimization conditions. It is shown that the fading states of the wiretap channel and the peak interference power to the PU have significant impacts on the QoS driven power adaptation. Simulation results demonstrate that our proposed power policy outperforms other policies in improving the system throughput with delay QoS guarantees, especially when the delay QoS requirement is strict.
Improving survival from active shooter events: The Hartford Consensus

T recent mass casualty shooting events in the United States have had a profound effect on all segments of society. The medical, law enforcement, fire/rescue, and EMS communities have each felt the need to respond. It is important that these efforts occur in a coordinated manner to generate policies that will enhance survival of the victims of these events. Such policies must provide a synchronized multi-agency approach that is immediately available within the communities affected by such tragedies. The American College of Surgeons brought together senior leaders from all the aforementioned disciplines to produce a document that will stimulate discussion and ultimately lead to strategies to improve survival for the victims. A day-long conference on April 2, 2013, in Hartford, Connecticut obtained input from medical, law enforcement, fire/rescue, EMS first responders, and military experts. The conference relied upon data and evidence from existing military and recent civilian experiences, and was sensitive to the multiple agencies that play a role in responding to mass casualty shootings. The meeting, known as the Hartford Consensus Conference, produced a concept paper entitled ‘‘Improving Survival from Active Shooter Events. ’’ The purpose of this document is to promote local, state, and national policies to improve survival in these uncommon, but horrific events. The following short essay describes methods to minimize loss of life in these terrible incidents.
Using Prêt à Voter in Victoria State Elections

The Pret a Voter cryptographic voting system was designed to be flexible and to offer voters a familiar and easy voting experience. In this paper we present a case study of our efforts to adapt Pret a Voter to the idiosyncrasies of elections in the Australian state of Victoria. The general background and desired user experience have previously been described; here we concentrate on the cryptographic protocols for dealing with some unusual aspects of Victorian voting. We explain the problems, present solutions, then analyse their security properties and explain how they tie in to other design decisions. We hope this will be an interesting case study on the application of end-to-end verifiable voting protocols to real elections.
Anti-Pollution Source Location Privacy Preserving Scheme in Wireless Sensor Networks

The source-location privacy threat is one of the critical issues in Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs). Adversaries may trace along the sensor traffic to hunt targets around source nodes. Previous works proposed dummy messages and network coding to eliminate time and content correlations. However, these proposed schemes may result in explosion of polluted and dummy messages, opening up vulnerability to active attackers. In this work, we propose pollution avoiding source location privacy preserving scheme PA-SLP. A probabilistic key predistribution is proposed to predistributed keys in nodes. It enables intermediate nodes to verify signatures and filter out dummy or polluted messages with a certain possibility. In PA-SLP, a triple type homomorphic signature algorithm is developed to detect and classify three message types with only one pair of asymmetric keys. PA-SLP is able to adjust key distribution parameters to balance network performance and privacy. Security analysis and simulation results demonstrate PA-SLP can resist traffic analysis and filter out polluted and dummy messages effectively.
The Effect of Slow Electrical Stimuli to Achieve Learning in Cultured Networks of Rat Cortical Neurons

Learning, or more generally, plasticity may be studied using cultured networks of rat cortical neurons on multi electrode arrays. Several protocols have been proposed to affect connectivity in such networks. One of these protocols, proposed by Shahaf and Marom, aimed to train the input-output relationship of a selected connection in a network using slow electrical stimuli. Although the results were quite promising, the experiments appeared difficult to repeat and the training protocol did not serve as a basis for wider investigation yet. Here, we repeated their protocol, and compared our ‘learning curves’ to the original results. Although in some experiments the protocol did not seem to work, we found that on average, the protocol showed a significantly improved stimulus response indeed. Furthermore, the protocol always induced functional connectivity changes that were much larger than changes that occurred after a comparable period of random or no stimulation. Finally, our data shows that stimulation at a fixed electrode induces functional connectivity changes of similar magnitude as stimulation through randomly varied sites; both larger than spontaneous connectivity fluctuations. We concluded that slow electrical stimulation always induced functional connectivity changes, although uncontrolled. The magnitude of change increased when we applied the adaptive (closed-loop) training protocol. We hypothesize that networks develop an equilibrium between connectivity and activity. Induced connectivity changes depend on the combination of applied stimulus and initial connectivity. Plain stimuli may drive networks to the nearest equilibrium that accommodates this input, whereas adaptive stimulation may direct the space for exploration and force networks to a new balance, at a larger distance from the initial state.
Phosphatidylinositol‐3,4,5‐trisphosphate (PtdIns‐3,4,5‐P3)/Tec kinase‐dependent calcium signaling pathway: a target for SHIP‐mediated inhibitory signals

Tec family non‐receptor tyrosine kinases have been implicated in signal transduction events initiated by cell surface receptors from a broad range of cell types, including an essential role in B‐cell development. A unique feature of several Tec members among known tyrosine kinases is the presence of an N‐terminal pleckstrin homology (PH) domain. We directly demonstrate that phosphatidylinositol‐3,4,5‐trisphosphate (PtdIns‐3,4,5‐P3) interacting with the PH domain acts as an upstream activation signal for Tec kinases, resulting in Tec kinase‐dependent phospholipase Cγ (PLCγ) tyrosine phosphorylation and inositol trisphosphate production. In addition, we show that this pathway is blocked when an SH2‐containing inositol phosphatase (SHIP)‐dependent inhibitory receptor is engaged. Together, our results suggest a general mechanism whereby PtdIns‐3,4,5‐P3 regulates receptor‐dependent calcium signals through the function of Tec kinases.
AN ASYMPTOTIC-INDUCED SCHEME FOR NONSTATIONARY TRANSPORT EQUATIONS IN THE DIFFUSIVE LIMIT

An asymptotic-induced scheme for nonstationary transport equations with the diffusion scaling is developed. The scheme works uniformly for all ranges of mean-free paths. It is based on the asymptotic analysis of the diffusion limit of the transport equation. A theoretical investigation of the behavior of the scheme in the diffusion limit is given and an approximation property is proven. Moreover, numerical results for different physical situations are shown and the uniform convergence of the scheme is established numerically.
Biliary Atresia: Clinical Lessons Learned

ABSTRACT Biliary atresia is a rare disease of unclear etiology, in which obstruction of the biliary tree causes severe cholestasis leading to cirrhosis and ultimately death if left untreated. Biliary atresia is the leading cause of neonatal cholestasis and the most frequent indication for pediatric liver transplantation. Any infant with persistent jaundice beyond 2 weeks of life needs to be evaluated for biliary atresia with fractionation of the bilirubin into conjugated and unconjugated portions. Early performance of a hepatoportoenterostomy in the first 45 days of life to restore bile flow and lessen further damage to the liver is thought to optimize outcome. Despite surgery, progressive liver scarring occurs, and 80% of patients with biliary atresia will require liver transplantation during childhood.
Virtualization of residential customer premise equipment. Lessons learned in Brazil vCPE trial

Abstract This paper presents Telefónica approach for virtualizing residential customer premises equipment (vCPE), showing how the equipment at a customer's home can be simplified and how the management of resources and services improves as a result. This use case of virtualization enables the operator to shift most functions from the residential gateways towards the carrier own network, by running them on general-purpose servers at the operator premises. This makes it possible that network functions such as IP routing, IP address management (DHCP), address translation (NAT), firewall, Set Top Box functionalities (live TV, VoD, etc.), etc. are maintained and upgraded from the most efficient location. Because of the expected high impact onto the economics of the Telco network operations, the virtualization of the CPE is considered by the authors as one promising use case of Network Virtualization technologies. The virtual CPE approach is being tested in Brazil (where Telefónica operates under the Vivo brand), and represents a great opportunity for learning lessons on development and deployment of Virtual Network Functions (VNFs). Some of them are summarized in this paper.