Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
ingulate-Precuneus Interactions: A New Locus f Dysfunction in Adult Attention-Deficit/ yperactivity Disorder

ackground: Pathophysiologic models of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have focused on frontal-striatal circuitry with lternative hypotheses relatively unexplored. On the basis of evidence that negative interactions between frontal foci involved in cognitive ontrol and the non-goal-directed “default-mode” network prevent attentional lapses, we hypothesized abnormalities in functional onnectivity of these circuits in ADHD.
Determining the reach of a home-based physical activity program for older adults within the context of a randomized controlled trial.

UNLABELLED Determining the reach of physical activity (PA) programs is challenging due to inconsistent reporting across studies. The purpose of this study was to document multiple indicators of program reach for a 6-month, Digital Versatile Disc (DVD)-delivered home-based PA program. Radio, newspaper and direct mailing advertisements were tracked to determine costs as well as the number and representativeness of older adults exposed and responding to recruitment. It was estimated that all older adults in the recruitment area (n = 105 515) may have been exposed to at least one of the recruitment strategies--563 responded and 383 were screened as eligible. Of those that enrolled (n = 307), the DVD reached between 81% and 97% of the participants over each month within the 6 month period. Newspaper advertisements were most effective (n = 222) at a cost of $78 per participant enrolled. CONCLUSION Using multiple indicators of reach supports the accurate calculation and generalizability of recruiting older adults into PA programs.
Social Motivation in Schizophrenia: The Impact of Oxytocin on Vigor in the Context of Social and Nonsocial Reinforcement

Experiential negative symptoms—including diminished motivation—have a profound impact on functional outcomes in schizophrenia. Animal research suggests that abnormalities in dopaminergic regulation can negatively impact effort exertion, a translational model that has been applied to individuals with schizophrenia. Paradigms that assess effort-based decision making, for example, suggest less likelihood of choosing high effort tasks that are high in probability of success, and this preference varies with negative symptoms and impaired functioning. Although asociality is another well-documented component of experiential negative symptoms, it is unclear whether diminished motivation for monetary reward extends to the social domain. To test this question, the authors designed the Social Vigor Task (SVT)—a measure of effort exertion in the context of live social encouragement. They further examined the effect of oxytocin, a neuropeptide implicated in social behavior, on vigor. Forty-two individuals with schizophrenia and 43 healthy controls completed the SVT twice: once after intranasal administration of saline placebo and again after oxytocin. Both groups showed similar increases in vigor in response to social encouragement, suggesting effort in the social context is spared in schizophrenia. Group differences in the effect of social encouragement on vigor varied by point-based reward rate and trial length. Oxytocin did not increase vigor during social encouragement in either group. Within the schizophrenia group, clinician-rated passive social withdrawal, but not active social avoidance, was negatively associated with vigor. Results suggest that people with schizophrenia show normative levels of effort in the context of social encouragement; low approach motivation, however, relates to lower effort.
Cytochromes CYP1A1 and CYP1B1: new pieces in the puzzle to understand the biomechanical paradigm of atherosclerosis.

Atherosclerosis is epidemiologically linked and causally related to the presence of ‘risk factors’. Despite their diversity, major risk factors for cardiovascular disease such as hypercholesterolaemia, diabetes, hypertension, physical inactivity, obesity, and tobacco smoking share a common ‘systemic’ mechanism of action, i.e. they act on the entire inner surface of the arterial vascular tree. The cellular and molecular effects of such systemic risk factors, acting through biohumoral mediators, can account for the greater or lesser propensity of different individuals to atherosclerotic vascular disease (the ‘biohumoral’ paradigm). 1,2 Atherosclerosis is, however, focal and discrete in location and has clear preferences for certain sites of the vasculature, such as branching points, bifurcations, or the convex side of curved arteries. In addition, some arteries are more prone to atherosclerosis than others (e.g. the carotid artery vs. the subclavian artery, epicardial coronary arteries vs. intramyocardial arteries), and there are preferential locations even within extremely close areas in the same artery, such as in the region of the carotid bifurcation. The ‘site-specific’ location of the process is a golden opportunity, and perhaps a ‘Holy Grail’ for atherosclerosis research. It is usually explained by the action of particular types of shear stress imposed on the arterial wall by flow regimens of the circulating blood.3 In recent years, much progress has been gained in understanding how shear stress is transduced within the artery wall in order to protect from or promote atherogenesis (the ‘biomechanical’ paradigm). Crucial to this understanding is the identification of endothelial responses to shear stress, by which endothelial cells can sense and integrate haemodynamic stimuli and react to them. The arterial endothelium is exposed to three main varieties of haemodynamic forces:4,5 (a) the pressure generated by hydrostatic forces towards the vessel wall; (b) circumferential tensions or stress, resulting from … *Corresponding author. Tel: +39 0871 415 12; fax: +39 0871 402 817. E-mail : rdecater{at}unich.it
Nanomedicine: Potential Devices for Diagnostics

Nanotechnology presents distinctive approaches to explore and manage a diversity of biological and medical processes. Nanomedicine is an emerging, recent technology that encompasses diagnostics and therapeutics at the nanoscale. With the rapid expansion of nanotechnology, the realization of important medical applications is rapidly being approached. In this review, we address the medical applications of a range of nanoparticles, including quantum dots, Polymeric, Gold, Superparamagnetic particles, dendrimers and carbon nanotubes. The nature and extent of current research carried out on these nanoscale particles in diagnostics will also be described. In this context the present review largely focuses on relevant patents in nanomedicine.
Chest pain and shortness of breath in cardiovascular disease: a prospective cohort study in UK primary care

Objective To determine characteristics associated with monthly chest pain and shortness of breath (SoB) during activity in cardiovascular disease (CVD) and trajectories of these symptoms over 10 months. Study design and setting Baseline questionnaire was sent to patients aged ≥40 years from 10 UK general practices. Responders were sent monthly questionnaires for 10 months. For patients with CVD (ischaemic heart disease and heart failure), the association of sociodemographic characteristics, pain elsewhere and anxiety and depression with monthly reports of chest pain and SoB during activity were determined using multilevel, multinomial logistic regression. Common symptom trajectories were determined using dual trajectory latent class growth analysis. Results 661 patients with CVD completed at least 5 monthly questionnaires. Multiple other pain sites (relative risk ratio: 4.03; 95% CI 1.64 to 9.91) and anxiety or depression (relative risk ratio: 3.31; 95% CI 1.89 to 5.79) were associated with reporting weekly chest pain. Anxiety or depression (relative risk ratio: 4.10; 95% CI 2.72 to 6.17), obesity (relative risk ratio: 2.53; 95% CI 1.49 to 4.30), older age (80+: relative risk ratio: 2.51; 95% CI 1.19 to 5.26), increasing number of pain sites (4+: relative risk ratio: 4.64; 95% CI 2.35 to 9.18) and female gender (relative risk ratio: 1.81; 95% CI 1.20 to 2.75) were associated with reporting weekly SoB. Eight symptom trajectories were identified, with SoB symptoms more common than chest pain. Conclusions Potentially modifiable characteristics are associated with the experience of chest pain and SoB. Identified symptom trajectories may facilitate tailored care to improve outcomes in patients with CVD.
Mapping and comparing bacterial microbiota in the sinonasal cavity of healthy, allergic rhinitis, and chronic rhinosinusitis subjects

The role of microbiota in sinonasal inflammation can be further understood by targeted sampling of healthy and diseased subjects. We compared the microbiota of the middle meatus (MM) and inferior meatus (IM) in healthy, allergic rhinitis (AR), and chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) subjects to characterize intrasubject, intersubject, and intergroup differences.
Multi-agent orienteering problem with time-dependent capacity constraints

In this paper, we formulate and study the Multi-agent Orienteering Problem with Time-dependent Capacity Constraints (MOPTCC). MOPTCC is similar to the classical orienteering problem at the single-agent level: given a limited time budget, an agent travels around the network and collects rewards by visiting different nodes, with the objective of maximizing the sum of his collected rewards. The most important feature we introduce in MOPTCC is the inclusion of multiple competing and interacting agents. All agents in MOPTCC are assumed to be self-interested, and they interact with each other when arrive at the same nodes simultaneously. As all nodes are capacitated, if a particular node receives more agents than its capacity, all agents at that node will be made to wait and agents suffer collectively as a result (in terms of extra time needed for queueing). Due to the decentralized nature of the problem, MOPTCC cannot be solved in a centralized manner; instead, we need to seek out equilibrium solutions; and if this is not possible, at least approximated equilibrium solutions. The major contribution of this paper is the formulation of the problem, and our first attempt in identifying an efficient and effective equilibrium-seeking procedure for MOPTCC.
Diagnostic and Prognostic Roles of Serum Osteopontin and Osteopontin Promoter Polymorphisms in Hepatitis B-related Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

BACKGROUND The aims of this study were to evaluate the diagnostic and prognostic roles of serum osteopontin (OPN) and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the OPN promoter in patients with hepatitis B-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). MATERIALS AND METHODS Four groups were studied, which included 157 patients with HCC, 73 with liver cirrhosis (LC) and 97 with chronic hepatitis (CH), along with 80 healthy subjects. Serum OPN and alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) levels were measured. The SNPs -66 T/G, -156 G/δG and -433 C/T within the OPN promoter were determined by direct sequencing. RESULTS Serum OPN levels were significantly higher in patients with HCC than in the other groups. Area under receiver operating characteristics curves in distinguishing HCC from chronic liver disease (CLD; CH and LC) were 0.782 (95% CI; 0.729-0.834) for OPN and 0.888 (95% CI; 0.850-0.927) for AFP. Using the optimal cut-off value (70 ng/mL), OPN had sensitivity and specificity of 72% and 71%, respectively. Serum OPN was superior to AFP in detecting early-stage HCC (68% vs. 46%). A combination of both markers yielded an improved sensitivity for detecting early HCC to 82%. A high OPN level was significantly correlated with advanced BCLC stage and was an independent prognostic factor for HCC. The SNPs -156 and -443 were associated with susceptibility to HCC, but were not related to overall survival. CONCLUSIONS Serum OPN is a useful diagnostic and prognostic marker for HCC. The combined use of serum OPN and AFP improved the diagnosis of early HCC. Genetic variation in the OPN promoter is associated with the risk, but not the prognosis of HCC.
Magnetic Phase Diagram of the Ferromagnetic Shape Memory Alloys Ni2MnGa1-xCux

X-ray powder diffraction, permeability, magnetization and differential scanning calorimetry measurements were carried out on the magnetic shape memory alloys Ni2MnGa1−xCux (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.25). On the basis of the experimental results, the phase diagram in the temperature– concentration plane was determined for this alloy system. The determined phase diagram is spanned by the paramagnetic austenite phase (Para-A), paramagnetic martensite phase (Para-M), ferromagnetic austenite phase (Ferro-A), ferromagnetic martensite phase (Ferro-M) and the premartensite phase. It was found that the magnetostructural transition between the phases Para-A and Ferro-M can occur in the concentration region 0.12 < x ≤ 0.14 and that Ni2MnGa1−xCux has the characteristics of the phase diagram similar to those of the phase diagrams of Ni2+xMn1−xGa and Ni2Mn1−xCuxGa. In order to understand the phase diagram, the phenomenological free energy as a function of the martensitic distortion and magnetization was constructed and analyzed.
Graph-Optimization-Based ZUPT/UWB Fusion Algorithm

The potential of multi-sensor fusion for indoor positioning has attracted substantial attention. A ZUPT/UWB data fusion algorithm based on graph optimization is proposed in this paper and is compared with the traditional fusion algorithms, which are based on particle filtering. With a series of observations, the proposed algorithm can achieve higher precision with acceptable computational complexity. Two methods for dynamically determining the confidence level are also presented. The first method can reduce the confidence level of ZUPT at corners, and the second method can determine the lower bound on the UWB sensor’s confidence level through the UWB optimized residual. Experimental results demonstrate the ability of the proposed method to achieve a positioning accuracy of 0.4 m, which is better than the 0.7 m achieved by the particle-filtering-based fusion method.
π-π Conjugation Enhances Oligostilbene’s Antioxidant Capacity: Evidence from α-Viniferin and Caraphenol A

α-Viniferin and caraphenol A, the two oligostilbenes, have the sole difference of the presence or absence of an exocyclic double bond at the π-π conjugative site. In this study, the antioxidant capacity and relevant mechanisms for α-viniferin and caraphenol A were comparatively explored using spectrophotometry, UV-visible spectral analysis, and electrospray ionization quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC–ESI–Q–TOF–MS/MS) analysis. The spectrophotometric results suggested that caraphenol A always gave lower IC50 values than α-viniferin in cupric ion-reducing antioxidant capacity assay, ferric-reducing antioxidant power assay, 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazl radical (DPPH•)-scavenging, and 2-phenyl-4,4,5,5-tetramethylimidazoline-1-oxyl 3-oxide radical-scavenging assays. In UV-visible spectra analysis, caraphenol A was observed to show enhanced peaks at 250–350 nm when mixed with Fe2+, but α-viniferin exhibited no similar effects. UPLC–ESI–Q–TOF–MS/MS analysis revealed that α-viniferin mixed with DPPH• produced radical adduct formation (RAF) peak (m/z = 1070–1072). We conclude that the antioxidant action of α-viniferin and caraphenol A may involve both redox-mediated mechanisms (especially electron transfer and H+-transfer) and non-redox-mediated mechanisms (including Fe2+-chelating or RAF). The π-π conjugation of the exocyclic double bond in caraphenol A can greatly enhance the redox-mediated antioxidant mechanisms and partially promote the Fe2+-chelating mechanism. This makes caraphenol A far superior to α-viniferin in total antioxidant levels.
Gas Plasma Pre-treatment Increases Antibiotic Sensitivity and Persister Eradication in Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a major cause of serious nosocomial infections, and recurrent MRSA infections primarily result from the survival of persister cells after antibiotic treatment. Gas plasma, a novel source of ROS (reactive oxygen species) and RNS (reactive nitrogen species) generation, not only inactivates pathogenic microbes but also restore the sensitivity of MRSA to antibiotics. This study further found that sublethal treatment of MRSA with both plasma and plasma-activated saline increased the antibiotic sensitivity and promoted the eradication of persister cells by tetracycline, gentamycin, clindamycin, chloramphenicol, ciprofloxacin, rifampicin, and vancomycin. The short-lived ROS and RNS generated by plasma played a primary role in the process and induced the increase of many species of ROS and RNS in MRSA cells. Thus, our data indicated that the plasma treatment could promote the effects of many different classes of antibiotics and act as an antibiotic sensitizer for the treatment of antibiotic-resistant bacteria involved in infectious diseases.
Loneliness: Its Correlates and Association with Health Behaviours and Outcomes in Nine Countries of the Former Soviet Union

Background Research suggests that the prevalence of loneliness varies between countries and that feeling lonely may be associated with poorer health behaviours and outcomes. The aim of the current study was to examine the factors associated with loneliness, and the relationship between feeling lonely and health behaviours and outcomes in the countries of the former Soviet Union (FSU) – a region where loneliness has been little studied to date. Methods Using data from 18,000 respondents collected during a cross-sectional survey undertaken in nine FSU countries – Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia and Ukraine – in 2010/11, country-wise logistic regression analysis was conducted to determine: the factors associated with feeling lonely; the association between feeling lonely and alcohol consumption, hazardous drinking and smoking; and whether feeling lonely was linked to poorer health (i.e. poor self-rated health and psychological distress). Results The prevalence of loneliness varied widely among the countries. Being divorced/widowed and low social support were associated with loneliness in all of the countries, while other factors (e.g. living alone, low locus of control) were linked to loneliness in some of the countries. Feeling lonely was connected with hazardous drinking in Armenia, Kyrgyzstan and Russia but with smoking only in Kyrgyzstan. Loneliness was associated with psychological distress in all of the countries and poor self-rated health in every country except Kazakhstan and Moldova. Conclusions Loneliness is associated with worse health behaviours and poorer health in the countries of the FSU. More individual country-level research is now needed to formulate effective interventions to mitigate the negative effects of loneliness on population well-being in the FSU.
Magnetic seizure therapy in treatment-resistant depression: clinical, neuropsychological and metabolic effects

Background. Magnetic seizure therapy (MST), despite being in an early phase of clinical research, has been demonstrated to be associated with antidepressant efficacy. However, safety, tolerability and efficacy data in connection with functional brain activity from larger samples are lacking. The aim of this study was to determine clinical and cognitive effects of MST and the influence of MST on regional brain glucose metabolism. Method. Twenty-six patients suffering from treatment-resistant depression (TRD) underwent MST. Ten patients underwent a randomized trial and 16 patients an open-label study design. The primary outcome criterion was the severity of depressive symptoms assessed with the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD). Depressive symptoms, tolerability and cognitive safety, along with social functioning and quality of life parameters, were assessed using various rating scales. A clinical follow-up visit 6 months following the completion of a course of MST and [18F]-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) scans of 12 patients were analysed. Results. A significant response to MST was demonstrated by 69% of the patient sample, with 46% meeting remission criteria. Anxiety ratings were significantly reduced in responders and their quality of life was improved. Half of the responders relapsed within 6 months. No cognitive side-effects were observed. FDG-PET scans showed a metabolic increase in the frontal cortex bilaterally and a decrease in the left striatum. Conclusions. Robust antidepressant and anti-anxiety efficacy of MST was demonstrated, and found to be associated with localized metabolic changes in brain areas that are strongly implicated in depression. Thus, MST presents an effective, well-tolerated and safe treatment option for patients unable to respond to other forms of therapy for depression.
User evaluation of conversational agent h. c. Andersen

The Hans Christian Andersen (HCA) system is an example of a new generation of embodied conversational characters which are aimed to faithfully represent a familiar historical individual and carry out human-style conversation as that individual would have done had he or she lived today. A first prototype of fairytale author HCA was tested with representative users in January 2004. This paper reports on the user test of the second prototype which was done in February 2005, focusing on the structured user interview results.
Change Support in Process-Aware Information Systems - A Pattern-Based Analysis

In today's dynamic business world the economic success of an enterprise increasingly depends on its ability to react to changes in its environment in a quick and flexible way. Process-aware information systems (PAIS) offer promising perspectives in this respect and are increasingly employed for operationally supporting business processes. To provide effective business process support, flexible PAIS are needed which do not freeze existing business processes, but allow for loosely specified processes, which can be detailed during run-time. In addition, PAIS should enable authorized users to flexibly deviate from the predefined processes if required (e.g., by allowing them to dynamically add, delete, or move process activities) and to evolve business processes over time. At the same time PAIS must ensure consistency and robustness. The emergence of different process support paradigms and the lack of methods for comparing existing change approaches have made it difficult for PAIS engineers to choose the adequate technology. In this paper we suggest a set of changes patterns and change support features to foster the systematic comparison of existing process management technology with respect to process change support. Based on these change patterns and features, we provide a detailed analysis and evaluation of selected systems from both academia and industry. The identified change patterns and change support features facilitate the comparison of change support frameworks, and consequently will support PAIS engineers in selecting the right technology for realizing flexible PAIS. In addition, this work can be used as a reference for implementing more flexible PAIS.
A CMOS Image Sensor with a Buried-Channel Source Follower

This paper presents a CMOS image sensor with a pinned-photodiode 4T active-pixel design (APS) that uses a buried-channel source follower (BSF) as the in-pixel amplifier. A prototype of the image sensor has been fabricated in a 0.18mum CMOS process. Measurements show that compared to a regular imager with a standard nMOS transistor surface-mode source follower (SSF), the new pixel structure reduces dark random noise by more than 50% and improves output swing by almost 100%.