Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Levetiracetam: treatment in epilepsy

A large number of new antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) have become available over the last 10 years. Results from placebo-controlled clinical trials and community-based practice have demonstrated that levetiracetam has a broad spectrum of activity in suppressing seizures as add-on treatment and monotherapy and that it is safe and well-tolerated. Levetiracetam also has a favourable pharmacokinetic profile characterised by rapid and nearly complete absorption, very low potential for drug interactions and a prolonged pharmacodynamic effect that permits twice-daily dosing. Although, the mechanism of action of levetiracetam is not completely understood, preclinical studies suggest that it may have antiepileptogenic and neuroprotective effects, with the potential to slow or arrest disease progression.
Aging of polyurethane foam insulation in simulated refrigerator walls

Laboratory data are presented on the thermal conductivity of polyurethane foam insulation in composite test panels that simulate refrigerator walls. The test panels consisted of a steel skin, an ABS plastic liner, and a polyurethane foam core. Foam cores were produced with three different blowing agents (CFC-11, HCFC-141b, and a HCFC-142/22 blend). Periodic thermal measurements have been made on these panels over a three and one half year period in an effort to detect aging processes. Data obtained on foam encased in the panels were compared with measurements on thin foam slices that were removed from similar panels. The data show that the encapsulation of the foam in the solid boundary materials greatly reduces the aging rate. The plan is presented for a follow-on project that is being conducted on the aging of foams blown with HCFC-141b, HFC-134a, HFC-245fa, and cyclopentane.
Degradation of Toxic Chemicals by Zero-Valent Metal Nanoparticles - A Literature Review

Abstract : The ultimate aim of researchers in the area of decontamination is to develop the perfect decontaminant - a substance that will degrade all contaminants but will leave surfaces and environments unharmed. Published research into zero-valent metal particles (ZVMs), in particular iron, shows that these particles, particularly those whose size is on the nanoscale, have the potential to be used as a decontaminant. This report examines the literature on nanoscale ZVMs, their potential use as decontaminants and ways to enhance their activity. Most of the research to date has looked at the reductive potential of ZVMs but it has been reported that zerovalent iron (ZVI) can actually catalyse oxidative degradation in a Fenton-type reaction. Thus this report also explores Fenton-type degradation of chemical warfare agents. The report also examines methods of incorporating nanoscale ZVM particles onto solid supports which may be useful for increasing the lifetime, activity and usability of the particles. Finally, possible challenges to developing ZVMs as a decontaminant are discussed.
Remission of Childhood-onset Epilepsy

Investigators from the Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, Chicago IL and the Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT have conducted a prospective cohort study of 613 children with newly diagnosed epilepsy to evaluate the occurrence of complete remission and predictive factors. Of the 613 patients recruited, 516 were followed for greater than 10 years and of those, 328 (63.5%) attained complete remission.
Bayesian Backpropagation Over I-O Functions Rather Than Weights

The conventional Bayesian justification for backprop is that it finds the MAP weight vector. As this paper shows, to find the MAP i-o function instead, one must add a correction term to backprop. That term biases one towards i-o functions with small description lengths, and in particular favors (some kinds of) feature-selection, pruning, and weight-sharing. This can be viewed as an {\it a priori} argument in favor of those techniques.
Gaze behavior during interaction with a virtual character in interactive storytelling

In this paper, we present an interactive eye gaze model for embodied conversational agents in order to improve the experience of users participating in Interactive Storytelling. The underlying narrative in which the approach was tested is based on a classical XIX century psychological novel: Madame Bovary, by Flaubert. At various stages of the narrative, the user can address the main character or respond to her using free-style spoken natural language input, impersonating her lover. An eye tracker was connected to enable the interactive gaze model to respond to user’s current gaze (i.e. looking into the virtual character’s eyes or not). We conducted a study with 19 students where we compared our interactive eye gaze model with a non-interactive eye gaze model that was informed by studies of human gaze behaviors, but had no information on where the user was looking. The interactive model achieved a higher score for user ratings than the non-interactive model.
Parkinsonian Rigidity Shows Variable Properties Depending on the Elbow Joint Angle

Parkinsonian rigidity has been thought to be constant through a full range of joint angle. The aim of this study was to perform a detailed investigation of joint angle dependency of rigidity. We first measured muscle tone at the elbow joint in 20 healthy subjects and demonstrated that an angle of approximately 60° of flexion marks the division of two different angle-torque characteristics. Then, we measured muscle tone at the elbow joint in 24 Parkinson's Disease (PD) patients and calculated elastic coefficients in flexion and extension in the ranges of 10°–60° (distal) and 60°–110° (proximal). Rigidity as represented by the elastic coefficient in the distal phase of elbow joint extension was best correlated with the UPDRS rigidity score (r = 0.77). A significant difference between the UPDRS rigidity score 0 group and 1 group was observed in the elastic coefficient in the distal phase of extension (P < 0.0001), whereas no significant difference was observed in the proximal phase of extension and in each phase of flexion. Parkinsonian rigidity shows variable properties depending on the elbow joint angle, and it is clearly detected at the distal phase of elbow extension.
Effect of the Y2O3 Concentration in YSZ on the Thermophysical Property as a Thermal Shielding Material

The effect of the Y2O3 concentration in yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) on the thermophysical property of porous YSZ was studied. The specific heat capacities (Cp), the thermal diffusivity (α), the apparent density (ρ) of a 3 mol% Y2O3/97 mol% ZrO2 (3YSZ), and an 8 mol% Y2O3/97 mol% ZrO2 (8YSZ) were measured. The 8YSZ's Cp was lower than that of the 3YSZ. When the YSZs were dense, the 3YSZ's α value by a phonon decreased with an increase in the temperature, whereas that of the 8YSZ was almost constant over a wide temperature range. When the YSZs were porous, the 8YSZ's α value by the phonon was greater than that of the 3YSZ's.
Morphine and Pain-Related Stimuli Enhance Cell Surface Availability of Somatic δ-Opioid Receptors in Rat Dorsal Root Ganglia

The present study demonstrates that perikaryalδ-opioid receptors (δORs) in rat dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons bind and internalize opioid ligands circulating in the CSF. Using confocal and electron microscopy, we found that prolonged morphine treatment increased the cell surface density of these perikaryal δORs and, by way of consequence, receptor-mediated internalization of the fluorescent deltorphin (DLT) analog ω-Bodipy 576/589 deltorphin-I 5-aminopentylamide (Fluo-DLT) in all three types of DRG neurons (small, medium, and large). In contrast, chronic inflammatory pain induced by the injection of complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA) into one hindpaw selectively increased Fluo-DLT internalization in small and medium-sized DRG neurons ipsilateral to the inflammation. Based on our previous studies in the spinal cord of μ-opioid receptor (μOR) knock-out mice, it may be assumed that the enhanced membrane recruitment of δORs observed after sustained morphine is attributable to stimulation of μORs. However, the selectivity of the effect induced by inflammatory pain suggests that it involves a different mechanism, namely a modality-specific and pain-related activation of C and Aδ fibers. Indeed, stimulation by capsaicin of transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 receptors, which are selectively expressed by small diameter (< 600 μm2) DRG neurons, increased Fluo-DLT internalization exclusively in this cell population. The present results, therefore, demonstrate that DRG neurons express perikaryal δORs accessible to CSF-circulating ligands and that the density and, hence, presumably also the responsiveness, of these receptors may be modulated by both pain-related stimuli and sustained exposure to μOR agonists.
Treatment of bipolar disorder

OBJECTIVE To review the current status of the management of bipolar disorder (manic-depressive illness). DATA SOURCES AND STUDY SELECTION Controlled clinical trials as well as some recent important open studies are examined. DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS Lithium carbonate remains the mainstay of both the acute and prophylactic treatment of this condition. We highlight specific contentious issues in prophylactic management with lithium, that is, indications for initiating long-term treatment, preferred serum concentrations, timing of the dose, duration of treatment and frequency of laboratory monitoring. In recent years, several alternatives to lithium have been demonstrated as effective in both the acute and prophylactic treatment of patients either unable to tolerate or inadequately responsive to this agent. There is now considerable evidence that carbamazepine is of similar efficacy to lithium and more recent studies suggest that valproate may also be as therapeutic. We outline details of the clinical roles of each of these agents, with guidelines concerning monitoring and adverse effects.
Effects of nifedipine on diastolic function during brief periods of flow-limiting ischemia in the conscious dog.

To determine the contribution of transsarcolemmal calcium flux to abnormal diastolic function produced by brief periods of flow-limiting ischemia and reperfusion, we evaluated early and late diastolic function during transient coronary occlusion and reperfusion before and during administration of intravenous nifedipine (NIF) (10 +/- 1 microgram/kg/min) in nine preinstrumented conscious dogs. We also assessed the effects of nitroprusside (NTP) (2 +/- 0.2 micrograms/kg/min) during an identical period of ischemia and reperfusion to independently assess the consequences of altered loading alone on diastolic function. To minimize the effects of temporal dysynchrony and altered ventricular loading conditions on isovolumetric relaxation, we developed a conscious dog preparation of reversible transient (30 to 60 sec) bilateral coronary occlusion (BCO). BCO was characterized by significant systolic depression: maximum (+)dP/dt decreased (from 2617 +/- 600 to 1981 +/- 565 mm Hg/sec, p less than .05), left ventricular transverse dimension shortening diminished (from 20 +/- 5 to 9 +/- 5%, p less than .05), and the left ventricle dilated (42.4 +/- 6.4 to 43.8 +/- 6.3 mm, p less than .05). Concomitantly the time constants of isovolumetric relaxation prolonged (from 22 +/- 3 to 28 +/- 4 msec, p less than .05) and minimal diastolic left ventricular pressure increased (from -3 +/- 6 to 6 +/-6 mm Hg, p less than .05). The passive diastolic pressure-dimension relationship shifted upward and to the right and was associated with increased chamber stiffness (from 0.50 +/- 0.26 to 1.03 +/- 0.53 mm Hg/mm, p less than .05) and increased left ventricular end-diastolic pressure (from 7 +/- 7 to 19 +/- 7 mm Hg, p less than .05). Reperfusion immediately after BCO was characterized by prompt restoration of systolic contractile performance [maximum (+)dP/dt 3220 +/- 530 mm Hg/sec] but persistently abnormal early and late diastolic function (time constant of isovolumetric relaxation 30 +/- 6 msec, left ventricular end-diastolic pressure 20 +/- 7 mm Hg). The effects of drug administration on ventricular function during BCO were then evaluated under matched loading conditions. NTP improved time constant of isovolumetric relaxation (20 +/- 8 vs 28 +/- 4 msec, p less than .05) and minimal diastolic left ventricular pressure (2 +/- 5 vs 6 +/- mm Hg, p less than .05) during BCO, but NIF did not (time constant of isovolumetric relaxation 27 +/- 6 msec, minimal diastolic left ventricular pressure 7 +/- 5 mm Hg). (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Importance of platelets and fibrinogen in neutrophil-endothelial cell interactions in septic shock

Objective:To examine the role of platelets, fibrin, and adhesion molecules in mediating neutrophil-endothelial cell interactions in septic shock. Design:Controlled experiments using phase contrast microscopy to examine neutrophil, platelet, and endothelial cell interactions in flowing cell suspensions under simulated physiologic conditions. Setting:University research laboratory. Patients:Adult patients with septic shock and normal volunteers. Interventions:Microslides were coated with human umbilical vein endothelial cells. Neutrophils were removed from control subjects and patients in septic shock and were perfused over endothelial cells at rates representing a range of physiologic shear stresses. In an attempt to examine the effects of fibrin deposition on neutrophil-endothelial cell interactions, neutrophils, with and without platelets, were suspended in plasma and serum was removed from patients in septic shock. In addition, blocking monoclonal antibodies against the platelet receptor P-selectin and neutrophil receptor CD11b/CD18, and a platelet glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitor, were incubated with cells suspended in plasma. Phase contrast video microscopy was used to count the number of neutrophils/mm2 adherent to endothelial cells during cessation of flow. Neutrophil rolling velocity was calculated as the time required for neutrophils to move across a 1-mm field (mm/sec). Leukoaggregation was defined as the number of neutrophils in aggregates (three or more nuclei) across a 1-mm field. Measurements and Main Results:Normal neutrophils exposed to plasma from patients with septic shock demonstrated significant increases in aggregation and endothelial cell adherence with associated decreases in neutrophil rolling velocity. These changes were significantly enhanced in the presence of platelets and significantly attenuated in the presence of serum, which is fibrinogen depleted. Preincubation with antibodies to the surface receptors P-selectin, CD11b/CD18, and glycoprotein IIb/IIIa abrogated the changes in neutrophil aggregation, adhesion, and rolling velocity. Conclusions:These data suggest that platelets and fibrinogen play an important role in mediating neutrophil-endothelial cell adherence in septic shock.
Barcoding-free BAC Pooling Enables Combinatorial Selective Sequencing of the Barley Gene Space

We propose a new sequencing protocol that combines recent advances in combinatorial pooling design and second-generation sequencing technology to efficiently approach de novo selective genome sequencing. We show that combinatorial pooling is a cost-effective and practical alternative to exhaustive DNA barcoding when dealing with hundreds or thousands of DNA samples, such as genome-tiling gene-rich BAC clones. The novelty of the protocol hinges on the computational ability to efficiently compare hundreds of million of short reads and assign them to the correct BAC clones so that the assembly can be carried out clone-by-clone. Experimental results on simulated data for the rice genome show that the deconvolution is extremely accurate (99.57% of the deconvoluted reads are assigned to the correct BAC), and the resulting BAC assemblies have very high quality (BACs are covered by contigs over about 77% of their length, on average). Experimental results on real data for a gene-rich subset of the barley genome confirm that the deconvolution is accurate (almost 70% of left/right pairs in paired-end reads are assigned to the same BAC, despite being processed independently) and the BAC assemblies have good quality (the average sum of all assembled contigs is about 88% of the estimated BAC length).
Learning Where to Sample in Structured Prediction

In structured prediction, most inference algorithms allocate a homogeneous amount of computation to all parts of the output, which can be wasteful when dierent parts vary widely in terms of diculty. In this paper, we propose a heterogeneous approach that dynamically allocates computation to the different parts. Given a pre-trained model, we tune its inference algorithm (a sampler) to increase test-time throughput. The inference algorithm is parametrized by a meta-model and trained via reinforcement learning, where actions correspond to sampling candidate parts of the output, and rewards are loglikelihood improvements. The meta-model is based on a set of domain-general metafeatures capturing the progress of the sampler. We test our approach on ve datasets and show that it attains the same accuracy as Gibbs sampling but is 2 to 5 times faster.
Emotion Recognition in the Wild

The recent advancement of social media has given users a platform to socially engage and interact with a larger population. Millions of images and videos are being uploaded every day by users on the web from different events and social gatherings. There is an increasing interest in designing systems capable of understanding human manifestations of emotional attributes and affective displays. For inferring the affective state of the users in such images and videos, captured in real-world conditions, methods which can perform emotion analysis `in the wild' are required. Here, the term `in the wild’ signifies different environments/scenes and backgrounds noise, illumination conditions, head pose and occlusion. Automatic emotion recognition has made a significant progress in last two decades. However, such developed frameworks have been strictly employed to the data collected in controlled laboratory settings with frontal faces, perfect illumination and posed expressions. On contrary, the images and videos on the web have been captured in different, unconstrained environments and this poses a big challenge to automatic facial emotion recognition methods.
Cyclical Enterprise System Implementations in Healthcare

Combining an incremental approach with the implementation of an Enterprise System (ES) is seen as a kind of catch 22. Vendors and implementers nevertheless lately tend to adhere to cyclical approaches with shortened implementation times. This way of working approaches the incremental philosophy, but also influences the requirements on how the implementation process is managed in perspective of its ambitions. In this paper we derive a framework to explore ambition level and relate it to the used implementation approaches in five hospitals. From the results we first observe a rise in the use of cyclical approaches. Secondly we see a dynamic relationship between implementation approach and ambition level in four of the investigated hospitals. This means that the hospitals start drifting in their ambition level, implementation approach or even both. We conclude that such a drift in most cases leads to implementation problems if not aligned within one implementation cycle.
The Warfighter Associate: Objective and Automated Metrics for Mission Command

Abstract : It has been assumed that within Mission Command and Network Enabled Operations information superiority results in greater information sharing, situational awareness, collaborative decision-making, and agility; all of which ultimately contribute to greater mission effectiveness. However, demonstrating the truth of these assumptions requires objectively measuring individual and collaborative Soldier performance and information sharing in networked environments, which is an enduring challenge. The Warfighter Associate (WA) is an Intelligent Agent software system that uses doctrinally-based knowledge engineering to offer decision-support for Soldier cognitive workflows. The underlying knowledge representation can serve as state traces, measuring aspects of Soldier cognitive performance across scenario runtime as dynamic events unfold on the battlefield. This approach can unobtrusively and automatically capture aspects of Mission Command performance over time. Specifically, the WA currently captures the following performance metrics: (1) Objective cognitive workload over time; (2) Responsiveness to events in dynamic environments; (3) Course of action; and (4) Staff collaborations and manifest agility Our approach captures Soldier s goals and the plans to achieve those goals in real-time as the work dynamically unfolds as a complex network of cognitive tasks. The capability of an analyst to record, view, and analyze work activity dynamically and unobtrusively over specified epochs of time is, to our knowledge, unprecedented.
Diagnostic performance and reliability of ultrasonography for fatty degeneration of the rotator cuff muscles.

BACKGROUND Diagnostic evaluation of rotator cuff muscle quality is important to determine indications for potential operative repair. Ultrasonography has developed into an accepted and useful tool for evaluating rotator cuff tendon tears; however, its use for evaluating rotator muscle quality has not been well established. The purpose of this study was to investigate the diagnostic performance and observer reliability of ultrasonography in grading fatty degeneration of the posterior and superior rotator cuff muscles. METHODS The supraspinatus, infraspinatus, and teres minor muscles were prospectively evaluated with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and ultrasonography in eighty patients with shoulder pain. The degree of fatty degeneration on MRI was graded by four independent raters on the basis of the modified Goutallier grading system. Ultrasonographic evaluation of fatty degeneration was performed by one of three radiologists with use of a three-point scale. The two scoring systems were compared to determine the diagnostic performance of ultrasonography. The interobserver and intraobserver reliability of MRI grading by the four raters were determined. The interobserver reliability of ultrasonography among the three radiologists was determined in a separate group of thirty study subjects. The weighted Cohen kappa, percentage agreement, sensitivity, and specificity were calculated. RESULTS The accuracy of ultrasonography for the detection of fatty degeneration, as assessed on the basis of the percentage agreement with MRI, was 92.5% for the supraspinatus and infraspinatus muscles and 87.5% for the teres minor. The sensitivity was 84.6% for the supraspinatus, 95.6% for the infraspinatus, and 87.5% for the teres minor. The specificity was 96.3% for the supraspinatus, 91.2% for the infraspinatus, and 87.5% for the teres minor. The agreement between MRI and ultrasonography was substantial for the supraspinatus and infraspinatus (kappa = 0.78 and 0.71, respectively) and moderate for the teres minor (kappa = 0.47). The interobserver reliability for MRI was substantial for the supraspinatus and infraspinatus (kappa = 0.76 and 0.77, respectively) and moderate for the teres minor (kappa = 0.59). For ultrasonography, the interobserver reliability was substantial for all three muscles (kappa = 0.71 for the supraspinatus, 0.65 for the infraspinatus, and 0.72 for the teres minor). CONCLUSIONS The diagnostic performance of ultrasonography in identifying and grading fatty degeneration of the rotator cuff muscles was comparable with that of MRI. Ultrasonography can be used as the primary diagnostic imaging modality for fatty changes in rotator cuff muscles.