Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Functional relationship between human rolandic oscillations and motor cortical excitability: an MEG study

Synchronization and desynchronization of the neural rhythm in the brain play an important role in the orchestration of perception, motor action and conscious experience. Based on the results of electrocorticographic and magnetoencephalographic (MEG) recordings, it has been considered that human rolandic oscillations originate in the anterior bank of the central sulcus (20‐Hz rhythm) and the postcentral cortex (10‐Hz rhythm): the 20‐Hz oscillation is closely related to motor function, while the 10‐Hz rhythm is attributed mainly to sensory function. To test whether the rolandic oscillations are functionally relevant to the motor cortical excitability, we examined effects of 1‐Hz repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) of the left primary motor cortex (M1) on movement‐related changes of the rolandic oscillations in 12 normal subjects. MEG data recorded during brisk extension of the right index finger in two different sessions (with and without rTMS conditioning) were compared. Motor‐evoked potential (MEP) of the right hand muscle was also measured before and after rTMS to assess the motor cortical excitability. We found that 1‐Hz rTMS over M1 significantly reduced the movement‐related rebound of the 20‐Hz oscillation in association with decreased motor cortical excitability. In particular, movement‐related rebound of the 20‐Hz rhythm was closely tied with motor cortical excitability. These findings further strengthen the notion of functional relevance of 20‐Hz cortical oscillation to motor cortical excitability. In the framework of previous studies, the decrease in movement‐related rebound may be regarded as a compensatory reaction to the inhibited cortical activity.
Predictive Factors for Response and Toxicity in Chemotherapy: Pharmacogenomics.

There have been great advances in the chemotherapy available for the treatment of colorectal cancer. However, not all patients benefit from these drugs and toxicity remains unpredictable. In addition, the cost of modern therapy is pushing the limits of what can be afforded by both patients and society. The factors behind these differences in treatment response and tolerance are certainly complex. How an individual cancer patient's system handles chemotherapeutics agents, however, is also an important contributor to inter-patient variability in cancer outcomes. Pharmacogenomics is the study of genetic differences in drug handling genes that lead to functional differences in how patients are able to either activate or eliminate drugs. The examples of DPD, TS, and UGT1A1 clearly demonstrate proof of principle—that genetic differences in drug handling are indeed responsible for some of the inter-patient variation in treatment response and treatment toxicity. However, these three also show some of the pitfalls of our past endeavors. The technological advances in genomics should help us simultaneously analyze an individual patient's "chemotherapy sensitivity" make-up, while advances in information technology will allow us to quickly interpret such results. We hope in the future, that we can then combine these and other markers to provide each patient with an individualized treatment plan.
A Fast and Compact Charger for an Li-Ion Battery Using Successive Built-In Resistance Detection

In this brief, a successive built-in resistance (BIR) detection, which operates in the constant average current mode, is proposed to achieve fast charging of a lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery by accurately compensating for the voltage across the BIR. In addition, a low-dropout regulator-based structure is adopted to implement a compact-sized battery charger without using any extra external components. The proposed battery charger is fabricated using a 0.13- $\mu\text{m}$ BCD process technology with 6-V high-voltage CMOS devices, and its measurement result shows that the overall charging time is reduced by 0.5 h with a 750-mAh Li-ion battery.
Expression of sigma 54 (ntrA)-dependent genes is probably united by a common mechanism.

Compte rendu des connaissances (133 references) sur le facteur de regulation sigma σ 54 (code par ntrA). Importance des proteines activatrices dans l'initiation de la transcription par ce facteur. L'expression des genes dependants de σ 54 est probablement reglee par un mecanisme commun
Screening for Clinical Laboratory Errors with Medicare Claims Data: Results for Digoxin

A statistical model is demonstrated for finding outpa tient clinical laboratories having high frequencies of bad patient outcomes, after testing, that may indicate testing errors. A sample of Medicare Part A and Part B claims for 30,685 digoxin tests for 1985 through 1987 was analyzed. Deaths or digoxin-related hospitaliza tions within 14 days of digoxin testing are defined as "adverse events" potentially influenced by test informa tion. Approximately 3.3% of digoxin tests were followed by adverse events with two-thirds resulting in hospital ization or death. Adverse events were (a) lower in states with stronger laboratory regulations, (b) 15% higher whenever the site of testing switched, (c) unre lated to testing in low volume physician office labora tories, and (d) unrelated to frequency of digoxin testing in previous 6 months. Results a and b are consistent with findings for prothrombin testing but c and d are not. Differences are consistent with technical charac teristics of the tests.
Properties of hydrated excess protons near phospholipid bilayers.

The behavior of the hydrated excess proton near different lipid membranes is studied with the third generation of the multistate empirical valence bond (MS-EVB3) model [Wu, Y. J.; Chen, H. N. ; Wang, F. ; Paesani, F. ; Voth, G. A. J. Phys. Chem. B 2008, 112, 467]. Dioleoylphosphatidylcholine (DOPC), dioleoylphosphatidylethanolamine (DOPE), and dioleoylphosphatidylglycerol (DOPG) are selected as example lipids. In spite of the differences of the head groups, the molecular dynamics simulations show that all the lipid membranes have a proton-collecting antenna effect with no free energy barrier between the bulk water and interface regions. By comparison with classical hydronium model simulations, it is found that an appropriate description of proton Grotthuss shuttling and associated charge defect delocalization are necessary to obtain the correct free energy profile for the hydrated excess proton. In addition, nanosecond time scale sampling is essential to evaluate the free energy profiles, because certain slow motions are needed to stabilize the excess proton in the deep membrane interface region. It is also found that the lateral diffusion coefficients are 1 order of magnitude smaller in the interface region than in bulk water for all the lipids. These coefficients are almost the same as those of the lipid head groups. Finally, since the lipid phosphates may possibly be protonated due to the proton antenna effect of the membrane, phosphate group protonation is investigated and discussed within the MS-EVB framework.
Governance, agency and place leadership: lessons from a cross-national analysis

ABSTRACT Governance, agency and place leadership: lessons from a cross-national analysis. Regional Studies. This paper argues that few accounts of place leadership have found an appropriate balance between structural and individual processes, resulting, on the one hand, in an over-emphasis on the actions of a limited number of charismatic leaders and, on the other hand, in structural analyses blind to the decisions and actions of individuals and groups. This paper attempts to offer a more balanced perspective through the examination of leadership in two, contrasting, sets of circumstances. It uses the differing economic, political, administrative and social structures evident in Finland and South Australia to understand better the ways in which structural conditions encourage, or limit, place leadership.
Energy Harvested IEEE802.15.4 Wireless Body Area Network

With the increasing demand of wireless body area network (WBAN) for patient monitoring systems, it is necessary to develop efficient energy management systems to either prolong node battery replacement time or to develop battery-less WBAN nodes. In this paper, we introduce an energy harvesting WBAN architecture that combines the energy harvesting system and an adaptable duty cycle adjustment algorithm ABSD ( A daptive B eacon Order, S uperframe Order and D uty cycle) to prolong a WBAN node battery lifetime. The paper presents an energy harvesting model to show the effectiveness of human body motion based energy harvester. The paper further analyses the performance of a multi-patient and energy harvested WBAN using our proposed adjustable duty algorithm known as ABSD. The paper also presents several initial simulation results.
Biomarkers for efficacy of adjuvant chemotherapy following complete resection in NSCLC stages I–IIIA

Biomarkers may be useful when deciding which nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients may benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy following complete resection and which chemotherapeutic agents may be used preferably in individual patients in order to maximise survival. A literature search covering the period from 2003 to May, 2014 was conducted using PubMed and the following search terms: “non-small cell lung cancer”, “NSCLC”, “adjuvant chemotherapy”, “randomized”, “randomised”, “biomarkers”, “prognostic”, “predictive”. This review focuses on current knowledge of biomarkers for prognosis or efficacy of adjuvant treatment following complete resection in stage I–IIIA NSCLC patients. This review includes results on 18 different biomarkers and five gene profiles. A statistically significant prognostic impact was reported for: iNTR, TUBB3, RRM1, ERCC1, BRCA1, p53, MRP2, MSH2, TS, mucin, BAG-1, pERK1/2, pAkt-1, microRNA, TopIIA, 15-gene profile, 92-gene profile, 31-gene profile and 14-gene profile. A statistically significant predictive impact was reported for: ERCC1, p53, MSH2, p27, TUBB3, PARP1, ATM, 37-gene profile, 31-gene profile, 15-gene profile and 92-gene profile. Uncertainties regarding the optimal analysis method and cut-off levels for the individual markers may blur the prognostic or predictive signals. None of the possible predictive markers have been validated in prospective trials. Thus, there are no biomarkers ready to use in an adjuvant setting in NSCLC. Further investigation and validation is required to explore biomarkers in completely resected NSCLC stage I–IIIA http://ow.ly/M0leE
Processivity of T7 RNA polymerase requires the C-terminal Phe882-Ala883-COO- or "foot".

The role of the C-terminal Phe882-Ala883 residues of bacteriophage T7 RNA polymerase in specific transcription has been investigated by means of site-directed mutagenesis. A mutant enzyme that lacks the C-terminal Phe882-Ala883 residues, denoted the "foot" mutant, has been cloned and overproduced, and the effects of the deletion on promoter recognition, initiation, and elongation have been determined. Gel retardation assays and DNase I footprinting show that the foot mutant specifically recognizes and binds to T7 promoters, although this binding appears to be approximately 30-fold weaker than that of the wild-type enzyme. Transcription assays using oligonucleotide templates that contain the consensus T7 promoter show a dramatic decrease in transcriptional activity for the foot mutant. With templates whose coding region begins CCC. , the mutant synthesizes poly(G) products even in the presence of all four nucleotides. The synthesis of poly(G) products from such templates has previously been observed for the wild-type enzyme when GTP is the sole nucleotide present in the reaction and is thought to occur by a novel mechanism involving slippage of the RNA chain 3' to 5' relative to the template [Martin, C.T. , Muller, D.K. , & Coleman, J.E. (1988) Biochemistry 27, 3966-3974]. These data suggest that the loss in transcriptional activity by the foot mutant results from a severe decrease in processivity as well as catalytic efficiency of the enzyme. Removal of the C-terminal Phe and Ala residues from the wild-type enzyme with carboxypeptidase A generates the phenotype of the mutant precisely, proving that all of the properties of the foot mutant derive from the loss of the Phe-Ala-COOH moiety. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
MOTOGENIC AND BIOSYNTHETIC RESPONSE OF ADULT SKIN FIBROBLASTS TO TGF‐β ISOFORMS (−1, −2 AND −3) DETERMINED BY ‘TISSUE RESPONSE UNIT’: ROLE OF CELL DENSITY AND SUBSTRATUM

We have recently demonstrated that the three principal mammalian isoforms of transforming growth factor β (TGF‐β) exert distinct effects upon: (1) the migration of confluent adult fibroblasts into 3D gels of native type I collagen fibres (i.e. TGF‐β−1 and −2 had no apparent motogenic activity, whilst TGF‐β−3 induced a dose‐dependent stimulation of cell migration); and (2) the synthesis of hyaluronan (HA) by these cells is also affected by the TGF‐β isoforms in a manner which parallels their effect on cell migration. The objective of the present study is to elucidate the manner in which this differential activity of the TGF‐β−1, −2 and −3 may be modulated by experimental parameters. Data presented in this communication indicate that cytokine bioactivity is determined by a combination of cell density and the nature of the macromolecular substratum. Thus, we now report that all three TGF‐β isoforms inhibit the migration of subconfluent cells in the collagen gel assay. Our data confirm that the migration of confluent cells is stimulated by TGF‐β−3 and further indicate that this motogenic activity is completely abrogated by either TGF‐β−1 or −2 when these are co‐incubated with TGF‐β−3. In contrast to these results obtained using a native type I collagen substratum, all three isoforms stimulated adult fibroblast migration in the transmembrane assay (in which cells are adherent to a 2‐D porous polycarbonate substratum). The precise effect of TGF‐β isoforms on HA synthesis was also affected by cell density and the nature of the substratum in a manner which paralleled their diverse effects on cell migration (i.e. stimulation, inhibition or no effect). Streptomyces hyaluronidase completely neutralized the TGF‐β−3‐induced stimulation of confluent fibroblast migration, thus suggesting a mechanistic link between the cytokine‐induced cell migration and HA synthesis under these conditions. Taken together, these data indicate that: (1) the bioactivity of TGF‐β−1, −2 and −3 are determined by cell density, the macromolecular substratum and the presence of other cytokines; and (2) it is therefore necessary to define cytokine bioactivity within the context of a larger ‘tissue response unit’ which more fully defines the activity state of the target cell and its microenvironment.
Calpain in the CNS: From Synaptic Function to Neurotoxicity

The calpains are a class of cellular cysteine proteases that require calcium and are functionally active at neutral pH. Calpain activation can take place in two modes: controlled activation under physiological conditions (in which only a few molecules of calpain are activated per cell), and hyperactivation under pathological conditions that involve sustained calcium overload (in which all available calpain molecules are activated). Regulated activation of calpain in the central nervous system (CNS) may be critical to synaptic function and memory formation, with possible substrates including various structural and scaffolding proteins, enzymes, and glutamate receptors. Hyperactivation of calpain in the central nervous system is generally associated with severe cellular challenge or damage. Calpain cleavage products may thus provide useful biomarkers for the presence of neurodegenerative processes or neuronal injury. The calpains constitute a class of cellular cysteine proteases that require calcium and are functionally active at neutral pH. In the central nervous system (CNS), controlled activation of calpains may be critical to synaptic function and memory formation. In contrast, physical trauma, or chemical or ischemic insults that lead to a sustained increase in intracellular calcium concentration, may elicit calpain hyperactivation, which is generally associated with severe cellular damage.
Separating forms of neglect using the Apples Test: validation and functional prediction in chronic and acute stroke.

OBJECTIVE We report data on the validation and functional correlates of Apples Test, which attempts to differentiate between different forms of unilateral neglect. METHOD Study 1 presents data from 25 participants with chronic brain lesions who completed the Apples Test and another standard measure of neglect (Star Cancellation). The patients' performance relative to 86 controls was assessed and their relative performance across the two tests compared. Study 2 recruited 115 acute hospital stroke patients who completed the Apples Test as part of the Birmingham University Cognitive Screen procedure. We assessed the relations between the different forms of neglect. Study 3 examined neglect type (as measured by the Apples Test) among the acute stroke group in relation to their activities of daily living abilities and affect. RESULTS In Study 1 Apples Test scores correlated with Star Cancellation performance, while also differentiating between neglect across the page and neglect of parts of objects. Study 2 confirmed the dissociation from Study 1. "Pure" forms of each type of neglect were equally prevalent after right and left hemisphere lesions, while the presence of both deficits was associated with right hemisphere damage. Study 3 showed that each form of neglect also correlated with other measures of cognition. When compared with pure page-based neglect, object-centered neglect was associated with a lower Barthel score (p < .001), while patients with both forms of neglect had higher level of depression (p < .001) than those with the pure forms. CONCLUSIONS We conclude that the Apples test provides a clinically applicable measure of different forms of neglect. In addition it is a useful predictor of functional outcome. We discuss the nature of the two forms of neglect diagnosed by the test and the functional implications.
Caregivers' perspectives on the pre-diagnostic period in early onset dementia: a long and winding road

ABSTRACT Background: Recognizing and diagnosing early onset dementia (EOD) can be complex and often takes longer than for late onset dementia. The objectives of this study are to investigate the barriers to diagnosis and to develop a typology of the diagnosis pathway for EOD caregivers. Methods: Semi-structured interviews with 92 EOD caregivers were analyzed using constant comparative analysis and grounded theory. A conceptual model was formed based on 21 interviews and tested in 29 additional transcripts. The identified categories were quantified in the whole sample. Results: Seven themes emerged: (1) changes in the family member, (2) disrupted family life, (3) misattribution, (4) denial and refusal to seek advice, (5) lack of confirmation from social context, (6) non-responsiveness of a general practitioner (GP), and (7) misdiagnosis. Cognitive and behavioral changes in the person with EOD were common and difficult to understand for caregivers. Marital difficulties, problems with children and work/financial issues were important topics. Confirmation of family members and being aware of problems at work were important for caregivers to notice deficits and/or seek help. Other main issues were a patient's refusal to seek help resulting from denial and inadequate help resulting from misdiagnosis. Conclusion: EOD caregivers experience a long and difficult period before diagnosis. We hypothesize that denial, refusal to seek help, misattribution of symptoms, lack of confirmation from the social context, professionals’ inadequate help and faulty diagnoses prolong the time before diagnosis. These findings underline the need for faster and more adequate help from health-care professionals and provide issues to focus on when supporting caregivers of people with EOD.
[Occupational eye injuries].

Occupational eye injuries are common. The authors found that these constituted 2.5% of all the injuries treated in the Central Hospital in Esbjerg during the period 1.8. 1987-31.12. 1987. A total of 224 patients were included in the investigation. Of these, 145 had not employed any form of protection of the eyes when the injury occurred. This was mandatory where 34% were concerned and not mandatory for 66%. Occupational eye injuries resulted in 0-4 days of sick-leave and young men were particularly affected. Metal workers were most exposed and unskilled workers employed with grinding and welding. Forty-five patients had sustained more than two occupational eye injuries within the past year. Twenty-one of these had not notified any of the injuries, 11 had notified some of the injuries and 13 had notified all of the injuries. Approximately 80% had received instruction about employment of protective measures.
Customer acceptance of cashless payment systems in the hospitality industry

Purpose The purpose of this study is to propose and test an extended version of technology acceptance model (TAM) to examine consumers’ acceptance of radio frequency identification (RFID) cashless payment systems in the hospitality industry. Design/methodology/approach A comprehensive structural model was developed by adding two additional constructs to original TAM, namely, self-efficacy and perceived risk. A self-administered online questionnaire was used to collect the data of the study from 305 respondents in the USA. Confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to validate the measurement model and structural equation modeling analysis was performed to test the proposed model. Findings Study results indicated that self-efficacy was significantly related to perceived ease of use. In addition, perceived risk significantly negatively influenced perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use. Study results further illustrated that perceived ease of use had a significant impact on perceived usefulness and both perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness were significantly associated with intention to use. Practical implications Study findings provide significant practical implications for US hospitality operators and technology vendors for identifying factors affecting users’ acceptance of RFID cashless payment systems in the hospitality industry. Originality/value By extending TAM, this study is one of the first studies to investigate RFID cashless payment system acceptance in the hospitality industry.