Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
[Sleep disorders and quality of life in refractory partial epilepsy: results of the SLEEP study].

INTRODUCTION Sleep disorders are frequent among patients with epilepsy and are correlated with a poorer quality of life. AIMS To evaluate the prevalence of sleep disorders in patients with refractory and non-refractory focal epilepsy, and to explore the influence of these alterations on the quality of life of these patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS An epidemiological, controlled, cross-sectional study was conducted in 150 outpatient neurology services. Patients who had been treated with two antiepileptic drugs since the onset of the disease (18-55 years) were recruited for the study. RESULTS The sample included 237 patients with non-refractory focal epilepsy and 264 patients with refractory focal epilepsy. Twenty-two per cent of the non-refractory epilepsy group and 45% of the group with refractory epilepsy (p < 0.0001) suffered from some sleep disorder. The patients with refractory epilepsy had a poorer quality of life (p < 0.001) as measured with the quality of life questionnaire QOLIE-10. A positive significant correlation was observed between quality of life and quality of sleep, in both chronic insomnia (r = 0.65; p < 0.0001) and excessive daytime sleepiness (r = 0.43; p < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS Sleep disorders are more frequent in refractory than in non-refractory epilepsy, and affect the patients' quality of life.
Mitochondrial Permeability Transition Pore Opening as an Endpoint to Initiate Cell Death and as a Putative Target for Cardioprotection

In recent years, mitochondria have been recognized as regulators of cell death via both apoptosis and necrosis in addition to their essential role for cell survival. Cellular dysfunctions induced by intra- or extracellular insults converge on mitochondria and induce a sudden increase in permeability of the inner mitochondrial membrane, the so-called mitochondrial permeability transition. The mitochondrial permeability transition is caused by the opening of permeability transition pores (PTP) in the inner mitochondrial membrane with subsequent loss of ionic homeostasis, matrix swelling and outer membrane rupture. The detailed molecular mechanisms underlying the PTP-induced cellular dysfunction during cardiac pathology such as ischemia/reperfusion or post-infarction remodeling remain to be elucidated. However, a growing body of evidence supports the concept that pharmacological inhibition of the PTP is an effective and promising strategy for the protection of the heart against ischemia/reperfusion injury and for attenuation of the remodeling process which contributes to heart failure. This review summarizes and discusses current data on i) the structure and function of the PTP, ii) possible mechanisms and consequences of PTP opening and iii) the inhibition of PTP opening as a therapeutic approach for treatment of heart disease.
2D visual place recognition for domestic service robots at night

Domestic service robots such as lawn mowing and vacuum cleaning robots are the most numerous consumer robots in existence today. While early versions employed random exploration, recent systems fielded by most of the major manufacturers have utilized range-based and visual sensors and user-placed beacons to enable robots to map and localize. However, active range and visual sensing solutions have the disadvantages of being intrusive, expensive, or only providing a 1D scan of the environment, while the requirement for beacon placement imposes other practical limitations. In this paper we present a passive and potentially cheap vision-based solution to 2D localization at night that combines easily obtainable day-time maps with low resolution contrast-normalized image matching algorithms, image sequence-based matching in two-dimensions, place match interpolation and recent advances in conventional low light camera technology. In a range of experiments over a domestic lawn and in a lounge room, we demonstrate that the proposed approach enables 2D localization at night, and analyse the effect on performance of varying odometry noise levels, place match interpolation and sequence matching length. Finally we benchmark the new low light camera technology and show how it can enable robust place recognition even in an environment lit only by a moonless sky, raising the tantalizing possibility of being able to apply all conventional vision algorithms, even in the darkest of nights.
Formal coverification of embedded systems using model checking

The complexity of embedded systems is increasing rapidly. In consequence, new verification techniques that overcome the limitations of traditional methods and are suitable for hardware/software systems are needed. We introduce a computational model for embedded systems based on Petri nets, called PRES. We present an approach to coverification of both the hardware and software parts of an embedded system represented by PRES. We use symbolic model checking to prove the correctness of such systems, specifying properties in CTL and verifying whether they are satisfied. This coverification method permits one to reason formally about design properties as well as timing requirements. A medical monitoring system illustrates the feasibility of our approach on practical applications.
SemEval-2015 Task 4: TimeLine: Cross-Document Event Ordering

This paper describes the outcomes of the TimeLine task (Cross-Document Event Ordering), that was organised within the Time and Space track of SemEval-2015. Given a set of documents and a set of target entities, the task consisted of building a timeline for each entity, by detecting, anchoring in time and ordering the events involving that entity. The TimeLine task goes a step further than previous evaluation challenges by requiring participant systems to perform both event coreference and temporal relation extraction across documents. Four teams submitted the output of their systems to the four proposed subtracks for a total of 13 runs, the best of which obtained an F1-score of 7.85 in the main track (timeline creation from raw text).
MASS TRANSFER IN DENSE GAS EXTRACTION USING A HOLLOW FIBER MEMBRANE CONTACTOR

Hollow fiber membrane contactors offer a number of advantages over dispersed phase contactors for extraction of aqueous feeds. In addition, dense gases provide benefits that traditional extraction solvents do not. A mathematical model of a membrane contactor was developed that predicts the steady state fluid velocities and solute concentrations by solving the applicable conservation equations, with the gravitational force term included. Model predictions were compared to experimental data obtained in our laboratory for the extraction of isopropanol or acetone into dense CO2, and to data reported by others for extraction of various solutes into dense CO2 or propane. Generally, predicted mass transfer coefficients and yields were in reasonable agreement with experimental values, except for data obtained using a module that was particularly susceptible to flow maldistribution and the resulting loss of efficiency. The model predicted that the portion of the mass transfer resistance attributable to the aqueous phase decreased with decreasing solute partition coefficient as expected. Mass transfer coefficients and yields were higher for solutes with higher partition coefficients. A theoretical study of acetone extraction from aqueous solution into supercritical CO2 was performed, with tube side CO2 flow with or against gravity. Buoyancy-induced flow was important for large (1.8 mm inside diameter) but not small (0.6 mm ID) fibers, consistent with our expectation that such flow is more difficult to achieve when the characteristic length is small. The importance of buoyancy-induced flow decreased with increasing imposed fluid velocity, as forced convection masked the effects of free convection. For the range of conditions studied, the mass transfer coefficient obtained with flow in the direction of gravity was as much as 33% higher than for flow opposing gravity. Ethanol and isopropanol extractions performed by others using spray, sieve tray or packed columns were run on a simulated membrane contactor, and the resulting values for the height of an equivalent theoretical stage (HETS) were compared to the reported values for the conventional contactors. In most instances the simulated membrane contactor offered a significantly (in some cases, substantially) lower HETS than the corresponding traditional column, indicating that the membrane contactor was more efficient.
Constructivist Design for Interactive Machine Learning

Interactive machine learning systems allow end-users, often non-experts, to build and apply statistical models for their own uses. Constructivism is the view that learning occurs when ideas and experiences interact. I argue that the objectives of interactive machine learning can be interpreted as constructivist. By so characterising them, I show how constructivist learning environments pose critical questions for the design of interactive machine learning systems.
Fast DRR generation for intensity-based 2D/3D image registration in radiotherapy

Conformal radiotherapy requires accurate patient positioning according to a reference given by an initial 3D CT image. Patient setup is controlled with the help of portal images (PI), acquired just before patient treatment. To date, the comparison with the reference by physicians is mostly visual. Several automatic methods have been proposed, generally based on segmentation procedures. However, PI are of very low contrast, leading to segmentation inaccuracies. In the present study, we propose an intensity-based method, with no segmentation, associating two portal images and a 3D CT scan to estimate patient positioning. The process is a 3D optimization of a similarity measure in the space of rigid transformations. To avoid time-consuming DRRs (Digitally Reconstructed Radiographs) at each iteration, we used 2D transformations and sets of DRRs pre-generated from specific angles. Moreover, we propose a method for computing intensity-based similarity measures obtained from several couples of images. We used correlation coecient, mutual information, pattern intensity and correlation ratio. Preliminary experiments, performed with simulated and real PIs, show good results with the correlation ratio and correlation coecient (lower than 0.5 mm median RMS for tests with simulated PI and 1.8 mm with real PI).
The first C2 domain of synaptotagmin is required for exocytosis of insulin from pancreatic β‐cells: action of synaptotagmin at low micromolar calcium

The Ca2+‐ and phospholipid‐binding protein synaptotagmin is involved in neuroexocytosis. Its precise role and Ca2+‐affinity in vivo are unclear. We investigated its putative function in insulin secretion which is maximally stimulated by 10 μM cytosolic free Ca2+. The well‐characterized synaptotagmin isoforms I and II are present in pancreatic β‐cell lines RINm5F, INS‐1 and HIT‐T15 as shown by Northern and Western blots. Subcellular fractionation and confocal microscopy revealed their presence mainly on insulin‐containing secretory granules whereas only minor amounts were found on synaptic vesicle‐like microvesicles. Antibodies or Fab‐fragments directed against the Ca2+‐dependent phospholipid binding site of the first C2 domain of synaptotagmin I or II inhibited Ca2+‐stimulated, but not GTPγS‐induced exocytosis from streptolysin‐O‐permeabilized INS‐1 and HIT‐T15 cells. Transient expression of wild‐type synaptotagmin II did not alter exocytosis in HIT‐T15 cells. However, mutations in the Ca2+‐dependent phospholipid binding site of the first C2 domain (Δ180–183, D231S) again inhibited only Ca2+‐, but not GTPγS‐evoked exocytosis. In contrast, mutations in the IP4‐binding sites of the second C2 domain (Δ325–341; K327,328,332Q) did not alter exocytosis. Synaptotagmin II mutated in both C2 domains (Δ180–183/K327,328,332Q) induced greater inhibition than mutant Δ180–183, suggesting a discrete requirement for the second C2 domain. Thus, synaptotagmin isoforms regulate exocytotic events occurring at low micromolar Ca2+.
Cumulative Community-Level Lead Exposure and Pulse Pressure: The Normative Aging Study

Background Pulse pressure increases with age in industrialized societies as a manifestation of arterial stiffening. Lead accumulates in the vasculature and is associated with vascular oxidative stress, which can promote functional and structural vascular disease. Objectives We tested the hypothesis that cumulative community-level lead exposure, measured with K-X-ray fluorescence, is associated with pulse pressure in a cohort of adult men. Methods and results In a cross-sectional analysis of 593 men not treated with antihypertensive medication, tibia lead was positively associated with pulse pressure (p < 0.001). Adjusting for age, race, diabetes, family history of hypertension, education, waist circumference, alcohol intake, smoking history, height, heart rate, fasting glucose, and total cholesterol-to-HDL ratio, increasing quintiles of tibia lead remained associated with increased pulse pressure (ptrend = 0.02). Men with tibia lead above the median (19.0 μg/g) had, on average, a 4.2-mmHg (95% confidence interval, 1.9–6.5) higher pulse pressure than men with tibia lead level below the median. In contrast, blood lead level was not associated with pulse pressure. Conclusions These data indicate that lead exposure may contribute to the observed increase in pulse pressure that occurs with aging in industrialized societies. Lead accumulation may contribute to arterial aging, perhaps providing mechanistic insight into the observed association of low-level lead exposure with cardiovascular mortality.
Is the Sky Falling? Grade Inflation and the Signaling Power of Grades

Grades are the fundamental currency of our educational system; they signal academic achievement and noncognitive skills to parents, employers, postsecondary gatekeepers, and students themselves. Grade inflation compromises the signaling value of grades and undermines their capacity to achieve the functions for which they are intended. We challenge the “increases in grade point average” definition of grade inflation and argue that grade inflation must be understood in terms of the signaling power of grades. Analyzing data from four nationally representative samples, we find that in the decades following 1972: (a) grades have risen at high schools and dropped at 4-year colleges, in general, and selective 4-year institutions, in particular; and (b) the signaling power of grades has attenuated little, if at all.
Effects of cocaine on honey bee dance behaviour

SUMMARY The role of cocaine as an addictive drug of abuse in human society is hard to reconcile with its ecological role as a natural insecticide and plant-protective compound, preventing herbivory of coca plants (Erythroxylum spp.). This paradox is often explained by proposing a fundamental difference in mammalian and invertebrate responses to cocaine, but here we show effects of cocaine on honey bees (Apis mellifera L.) that parallel human responses. Forager honey bees perform symbolic dances to advertise the location and value of floral resources to their nest mates. Treatment with a low dose of cocaine increased the likelihood and rate of bees dancing after foraging but did not otherwise increase locomotor activity. This is consistent with cocaine causing forager bees to overestimate the value of the floral resources they collected. Further, cessation of chronic cocaine treatment caused a withdrawal-like response. These similarities likely occur because in both insects and mammals the biogenic amine neuromodulator systems disrupted by cocaine perform similar roles as modulators of reward and motor systems. Given these analogous responses to cocaine in insects and mammals, we propose an alternative solution to the paradox of cocaine reinforcement. Ecologically, cocaine is an effective plant defence compound via disruption of herbivore motor control but, because the neurochemical systems targeted by cocaine also modulate reward processing, the reinforcing properties of cocaine occur as a `side effect'.
Practical Strategies for cryo-CLEM Experiments

As our ability to discern higher resolution structure of biological macromolecules increases, the need to interpret these structures in the context of the living cell becomes apparent. This tutorial will highlight the use of cryo-CLEM[1] to link physiological information from cell biology with structural studies of cells, microorganisms and macromolecules using the best of multiple imaging modalities. Much of the strategy involves selection of ideal cells for culture and vitrification as well as appropriate labelling options. Once the system is optimized, the techniques include, but are not limited to cryo-fluorescence microscopy; cryoelectron microscopy; and cryo-electron tomography. Applications include cellular architecture; protein expression and localization; host-pathogen interactions and virus structure[2].
Kappa‐opioid receptors differentially regulate low and high levels of ethanol intake in female mice

Studies in laboratory animals and humans indicate that endogenous opioids play an important role in regulating the rewarding value of various drugs, including ethanol (EtOH). Indeed, opioid antagonists are currently a front‐line treatment for alcoholism in humans. Although roles for mu‐ and delta‐opioid receptors have been characterized, the contribution of kappa‐opioid receptors (KORs) is less clear. There is evidence that changes in KOR system function can decrease or increase EtOH drinking, depending on test conditions. For example, female mice lacking preprodynorphin – the precursor to the endogenous KOR ligand dynorphin – have reduced EtOH intake. Considering that KORs can regulate dopamine (DA) transmission, we hypothesized that KORs expressed on DA neurons would play a prominent role in EtOH intake in females.
Development of a New Molecular Subtyping Tool for Salmonella enterica Serovar Enteritidis Based on Single Nucleotide Polymorphism Genotyping Using PCR

ABSTRACT The lack of a sufficiently discriminatory molecular subtyping tool for Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis has hindered source attribution efforts and impeded regulatory actions required to disrupt its food-borne transmission. The underlying biological reason for the ineffectiveness of current molecular subtyping tools such as pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and phage typing appears to be related to the high degree of clonality of S. Enteritidis. By interrogating the organism's genome, we previously identified single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) distributed throughout the chromosome and have designed a highly discriminatory PCR-based SNP typing test based on 60 polymorphic loci. The application of the SNP-PCR method to DNA samples from S. Enteritidis strains (n = 55) obtained from a variety of sources has led to the differentiation and clustering of the S. Enteritidis isolates into 12 clades made up of 2 to 9 isolates per clade. Significantly, the SNP-PCR assay was able to further differentiate predominant PFGE types (e.g., XAI.0003) and phage types (e.g., phage type 8) into smaller subsets. The SNP-PCR subtyping test proved to be an accurate, precise, and quantitative tool for evaluating the relationships among the S. Enteritidis isolates tested in this study and should prove useful for clustering related S. Enteritidis isolates involved in outbreaks.
Circuitry Underlying Regulation of the Serotonergic System by Swim Stress

The dorsal raphe nucleus (DR)–serotonin (5-HT) system has been implicated in depression and is dramatically affected by swim stress, an animal model with predictive value for antidepressants. Accumulating evidence implicates the stress-related neuropeptide corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) in the effect of swim stress on this system. This study investigated neural circuits within the DR that are activated by swim stress as revealed by neuronal expression of the immediate early gene, c-fos. Swim stress increased c-fos expression in the dorsolateral subregion of the DR. The majority of c-fos-expressing neurons were doubly labeled for GABA (85 ± 5%), whereas relatively few were immunolabeled for 5-HT (4 ± 1%), glutamate (0.5 ± 0.3%) or calbindin (1.5 ± 0.3%). Dual immunohistochemical labeling revealed that c-fos-expressing neurons in the dorsolateral DR were enveloped by dense clusters of CRF-immunoreactive fibers and also contained immunolabeling for CRF receptor, suggesting that c-fos-expressing neurons in the DR were specifically targeted by CRF. Consistent with this, the CRF receptor 1 antagonist, antalarmin, prevented swim-stress-elicited c-fos expression in the dorsolateral DR. Together with previous findings that both swim stress and CRF decrease 5-HT release in certain forebrain regions, these results suggest that swim stress engages CRF inputs to GABA neurons in the dorsolateral DR that function to inhibit 5-HT neurons and 5-HT release in the forebrain. This circuitry may underlie some of the acute behavioral responses to swim stress as well as the neuronal plasticity involved in long-term behavioral changes produced by this stress.
HOTS: An OWAMP-Compliant Hardware Packet Timestamp Recorder

Accurate timestamps on both the sender and the receiver side are crucial for one-way delay (OWD) measurements. Traditionally, such measurements use software-based timestamps, which could suffer from errors of up to tens of milliseconds. In this paper, we introduce HOTS-a hardware packet timestamp recorder dedicated to OWD measurements. Compared with traditional methods, HOTS has the advantage of: (i) it can generate extremely precise timestamps for both outgoing and incoming OWAMP test packets, and (ii) it eliminates all kinds of software overheads. We present the results of OWD measurements that we carried out using this timestamp recorder and confirm some basic characteristics of the Internet traffic. In addition, we compare these results with those based on traditional methods of obtaining time information. We show that the results of HOTS are more accurate and stable. Although HOTS is developed for measuring OWD, it can also provide accurate timestamps for other applications
Properties of Innnite Reduction Paths in Untyped -calculus

In the untyped-calculus some terms have an innnite reduction path. The simplest example is the term ! , where ! x:x x. It has an innnite reduction path where the term reduces to itself in every step: ! There are terms that do have an innnite reduction path, but where the path does not have this simple form. 1 For instance, , where x:x x y, has the innnite reduction path: ! y ! y y ! In every step the redex appears as a subterm, and the context of the redex is extended with an application y. As a more complicated example consider the term y , where ax:x (a y) x: y ! (x:x(yy)x) ! (yy) ! (x:x(yyy)x) ! (yyy) ! This path is similar to the preceding one, but the extra application y is added inside the redex. Although these three reduction paths have their diierences they have two common properties. First, in all three paths every term has as a substring. Second, in all three paths it happens innnitely often that a term is followed (after a number of steps) by another term of which the former is a substring. It is natural to ask whether these properties are shared by all innnite reduction paths. The main concern of this paper is to formalize the two 1 Lercher (1976) shows that M ! M ii M C] for some context C.