Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evaluating Sleeping and Waking States of Infants: Consistency of Actigraph and Observational Data

The objective was to evaluate sleeping and waking states of infants <6 months old. The design of study was comparing video-recorded and actigraphic data. Participants were thirteen healthy 3- to 5-month-old infants. At their homes, subjects wore an ankle actigraph for 1 h and were videotaped simultaneously. We performed per-minute analysis of video data using the method for observing newborns developed by Brazelton. Video and actigraphic data were compared each minute. The total concordance rate was 93.5%. Sleep/wake identification by actigraphy and visual observation correspond closely for infants.
Does inactivation of USP14 enhance degradation of proteasomal substrates that are associated with neurodegenerative diseases?

A common pathological hallmark of age-related neurodegenerative diseases is the intracellular accumulation of protein aggregates such as α-synuclein in Parkinson’s disease, TDP-43 in ALS, and tau in Alzheimer’s disease. Enhancing intracellular clearance of aggregation-prone proteins is a plausible strategy for slowing progression of neurodegenerative diseases and there is great interest in identifying molecular targets that control protein turnover. One of the main routes for protein degradation is through the proteasome, a multisubunit protease that degrades proteins that have been tagged with a polyubiquitin chain by ubiquitin activating and conjugating enzymes. Published data from cellular models indicate that Ubiquitin-specific protease 14 (USP14), a deubiquitinating enzyme (DUB), slows the degradation of tau and TDP-43 by the proteasome and that an inhibitor of USP14 increases the degradation of these substrates. We conducted similar experiments designed to evaluate tau, TDP-43, or α-synuclein levels in cells after overexpressing USP14 or knocking down endogenous expression by siRNA.
About the Existence of Locally Lipschitz Output Feedback Stabilizers for Nonlinear Systems

In this paper we complement some results of [L. Marconi, L. Praly, and A. Isidori, SIAM J. Control Optim. , 45 (2007), pp. 2277-2298] by presenting a sufficient condition under which the output feedback controller proposed in that paper can be designed to be locally Lipschitz. The condition in question consists in a regularity property of the observable part of an autonomous system with output that generates the control input in a steady state. The work has been deliberately written to be an addendum to [L. Marconi, L. Praly, and A. Isidori, SIAM J. Control Optim. , 45 (2007), pp. 2277-2298], to which the reader is referred for notation and main results.
Insulin, the insulin-like growth factor axis, and mortality in patients with nonmetastatic colorectal cancer.

PURPOSE Obesity, sedentary lifestyle, and Western dietary pattern have been linked to increased risk of cancer recurrence and mortality among patients with surgically resected colorectal cancer. Excess energy balance leads to increased circulating insulin and depressed levels of circulating insulin-like growth factor binding protein (IGFBP) -1, which promote cancer cell growth in preclinical models. PATIENTS AND METHODS Among 373 patients diagnosed with nonmetastatic colorectal cancer between 1991 and 2004, we performed a prospective observational study nested within two large US cohorts to evaluate the association between mortality and prediagnosis circulating C-peptide (a marker of insulin secretion), IGFBP-1, insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I), and IGFBP-3. RESULTS Compared with patients in the bottom quartile, patients in the top quartile of plasma C-peptide had an age-adjusted hazard ratio (HR) for death of 1.87 (95% CI, 1.04 to 3.36; P = .03 for trend), whereas those in the top quartile of circulating IGFBP-1 had a significant reduction in mortality (HR = 0.48; 95% CI, 0.28 to 0.84; P = .02 for trend). Little change in these estimates was noted after adjusting for other covariates known or suspected to influence survival. No associations were noted between mortality and IGF-I or IGFBP-3, which are two components of the IGF axis not closely correlated with lifestyle factors. CONCLUSION Among patients with surgically resected colorectal cancer, higher levels of prediagnosis plasma C-peptide and lower levels of prediagnosis plasma IGFBP-1 were associated with increased mortality. Circulating insulin and IGFBP-1 are potential mediators of the association between lifestyle factors and mortality after colorectal cancer resection.
Treatment of dry eye by autologous serum application in Sjögren’s syndrome

AIM To evaluate the efficacy of autologous serum application for the treatment of dry eye in Sjögren’s syndrome. METHODS The stability of essential components (EGF, vitamin A, and TGF-β) in preserved serum were examined following preservation at 4°C and −20°C. In a primary clinical trial, 12 patients with Sjögren’s syndrome were treated with autologous serum (diluted to 20% with sterile saline) for 4 weeks, and vital staining of the ocular surface was compared before and after treatment. The effects of serum on mucin (MUC-1) expression were observed in cultured conjunctival epithelial cells in vitro. RESULTS EGF, vitamin A, and TGF-β were well preserved for up to 1 month in the refrigerator at 4°C and up to 3 months in the freezer at −20°C. Rose bengal and fluorescein scores improved significantly from the initial scores of 5.3 and 5.6 to 1.7 and 2.5 after 4 weeks, respectively. The additive effect of human serum for cultured conjunctival epithelial cells showed significant MUC-1 upregulation on the cell surface. CONCLUSION Autologous serum application is a safe and efficient way to provide essential components to the ocular surface in the treatment of dry eye associated with Sjögren’s syndrome.
Prerequisite skills, early instruction, and success in first‐grade reading: Selected results from a longitudinal study

We report selected results from a longitudinal study of reading development. Children were assessed on a variety of measures on their entry to kindergarten. Their reading success was evaluated in first grade. Further, characteristics of the language arts program to which the children were exposed in kindergarten were observed. Measures administered in kindergarten were evaluated for their ability to predict first-grade reading achievement. It was found that a child's ability to name letters in kindergarten was the strongest predictor of first-grade reading skill. Among the nonreading measures, measures of linguistic processing skills, particularly phonological processing, were found to account for the largest proportion of variance in first-grade reading. Several characteristics of the kindergarten language arts program were also found to be related to first-grade reading performance. Further, some of these relationships varied depending on the risk status of the children for experiencing later reading difficulties as determined on the basis of the prediction aspect of the study. For example, the proportion of time devoted to activities designed to attune children to the phonemic nature of language was related to first-grade reading success for “at risk” children, but not for children who were not identified as “at risk. ” © 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Using deep neural networks for natural saccade classification from electroencephalograms

This paper proposes a model to classify saccades from frontal (i.e., Fp1/Fp2) electroencephalography (EEG) data into up, down, left and right directions. The aim of the model is to provide brain-computer interfaces with improved cursor control without the need for a separate eye tracking device. To test the accuracy of the model "in-the-wild," an EEG dataset with (uncontrolled) natural saccades was used, where subjects looked freely at images on a screen. EEG data was input to deep neural networks, namely a multi-layer perceptron and a convolutional neural network. As benchmarks, two systems were explored using features measured from the Fp1/2 EEG channels, as well as from the AF7/8, F7/8, FT7/8, and T7/8 channels. Experimental results show the proposed system achieving an accuracy of 72.92%, thus outperforming all benchmarks, which achieved accuracies of 51.80% and 50.72%, respectively.
Fabrication and characterization of plasmonic nanocone antennas for strong spontaneous emission enhancement

Plasmonic antennas are attractive nanostructures for a large variety of studies ranging from fundamental aspects of light–matter interactions at the nanoscale to industry-relevant applications such as ultrasensitive sensing, enhanced absorption in solar cells or solar fuel generation. A particularly interesting feature of these antennas is that they can enhance the fluorescence properties of emitters. Theoretical calculations have shown that nanocone antennas provide ideal results, but a high degree of manufacturing precision and control is needed to reach optimal performance. In this study, we report on the fabrication of nanocones with base diameters and heights in the range of 100 nm with variable aspect ratios using focused ion beam milling of sputtered nano-crystalline gold layers. The controlled fabrication process allows us to obtain cones with tailored plasmon resonances. The measured plasmon spectra show very good agreement with finite-difference time-domain calculations. Theoretical investigations predict that these nanocones can enhance the spontaneous emission rate of a quantum emitter by several hundred times while keeping its quantum efficiency above 60%.
Snai1 is important for avian epicardial cell transformation and motility

Background: Formation of the epicardium requires several cellular processes including migration, transformation, invasion, and differentiation in order to give rise to fibroblast, smooth muscle, coronary endothelial and myocyte cell lineages within the developing myocardium. Snai1 is a zinc finger transcription factor that plays an important role in regulating cell survival and fate during embryonic development and under pathological conditions. However, its role in avian epicardial development has not been examined. Results: Here we show that Snai1 is highly expressed in epicardial cells from as early as the proepicardial cell stage and its expression is maintained as proepicardial cells migrate and spread over the surface of the myocardium and undergo epicardial‐to‐mesenchymal transformation in the generation of epicardial‐derived cells. Using multiple in vitro assays, we show that Snai1 overexpression in chick explants enhances proepicardial cell migration at Hamburger Hamilton Stage (HH St.) 16, and epicardial‐to‐mesenchymal transformation, cell migration, and invasion at HH St. 24. Further, we demonstrate that Snai1‐mediated cell migration requires matrix metalloproteinase activity, and MMP15 is sufficient for this process. Conclusions: Together our data provide new insights into the multiple roles that Snai1 has in regulating avian epicardial development. Developmental Dynamics 242:699–708, 2013. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Motion detection and correction in functional MR imaging

Subject motion present during the time course of functional activation studies is a pervasive problem in mapping the spatial and temporal characteristics of brain activity. In functional MRI (fMRI) studies, the observed signal changes are small. Therefore, it is crucial to reduce the effect of subject motion during the acquisition of image data in order to differentiate true brain activation from artifactual signal changes due to subject motion. We have adapted a technique for automatic motion detection and correction which is based on the ratio‐variance minimization algorithm to the fMRI subject motion problem. This method was used for retrospective correction of subject motion in the acquired data and resulted in improved functional maps. In this paper we have designed and applied a series of tests to evaluate the performance of this technique which span the classes of image characteristics common to fMRI. These areas include tests of the accuracy and range of motion as well as measurement of the effect of image signal to noise ratio, focal activation, image resolution, and image coverage on the motion detection system. Also, we have evaluated the amount of residual motion remaining after motion correction, and the ability of this technique to reduce the motion‐induced artifacts and restore regions of activation lost due to subject motion. In summary, this method performed well in the range of image characteristics common for fMRI experiments, reducing motion to under 0.5 mm, and removed significant motion‐induced artifacts while restoring true regions of activation. Motion correction is expected to become a routine requirement in the analysis of fMRI experiments. © 1995 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Protein phosphatase 1 regulation by inhibitors and targeting subunits

Regulation of protein phosphatase 1 (PP1) by protein inhibitors and targeting subunits has been previously studied through the use of recombinant protein expressed in Escherichia coli. This preparation is limited by several key differences in its properties compared with native PP1. In the present study, we have analyzed recombinant PP1 expressed in Sf9 insect cells using baculovirus. Sf9 PP1 exhibited properties identical to those of native PP1, with respect to regulation by metals, inhibitor proteins, and targeting subunits, and failure to dephosphorylate a phosphotyrosine-containing substrate or phospho-DARPP-32 (Dopamine and cAMP-regulated phosphoprotein, Mr 32,000). Mutations at Y272 in the β12/β13 loop resulted in a loss of activity and reduced the sensitivity to thiophospho-DARPP-32 and inhibitor-2. Mutations of Y272 also increased the relative activity toward a phosphotyrosine-containing substrate or phospho-DARPP-32. Mutation of acidic groove residues caused no change in sensitivity to thiophospho-DARPP-32 or inhibitor-2, but one mutant (E252A:D253A:E256R) exhibited an increased Km for phosphorylase a. Several PP1/PP2A chimeras were prepared in which C-terminal sequences of PP2A were substituted into PP1. Replacement of residues 274–330 of PP1 with the corresponding region of PP2A resulted in a large loss of sensitivity to thiophospho-DARPP-32 and inhibitor-2, and also resulted in a loss of interaction with the targeting subunits, spinophilin and PP1 nuclear targeting subunit (PNUTS). More limited alterations in residues in β12, β13, and β14 strands highlighted a key role for M290 and C291 in the interaction of PP1 with thiophospho-DARPP-32, but not inhibitor-2.
Consequences of Whistle-Blowing: A Study of the Experiences of Management Accountants

A power-dependency model was used to examine what variables are associated with the reported success, i.e., elimination of wrongdoing, and personal consequences of whistle-blowing. A survey of 219 management accountants indicated that whistle-blowers were more likely to report success and less likely to report negative personal consequences if they were auditors, had their superiors' support, and had alternative job opportunities. Whistle-blowers were also more likely to report success if they were in organizations wherein wrongdoing was not widespread.
Energy stealing - an exploration into unperceived activities on mobile systems

Understanding the implications in smartphone usage and the power breakdown among hardware components has led to various energy-efficient designs for mobile systems. While energy consumption has been extensively explored, one critical dimension is often overlooked - unperceived activities that could steal a significant amount of energy behind users' back potentially. In this paper, we conduct the first exploration of unperceived activities in mobile systems. Specifically, we design a series of experiments to reveal, characterize, and analyze unperceived activities invoked by popular resident applications when an Android smartphone is left unused. We draw possible solutions inspired by the exploration and demonstrate that even an immediate remedy can mitigate energy dissipation to some extent.
Intellectual disabilities, violent conflict and humanitarian assistance: advocacy of the forgotten

This article examines the experiences of people with intellectual disabilities in violent conflict who have been neglected in practice and academia. Such invisibility, combined with the disabling impact of society, their low priority, and the nature of their impairments, results in a disproportionately negative impact of conflict on people with intellectual disabilities. Drawing on a wide range of sources, including humanitarian workers, this article examines their experiences and analyses how much consideration has been given to people with intellectual disabilities in humanitarian assistance policy and practice in light of their increased need and vulnerability. Lack of awareness and recognition of their diverse experiences can result in their needs failing to be adequately met, which compounds their disproportionately negative experience of conflict. It is important to finally start paying attention in order to ensure their inclusion in humanitarian responses.
Examining Mutual Elements of the Job Strain Model and the Effort—Reward Imbalance Model Among Special Education Staff in the USA

Two theories of occupational stress are often cited as being most supported by research: the job strain model (JSM) and the effort—reward imbalance model (ERIM). In order to investigate the applicability of mutual theoretical elements of both models to special education in the USA, a sample of 100 special education paraeducators in public and specialized alternative settings was used. Hierarchical regression analysis was conducted to determine the best set of predictors of occupational stress among theoretically mutual components of each model. Results supported the hypothesis that there are common elements of both the JSM and the ERIM that can be predictors of occupational stress among special education personnel in the USA.
High sensitivity to short wavelengths in a lizard and implications for understanding the evolution of visual systems in lizards

Progress in developing animal communication theory is frequently constrained by a poor understanding of sensory systems. For example, while lizards have been the focus of numerous studies in visual signalling, we only have data on the spectral sensitivities of a few species clustered in two major clades (Iguania and Gekkota). Using electroretinography and microspectrophotometry, we studied the visual system of the cordylid lizard Platysaurus broadleyi because it represents an unstudied clade (Scinciformata) with respect to visual systems and because UV signals feature prominently in its social behaviour. The retina possessed four classes of single and one class of double cones. Sensitivity in the ultraviolet region (UV) was approximately three times higher than previously reported for other lizards. We found more colourless oil droplets (associated with UV-sensitive (UVS) and short wavelength-sensitive (SWS) photoreceptors), suggesting that the increased sensitivity was owing to the presence of more UVS photoreceptors. Using the Vorobyev–Osorio colour discrimination model, we demonstrated that an increase in the number of UVS photoreceptors significantly enhances a lizard's ability to discriminate conspecific male throat colours. Visual systems in diurnal lizards appear to be broadly conserved, but data from additional clades are needed to confirm this.
Reassessment of cochlear dead regions in hearing-impaired teenagers with severe-to-profound hearing loss

The aim of this study was to reassess cochlear dead regions after an interval of twelve months, using the Threshold Equalising Noise (TEN) test. Thirty-four ears of 24 teenagers (mean age of 14 years) with longstanding severe-to-profound sensorineural hearing impairment were tested. Testing was repeated after an interval of 12 months using the same experimental set-up. A total of eight (23.5%) out of 34 ears changed category on retest: this decreased to two (7.1%) out of 27 ears when the inconclusive category was removed from the analysis. In both of these ears (of the same participant) the criteria were met at a single frequency, and the masked threshold was only 10 dB above the TEN level per ERBN. When all of the data were examined on a frequency-by-frequency basis, the instances that changed category ranged from 15 to 51%. The range decreased to between 4 and 34% when the inconclusive category was removed from the analysis.
Focal Pre-Correction of Projected Image for Deblurring Screen Image

We propose a method for reducing out-of-focus blur caused by projector projection. In this method, we estimate the Point-Spread-Function (PSF) of the out-of-focus blur in the image projected onto the screen by comparing the screen image captured by a camera with the original image projected by the projector. According to the estimated PSF, the projected image is pre-corrected, so that the screen image can be deblurred. Experimental results show that our method can reduce out-of-focus projection blur.
Overview of key phytoplankton toxins and their recent occurrence in the North and Baltic Seas

The frequency and intensity of harmful algal blooms (HABs) appear to be on the rise globally. There is also evidence of the geographic spreading of toxic strains of these algae. Consequently, methods had to be established and new ones are still needed for the evaluation of possible hazards caused by increased algal toxin production in the marine food chain. Different clinical effects of algae‐related poisoning have attracted scientific attention; paralytic shellfish poisoning, diarrhetic shellfish poisoning, and amnesic shellfish poisoning are among the most common. Additionally, cyanobacteria (blue‐green algae) in brackish waters often produce neurotoxic and hepatotoxic substances. Bioassays with mice or rats are common methods to determine algal and cyanobacterial toxins. However, biological tests are not really satisfactory because of their low sensitivity. In addition, there is growing public opposition to animal testing. Therefore, there has been increasing effort to determine algal toxins by chemical methods. Plankton samples from different European marine and brackish waters were taken during research cruises and analyzed on board directly. The ship routes covered marine areas in the northwest Atlantic, Orkney Islands, east coast of Scotland, and the North and Baltic seas. The first results on the occurrence and frequency of harmful algal species were obtained in 1997 and 1998. During the 2000 cruise an HPLC/MS coupling was established on board, and algal toxins were measured directly after extraction of the plankton samples. In contrast to earlier cruises, the sampling areas were changed in 2000 to focusing on coastal zones. The occurrence of toxic algae in these areas was compared to toxin formation during HABs in the open sea. It was found that the toxicity of the algal blooms depended on the prevailing local conditions. This observation was also confirmed by monitoring cyanobacterial blooms in the Baltic Sea. Optimal weather conditions, for example, during the summers of 1997 and 2003, favored blooms of cyanobacteria in all regions of the Baltic. The dominant species regarding the HABs in the Baltic was Nodularia spumigena. However, in addition to high concentrations of Nodularia spumigena in coastal zones, other blue‐green algae are involved in bloom formation, with changes in plankton communities influencing both toxin profiles and toxicity. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Environ Toxicol 20: 1–17, 2005.