Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Assessing Novel Bioelectric Effects of Nanosecond Pulsed Electric Fields on Cell Stimulation, Proliferation and Microorganism Inactivation

Author: Vadlamani, Ram Anand. PhD Institution: Purdue University Degree Received: August 2018 Title: Assessing Novel Bioelectric Effects Of Nanosecond Pulsed Electric Fields On Cell Stimulation, Proliferation And Microorganism Inactivation Major Professor: Dr. Allen L. Garner Bioelectrics is the application of electric fields to cells in a conducting media, treating the cell as a circuit comprising resistors and capacitors (membranes and intracellular fluids respectively). Recent advancements in construction of nanosecond pulse generators allow for construction of low cost devices capable of generating nanosecond pulsed electric fields (nsPEFs). These fields are capable of forming pores on the extra and intra cellular membranes, while also affecting intracellular organelles, DNA and the nucleus. With the first generation of nano-signalling devices set to enter the medical field for treatments ranging from carcinomas to regenerative therapy, the intent of this study was to examine their effect on the growth dynamics of cancer cells under treatment and the potential to stimulate stem cells for use in regenerative healing therapies. A novel application to combat antibiotic resistance in microorganisms was explored. While pulsed electric fields (PEFs) can control cell population in vitro, the ability to specifically predict the types of cells (dividing or resting) targeted and optimize the PEF parameters remain critical challenges for potential cancer treatment applications. Mathematical models of cancer cell population dynamics based on coupled differential equations can predict the transition of cells between the proliferating, quiescent, and dead states to predict the progression of cell population over time. Chapter 2 of this dissertation will experimentally assess the impact of pulse duration, field intensity, and number of pulses on cell population dynamics and fit the mathematical model to assess the transition between proliferating, quiescent, and dead states. These results demonstrate the tenability of nsPEFs for controlling cell number, suggesting the potential impact of sublethal PEFs on cell populations, which may impact cancer therapy. Low intensity electric fields can induce changes in cardiomyocyte (heart muscle) differentiation, increasing the number of beating foci. These fields can also induce cytoskeletal stresses that facilitate manipulation of osteoblasts and mesenchymal stem cells. While effective, low intensity DC or AC electric fields require long (tens of minutes) application times, which are
Intrajejunal Levodopa Versus Conventional Therapy in Parkinson Disease: Motor and Nonmotor Effects

AbstractSeventeen patients with advanced Parkinson disease (PD) were treated with intrajejunal L-dopa infusion (IJL) and compared with a matched group of 9 patients (termed comparator [C]) not given IJL because of funding restriction by primary care trusts (PCTs) in the UK, although considered to be clinically eligible for IJL. Assessments were baseline and follow-up (6 months) with Hoehn and Yahr staging, unified PD rating scale (UPDRS-III and UPDRS-IV), Parkinson disease questionnaire (PDQ-8, quality of life [QoL]) and nonmotor symptom scale (NMSS). Baseline characteristics were comparable between the groups. The IJL-treated group showed highly significant improvements in UPDRS-III (P = 0.005), UPDRS-IV (P = 0.0004), total NMSS score (P = 0.004), and QoL (P = 0.01), whereas the C group showed no change in these parameters. A large effect size of IJL was seen in treated patients for UPDRS-III (1.13), UPDRS-IV (1.52), NMSS score (0.82), and QoL (1.12), whereas continuing conventional treatment registered no effect in C.This study confirms the robust effect of IJL on motor and, in particular, nonmotor symptoms and QoL in advanced PD as described in open-label studies but additionally points to the need for such treatment in those denied this therapy because of centrally dictated funding policies leading to inequalities in health care.
Curing efficiency of various resin-based materials polymerized through different ceramic thicknesses and curing time

PURPOSE The aim of this in vitro study was to examine the curing efficiency of various resin-based materials polymerized through ceramic restorations with 3 different thicknesses. Curing efficiency was evaluated by determining the surface microhardness (VHN) of the resin specimens. MATERIALS AND METHODS Four kinds of resin materials were used. Z350 (3M ESPE Filtek™ Z350: A2 Shade), Z250 (3M ESPE Filtek™ Z250: A2 Shade) and Variolink® II (VL: Ivoclar vivadent, base: transparent) either with or without a self-curing catalyst (VLC: Ivoclar vivadent, catalyst: low viscosity/transparent) were filled into the silicone mold (10 mm diameter, 1 mm thick). They were cured through ceramic discs (IPS e.max Press MO-0 ingot ivoclar vivadent, 10 mm diameter, 0.5, 1 and 2 mm thicknesses) by LED light-curing units for 20 and 40 seconds. Vicker's microhardness numbers (VHNs) were measured on the bottom surfaces by a microhardness tester. Data were analyzed using a 3- way analysis of variance (ANOVA) at a significance level of 0.05. RESULTS The thickness of ceramic disc increased, the VHNs of all four resin types were decreased (P<.05). The mean VHN values of the resins light cured for 40 seconds were significantly higher than that of LED for 20 seconds in all four resin materials (P<.05). VLC showed significantly higher VHN values than VL regardless of other conditions (P<.05). Z350 and Z250 showed higher values than VL or VLC (P<.01). CONCLUSION Thinner ceramic disc with increased curing time resulted higher VHN values of all resin materials. The use of a catalyst produced a greater hardness with all polymerization methods. Restorative resin materials (Z350, Z250) showed higher VHN values than resin cement materials (VL, VLC).
Chronic Renal Disease and Risk of Cardiovascular Morbidity-Mortality

The pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease in CKD differs subtly from that of non-CKD patients. As renal function declines, the role and impact of treating classical risk factors may change and diminish. However, hypertension, hypercholesterolaemia and smoking cessation management should be optimized and may require multiple agents and approaches, particularly as CKD advances. Hypertension treatment would appear to be one management area in which performance is less than ideal. Moreover there are mechanisms and risk factors that are specific to CKD, capable of triggering a vascular pathology and that justify the surplus of CV morbidity in CKD patients and that require we consider CKD as a CV risk factor per se. In the initial stages of CKD it would be advisable to implement all the preventative measures to stem the onset of CV disease, whereas in the more advanced stages a multifactorial approach is likely to be necessary, as we have learned from the STENO-study within the diabetes.
Maternal postnatal depression and children's growth and behaviour during the early years of life: exploring the interaction between physical and mental health

Objective To assess the association between maternal postnatal depression and child behaviour problems and child growth at age 2 years Methods This was a longitudinal birth cohort study in Johannesburg, South Africa. Primary analysis on the ‘Birth to Twenty’ cohort was performed for the association between maternal postnatal depression and child behaviour problems (n=1035) and growth (n=891) at age 2 and subgroup analyses (n=635) were carried out to assess the role of poor child growth in this association. Main outcome measures were the association between maternal postpartum depression (measured at 6 months postnatally using the Pitt depression inventory) and child behaviour problems (Richman child behaviour scale) and child growth at age 2 years. Results Maternal postnatal depression was significantly associated with child behaviour problems at age 2, independent of socioeconomic status (β=0.353, p value=0.015). There was some evidence that children of depressed mothers were also at increased risk for having stunted growth, compared to non-depressed mothers (OR 1.61 (95% CI 1.02 to 2.56). The association between postnatal depression and child behavioural problems was significantly mediated by the stunted growth of the child (β=0.294, p value=0.111). Conclusions Maternal postnatal depression is associated with later child behaviour problems independent of the socioeconomic status of the family. This association is mediated by the child's growth, demonstrating the importance of considering a child's physical and mental health together.
Effects of averaging over motion and the resulting systematic errors in radiation therapy

The potential for systematic errors in radiotherapy of a breathing patient is considered using the statistical model of Bortfeld et al (2002 Phys. Med. Biol. 47 2203–20). It is shown that although averaging over 30 fractions does result in a narrow Gaussian distribution of errors, as predicted by the central limit theorem, the fact that one or a few samples of the breathing patient's motion distribution are used for treatment planning (in contrast to the many treatment fractions that are likely to be delivered) may result in a much larger error with a systematic component. The error distribution may be particularly large if a scan at breath-hold is used for planning.
Contralateral Prophylactic Mastectomy

Background:Contralateral prophylactic mastectomy (CPM) is often discussed as a treatment option for women with a diagnosis of unilateral breast cancer. The purpose of this study was to identify the prevalence of pathology within the specimen at the time of CPM and to evaluate potential risk factors. Methods:Patients with a unilateral breast malignancy who underwent CPM were identified from the database of Scott and White Breast Cancer Clinic. A retrospective cohort study comparing disease status and various exposure parameters was conducted via chart review. Results:Of the 301 patients who met the inclusion criteria, there were 14 cases (4.7%) with malignancy and 45 cases (15.0%) with moderate-to-high risk lesions. Multivariate analysis demonstrated 2 independent factors predictive of malignant or moderate-to-high risk lesions: age >54 years and lobular histology in the original specimen. Conclusions:The prevalence of malignant and premalignant lesions at the time of CPM was nearly 1 in 5.
Dental extraction in patients receiving dual antiplatelet therapy

Background Dual anti platelet therapy consists of administering antiplatelet (antiaggregant) drugs (clopidogrel and aspirin) to prevent thrombotic processes, as a preventative measure in patients with acute coronary disease, or in patients subjected to percutaneous coronary intervention. Objectives The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of a protocol for performing dental extraction in patients receiving dual anti platelet therapy. Material and Methods Thirty-two patients undergoing dental extractions were included in the study. The variables evaluated were: collagen-epinephrine fraction, collagen- adenosine diphosphate fraction, surgical surface, post-surgical measures, and adverse effects. Alveolar sutures and gauzes impregnated with an antifibrinolytic agent (tranexamic acid), which the patient pressed in place for 30 minutes, were applied to all patients as post-surgical measures. Descriptive statistics were calculated and analyzed with Student’s t-test to compare pairs of quantitative variables; simple regression analysis was performed using Pearson’s correlation coefficient. Statistical significance was set at p<0.05. Results Collagen/epinephrine fraction was 264.53±55.624 seconds with a range of 135 to 300 seconds, and collagen/ADP fraction was 119.41±44.216 seconds, both values being higher than normal. As a result of the post-surgical measures taken, no patients presented postoperative bleeding, hematoma or infection. Conclusions Dental extraction was safe for patients receiving dual anti-platelet therapy when using sutures and gauze impregnated with tranexamic acid, which the patient pressed in place for 30 minutes. Key words: Aspirin, clopidogrel, tranexamic acid, dental extraction, platelet function.
Exploiting Wikipedia priori knowledge for Chinese named entity recognition

Information Extraction is an important task in Natural Language Processing research. Named Entity Recognition as one of the basic tasks of information extraction, the effect has a great impact on the subsequent tasks such as Relation Extraction. And a major difficulty of NER lies in the unknown word identification. For this issue, method of exploiting Wikipedia external information methods was studied. Wikipedia is a rapid developing online encyclopedia in recent years. In 2016, the number of Chinese entries has reached 860,000. Huge valuable information will be provided to identify unknown words by Exploiting Wikipedia as external knowledge. The Wikipedia entries have been selected, and combined into the Conditional Random Field model of NER as features. The experimental studies demonstrate that this method can improve the effectiveness of NER significantly.
A New Auditory Threshold Estimation Technique for Low Frequencies: Proof of Concept

Objectives: Presently available nonbehavioral methods to estimate auditory thresholds perform less well at frequencies below 1 kHz than at 1 kHz and above. For many uses, such as providing accurate infant hearing aid amplification for low-frequency vowels, an accurate nonbehavioral method to estimate low-frequency thresholds is needed. A novel technique was developed to estimate low-frequency cochlear thresholds based on the use of a previously reported waveform. It was determined how well the method worked by comparing the resulting thresholds to thresholds from onset-response compound action potentials (CAPs) and single-auditory-nerve (AN)- fibers in cats. A long-term goal is to translate this technique for use in humans. Design: An electrode near the cochlea records a combination of cochlear microphonic (CM) and neural responses. In response to low-frequency, near threshold-level tones, the CM is almost sinusoidal whereas the neural responses occur preferentially at one phase of the tone. If the tone is presented again but with its polarity reversed, the neural response keeps the same shape, but shifts ½ cycle in time. Averaging responses to tones presented separately at opposite polarities overlaps and interleaves the neural responses and yields a waveform in which the CM is canceled and the neural response appears twice each tone cycle, that is, the resulting neural response is mostly at twice the tone frequency. The resultant waveform is referred to as “the auditory nerve overlapped waveform” (ANOW). In this study, ANOW level functions were measured in anesthetized cats from 10 to 80 dB SPL in 10 dB steps using tones between 0.3 and 1 kHz. As a response metric, the magnitude of the ANOW component was calculated at twice the tone frequency (ANOW2f). The ANOW threshold was the sound level where the interpolated ANOW2f crossed a statistical criterion that was higher than 95% of the noise floor distribution. ANOW thresholds were compared with onset-CAP thresholds from the same recordings and single-AN-fiber thresholds from the same animals. Results: ANOW and onset-CAP level functions were obtained for 0.3 to 1 kHz tones, and single-AN-fiber responses from cats. Except at 1 kHz, typical ANOW thresholds were mostly 10 to 20 dB more sensitive than onset-CAP thresholds and 10 to 20 dB less sensitive than the most sensitive single-AN-fiber thresholds. Conclusions: ANOW provides frequency-specific estimates of cochlear neural thresholds over a frequency range that is important for hearing but is not well accessed by nonbehavioral, objective methods. Results suggest that with further targeted development, the ANOW low-frequency threshold estimation technique can be useful both clinically in humans and in basic-science animal experiments.
Event-related potential: An overview

Electroencephalography (EEG) provides an excellent medium to understand neurobiological dysregulation, with the potential to evaluate neurotransmission. Time-locked EEG activity or event-related potential (ERP) helps capture neural activity related to both sensory and cognitive processes. In this article, we attempt to present an overview of the different waveforms of ERP and the major findings in various psychiatric conditions.
Policy Improvement : Between Black-Box Optimization and Episodic Reinforcement Learning

Policy improvement methods seek to optimize the parameters of a policy with respect to a utility function. There are two main approaches to performing this optimization: reinforcement learning (RL) and black-box optimization (BBO). In recent years, benchmark comparisons between RL and BBO have been made, and there have been several attempts to specify which approach works best for which types of problem classes. In this article, we make several contributions to this line of research by: 1) Classifying several RL algorithms in terms of their algorithmic properties. 2) Showing how the derivation of ever more powerful RL algorithms displays a trend towards BBO. 3) Continuing this trend by applying two modifications to the state-of-the-art PI algorithm, which yields an algorithm we denote PI. We show that PI is a BBO algorithm. 4) Demonstrating that PI achieves similar or better performance than PI on several evaluation tasks. 5) Analyzing why BBO outperforms RL on these tasks. Rather than making the case for BBO or RL – in general we expect their relative performance to depend on the task considered – we rather provide two algorithms in which such cases can be made, as the algorithms are identical in all respects except in being RL or BBO approaches to policy improvement.
Parallel Gaussian Process Regression with Low-Rank Covariance Matrix Approximations

Gaussian processes (GP) are Bayesian non-parametric models that are widely used for probabilistic regression. Unfortunately, it cannot scale well with large data nor perform real-time predictions due to its cubic time cost in the data size. This paper presents two parallel GP regression methods that exploit low-rank covariance matrix approximations for distributing the computational load among parallel machines to achieve time efficiency and scalability. We theoretically guarantee the predictive performances of our proposed parallel GPs to be equivalent to that of some centralized approximate GP regression methods: The computation of their centralized counterparts can be distributed among parallel machines, hence achieving greater time efficiency and scalability. We analytically compare the properties of our parallel GPs such as time, space, and communication complexity. Empirical evaluation on two real-world datasets in a cluster of 20 computing nodes shows that our parallel GPs are significantly more time-efficient and scalable than their centralized counterparts and exact/full GP while achieving predictive performances comparable to full GP.
Future of brain stimulation: New targets, new indications, new technology

In the last quarter of a century, DBS has become an established neurosurgical treatment for Parkinson's disease (PD), dystonia, and tremors. Improved understanding of brain circuitries and their involvement in various neurological and psychiatric illnesses, coupled with the safety of DBS and its exquisite role as a tool for ethical study of the human brain, have unlocked new opportunities for this technology, both for future therapies and in research. Serendipitous discoveries and advances in structural and functional imaging are providing abundant “new” brain targets for an ever‐increasing number of pathologies, leading to investigations of DBS in diverse neurological, psychiatric, behavioral, and cognitive conditions. Trials and “proof of concept” studies of DBS are underway in pain, epilepsy, tinnitus, OCD, depression, and Gilles de la Tourette syndrome, as well as in eating disorders, addiction, cognitive decline, consciousness, and autonomic states. In parallel, ongoing technological development will provide pulse generators with longer battery longevity, segmental electrode designs allowing a current steering, and the possibility to deliver “on‐demand” stimulation based on closed‐loop concepts. The future of brain stimulation is certainly promising, especially for movement disorders—that will remain the main indication for DBS for the foreseeable future—and probably for some psychiatric disorders. However, brain stimulation as a technique may be at risk of gliding down a slippery slope: Some reports indicate a disturbing trend with suggestions that future DBS may be proposed for enhancement of memory in healthy people, or as a tool for “treatment” of “antisocial behavior” and for improving “morality. ” © 2013 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society
Enhanced Approach of Cluster Head Selection Using Rank and Weight Assignment in Wireless Sensor Network

With the evolution of wireless sensor network, the interest in their application have increased considerably. The architecture of the system differs with the application requirement and characteristics. Now days there are number of applications in which hierarchal based networks is highly in demand and key concept of such network is clustering. Some of the most well known hierarchical routing protocols are LEACH, TEEN, APTEEN and HEED. These different conventional protocols have diverse strategies to select their cluster head but still have some limitations. Based on the limitations of these conventional models, a new approach has been proposed on the basis of ranks and weights assignment. This approach will consider not only residual energy but also node's degree and distance of nodes with base station. The node which will have higher weight will be chosen as a cluster head. The objective of this approach is to have balance distribution of clusters, enhance lifetime and better efficiency than traditional methods.
On the properties evolution of engineered surfaces of thin reinforced thermoplastic tapes during consolidation

Advanced thermoplastic composite materials look to add functional properties to the mechanical ones, the latter usually ensured by the continuous fibers involved in the composite preforms. For that purpose the use of reinforced thermoplastic resins are being considered. These resins usually integrate manometric particles, with a variety of shapes (rods, spheres, discs, .) with enhanced functional properties, ensuring for example the increase of thermal or electrical conductivities. However, even when considering adequate particles distribution and orientation in the preforms, forming processes induced properties cannot be ignored and they are particuarly critical at the ply interfaces level, where the degree of intimate contact must be maximized while ensuring equivalent functional properties to the ones existing in the bulk. One possibility for maximizing the intimate contact and at the same time controlling the induced functional anisotropy consists of designing engineered surfaces consolidated by the combined action of temperature and pressure. The combined effect results in a microscopic flow that induces at its turn the evolution of the position and orientation of the particles, and consequently the evolution of the associated properties, e.g. thermal and electrical conductivities. In the present work we address a simplified modeling framework of the functional properties evolution during the consolidation of unidirectional tapes. It combines the squeeze flow modeling, the flow induced microstructural anisotropy and its impact on the thermal and electrical conductivities.