Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Stroke Neuroprotection: Targeting Mitochondria

Stroke is the fourth leading cause of death and the leading cause of long-term disability in the United States. Blood flow deficit results in an expanding infarct core with a time-sensitive peri-infarct penumbra that is considered salvageable and is the primary target for treatment strategies. The only current FDA-approved drug for treating ischemic stroke is recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rt-PA). However, this treatment is limited to within 4.5 h of stroke onset in a small subset of patients. The goal of this review is to focus on mitochondrial-dependent therapeutic agents that could provide neuroprotection following stroke. Dysfunctional mitochondria are linked to neurodegeneration in many disease processes including stroke. The mechanisms reviewed include: (1) increasing ATP production by purinergic receptor stimulation, (2) decreasing the production of ROS by superoxide dismutase, or (3) increasing antioxidant defenses by methylene blue, and their benefits in providing neuroprotection following a stroke.
msSurv: An R Package for Nonparametric Estimation of Multistate Models

We present an R package, msSurv, to calculate the marginal (that is, not conditional on any covariates) state occupation probabilities, the state entry and exit time distributions, and the marginal integrated transition hazard for a general, possibly non-Markov, multistate system under left-truncation and right censoring. For a Markov model, msSurv also calculates and returns the transition probability matrix between any two states. Dependent censoring is handled via modeling the censoring hazard through observable covariates. Pointwise confidence intervals for the above mentioned quantities are obtained and returned for independent censoring from closed-form variance estimators and for dependent censoring using the bootstrap.
Simultaneous multi-mode analysis of surface acoustic wave device temperature stability utilizing time-frequency methods

Perturbations in the boundary conditions of Surface Acoustic Wave (SAW) devices are typically quantified through the use of frequency-domain methods, where the device is incorporated as the feedback element in a closed-loop oscillator. While simple in implementation, this method is inherently limited to tracking a single acoustic mode, and discards potentially useful information from the time-domain. In this work an alternative approach utilizing time-frequency methods to extract meaningful information from SAW device transient responses are considered. The advantages of the proposed method are experimentally demonstrated by varying the operating temperature of an XY-cut LiNbO3 SAW device. The location in time and frequency of multiple acoustic modes was monitored simultaneously as temperature was varied between 30°C and 150°C. Data from the time-frequency domain demonstrates good agreement with conventional analysis techniques.
Expanding Interaction Potentials within Virtual Environments: Investigating the Usability of Speech and Manual Input Modes for Decoupled Interaction

Distributed technologies and ubiquitous computing now support users who may be detached or decoupled from traditional interactions. In order to investigate the potential usability of speech and manual input devices, an evaluation of speech input across different user groups and a usability assessment of independent-user and collaborative-user interactions was conducted. Whilst the primary focus was on a formative usability evaluation, the user group evaluation provided a formal basis to underpin the academic rigor of the exercise. The results illustrate that using a speech interface is important in understanding user acceptance of such technologies. From the usability assessment it was possible to translate interactions and make them compatible with innovative input devices. This approach to interaction is still at an early stage of development, and the potential or validity of this interfacing concept is still under evaluation; however, as a concept demonstrator, the results of these initial evaluations demonstrate the potential usability issues of both input devices as well as highlighting their suitability for advanced virtual applications.
Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology Urinary Tract Infections in Long-term–care Facilities Shea Position Paper

Urinary tract infection (UTI) is the most common bacterial infection occurring in residents of long-term–care facilities. It is a frequent reason for antimicrobial administration, but anti-microbial use for treating UTIs is often inappropriate. Achieving optimal management of UTI in this population is problematic because of the very high prevalence of bacteriuria, evidence that the treatment of asymptomatic bacteriuria is not beneficial, and the clinical and microbiological imprecision in diagnosing symptomatic UTI. This position paper has been developed, using available evidence, to assist facilities and healthcare professionals in managing this common problem Long-term–care facilities (LTCFs) provide non-acute care to a diverse group of individuals. Such facilities may include pediatric patients, young psychiatric patients, and young adults requiring rehabilitation or chronic care. The majority of such facilities, however, provide care for elderly patients, and most of these reside in nursing homes. This position paper, unless otherwise noted, is relevant to elderly populations resident in nursing homes. Urinary tract infections (UTIs) may be a significant problem in other LTCFs, particularly for patients with chronic indwelling catheters, but there is limited information from these other populations describing the extent of the problem or providing a basis for informed recommendations for management. The discussion in this position paper is relevant to populations without chronic indwelling catheters, unless stated otherwise. Wherever possible, recommendations are based on available evidence. The quality of evidence is graded using categories consistent with other Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America position papers (Table 1). DEFINITIONS Urinary tract infection is the presence of bacteria or yeast in the urine, which is normally sterile. The term generally denotes significant bacteriuria or quantitative counts of bacteria isolated from urine specimens that meet accepted standards for infection. 2 UTI may be symptomatic or asymptomatic. Symptomatic UTI is the presence of clinical symptoms attributed to the genitourinary tract in association with significant bacteriuria. In virtually all cases of asymptomatic UTI, there is evidence for a local host response to bacteriuria 3 ; so, using the term colonization to describe asymptomatic UTI is not appropriate. The term bacteriuria in this document is used interchangeably with asymptomatic UTI. Urinary tract infection is the most common infection experienced by residents of LTCFs. 4 The prevalence of bac-teriuria in elderly institutionalized populations without indwelling catheters varies from 25% to 50% for women and 15% to 40% for men (Table 2). Elderly residents with asymp-tomatic bacteriuria are more functionally impaired, as …
Experience report: functional programming in c-rules

C-Rules is a business rules management system developed by Constraint Technologies International1 (CTI), designed for use in transportation problems. Users define rules describing various aspects of a problem, such as solution costs and legality, which are then queried from a host application, typically an optimising solver. At its core, C-Rules provides a functional expression language which affords users both power and flexibility when formulating rules. In this paper we will describe our experiences of using functional programming both at the end-user level, as well as at the implementation level. We highlight some of the benefits we, and the product's users, have enjoyed from the decision to base our rule system on features such as: higher-order functions, referential transparency, and static, polymorphic typing. We also outline some of our experiences in using Haskell to build an efficient compiler for the core language.
Role of Mutagenicity in Asbestos Fiber-Induced Carcinogenicity and Other Diseases

The cellular and molecular mechanisms of how asbestos fibers induce cancers and other diseases are not well understood. Both serpentine and amphibole asbestos fibers have been shown to induce oxidative stress, inflammatory responses, cellular toxicity and tissue injuries, genetic changes, and epigenetic alterations in target cells in vitro and tissues in vivo. Most of these mechanisms are believe to be shared by both fiber-induced cancers and noncancerous diseases. This article summarizes the findings from existing literature with a focus on genetic changes, specifically, mutagenicity of asbestos fibers. Thus far, experimental evidence suggesting the involvement of mutagenesis in asbestos carcinogenicity is more convincing than asbestos-induced fibrotic diseases. The potential contributions of mutagenicity to asbestos-induced diseases, with an emphasis on carcinogenicity, are reviewed from five aspects: (1) whether there is a mutagenic mode of action (MOA) in fiber-induced carcinogenesis; (2) mutagenicity/carcinogenicity at low dose; (3) biological activities that contribute to mutagenicity and impact of target tissue/cell type; (4) health endpoints with or without mutagenicity as a key event; and finally, (5) determinant factors of toxicity in mutagenicity. At the end of this review, a consensus statement of what is known, what is believed to be factual but requires confirmation, and existing data gaps, as well as future research needs and directions, is provided.
Human impact on the microbiological water quality of the rivers

Microbiological contamination is an important water-quality problem worldwide. Human impact on this category of contamination is significant and several human-related activities, and also the population explosion, have affected and are still affecting dramatically the aquatic environment. Extensive industrialization and agriculture have led to increased pollution and hydromorphological changes in many river basins. The Danube river is one of the most affected by these changes where human involvement is undeniable, and subsequently, the Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve became one of the most vulnerable ecosystems. This review is an attempt to analyse the microbiological contamination and to identify the major role human activities play in altering the water quality of the rivers.
NoC with Near-Ideal Express Virtual Channels Using Global-Line Communication

As processor core counts increase, networks-on-chip (NoCs) are becoming an increasingly popular interconnection fabric due to their ability to supply high bandwidth. However, NoCs need to deliver this high bandwidth at low latencies, while keeping within a tight power envelope. In this paper, we present a novel NoC with hybrid interconnect that leverages multiple types of interconnects - specifically, conventional full-swing short-range wires for the data path, in conjunction with low-swing, multi-drop wires with long-range, ultra-low-latency communication for the flow control signals. We show how this proposed system can be used to overcome key limitations of express virtual channels (EVC), a recently proposed flow control technique that allows packets to bypass intermediate routers to simultaneously improve energy-delay-throughput. Our preliminary results show up to a 8.2% reduction in power and up to a 44% improvement in latency under heavy load compared to the original EVC design that only uses the conventional full-swing interconnects.
Aggregation and coexistence. I. Theory and analysis

The aggregation model of coexistence states that intraspecific aggregation over patches stabilizes species coexistence and allows high diversity in patchy systems.The model is reviewed, with emphasis on the methods of analysis of aggregation data. Essential improvements in existing methods of analysis are presented. The density, rather than the number, of competitors is important when patches differ in size. Measures of intraspecific and interspecific aggregation, J and C, are modified to take account of variable patches. The discrete negative binomial distribution is not suitable to quantify crowding on variable patches. A new criterion for coexistence in a patchy environment is developed that is a necessary and sufficient condition for the persistence of a specified species in the presence of other species. A previous criterion, the 'relative strength of intraspecific aggregation', A, represents only a necessary condition for the coexistence of two species. The stability of coexistence is affected by clutch sizes. Existing methods to estimate clutch sizes are not satisfactory. The analyses are most sensitive to errors in the estimated clutch size when clutches are large relative to the number of individuals per patch.
Please Scroll down for Article Journal of Biological Dynamics the Dynamic Nature of Contact Networks in Infectious Disease Epidemiology the Dynamic Nature of Contact Networks in Infectious Disease Epidemiology

This article may be used for research, teaching and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction, redistribution , reselling , loan or sub-licensing, systematic supply or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden. The publisher does not give any warranty express or implied or make any representation that the contents will be complete or accurate or up to date. The accuracy of any instructions, formulae and drug doses should be independently verified with primary sources. The publisher shall not be liable for any loss, actions, claims, proceedings, demand or costs or damages whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with or arising out of the use of this material. Although contact network models have yielded important insights into infectious disease transmission and control throughout the last decade, researchers have just begun to explore the dynamic nature of contact patterns and their epidemiological significance. Most network models have assumed that contacts are static through time. Developing more realistic models of the social interactions that underlie the spread of infectious diseases thus remains an important challenge for both data gatherers and modelers. In this article, we review some recent data-driven and process-driven approaches that capture the dynamics of human contact, and discuss future challenges for the field.
Functional Compartmentation of dCTP Pools

The utilization of dCTP derived from de novo synthesis through ribonucleotide reductase in exponentially growing CCRF-CEM cells was compared with the metabolic fate of dCTP produced by the salvage pathway. Exogenous dCyd was not effectively incorporated into replicating DNA; instead, dCTP derived from ribonucleotide reductase (labeled by [5-3H]Cyd) was the main precursor for that purpose, apparently because of functional compartmentation of the dCTP pool in these cells. Studies of the metabolic route of incorporation of exogenous [5-3H]dCyd into DNA of growing CCRF-CEM cells demonstrated that it was mainly incorporated through the DNA repair pathway. Incorporation of [5-3H]dCyd into DNA of synchronized cell populations was maximal in G1 cells, whereas [3H]dThd incorporation occurred predominantly in S phase cells. When cellular DNA was density labeled by incubation with BrdUrd, repaired DNA, which was less dense than replicated DNA, was preferentially labeled by [5-3H]dCyd. In contrast, replicated DNA was labeled by both [3H]dThd and [5-3H]Cyd. The DNA-damaging agents methylmethanesulfonate, ultraviolet irradiation, and -irradiation inhibited [3H]dThd incorporation, whereas they stimulated the accumulation of [5-3H]dCyd in DNA. Based on these results, we propose that the dCTP pool is functionally compartmentalized in growing CCRF-CEM cells. dCTP derived from the salvage pathway is utilized predominantly for DNA repair, whereas the de novo pathway supplies dCTP for DNA replication.
A New Score to Predict Post Operative Complications after Endovascular Treatment of Thoraco Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms

Abstract Background: The endovascular treatment of thoraco abdominal aortic aneurysms (TAAA) is a minimally invasive solution. However, patient selection remains a major problem. We have analysed our experience to identify the risk factors for post-operative morbidity and mortality and to construct a scoring system to identify those patients likely to benefit from this treatment. Methods : We have analysed a consecutive cohort of patients treated electively for TAAA using endovascular techniques between 2006 and October 2012. All data were collected prospectively. The risk factors associated with spinal cord ischemia (SCI), the need for post-operative dialysis and 30 day mortality were determined using multivariate statistical techniques and a logistic regression model including all variables that were significant on univariate analysis (p < 0.05). A predictive score was calculated using a Received Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve, defining best specificity and sensibility. Results : We analysed the data from 113 patients (median age 70 years). The 30 day mortality rate was 8% (10 patients). The SCI rate was 6% (7 patients). One patient (1%) required long-term dialysis after the aortic procedure. The cumulative early mortality, SCI and permanent dialysis rate was 14% (17 patients). In multivariate analysis, adverse outcome was associated with advanced age (OR = 1.110; p = 0.011), and Crawford type I or II or III (OR = 9.191; p = 0.002) as compared with Crawford type IV. Pre-operative beta blocker (BB) treatment was a protective factor (OR = 0.099; p = 0.005). A predictive score was then constructed: Score = -10.060 + 0.104x(A) +2.229x(B) -1.315x(C) (A = patient age; B = 1 if TAAA Crawford type 1, 2 or 3, 0 if TAAA type 4; C = 1 if on-going BB treatment (30 days pre-surgery minimum), 0 if none). Its sensitivity and specificity were 88% and 89% respectively. Conclusion : We propose a simple predictive scoring system. This tool is useful in predicting the most feared complications after endovascular TAAA repair and has potential use in the identification and counselling of vulnerable patients being considered for surgery. More data are needed to refine the prediction of individual operative risks.
Third Party Policing: Prospects, Challenges and Implications for Regulators

'Third party policing' describes police efforts to persuade or coerce third parties, such as landlords, parents, local governments and other regulators, and business owners, to take some responsibility for preventing crime or reducing crime problems. In third party policing, the police create crime control guardians in locations or situations where crime control guardianship was previously absent. Sometimes this results from cooperative consultation with community members. At other times, the police use coercive threats, with the backing of a range of civil and regulatory laws, to engage third parties into taking some crime control responsibility. Our paper describes the dimensions of third party policing and identifies its prospects and challenges, including its implications for regulators.
Comparison of calf weaning weight and associated economic variables between beef cows with and without serum antibodies against or isolation from feces of Mycobacterium avium subsp paratuberculosis.

OBJECTIVE To compare calf weaning weight and associated economic variables for beef cows with serum antibodies against Mycobacterium avium subsp paratuberculosis (MAP) or from which MAP was isolated from feces with those for cows that were seronegative for antibodies against or culture negative for MAP. DESIGN Retrospective study. ANIMALS 4,842 beef cows from 3 herds enrolled in the USDA National Johne's Disease Demonstration Herd Project. PROCEDURES Individual cow ELISA and culture results were obtained from the project database. During each parity evaluated for each cow, the 205-day adjusted weaning weight (AWW) of its calf was calculated. The AWW was compared between test-positive and test-negative cows by use of multilevel mixed-effect models. The median value for feeder calves from 2007 to 2011 was used to estimate the economic losses associated with MAP test-positive cows. RESULTS The AWW of calves from cows with strongly positive ELISA results was 21.48 kg (47.26 lb) less than that of calves from cows with negative ELISA results. The AWW of calves from cows classified as heavy or moderate MAP shedders was 58.51 kg (128.72 lb) and 40.81 kg (89.78 lb) less, respectively, than that of calves from MAP culture-negative cows. Associated economic losses were estimated as $57.49/calf for cows with strongly positive ELISA results and $156.60/calf and $109.23/calf for cows classified as heavy and moderate MAP shedders, respectively. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Calves from cows with MAP-positive test results had significantly lower AWWs than did calves from cows with MAP-negative test results, which translated into economic losses for MAP-infected beef herds.
Characterization of broadband fiber optic line detectors for photoacoustic tomography

The frequency response of fiber optic line detectors is investigated in the presented paper. An analytical model based on oblique scattering of elastic waves is used to calculate the frequency dependent acousto‐optical transfer functions of bare glass optical and polymer optical fibers. From the transfer functions the transient response of fibers detectors to photoacoustically excited spherical sources is derived. Photoacoustic tomography is simulated by calculating the temporal response of arrays of fiber optic line detectors and subsequent image reconstruction. The results show that the choice of the fiber material is of significant importance and influences the quality of imaging. (© 2012 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
A Role for the Juxtamembrane Cytoplasm in the Molecular Dynamics of Focal Adhesions

Focal adhesions (FAs) are specialized membrane-associated multi-protein complexes that link the cell to the extracellular matrix and play crucial roles in cell-matrix sensing. Considerable information is available on the complex molecular composition of these sites, yet the regulation of FA dynamics is largely unknown. Based on a combination of FRAP studies in live cells, with in silico simulations and mathematical modeling, we show that the FA plaque proteins paxillin and vinculin exist in four dynamic states: an immobile FA-bound fraction, an FA-associated fraction undergoing exchange, a juxtamembrane fraction experiencing attenuated diffusion, and a fast-diffusing cytoplasmic pool. The juxtamembrane region surrounding FAs displays a gradient of FA plaque proteins with respect to both concentration and dynamics. Based on these findings, we propose a new model for the regulation of FA dynamics in which this juxtamembrane domain acts as an intermediary layer, enabling an efficient regulation of FA formation and reorganization.
Influence of Musical Expertise on Segmental and Tonal Processing in Mandarin Chinese

A same–different task was used to test the hypothesis that musical expertise improves the discrimination of tonal and segmental (consonant, vowel) variations in a tone language, Mandarin Chinese. Two four-word sequences (prime and target) were presented to French musicians and nonmusicians unfamiliar with Mandarin, and event-related brain potentials were recorded. Musicians detected both tonal and segmental variations more accurately than nonmusicians. Moreover, tonal variations were associated with higher error rate than segmental variations and elicited an increased N2/N3 component that developed 100 msec earlier in musicians than in nonmusicians. Finally, musicians also showed enhanced P3b components to both tonal and segmental variations. These results clearly show that musical expertise influenced the perceptual processing as well as the categorization of linguistic contrasts in a foreign language. They show positive music-to-language transfer effects and open new perspectives for the learning of tone languages.