Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Altered Synaptic Plasticity in Tourette's Syndrome and Its Relationship to Motor Skill Learning

Gilles de la Tourette syndrome is a neuropsychiatric disorder characterized by motor and phonic tics that can be considered motor responses to preceding inner urges. It has been shown that Tourette patients have inferior performance in some motor learning tasks and reduced synaptic plasticity induced by transcranial magnetic stimulation. However, it has not been investigated whether altered synaptic plasticity is directly linked to impaired motor skill acquisition in Tourette patients. In this study, cortical plasticity was assessed by measuring motor-evoked potentials before and after paired associative stimulation in 14 Tourette patients (13 male; age 18–39) and 15 healthy controls (12 male; age 18–33). Tic and urge severity were assessed using the Yale Global Tic Severity Scale and the Premonitory Urges for Tics Scale. Motor learning was assessed 45 minutes after inducing synaptic plasticity and 9 months later, using the rotary pursuit task. On average, long-term potentiation-like effects in response to the paired associative stimulation were present in healthy controls but not in patients. In Tourette patients, long-term potentiation-like effects were associated with more and long-term depression-like effects with less severe urges and tics. While motor learning did not differ between patients and healthy controls 45 minutes after inducing synaptic plasticity, the learning curve of the healthy controls started at a significantly higher level than the Tourette patients' 9 months later. Induced synaptic plasticity correlated positively with motor skills in healthy controls 9 months later. The present study confirms previously found long-term improvement in motor performance after paired associative stimulation in healthy controls but not in Tourette patients. Tourette patients did not show long-term potentiation in response to PAS and also showed reduced levels of motor skill consolidation after 9 months compared to healthy controls. Moreover, synaptic plasticity appears to be related to symptom severity.
Highly flexible feeding of components for automatic assembly. The SyFA module

A new highly flexible components feeder used in automatic assembly lines is presented. Flexibility is gained by the joint use of a vision system and a vibrating tooling plate which simultaneously acts as a separating and an orienting mechanism. A detailed mathematical modeling of the dynamics is derived. The modeling fully takes into account the random nature of the mechanisms which are used to extract out of a bulk of randomly oriented parts, those exhibiting a prescribed orientation.
Challenges and Opportunities for Design Innovations in Nanometer Technologies

The driving force behind the spectacular advancement of the integrated circuit technology in the past thirty years has been the exponential scaling of the feature size, i.e., the minimum dimension of a transistor. It has been following the Moore’s Law [1] at the rate of a factor of 0.7 reduction every three years. It is expected that such exponential scaling will continue for at least another 1012 years as projected in the recently published 1997 National Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors (NTRS’97) [2] shown in Table 1. This will lead to over half a billion transistors integrated on a single chip with an operating frequency of 2-3 GHz in the 70nm technology by Year 2009. The challenges to sustain such an exponential growth to achieve gigascale integration have shifted in a large degree, however, from the process and manufacturing technologies to the design technology. A great deal of design innovation, in terms of both significant extension of the existing design capability and the development of new design paradigm and methodology, is needed to achieve the projected targets in the NTRS’97. This paper discusses the challenges and opportunities for design innovations in the future IC designs, especially in the areas of interconnect design and high-degree of on-chip integration. Section 2 presents a number of design challenges in these areas, with quantitative measurements derived based on the technology projection in NTRS’97. Section 3 discusses opportunities and possible directions for design technology innovation to meet various design challenges in the road ahead.
Local Park Use and Personal Health Among Older Adults: An Exploratory Study

Regular park use is common among older adults. However, this use has only recently (i.e., last 15 years) been recognized as related to health and health policy. Although visits to parks are thought of as recreation, increasing evidence indicates such behavior has significant health consequences. Given the huge and growing expenditures for health in the United States, the aging of the population, and the consequences of the Baby Boom cohort reaching old age, new ways of conceptualizing and delivering health care will occur rapidly. Recreation and park professionals need to better understand the ways in which lowcost, readily available resources such as local parks may contribute to personal health and the potential for such a contribution to be increased. This study was undertaken to examine the relationship between use of local parks and self-reported individual health among adults 50 years of age and older. Specific aims were to examine: (1) sociodemographic differences between park users and non-park users, (2) differences in perceived health between park users and non-park users, (3) the logistics (e.g., frequency, travel mode) of park use, (4) benefits attributed to park use, and 5) the relationship between park access and perceived health. A questionnaire was developed and distributed in cooperation with Cleveland Metroparks and a grant from the National Recreation Foundation. The questionnaire was distributed in parks, supermarkets, shopping malls, and senior centers to achieve a diverse sample of both park and non-park users. The survey included questions about personal health (i.e., physical, mental), social support, health behaviors, park and leisure behavior, and demographics. The results of this exploratory study indicated support for the contention that local parks should be thought of as a part of a viable strategy for health promotion and disease prevention. Park use was fairly extensive among older Cleveland residents, with 33% who visited a local park frequently and 53% who visited occasionally. Regarding use of Cleveland Metroparks, the mean number of annual visits was 30 and 12% of respondents visited a Cleveland Metropark at least once per week. The majority of older park users were physically active during their visit, with over 69% obtaining moderate or high levels of physical activity. An average visit lasted about 2 hours and users spent about half of their time walking. The benefits that older local park users ascribed to their visits were mostly health related. In addition, people who lived within walking distance of a park used parks significantly more than individuals without a park within walking distance. Moreover, individuals with a park within walking distance were in better health than those without a park nearby. Results suggested that parks are a viable context for health promotion activities such as physical activity.
Meta-analysis: influence of host and viral factors in patients with chronic hepatitis C genotype 4 treated with pegylated interferon and ribavirin

The burden of hepatitis C virus genotype 4 (HCV-4) is high in Africa and East Mediterranean countries. Previous reports estimate sustained virologic response (SVR) rates in HCV-4 to be ∼20–70%. However, many of these studies are limited by different study designs and small sample sizes. Our aim was to evaluate treatment outcome and host/viral factors on SVR in HCV-4 patients treated with pegylated interferon and ribavirin (PEG IFN+RBV) in a systematic and quantitative manner. A comprehensive literature search in MEDLINE and EMBASE for ‘genotype 4’ was conducted in November 2013. Abstracts from American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, Asian Pacific Study of the Liver, Digestive Disease Week, and European Association for the Study of the Liver in 2012/2013 were reviewed. Inclusion criteria were original studies with at least 25 treatment-naive HCV-4 patients treated with PEG IFN+RBV. Exclusion criteria were coinfection with HIV, hepatitis B virus, or other genotypes. Effect sizes were calculated using random-effects models. Heterogeneity was determined by Cochrane Q-test (P<0.05) and I2 statistic (>50%). We included 51 studies (11 102 HCV-4 patients) in the primary analysis. Pooled SVR was 53% [95% confidence interval (CI): 50–55%] (Q-statistic=269.20, P<0.05; I2=81.43). On subgroup analyses, SVR was significantly associated with lower viral load, odds ratio (OR) 3.05 (CI: 1.80–5.17, P<0.001); mild fibrosis, OR 3.17 (CI: 2.19–4.59, P<0.001); and favorable IL28B polymorphisms, rs12979860 CC versus CT/TT, OR 4.70 (CI: 2.87–7.69, P<0.001), and rs8099917 TT versus GT/GG, OR 5.21 (CI: 2.31–11.73, P<0.001). HCV-4 patients treated with PEG IFN+RBV may expect SVR rates of ∼50%. Lower viral load, mild fibrosis, and favorable IL28B (rs12979860 CC and rs8099917 TT) are positively associated with SVR.
Breastfeeding patterns and mothers’health in an HIV context in Sub Saharan Africa

IN ENGLISH . 11 ABSTRACT IN FRENCH . 14IN FRENCH . 14 ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS . 17 DEFINITIONS . 19 LIST OF PUBLICATIONS . 2
Usefulness of chronic total occlusion devices and techniques in other complex lesion subsets

Percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) in chronic total occlusion (CTO) have been for long time considered as “last frontier” in interventional cardiology. Among the different subset of complex targets for PCI, CTO lesions represent a challenge for the interventional cardiologist. CTO techniques and devices have evolved in last few years together with the training of specialized interventional cardiologist in such complex field. All these factors have markedly increased procedural success of CTO procedures and have the potential to be applied in other settings. In this paper, we provide an update on the technical aspects and the devices developed for CTO PCIs that can be applied in complex PCI on non-CTO
Cardiovascular aspects of obstructive sleep apnoea and their relevance to the assessment of the efficacy of nasal continuous positive airway pressure therapy

Wright et al 1 set out to assess the “health effects” of obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) and the evidence for the efficacy of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) in this disorder. In their assessment they concentrated particularly on whether or not OSA causes cardiovascular disease. The review included more than 70 papers examining cardiovascular end points and less than 30 pertaining to daytime sleepiness and quality of life. It was structured to emphasise these cardiovascular issues and appeared to imply that these factors are the important reasons for the treatment of sleep apnoea. In fact this is incorrect. Patients with sleep apnoea are treated primarily to control disabling daytime sleepiness and to improve quality of life. Heated debates about possible links with cardiovascular disease continue but these are not primarily relevant to the efficacy of CPAP treatment. By getting this balance wrong, the review by Wright et al 1 was seriously flawed; by asking the wrong question it inevitably produced a misleading answer. Wright et al 1 first dealt with “health effects” and then separately with “CPAP efficacy” and the present discussion is structured similarly. Most of the available cardiovascular evidence relates to systemic arterial blood pressure and hence this dominates what follows. The discussion of arterial blood pressure deals first with blood pressure at night in patients with OSA and then separately with daytime awake blood pressure, since the patterns and mechanisms of any blood pressure changes are different in these two states. Figure 1 shows the disturbance of blood pressure and cardiac output which occurs during obstructive apnoeas. The blood pressure trace shows repeated falls during apnoea followed by a sharp rise in the period following the apnoea which is coincident with arousal on the electroencephalogram. The magnitude of the rise in blood pressure following apnoea can be …
Sustainable powering: Configuration of renewable sources exclusively for powering a house

Currently, power generation is being the major issue of concern due to depleting fuel sources but the matter has become more of optimal and sustainable power generation in the present time. Renewable sources of energy being the most suitable method to achieve the same, have taken the consideration to architect a house with the implementation of latest and current inventions. In this paper, the house is embedded with suitable sensors along with the equipments for the generation of power from solar and hydro modules that have been proposed to be used with maximum efficiency. Solar energy has been devised from the very latest form of solar panels that is solar paint. The architect has been so designed to achieve the maximum solar energy on painting the steel sheets on the two walls of the house which can align them according to the angle of maximum solar intensity. Hydro energy has been taken as the back-up plan for the adverse climatic conditions in which the roof is clad with micro channels which are in a glass disc. The principle of generation of electricity through these channels is charge induction by polar water molecules. The house is so programmed that it can switch between various energy alternatives available according to the present climatic conditions by the use of a decision making device. Along with this, spare power is saved and then used during unavailability of power from conventional sources.
The Impact of the Nucleosome Code on Protein-Coding Sequence Evolution in Yeast

Coding sequence evolution was once thought to be the result of selection on optimal protein function alone. Selection can, however, also act at the RNA level, for example, to facilitate rapid translation or ensure correct splicing. Here, we ask whether the way DNA works also imposes constraints on coding sequence evolution. We identify nucleosome positioning as a likely candidate to set up such a DNA-level selective regime and use high-resolution microarray data in yeast to compare the evolution of coding sequence bound to or free from nucleosomes. Controlling for gene expression and intra-gene location, we find a nucleosome-free “linker” sequence to evolve on average 5–6% slower at synonymous sites. A reduced rate of evolution in linker is especially evident at the 5′ end of genes, where the effect extends to non-synonymous substitution rates. This is consistent with regular nucleosome architecture in this region being important in the context of gene expression control. As predicted, codons likely to generate a sequence unfavourable to nucleosome formation are enriched in linker sequence. Amino acid content is likewise skewed as a function of nucleosome occupancy. We conclude that selection operating on DNA to maintain correct positioning of nucleosomes impacts codon choice, amino acid choice, and synonymous and non-synonymous rates of evolution in coding sequence. The results support the exclusion model for nucleosome positioning and provide an alternative interpretation for runs of rare codons. As the intimate association of histones and DNA is a universal characteristic of genic sequence in eukaryotes, selection on coding sequence composition imposed by nucleosome positioning should be phylogenetically widespread.
Localization in Wireless networks via Laser scanning and Bayesian compressed sensing

WiFi indoor localization has seen a renaissance with the introduction of RSSI-based approaches. However, manual fingerprinting techniques that split the indoor environment into predefined grids are implicitly bounding the maximum achievable localization accuracy. WoLF, our proposed Wireless localization and Laser-scanner assisted Fingerprinting system, solves this problem by automating the way indoor fingerprint maps are generated. We furthermore show that WiFi localization on the generated high resolution maps can be performed by sparse reconstruction which exploits the peculiarities imposed by the physical characteristics of indoor environments. Particularly, we propose a Bayesian Compressed Sensing (BCS) approach in order to find the position of the mobile user and dynamically determine the sufficient number of APs required for accurate positioning. BCS employs a Bayesian formalism in order to reconstruct a sparse signal using an undetermined system of equations. Experimental results with data collected in a university building validate WoLF in terms of localization accuracy under actual environmental conditions.
Correlation of total VEGF mRNA and protein expression with histologic type, tumor angiogenesis, patient survival and timing of relapse in non‐small‐cell lung cancer

We have quantified the expression of all 4 isoforms of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) mRNA in non‐small‐cell lung cancer (NSCLC) using a new kinetic quantitative PCR method, real‐time quantitative (RTQ) RT‐PCR, and investigated the association between VEGF expression at the mRNA and protein levels and the clinicopathologic variables, tumor angiogenesis, patient survival and timing of relapse. Surgical tumor specimens from 72 NCSLC patients (37 squamous‐cell carcinomas, 35 adenocarcinomas) were examined. Twenty‐eight patients had stage I, 10 stage II and 34 stage IIIA or IIIB disease. Total VEGF mRNA (all 4 isoforms) was quantified by RTQ RT‐PCR, while VEGF protein expression and microvessel number in tumors were assessed immunohistochemically. VEGF mRNA was detected in all 72 tumor samples at significantly higher levels than in adjacent normal tissue. Tumoral VEGF mRNA levels correlated strongly with the VEGF protein staining score and microvessel count. Adenocarcinomas showed significantly higher VEGF mRNA expression and a higher protein staining score than squamous‐cell carcinomas. High tumoral VEGF mRNA expression was associated with advanced (IIIA or IIIB) tumor stage, lymph node metastasis, high tumoral microvessel counts, short patient survival (<24 months) and early relapse (<12 months), while a high VEGF protein staining score was associated with high tumoral microvessel counts, short patient survival and early relapse. Patients with high tumoral levels of both VEGF mRNA and protein had significantly shorter survival and earlier relapse. In multivariate analysis, the VEGF protein staining score and nodal status were the most important independent predictors of survival and recurrence. We conclude that RTQ RT‐PCR is a sensitive method for detecting and quantifying VEGF mRNA expression in NSCLC and that the expression levels of total VEGF mRNA and protein in NSCLC are strongly associated with histologic type, tumor angiogenesis, survival and timing of relapse. High VEGF expression in adenocarcinomas may contribute to their greater metastatic potential. Int. J. Cancer 89:475–483, 2000. © 2000 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Wireless MIMO switching with trusted and untrusted relays: Degrees of freedom perspective

We investigate the degrees of freedom (DoF) and secrecy DoF for a general framework of multiway relay networks named wireless MIMO switching, where a number of users exchange information via a common relay. Each round of data exchange consists of one uplink transmission from users to relay and one downlink transmission from relay back to users. The data exchange model is unicast, i.e., every user transmits one message and intends to receive one message from one other user. We categorize unicast patterns using the notion of orbit borrowed from abstract algebra. Roughly speaking, an orbit is a minimum subset of users such that data exchange is closed within this subset. We analyze the achievable DoF of wireless MIMO switching with various numbers of orbits. Particularly, the DoF capacity for unicast with one and two orbits are established. Furthermore, we study communication secrecy with an untrusted relay in wireless MIMO switching. We present an achievable secrecy sum rate and the corresponding achievable secrecy DoF by assuming a non-regenerative relay. Then, we focus on unicast patterns with one and two orbits, and show that this achievable lower bound is actually the secrecy DoF capacity based on a novel genie-aided technique. Our results build a bridge between the DoF and the secrecy DoF in multiway relaying. The methodology of the proof can be generally applied to analyze the secrecy DoF in other relay networks.
GENOMIC FLUX : GENOME EVOLUTION BY GENE LOSS AND ACQIBSITION

Genome evolution is the process by which the content and organization of a species' genetic information changes over time. This process involves four sorts of changes: (i) point mutations and gene conversion events gradually alter internal information; (ii) rearrangements (e.g., inversions, translocations, plasmid integration, and transpositions) alter chromosome topology with little change in information content; (iii) deletions cause irreversible loss of information; and (iv) insertions of foreign material can add novel information to a genome. Although the first two processes can create new genes, they act very slowly. Gene loss and acquisition are genomic changes that can radically and rapidly increase fitness or alter some aspect of lifestyle. Most thought on genome evolution has focused on how the slow sequence changes can cause divergence of gene functions. This is understandable because available data suggest that horizontal genetic transfer has been a minor contributor to the evolution of eukaryotic lineages (with notable exceptions, such as the
Residues of PBDEs in northeastern Pacific marine fish: Evidence for spatial and temporal trends

In the flesh (skinless fillet) of chinook, chum, coho, pink, and sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha, O. keta, O. kisutch, O. gorbuscha, and O. nerka, respectively), sablefish (Anoplopoma fimbria) and walleye pollock (Theragra chalcogramma) from several sites in the northeast Pacific sampled between 2002 and 2008, tetra‐ and pentabrominated diphenyl ethers (BDEs) (BDE 47, 49, 99, and 100) dominated the congener distribution. Chinook and sablefish contained the highest concentrations, followed by sockeye, coho, and pink salmon, and pollock. In sockeye from the Bering Sea – Aleutians and from the Gulf of Alaska, total tri‐ to hepta‐BDE concentrations fell significantly between 2002 and 2005; in sablefish from Gulf of Alaska, there was a steady but statistically nonsignificant decline in BDE concentrations between 2002 and 2008. Relative proportions of the main BDE congeners did not change appreciably over time, within species or location. All species except sockeye salmon showed a clear southeastward increase in BDE concentrations, implying an increasing gradient in general ecosystem contamination. In chinook, coho, and sablefish, especially, the southeastward trend in increasing total concentrations was associated with increasing proportions of BDEs 47 and 100. Chinook returning to western North American natal streams appeared to accumulate most of their PBDE burden towards the end of their migration. Fish from more northern sampling sites often had higher proportions of more highly brominated congeners than those from more southern sites, perhaps reflecting contamination from Asian sources where higher‐brominated commercial PBDE formulations are used. In sablefish and pollock, the relative proportions of BDEs 99 and 47 varied inversely in almost a 1:1 ratio, implying debromination of BDE 99 to 47. Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 2011; 30:1261–1271. © 2011 SETAC