Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Stasis index from hemodynamic analysis using quantitative DSA correlates with hemorrhage of supratentorial arteriovenous malformation: a cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVEAssessments of hemorrhage risk based on angioarchitecture have yielded inconsistent results, and quantitative hemodynamic studies have been limited to small numbers of patients. The authors examined whether cerebral hemodynamic analysis using quantitative digital subtraction angiography (QDSA) can outperform conventional DSA angioarchitecture analysis in evaluating the risk of hemorrhage associated with supratentorial arteriovenous malformations (AVMs). METHODSA cross-sectional study was performed by retrospectively reviewing adult supratentorial AVM patients who had undergone both DSA and MRI studies between 2011 and 2017. Angioarchitecture characteristics, DSA parameters, age, sex, and nidus volume were analyzed using univariate and multivariate logistic regression, and QDSA software analysis was performed on DSA images. Based on the QDSA analysis, a stasis index, defined as the inflow gradient divided by the absolute value of the outflow gradient, was determined. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to compare diagnostic performances of conventional DSA angioarchitecture analysis and analysis using hemodynamic parameters based on QDSA.RESULTSA total of 119 supratentorial AVM patients were included. After adjustment for age at diagnosis, sex, and nidus volume, the exclusive deep venous drainage (p < 0.01), observed through conventional angioarchitecture examination using DSA, and the stasis index of the most dominant drainage vein (p = 0.02), measured with QDSA hemodynamic analysis, were independent risk factors for hemorrhage. The areas under the ROC curves for the conventional DSA method (0.75) and QDSA hemodynamics analysis (0.73) were similar. A venous stasis index greater than 2.18 discriminated the hemorrhage group with a sensitivity of 52.6% and a specificity of 81.5%. CONCLUSIONSIn QDSA, a higher stasis index of the most dominant drainage vein is an objective warning sign associated with supratentorial AVM rupture. Risk assessments of AVMs using QDSA and conventional DSA angioarchitecture were equivalent. Because QDSA is a complementary noninvasive approach without extra radiation or contrast media, comprehensive hemorrhagic risk assessment of cerebral AVMs should include both DSA angioarchitecture and QDSA analyses.
High-performance frequency-hopping transmitters using two-point delta-sigma modulation

This paper presents a 2.4-GHz high-performance frequency-hopping (FH) transmitter using two-point delta-sigma modulation (TPDSM). Two bottleneck problems in the implementation have been studied rigorously. One is the nonlinear performance of a phase-locked loop (PLL). The other is the inherent gain and delay mismatches between two modulation points. Both nonlinear and mismatch factors dominate the modulation accuracy in the closed PLL. Our formulation can predict the dependencies of modulation accuracy on both factors quite successfully. Comparison of the averaged frequency deviation and frequency-shift-keying (FSK) error between theory and measurement shows excellent agreement. The implemented TPDSM-based FH Gaussian FSK transmitter can achieve 2.5-Mb/s data rate along with 15-/spl mu/s PLL stable time with only 2.2% FSK error under good design and operating conditions.
Molecular Mechanisms and Therapeutic Targets in Steatosis and Steatohepatitis

Steatosis of the liver may arise from a variety of conditions, but the molecular basis for lipid droplet formation is poorly understood. Although a certain amount of lipid storage may even be hepatoprotective, prolonged lipid storage can result in an activation of inflammatory reactions and loss of metabolic competency. Apart from drug-induced steatosis, certain metabolic disorders associated with obesity, insulin resistance, and hyperlipidemia give also rise to nonalcoholic fatty liver diseases (NAFLD). It is noteworthy that advanced stages of nonalcoholic hepatic steatosis and steatohepatitis (NASH) result ultimately in fibrosis and cirrhosis. In this regard, the lipid droplets (LDs) have been discovered to be metabolically highly active structures that play major roles in lipid transport, sorting, and signaling cascades. In particular, LDs maintain a dynamic communication with the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and the plasma membrane via sphingolipid-enriched domains of the plasma membrane—the lipid rafts. These microdomains frequently harbor receptor tyrosine kinases and other signaling molecules and connect extracellular events with intracellular signaling cascades. Here, we review recent knowledge on the molecular mechanisms of drug and metabolically induced hepatic steatosis and its progression to steatohepatitis (NASH). The contribution of cytokines and other signaling molecules, as well as activity of nuclear receptors, lipids, transcription factors, and endocrine mediators toward cellular dysfunction and progression of steatotic liver disease to NASH is specifically addressed, as is the cross-talk of different cell types in the pathogenesis of NAFLD. Furthermore, we provide an overview of recent therapeutic approaches in NASH therapy and discuss new as well as putative targets for pharmacological interventions.
Approximal Attrition and Permanent Tooth Crown Size in a Romano-British Population

The aim was to measure mesiodistalcrown size of both sexes in different age groups of a wellcharacterised Romano-British population to determinethe progressive effects of approximal attrition. Fromthe collection in the British Museum of Romano-British skeletons excavated from Poundbury, aged andsexed by Museum staff on established criteria, twosamples were selected randomly from those with intactpermanent dentitions. The first examiner measured theteeth of 30 males and 30 females aged 14-24 years andthe second examiner those of 59 males and 51 femalesdistributed across the four age groups, namely 14-24,25-34, 35-45, over 45 years. The mesiodistal diameter ofeach permanent tooth was measured on two separateoccasions and the mean for each tooth type in each agegroup calculated. Differences were explored with twosample t-tests and multiple regression analysis. Theintra-operator reproducibility for difference tooth typesranged from r = 0.92 to r = 0.99 and for inter-operatorreproducibility from r = 0.74 to r = 0.99. In the youngestage group males had larger teeth than females withthis difference being statistically significant for mosttooth types. There was a pattern of decreasing toothsize over the four age groups, with males more affectedthan females. Different tooth types showed differentreductions, the greatest being in upper and lowerincisors and upper first molars and the least in lowersecond molars, upper second molars and third molars.The average total arch length reduction estimated by twodifferent methods between aged groups 1 and 4 was 10.0mm in the upper jaw and 6.4 mm in the lower jaw. Thus,in this Romano-British sample all tooth types showedreduction in mesiodistal diameter with increasing age,the extent varying between the sexes, the jaws andtooth types. From comparable studies, this approximalattrition was slightly greater than for mediaeval Swedesand considerably greater than modern Swedes and otherCaucasians.
Effectiveness of a 12-month Exercise Intervention on Physical Activity and Quality of Life of Breast Cancer Survivors; Five-year Results of the BREX-study

Background/Aim: This is a report of the 5-year quality of life (QoL) findings of the BREX-study (n=444). Patients and Methods: A 12-month exercise intervention was arranged shortly after adjuvant treatments. Physical activity (PA) was assessed by PA diary, physical performance by a 2- km walking test, QoL by the EORTC QLQC30 and BR-23 questionnaires, fatigue by the FACIT-Fatigue scale and depression by the Beck's 13-item depression scale (BDI). Results: Participants who improved their PA from baseline to 5-year follow-up were more likely to improve their global health score (RRR=1.02, p=0.016), physical (RRR=1.02, p=0.009), social (RRR=1.03, p=0.013), role functioning (RRR=1.03, p=0.005), and fatigue (RRR=1.02, p=0.002). An improved 2-km walking test was associated to improved global health, physical and role functioning, body image, future perspectives, and fatigue (p=0.011, p<0.001, p=0.001, p=0.021, p=0.012 and p=0.003). No significant difference between the groups was found. Conclusion: Improvement in PA or physical performance yields a positive change in QoL of breast cancer patients.
Flapping flight for biomimetic robotic insects: part I-system modeling

This paper presents the mathematical modeling of flapping flight inch-size micro aerial vehicles (MAVs), namely micromechanical flying insects (MFIs). The target robotic insects are electromechanical devices propelled by a pair of independent flapping wings to achieve sustained autonomous flight, thereby mimicking real insects. In this paper, we describe the system dynamic models which include several elements that are substantially different from those present in fixed or rotary wing MAVs. These models include the wing-thorax dynamics, the flapping flight aerodynamics at a low Reynolds number regime, the body dynamics, and the biomimetic sensory system consisting of ocelli, halteres, magnetic compass, and optical flow sensors. The mathematical models are developed based on biological principles, analytical models, and experimental data. They are presented in the Virtual Insect Flight Simulator (VIFS) and are integrated together to give a realistic simulation for MFI and insect flight. VIFS is a software tool intended for modeling flapping flight mechanisms and for testing and evaluating the performance of different flight control algorithms
Clickstream Data and Inventory Management: Model and Empirical Analysis

We consider firms that feature their products on the Internet but take orders offline. Click and order data are disjoint on such non‐transactional websites, and their matching is error‐prone. Yet, their time separation may allow the firm to react and improve its tactical planning. We introduce a dynamic decision support model that augments the classic inventory planning model with additional clickstream state variables. Using a novel data set of matched online clickstream and offline purchasing data, we identify statistically significant clickstream variables and empirically investigate the value of clickstream tracking on non‐transactional websites to improve inventory management. We show that the noisy clickstream data is statistically significant to predict the propensity, amount, and timing of offline orders. A counterfactual analysis shows that using the demand information extracted from the clickstream data can reduce the inventory holding and backordering cost by 3% to 5% in our data set.
Tickling Expectations: Neural Processing in Anticipation of a Sensory Stimulus

Predictions of the near future can optimize the accuracy and speed of sensory processing as well as of behavioral responses. Previous experience and contextual cues are essential elements in the generation of a subjective prediction. Using a blocked fMRI paradigm, we investigated the pattern of neural activation in anticipation of a sensory stimulus and during the processing of the somatosensory stimulus itself. Tickling was chosen as the somatosensory stimulus rather than simple touch in order to increase the probability to get a high degree of anticipation. The location and nature of the stimulus were well defined to the subject. The state of anticipation was initiated by attributing an uncertainty regarding the time of stimulus onset. The network of activation and deactivation during anticipation of the expected stimulus was similar to that engaged during the actual sensory stimulation. The areas that were activated during both states included the contralateral primary sensory cortex, bilateral areas in the inferior parietal lobules, the putative area SII, the right anterior cingulate cortex and areas in the right prefrontal cortex. Similarly, common decreases were observed in areas of sensorimotor cortex located outside the area representing the target of stimulus, i.e., areas that process information which is irrelevant to the attended process. The overlapping pattern of change, during the somatosensory stimulation and the anticipation, furthers the idea that predictions are subserved by a neuronal network similar to that which subserves the processing of actual sensory input. Moreover, this study indicates that activation of primary somatosensory cortex can be obtained without intra-modal sensory input. These findings suggest that anticipation may invoke a tonic top-down regulation of neural activity.
recombinant bivalent fusion protein rVE confers active and passive rotection against Yersinia enterocolitica infection in mice mit

In the present study, a bivalent chimeric protein rVE comprising immunologically active domains of Yersinia pestis LcrV and YopE was assessed for its prophylactic abilities against Yersinia enterocolitica O:8 infection in murine model. Mice immunized with rVE elicited significantly higher antibody titers with substantial contribution from the rV component (3:1 ratio). Robust and significant resistance to Y. enterocolitica infection with 100% survival (P < 0.001) was seen in rVE vaccinated mice when intra peritoneal (I.P.) challenged with 108 CFU of Y. enterocolitica O:8 against the 75%, 60% and 75% survival seen in mice immunized with rV, rE, rV + rE, respectively. Macrophage monolayer supplemented with antirVE polysera illustrated efficient protection (89.41% survival) against challenge of Y. enterocolitica O:8. In contrast to sera from sham-immunized mice, immunization with anti-rVE polysera provided complete 8 ctive protection assive protection protection to BALB/c mice against I.P. challenge with 10 CFU of Y. enterocolitica O:8 and developed no conspicuous signs of infection in necropsy. The histopathological analysis of microtome sections confirmed significantly reduced lesion size or no lesion in liver and intestine upon infection in anti-rVE immunized mice. The findings from this study demonstrated the fusion protein rVE as a potential candidate subunit vaccine and showed the functional role of antibodies in protection against Y. enterocolitica infections.
What the query told the link: the integration of hypertext and information retrieval

Traditionally hypertexts have been limited in size by the manual effort required to create hypertext links. In addition, large hyper–linked collections may overwhelm users with the range of possible links from any node, only a fraction of which may be appropriate for a given user at any time. This work explores automatic methods of link construction based on feedback from users collected during browsing. A fulltext search engine mediates the linking process. Query terms that distinguish well among documents in the database become candidate anchors; links are mediated by passage–based relevance feedback queries. The newspaper metaphor is used to organize the retrieval results. VOIR, a software prototype that implements these algorithms has been used to browse a 74,500 node (250MB) database of newspaper articles. An experiment has been conducted to test the relative effectiveness of dynamic links and user–specified queries. Experimental results suggest that link– mediated queries are more effective than user– specified queries in retrieving relevant information. The paper concludes with a discussion of possible extensions to the linking algorithms.
Smith ScholarWorks Smith ScholarWorks Alternative Processing of Scrambled Genes Generates Protein Alternative Processing of Scrambled Genes Generates Protein Diversity in the Ciliate Diversity in the Ciliate Chilodonella uncinata Chilodonella uncinata

In ciliates, chromosomal rearrangements occur during the development of the somatic macronuclear genome from the germline micronuclear genome. These rearrangements are extensive in three ciliate classes – Armophorea, Spirotrichea and Phyllopharyngea – generating a macronucleus with up to 20,000,000 gene-sized chromosomes. Previously, we have shown that these three classes also share elevated rates of protein evolution relative to other ciliates. To assess the evolution of germline-limited sequences in the class Phyllopharyngea, we used a combination of traditional and walking PCR to analyze micronuclear copies of multiple genes from two lines of the morphospecies Chilodonella uncinata for which we had previously characterized macronuclear sequences. Analyses of the resulting data yield three main results: 1) conserved macronuclear (somatic) regions are found within rapidly evolving micronuclear (germline) regions; 2) gene scrambling exists within this ciliate lineage; and 3) alternative processing of micronuclear regions yields diverse macronuclear β -tubulin paralogs. To our knowledge, this is the first study to demonstrate gene scrambling outside of the non-sister class Spirotrichea, and to show that alternative processing of scrambled genes generates diversity in gene families. Intriguingly, the Spirotrichea and Phyllopharyngea are also united in having transient ‘giant’ polytene chromosomes, gene-sized somatic chromosomes, and elevated rates of protein evolution. We hypothesize that this suite of characters enables these ciliates to enjoy the benefits of asexuality while still maintaining the ability to go through sexual cycles. The data presented here add to the growing evidence of the dynamic nature of eukaryotic genomes within diverse lineages across the tree of life.
Layer and frequency dependencies of phase response properties of pyramidal neurons in rat motor cortex

It is postulated that synchronous firing of cortical neurons plays an active role in cognitive functions of the brain. An important issue is whether pyramidal neurons in different cortical layers exhibit similar tendencies to synchronise. To address this issue, we performed intracellular and whole‐cell recordings of regular‐spiking pyramidal neurons in slice preparations of the rat motor cortex (18–45 days old) and analysed the phase response curves of these pyramidal neurons in layers 2/3 and 5. The phase response curve represents how an external stimulus affects the timing of spikes immediately after the stimulus in repetitively firing neurons. The phase response curve can be classified into two categories, type 1 (the spike is always advanced) and type 2 (the spike is advanced or delayed depending on the stimulus phase), and are important determinants of whether or not rhythmic synchronization of neuron pairs occurs. We found that pyramidal neurons in layer 2/3 tend to display type‐2 phase response curves whereas those in layer 5 tend to exhibit type‐1 phase response curves. The differences were prominent particularly in the gamma‐frequency range (20–45 Hz). Our results imply that the layer‐2/3 pyramidal neurons, when coupled mutually through fast excitatory synapses, may exhibit a much stronger tendency for rhythmic synchronization than layer‐5 neurons in the gamma‐frequency range.
Optimization of Response Classification Criteria for Patients with Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma

Introduction: Response-assessment metrics play an important role in clinical trials and routine patient management. For patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM), the standard for response assessment is image-based measurements of tumor thickness made according to the modified RECIST (Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors) protocol. To classify tumor response, changes in tumor thickness are compared with the standard RECIST −30% and +20% cutoffs for partial response (PR) and progressive disease (PD), respectively, which are not specific to MPM. The purpose of this work is to optimize the correlation between tumor response and patient survival by assessing the validity of existing response criteria in MPM and proposing alternative criteria. Methods: Computed tomography measurements of tumor thickness were acquired at baseline and throughout treatment for 78 patients undergoing standard-of-care chemotherapy. Overall survival was correlated with best response and first follow-up response using Harrell’s C statistic. The response criteria for PD and PR were each varied in 1% increments to obtain optimized classification criteria. The performance was cross-validated using a leave-one-out approach. Results: Median survival was 14.9 months. The performance of the standard RECIST criteria in correlating response with survival was C=0.778, whereas the optimized performance of C=0.855 was obtained with criteria of −64% for PR and +50% for PD. After cross-validation, this performance was slightly reduced to C=0.829. Conclusions: Optimized tumor-response classification criteria were obtained for patients with MPM. These criteria improve the correlation between image-based response and patient survival.
Epidemiology of Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) Infection

Hepatitis C virus remains a large health care burden to the world. Incidence rates across the world fluctuate and are difficult to calculate given the asymptomatic, often latent nature of the disease prior to clinical presentation. Prevalence rates across the world have changed as well with more countries aware of transfusion-related hepatitis C and more and more evidence supporting intravenous drug use as the leading risk factor of spread of the virus. This article reviews current hepatitis C virus prevalence and genotype data and examines the different risk factors associated with the virus.
Preamble Design for Multiple-Antenna OFDM

In this paper, we pursue the preamble design for multiple-antenna orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) communications over frequency-selective channels. To reduce the overhead and minimize the peak-to-average power ratio, we propose a preamble consisting of a single constant- modulus training sequence per transmit-antenna. This proposed design is shown capable of not only achieving reliable frequency and time synchronization but also facilitating low-complexity channel estimation. Furthermore, when synchronization is perfect, it is optimal in the sense of minimizing the mean squared error of least-squares channel estimation. The performance of the proposed design is investigated via simulations and compared with a competing alternative.
Implementation of a New Primality Test

An implementation of the Cohen-Lenstra version (see ibid., vol. 42, p.297-330, 1984) of the Adleman-Pomerance-Rumely primality test (see L.M. Adleman, C. Pomerance and R.S. Rumely, Ann. of Math., vol.117, p.173-206, 1983) is presented. Primality of prime numbers of up to 213 decimal digits can now routinely be proved within approximately ten minutes
Computer-aided fault to defect mapping (CAFDM) for defect diagnosis

Defect diagnosis in random logic is currently done using the stuck-at fault model, while most defects seen in manufacturing result in bridging faults. In this work we use physical design and test failure information combined with bridging and stuck-at fault models to localize defects in random logic. We term this approach computer-aided fault to defect mapping (CAFDM). We build on top of the existing mature stuck-at diagnosis infrastructure. The performance of the CAFDM software was tested by injecting bridging faults into samples of a Streaming audio controller chip and comparing the predicted defect locations and layers with the actual values. The correct defect location and layer was predicted in all 9 samples for which scan-based diagnosis could be performed. The experiment was repeated on production samples that failed scan test, with promising results.