Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Reversible watermarking based on sorting prediction scheme

Reversible watermarking has drawn a lot of interest in recent years. To be reversible mean the original digital carrier can be completely restored. Sachnev et al proposed reversible watermarking algorithm by combining prediction technology, histogram shifting technology and sorting technology, which has good performance, however, their method is against the characteristics of the human visual system. In this paper, we propose a reversible watermarking algorithm to improve Sachnev et al algorithm by using new sorting method. The performance of the proposed reversible watermarking algorithm is evaluated and compared with Sachnev et al method. The results indicate that the proposed scheme can embed data with less distortion.
Cortisol and α-Amylase Secretion Patterns between and within Depressed and Non-Depressed Individuals

Objectives Associations between biological stress markers and depression are inconsistent across studies. We assessed whether inter- and intra-individual variability explain these inconsistencies. Methods Pair-matched depressed and non-depressed participants (N = 30) collected saliva thrice a day for 30 days, resulting in 90 measurements per individual. The relationships between measures of stress-system function and depression were examined at the group level by means of mixed model analyses, and at the individual level by means of pair-matched comparisons. The analyses were repeated after adjusting for time-varying lifestyle factors by means of time-series regression analyses. Results Cortisol and α-amylase levels were higher, the α-amylase/cortisol ratio larger, and the daily cortisol slope steeper in the depressed compared to the non-depressed group. Adjusting for lifestyle factors and antidepressant use reduced the associations under study. In 40%–60% of the matched comparisons, depressed individuals had higher cortisol and α-amylase levels, a larger α-amylase/cortisol ratio, and a steeper daily slope than their non-depressed match, regardless of adjustment. Conclusions Our group-level findings were mostly in line with the literature but generalization to individuals appeared troublesome. Findings of studies on this topic should be interpreted with care, because in clinical practice the focus is on individuals instead of groups.
The Effects of Age and HIV on Neuropsychological Performance

Abstract Both HIV and aging impact performance on neuropsychological testing; however, evidence for differences between HIV effects in younger compared to older subjects (interaction effects) is limited and the findings have been inconsistent. Coexisting morbidities that contribute to cognitive impairment in HIV include those not directly referable to infection, per se, and are more prevalent with advancing age, increasing the likelihood that HIV and age effects may be largely independent. As individuals survive with HIV into geriatric age groups, greater clarity on these relationships is essential. We present cross-sectional data from a large (n = 450) cohort designed to analyze HIV, age, and interaction effects using a well-matched cohort of HIV-negative individuals. Results reveal limited evidence for interaction effects between HIV and age on neuropsychological performance. We conclude that older age does not significantly influence neuropsychological performance among HIV patients when seronegative controls are largely composed of individuals from a similar socioeconomic background. (JINS, 2011, 17, 1–6)
Emerging Problems in Infectious Diseases Influenza pandemics : a historical retrospect

The recent global outbreak of human cases of swine origin influenza A (H1N1) has spread fear that this virus will be of pandemic proportions causing high morbidity and mortality. While it is too early to determine the pandemic nature of swine origin influenza A (H1N1), it may be useful to look at the history of influenza pandemics described since recorded history. The first well-documented outbreak that fits a description of a pandemic occurred in 1580, originating in Asia and sweeping through Europe, Africa, and the Americas along trade routes [1]. In Asia the local people gave it the name of ―wind illness‖ to indicate the speed of propagation. Then, at intervals of roughly one to four decades, thirty-one influenza pandemics have occurred [2,3]: three over the past century in 1918-19, 1957, and 1968 (Fig.1); and six in the 19th century in 18001801, 1837, 1843, 1857, 1874, and in 1889-92. The latter was known as the ―Russian flu‖ in Western Europe. Beginning in May 1889 in Bokara, Central Asia, the Russian flu travelled quickly through Russia and Germany and then into Western Europe along the new rail networks [4]. While not having the severity of the so-called ―Spanish flu‖ outbreak of 1918-19, the 1889-92 pandemic caused extensive morbidity and high general mortality with approximately 250,000 deaths in Europe [5] (Table1).
Metabolic pathways promoting intrahepatic fatty acid accumulation in methionine and choline deficiency: implications for the pathogenesis of steatohepatitis

The pathological mechanisms that distinguish simple steatosis from steatohepatitis (or NASH, with consequent risk of cirrhosis and hepatocellular cancer) remain incompletely defined. Whereas both a methionine- and choline-deficient diet (MCDD) and a choline-deficient diet (CDD) lead to hepatic triglyceride accumulation, MCDD alone is associated with hepatic insulin resistance and inflammation (steatohepatitis). We used metabolic tracer techniques, including stable isotope ([13C4]palmitate) dilution and mass isotopomer distribution analysis (MIDA) of [13C2]acetate, to define differences in intrahepatic fatty acid metabolism that could explain the contrasting effect of MCDD and CDD on NASH in C57Bl6 mice. Compared with control-supplemented (CS) diet, liver triglyceride pool sizes were similarly elevated in CDD and MCDD groups (24.37 ± 2.4, 45.94 ± 3.9, and 43.30 ± 3.5 μmol/liver for CS, CDD, and MCDD, respectively), but intrahepatic neutrophil infiltration and plasma alanine aminotransferase (31 ± 3, 48 ± 4, 231 ± 79 U/l, P < 0.05) were elevated only in MCDD mice. However, despite loss of peripheral fat in MCDD mice, neither the rate of appearance of palmitate (27.2 ± 3.5, 26.3 ± 2.3, and 28.3 ± 3.5 μmol·kg−1·min−1) nor the contribution of circulating fatty acids to the liver triglyceride pool differed between groups. Unlike CDD, MCDD had a defect in hepatic triglyceride export that was confirmed using intravenous tyloxapol (142 ± 21, 122 ± 15, and 80 ± 7 mg·kg−1·h−1, P < 0.05). Moreover, hepatic de novo lipogenesis was significantly elevated in the MCDD group only (1.4 ± 0.3, 2.3 ± 0.4, and 3.4 ± 0.4 μmol/day, P < 0.01). These findings suggest that important alterations in hepatic fatty acid metabolism may promote the development of steatohepatitis. Similar mechanisms may predispose to hepatocyte damage in human NASH.
A method for investigating the role of calcium in the shape change, aggregation and serotonin release of rat platelets.

1. Effects of the platelet secretagogues thrombin and Concanavalin A (Con A) on shape change and release have been studied under conditions where external Ca2+ and ADP have been controlled. 2. In the absence of detectable aggregation both Con A‐ and thrombin‐induced release of serotonin are markedly dependent upon extracellular calcium. 3. Con A, unlike thrombin, does not produce aggregation in calcium‐supplemented medium. 4. The above property of Con A suggests that, in combination with added creatine phosphate and creatine phosphokinase, this ligand will be of value in the analysis of calcium‐dependent release in platelets.
Child-Parent Attachment and Response to Threat: A Move from the Level of Representation

“We are here concerned with nothing less than the nature of love and its origins in the attachment of a baby to his mother. According to this viewpoint, attachment originates in a few specific patterns of behavior, some of which are manifest at birth and some of which develop shortly afterward. Attachment is not present at birth, however; it emerges gradually through a course of development, and it is perhaps a matter of more or less arbitrary definition to identify the point at which it could be said to have finally emerged. Attachment is manifested through these patterns of behavior but the patterns do not themselves constitute the attachment. Attachment is internal. We can conceive of attachment as somehow being built into the nervous system, in the course of and as a result of the infant’s experience of his transactions with his mother and with other people. This internalized something that we call attachment has aspects of feelings, memories, wishes, expectancies, and intentions, all of which constitute an inner program acquired through experience and somehow built into a flexible yet retentive inner mechanism (which we identify with central nervous system functions) which serves as a kind of filter for the reception and interpretation of interpersonal experience and as a kind of template shaping the nature of outwardly observable response. ”
Quantitative proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy of the cervical spinal cord

Proton MR spectroscopy (1H‐MRS) provides indices of neuronal damage in the central nervous system (CNS); however, it has not been extensively applied in the spinal cord. This work describes an optimized proton spectroscopy protocol for examination of the human cervical spinal cord. B0 field mapping of the cord revealed periodic inhomogeneities due to susceptibility differences with surrounding tissue. By combining field maps and experimental data, we found that the optimum voxel size was 9 × 7 × 35 mm3 placed with the inferior end of the voxel above vertebral body C2. Metabolite concentrations were determined in the cervical cord in six healthy controls by short‐echo point‐resolved spectroscopy (PRESS) volume localization. The results were compared with metabolite concentrations in the brainstem, cerebellum, and cortex in the same individuals. The concentrations in the cervical cord were as follows: N‐acetyl‐aspartate (NAA) 17.3 ± 0.5, creatine (Cr) 9.5 ± 0.9, and choline 2.7 ± 0.5 mmol/l. The NAA concentration was significantly lower in the cord than in the brainstem (Mann‐Whitney, P < 0.025), and higher than in the cortex (P < 0.005) and cerebellum (P < 0.005). Cr was significantly lower in the cord than in the cerebellum (P < 0.05). There were no significant differences between Cr concentrations in the spinal cord compared to the cortex and brainstem. Magn Reson Med 51:1122–1128, 2004. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Iterative Synchronisation and DC-Offset Estimation using Superimposed Training

In this paper, we propose a new iterative approach for superimposed training (ST) that improves synchronisation, DC-offset estimation and channel estimation. While synchronisation algorithms for ST have previously been proposed in A.G. Orozco-Lugo et al. (2004), J.K. Tugnait and W. Luo (2004) and E. Alameda-Hernandez et al., due to interference from the data they performed sub-optimally, resulting in channel estimates with unknown delays. These delay ambiguities (also present in the equaliser) were estimated in previous papers in a non-practical manner. In this paper we avoid the need for estimation of this delay ambiguity by iteratively removing the effect of the data "noise". The result is a BER performance superior to all other ST algorithms that have not assumed a-priori synchronisation.
Thymic stromal lymphopoietin

Thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) is an epithelial cell‐derived cytokine expressed in skin, gut, lungs, and thymus. TSLP signals via a TSLP receptor (TSLPR), a heterodimer of the IL‐7 receptor α chain and the TSLPR chain. The TSLPR chain is closely related to the common receptor γ chain that is expressed on a wide range of cell types in the adaptive and innate immune system. TSLP exerts a profound influence on the polarization of dendritic cells to drive T helper (Th) 2 cytokine production. TSLP also directly promotes T‐cell proliferation in response to T‐cell receptor activation and Th2 cytokine production and supports B‐cell expansion and differentiation. TSLP further amplifies Th2 cytokine production by mast cells and natural killer T cells. These properties confer on TSLP a critical role in driving Th2‐mediated inflammation. This role is supported by the finding that TSLP expression is upregulated in keratinocytes of atopic dermatitis skin lesions and in bronchial epithelial cells in asthma.
HLA and disease associations.

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Comparison of Illumigene, Simplexa, and AmpliVue Clostridium difficile Molecular Assays for Diagnosis of C. difficile Infection

ABSTRACT We compared the performance of the Simplexa Universal Direct (Focus Diagnostics) and AmpliVue (Quidel Corporation) assays to that of the Illumigene assay (Meridian Bioscience, Inc.) for the diagnosis of Clostridium difficile infection. Two hundred deidentified remnant diarrheal stool specimens were tested by the Simplexa, AmpliVue, and Illumigene methods. Specimens with discrepant results among the three assays and a representative number of concordant specimens were further evaluated by toxigenic culture. The sensitivity and specificity were 98 and 100% and 96 and 100% for the Simplexa Universal Direct and AmpliVue assays, respectively. Both assays are easy to perform, with rapid turn-around-times, supporting their utility in the clinical laboratory as routine diagnostic platforms.
A theoretical solution for PWM with non-ideal transient response

The ideal theoretical spectral analysis for PWM has been available for decades. However, PWM actually suffers from non-ideal switching characteristics and their effects on the output spectrum have not been thoroughly studied theoretically due to the complexity involved. Transient ringing on both rising and falling edges is a common phenomenon during switching and it has been held responsible for harmonic distortion, judging from experimental results. In this paper, we present a theoretical technique to model the PWM with transient ringing using a second-order circuit. This theoretical solution is the first of its kind available in the literature and it helps us to understand the distortion effects on the spectrum due to transient ringing. Simulations have been carried out to verify the correctness of the theoretical solution.
Edge Detector of SAR Images Using Gaussian-Gamma-Shaped Bi-Windows

By introducing Gaussian-Gamma-shaped (GGS) bi-windows instead of traditional rectangle bi-windows, a new ratio-based edge detector is proposed to extract thin edges of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images. As poor 2-D smoothing filters, the rectangle window functions are shown to be apt to incur false-edge pixels near true edges. Using the GGS window functions reduces false-edge pixels near true edges, which can be verified by analyzing effective false maxima in the edge strength maps (ESMs). Operating the nonmaximum suppression and hysteresis thresholding on the ratio-based ESM using GGS bi-windows yields thin edges of SAR images. The receiver-operating-characteristic curve is used to evaluate edge detectors. The experimental results to a synthetic SAR image show that the detector using GGS bi-windows attains better performance than the one using rectangle bi-windows.
Safety and Efficacy of Tetrabenazine and Use of Concomitant Medications During Long-Term, Open-Label Treatment of Chorea Associated with Huntington’s and Other Diseases

Background Although tetrabenazine, a drug that depletes presynaptic dopamine by inhibiting vesicular monoamine transporter 2 (VMAT2), was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2008 for the treatment of chorea associated with Huntington’s disease (HD), there is a paucity of data on its long-term efficacy and safety. Methods Approximately 2,000 patients with a variety of hyperkinetic movement disorders had been treated with open-label tetrabenazine at the Movement Disorders Clinic, Baylor College of Medicine, since 1979. Tetrabenazine was usually started at 12.5 mg/day, and the dosage was gradually increased (up to 300 mg/day). Responses were rated by the investigator 1–5, with 1 = marked chorea reduction, excellent improvement in function; 2 = moderate chorea reduction, very good improvement in function; 3 = fair chorea improvement, only mild improvement in function; 4 = poor or no response for chorea and function; and 5 = worsening chorea, some functional deterioration. Efficacy and safety were analyzed retrospectively. Results By 2004, 98 HD chorea patients had received tetrabenazine for a mean of 3.1 years (range ≤1–11.4 years). Of those with valid ratings, 75% had either marked or very good responses (rating 1 or 2) at their optimal dosages. The most common adverse events occurring in ≥5% of the patients were somnolence (39%), insomnia (33%), depression (31%), accidental injury (26%), and dysphagia (19%). Efficacy and safety were comparable to results for non-HD chorea patients. Discussion Tetrabenazine treatment was associated with long-term improvement in chorea. Adverse event rates were comparable to those reported from controlled trials.
Supporting the Specification and Serialization of Planned Architectures in Architecture-Driven Modernization Context

Architecture-Driven Modernization (ADM) intends to standardize software reengineering by relying on a family of standard metamodels. Knowledge-Discovery Metamodel (KDM) is the main ADM ISO metamodel aiming at representing all aspects of existing legacy systems. One of the internal KDM metamodels is called Structure, responsible for representing architectural abstractions (Layers, Components and Subsystems) and their relationships. Planned Architecture (PA) is an artifact that involves not only the architectural abstractions of the system but also the access rules that must exist between them and be maintained over time. Although PAs are frequently used in Architecture-Conformance Checking processes, up to this moment, there is no contribution showing how to specify and serialize PAs in ADM-based modernization projects. Therefore, in this paper we present an approach that i) involves a DSL (Domain-Specific Language) for the specification of PAs using the Structure metamodel concepts, and ii) proposes a strategy for the serialization of PAs as a Structure metamodel instance without modifying it. We have conducted a comparison between DCL-KDM and other techniques for specifying and generating PAs. The results showed that DCL-KDM is an efficient alternative to to generate instances of the Structure metamodel as a PA and to serialize it.
Increased levels of transcription factors Elk-1, cyclic adenosine monophosphate response element-binding protein, and activating transcription factor 2 in the cerebellar vermis of schizophrenic patients.

BACKGROUND We investigated the levels of transcription factors associated with activation of the mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase pathway in schizophrenics using postmortem brain samples. These studies were done to determine whether our previous findings of abnormal levels of the MAP kinases in the cerebellar vermis were linked to additional downstream targets of this signal transduction pathway. METHOD We measured the protein levels of 3 transcription factors in nuclear fractions of postmortem samples from cerebellar vermis of 10 patients with schizophrenia and 13 control subjects: Elk-1, cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) response element binding protein (CREB), and activating transcription factor 2 (ATF-2). Studies in rats examined the postmortem stability and effect of haloperidol and risperidone on levels of Elk-1, cAMP, and ATF-2 proteins. RESULTS We found a significant increase in the protein levels of Elk-1 (mean+SD, 4489+/-659 vs 2915+/-583 arbitrary densitometric units [P<.001]), CREB (mean +/- SD, 2149 1061 vs 904+/-711 arbitrary densitometric units [P=.003]) and ATF-2 (mean+/-SD, 1421 854 vs 512+/-394 arbitrary densitometric units [P=.003]) in the cerebellar vermis of schizophrenic subjects. Complementary studies in rats indicate that these findings can not be attributed to subacute treatment with antipsychotic medications. CONCLUSION Taken together with the alterations of MAP kinases previously reported, and the findings of elevations of downstream transcription targets, we suggest that the MAP kinase signal transduction pathway contributes to the cerebellar abnormalities in schizophrenia.
A Novel Fast Error-resilient Video Coding Scheme for H.264

Both perceptually and statistically, compressed video with large or disordered motion is sensitive to errors. In this paper, we propose a novel fast error-resilient video coding scheme, which is based on significant macroblock (MB) determination and protection. The scheme takes three impact factors (inter-block mode, motion vector difference and SAD value) to build a statistical model. The model takes error concealment (EC) into consideration in advance and generates several parameters for further significant degree (SD) evaluation for MBs. During encoding, we build an SD table for each frame based on the parameters and pick up those MBs with the largest SD values as significant MBs (SMBs). Few additional computations are induced into SMB determination, thus make our scheme practical in real time video coding scenarios. Simulations show that the scheme has an acceptable SMB determination accuracy and the corresponding protection method can prevent errors effectively
Characterization of Novel CSF Tau and ptau Biomarkers for Alzheimer’s Disease

Cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) Aβ42, tau and p181tau are widely accepted biomarkers of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Numerous studies show that CSF tau and p181tau levels are elevated in mild-to-moderate AD compared to age-matched controls. In addition, these increases might predict preclinical AD in cognitively normal elderly. Despite their importance as biomarkers, the molecular nature of CSF tau and ptau is not known. In the current study, reverse-phase high performance liquid chromatography was used to enrich and concentrate tau prior to western-blot analysis. Multiple N-terminal and mid-domain fragments of tau were detected in pooled CSF with apparent sizes ranging from <20 kDa to ~40 kDa. The pattern of tau fragments in AD and control samples were similar. In contrast, full-length tau and C-terminal-containing fragments were not detected. To quantify levels, five tau ELISAs and three ptau ELISAs were developed to detect different overlapping regions of the protein. The discriminatory potential of each assay was determined using 20 AD and 20 age-matched control CSF samples. Of the tau ELISAs, the two assays specific for tau containing N-terminal sequences, amino acids 9-198 (numbering based on tau 441) and 9-163, exhibited the most significant differences between AD and control samples. In contrast, CSF tau was not detected with an ELISA specific for a more C-terminal region (amino acids 159-335). Significant discrimination was also observed with ptau assays measuring amino acids 159-p181 and 159-p231. Interestingly, the discriminatory potential of p181 was reduced when measured in the context of tau species containing amino acids 9-p181. Taken together, these results demonstrate that tau in CSF occurs as a series of fragments and that discrimination of AD from control is dependent on the subset of tau species measured. These assays provide novel tools to investigate CSF tau and ptau as biomarkers for other neurodegenerative diseases.