Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Visuospatial Temporal Order Memory Deficits in Older Adults with HIV Infection

Objective:To compare temporal order memory in older adults with and without human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. Background:The frontal and temporal lobes play a key role in temporal order memory for items in a sequence. HIV-associated episodic memory deficits correlate with damage to neocortical interneurons in the fronto-striato-thalamo-cortical pathway and with atypical activation of the medial temporal lobes. Therefore, temporal order memory may be sensitive to neuropathological changes in individuals with HIV. Methods:In this study, 50 HIV-seropositive individuals aged ≥50 years and 50 seronegative controls performed a computerized visuospatial temporal order memory task. During the sample phase of each trial, participants were shown circles presented 1 at a time in a random sequence at the end of each of the 8 arms of a radial maze. During the choice phase, they were shown the maze with a circle at the ends of 2 of the arms and asked which circle had appeared earlier than the other in the original sequence. Results:Performance in both groups improved as a function of greater temporal separation between circle presentations. However, the HIV group had significantly worse memory impairment across all temporal separations, and the impairment was independently associated with clinical deficits in executive function and delayed retrospective memory. Conclusions:Our results extend prior findings that HIV is associated with deficits in strategic aspects of memory encoding and retrieval. The neural mechanisms warrant further research, as do potential impacts on everyday function, eg, adherence to antiretroviral drug regimens.
Cryo-EM structure of the DNA-PK holoenzyme

Significance Double-stranded DNA breaks pose a serious threat to the survival of cells. Nonhomologous end joining (NHEJ) is a crucial DNA repair pathway in which the DNA-dependent protein kinase (DNA-PK) complex, a key holoenzyme consisting of the Ku70/80 heterodimer and the catalytic subunit DNA-PKcs, senses DNA breaks and initiates the NHEJ repair pathway. Here, we present cryo-EM structures of the DNA-PK complex. Together with previous structural and biochemical studies, our structures lead to a partial model for the interactions between DNA-PKcs and the Ku70/80 complex, and reveal how the DNA-PK complex may bring free ends of damaged DNA for repair. DNA-dependent protein kinase (DNA-PK) is a large protein complex central to the nonhomologous end joining (NHEJ) DNA-repair pathway. It comprises the DNA-PK catalytic subunit (DNA-PKcs) and the heterodimer of DNA-binding proteins Ku70 and Ku80. Here, we report the cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) structures of human DNA-PKcs at 4.4-Å resolution and the DNA-PK holoenzyme at 5.8-Å resolution. The DNA-PKcs structure contains three distinct segments: the N-terminal region with an arm and a bridge, the circular cradle, and the head that includes the kinase domain. Two perpendicular apertures exist in the structure, which are sufficiently large for the passage of dsDNA. The DNA-PK holoenzyme cryo-EM map reveals density for the C-terminal globular domain of Ku80 that interacts with the arm of DNA-PKcs. The Ku80-binding site is adjacent to the previously identified density for the DNA-binding region of the Ku70/Ku80 complex, suggesting concerted DNA interaction by DNA-PKcs and the Ku complex.
Eye Detection Based on Skin Color Analysis with Different Poses under Varying Illumination Environment

In this paper, we propose a method of eye detection based on skin color analysis under varying illumination. The proposed method consists of several phases, including color conversion, skin color segmentation and face mask calculation, facial feature extraction and eye candidate determination, and detection of human eyes. To eliminate the effect of lighting change on the performance of eye detection, color conversion is first performed. Face mask calculation based on skin color segmentation is then carried out to reduce the possible searching region of human eyes. Eye candidates detected using facial features are used to define the possible human eyes. Human eyes are thus detected by the geometric features of gravity and spatial centers for these eye candidates. Results show that the proposed method works well for faces with different poses and multiple faces under varying illumination. The eye detection time of 21.8 ms is achieved for an image of size 213x320 pixels, indicating computational efficiency of the proposed system.
Current Steering Digital-to-Analog Converters

Real-world analog signals such as temperature, pressure, sound, or images are routinely converted to a digital representation that can be easily processed in modern digital systems. In many systems, this digital information must be converted back to an analog form to perform some real-world function. The circuits that perform this step are digital-to-analog converters (DACs),and their outputs are used to drive a variety of devices. Loudspeakers, video displays, motors, mechanical servos, radio frequency (RF) transmitters, and temperature controls are just a few diverse examples. DACs are often incorporated into digital systems in which real-world signals are digitized by analog-to-digital converters (ADCs), processed, and then converted back to analog form by DACs. In these systems, the performance required of the DACs will be influenced by the capabilities and requirements of the other components in the system.
Explosive Safety with Regards to Electrostatic Discharge

Static charge is something that most individuals recognize as something that happens when they walk across a carpet, touch their refrigerator and get shocked. Most people seldom recognize that a shock due to static charge, or properly called, Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) is a phenomenon that has significantly damaging effects. Most people who stay informed of the current news, have heard stories of static charge causing a pump at a gas station to start on fire. Some individuals may even recognize that when they change the memory on a computer, they need to ensure that they are properly electrically grounded to prevent damage to any of the sensitive electronic components within their computers. However, it is unlikely that very many individuals would ever consider that an ESD event may be significant enough to initiate an explosive material. Explosives materials are materials that many people might recognize as susceptible to initiation due to mechanical insults. Plastic and foam materials are often used to protect explosives. Unfortunately, often many of these materials are dielectric materials which are susceptible to triboelectric charge transfer, or build-up of static charge, and thus,
SHOP: Simple Hierarchical Ordered Planner

SHOP (Simple Hierarchical Ordered Planner) is a domain-independent HTN planning system with the following characteristics. • SHOP plans for tasks in the same order that they will later be executed. This avoids some goal-interaction issues that arise in other HTN planners, so that the planning algorithm is relatively simple. • Since SHOP knows the complete world-state at each step of the planning process, it can use highly expressive domain representations. For example, it can do planning problems that require complex numeric computations. • In our tests, SHOP was several orders of magnitude faster man Blackbox and several times faster than TLpian, even though SHOP is coded in Lisp and the other planners are coded in C.
Transcriptional program controlled by the floral homeotic gene AGAMOUS during early organogenesis

Floral organs, whose identity is determined by specific combinations of homeotic genes, originate from a group of undifferentiated cells called the floral meristem. In Arabidopsis, the homeotic gene AGAMOUS (AG) terminates meristem activity and promotes development of stamens and carpels. To understand the program of gene expression activated by AG, we followed genome-wide expression during early stamen and carpel development. The AG target genes included most genes for which mutant screens revealed a function downstream of AG. Novel targets were validated by in situ hybridisation and binding to AG in vitro and in vivo. Transcription factors formed a large fraction of AG targets, suggesting that during early organogenesis, much of the genetic program is concerned with elaborating gene expression patterns. The results also suggest that AG and other homeotic proteins with which it interacts (SEPALLATA3, APETALA3, PISTILLATA) are coordinately regulated in a positive-feedback loop to maintain their own expression, and that AG activates biosynthesis of gibberellin, which has been proposed to promote the shift from meristem identity to differentiation.
Extent of inflammation predicts cardiovascular disease and overall mortality in seropositive rheumatoid arthritis. A retrospective cohort study from disease onset.

OBJECTIVE To identify predictors for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and for overall survival in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) followed from disease onset. METHODS A retrospective cohort of patients with seropositive RA and disease onset between 1974 and 1978 (n = 211) was followed up at the end of 1995. Potential predictors for CVD, as measured by "the first cardiovascular event," and for overall survival were registered. The predictors were identified by extended Cox regression models. RESULTS In simple Cox regression analysis, male sex, higher age at disease onset, HLA-B27, high disease activity, corticosteroid treatment early in disease, and hypertension significantly increased risk of cardiovascular event. Higher educational level, extensive disease modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD) treatment, and corticosteroids > or =1 yr before event decreased the risk. In multiple Cox regression analysis, male sex, high age at disease onset, hypertension, higher haptoglobin level at disease onset, and corticosteroid treatment early in disease increased risk of CVD. In a multiple model comprising only patients with CVD, corticosteroids delayed the event. A high last registered erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) value before event increased CVD risk, in particular when early in disease progression. Decreased life span was predicted by higher age at disease onset, male sex, low education level, high disease activity, hypertension, and CVD. HLA-B27 was associated with decreased life span, as was early, but not extensive corticosteroid treatment. DMARD treatment was associated with decreased mortality risk, as was the presence of joint prosthesis. In multiple regression, male sex, higher age at disease onset, atlantoaxial subluxation early in disease, hypertension, and cardiovascular event increased mortality. A high last registered ESR value before event or death added to that risk. CONCLUSION The study emphasizes the importance of inflammation as an important risk indicator for CVD and mortality in RA. The positive impact of disease activity reducing treatment on CVD risk and survival is suggested.
Use of Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization for Rapid Identification of Staphylococci in Blood Culture Samples Collected in a Portuguese Hospital

ABSTRACT Fluorescence in situ hybridization was used for the direct identification of staphylococci in blood cultures collected at a Portuguese hospital where staphylococci account for up to 35% of clinically relevant blood cultures. The assay was able to detect the presence/absence of staphylococci and distinguish Staphylococcus aureus from coagulase-negative staphylococci in 4.5 h.
A five-year study of experimental drop size distributions for rain attenuation in Madrid

The analysis of experimental drop size distributions (DSDs) is useful to characterise rainfall phenomena in order to provide improved attenuation predictions, particularly at millimetre-wave frequencies. A study on disdrometer data collected during five years is being performed with this aim. In this paper, results such as year to year variability of the DSDs for different rainfall rate ranges, or the variation of specific attenuation with drop sizes, are presented.
First commentary on haramundanis

Let me begin by stating that I share Ms. Haramundanis' concern with the recent explosion in the creation and use of icons among interface designers and so,ware developers. I suspect that, like myself, almost everyone who has used virtually any kind of software product produced since the introduction of graphic user interfaces in the mid'80s has encountered at least one set of undecipherable visual labels whose intended meaning probably would have been conveyed more efficiently and unambiguously as words. In fact, I don't even have to go to my computer for an example: ! can't decipher all of the icons on the control panel for the elevator in my building.
Why Do People Hurt Themselves?

Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) is a prevalent but perplexing behavior problem in which people deliberately harm themselves without lethal intent. Research reveals that NSSI typically has its onset during early adolescence; most often involves cutting or carving the skin; and appears equally prevalent across sexes, ethnicities, and socioeconomic statuses. Less is known about why people engage in NSSI. This article presents a theoretical model of the development and maintenance of NSSI. Rather than a symptom of mental disorder, NSSI is conceptualized as a harmful behavior that can serve several intrapersonal (e.g., affect regulation) and interpersonal (e.g., help-seeking) functions. Risk of NSSI is increased by general factors that contribute to problems with affect regulation or interpersonal communication (e.g., childhood abuse) and by specific factors that influence the decision to use NSSI rather than some other behavior to serve these functions (e.g., social modeling). This model synthesizes research from several different areas of the literature and points toward several lines of research needed to further advance the understanding of why people hurt themselves.
Applied Technology in Evoked Auditory Response In Vivo Animal Cochlea by 980nm Pulsed Laser Light

Optical cochlear implant is an emerging applied technology of stimulating auditory neurons by using pulsed laser light as a stimulus to evoke neural activity instead of electrical currents. Laser stimulation has more potential in accuracy and high frequency resolution than electrical stimulation. In this paper we demonstrated a fiber laser system (980nm) to irradiate on guinea pig cochlear in vivo for the first time. The pulsed laser stimulation successfully evoked auditory nervous impulse, similar to acoustic stimulation. And the performance under different laser pulse intensity and pulse width is further tested and discussed. The results show that the 980nm pulsed laser stimulation with microsecond level width is effective and safe to evoke auditory response. Photoacoustic or photothermal effects maybe the main mechanism. In the end, we put forward some prospects of the applied technology in cochlear implant.
Mining Frequent Sequences for Emails in Cyber Forensics Investigation

The goal of Digital forensics process is to preserve any evidence in its most original form while performing a structured investigation by collecting, identifying and validating the digital information for the investigation of particular digital crime. Today we are living in the information age, all the information which is transferred over the internet is through the digital devices. With the advent of world-wide web, advanced forms of digital crimes came into picture. Criminal uses the Digital devices to commit Digital crime, so for the investigation forensic Experts have to adopt practical frameworks and methods to recover data for analysis which can comprise as evidence. Investigation of Digital forensics adopts three essential processes: Data Generation, Data Preparation and Data warehousing. Data Mining has unlimited potential in the field of Digital Forensics. Computer forensics is an emerging discipline investigating the computer crime. In this paper we are introducing the cyber Forensics using Sequence Mining algorithm, by comparing it with association rule mining algorithm parameters.
The Experimental Treatment of Corneal Graft Rejection with the Interleukin-1 Receptor Antagonist (IL-1ra) Gene

Purpose To investigate the protective effects of interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1ra) gene transfer in a rat model of corneal graft rejection. Methods We constructed a recombinant plasmid (pcDNA3.1-hIL-1ra) with high IL-1ra expression in eukaryotic cells. Using a Wistar-SD rat model of corneal graft rejection, we examined the effects of IL-1ra in vivo after cationic polymer jetPEI-mediated nonviral gene delivery. Four groups were included: negative controls (group I, n = 20), pcDNA3.1-hIL-1ra corneal stromal injection (group II, n = 34), pcDNA3.1-hIL-1ra anterior chamber injection (group III, n = 34), and 500 µg/ml IL-1ra protein subconjunctiva injection (group IV, n = 20). IL-1ra expression after transfection was evaluated by real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and western blotting. The rejection indices of corneal grafts were analysed in the different groups. The expression levels of transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1), inflammatory chemokines including RANTES, interleukin-1 (IL-1) and the numbers of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in the grafts were determined by biochemical assays at different time points after corneal transplantation. Results Various degrees of inflammatory cell infiltration and graft neovascularisation were observed by histopathology. After injecting the pcDNA3.1-hIL-1ra plasmid into the cornea, IL-1ra mRNA and protein expression was detected in the corneal stroma and reached a peak on day 3. The graft survival curves indicated that the corneal transparency rates of grafts in the IL-1ra gene-treated group and the IL-1ra protein-treated group were higher compared with the untreated group (P<0.05). During the period of acute rejection, TGF-β1, RANTES, IL-1α and IL-1β levels in the grafts in the IL-1ra treatment groups were lower than the control group (P<0.05). CD4+ and CD8+ T cell counts were reduced significantly in the corneal grafts of groups II, III and IV compared with group I (P<0.05). Conclusion Interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1ra) gene transfer treatment inhibits graft rejection after corneal transplantation through the downregulation of immune mediators.
A Graphical and Open Source Matlab-GAMS interface for Electricity Market Models

This paper describes the PSAT-GAMS interface to solve a variety of optimization models. The Power System Analysis Toolbox (PSAT) is an open source Matlab-based software package for analysis and design of small to medium size electric power systems. While the General Algebraic Modeling System (GAMS) is a high-level modeling system for mathematical programing problems. It consists of a language compiler and a variety of integrated high-performance solvers. A bridge between GAMS and Matlab allows using sophisticated nonlinear optimization tools with the visualization tools provided by Matlab. Examples based on a didactic 3-bus test system and the RTS-96 24-bus system are presented to illustrate the capabilities of the interface.
Hot-cracking studies of Inconel 718 weld- heat-affected zones

Hot ductility tests, gas-tungsten-arc fillerless fusion tests, and circle patch-weld-restraint tests were conducted on Inconel 718 to better understand and correlate the weldability /resistance to hot cracking/ of the alloy. A correlation of the test results with composition, heat-treat condition, grain size, and microstructure was made.
Genomic confirmation of nutrient‐dependent mutability of mutators in Escherichia coli

Mutators with increased mutation rates are prevalent in various environments and have important roles in accelerating adaptive evolution. Previous studies on mutator strains of microorganisms have shown that some mutators have constant mutation rates, whereas others exhibit switchable mutation rates depending on nutritional conditions. This suggests that the contributions of mutators on evolution vary with fluctuating nutritional conditions. However, such conditional mutability has been unclear at the genomic level. In addition, it is still unknown why mutation rates change with nutritional condition. Here, we used two mutator strains of Escherichia coli to explore the nutrient dependence of mutation rates at the genomic level. These strains were transferred repeatedly under different nutritional conditions for hundreds of generations to accumulate mutations. Whole‐genome sequencing of the offspring showed that the nutrient dependence of the mutation rates was pervasive at the genomic scale. Neutrality in the mutation accumulation processes and constancy in the mutational bias suggested that nutrient dependence was not derived from conditional selective purges or from shifts of mutational bias. Some mutators could simply switch their mutation rates for both transitions and transversions in response to nutritional shifts.
Increase in social inequality in health expectancy in Denmark

Aims: Health expectancy represents the average lifetime in various states of health and differs among social groups. The purpose of the study was to determine trends in social inequality in health expectancy since 1994 between groups with high, medium and low educational levels in Denmark. Methods: The study was based on data from nationwide registers on educational level and mortality during the period 1994—2005 and data on health status derived from the Danish Health Interview Surveys carried out in 1994, 2000 and 2005. Expected lifetime in self-rated good and poor health, lifetime without and with longstanding illness and expected lifetime without and with long-lasting difficulties or restrictions were estimated by Sullivan's method. Results: Between 1994 and 2005, life expectancy at age 30 years increased by 1.9 years for men and 1.5 years for women with a low educational level. For people with a high educational level, the increase was 2.7 years for men and 2.2 years for women. The difference between people with low and high educational level in expected lifetime in self-rated good health increased by 2.0 and 1.3 years for 30-year-old men and women, respectively. The social gap also increased for other indicators. Conclusions: During the past 12 years, social inequality in life expectancy and health expectancy has increased in Denmark, but the proportion of the population with a low educational level has decreased.
Environmental Factors Preceding Aβ40 Monomer to Oligomers and the Detection of Oligomers in Alzheimer's Disease Patient Serum

We present here environmental factors including pH shifts, temperature, and metal ions surrounding Aβ40 monomer to precede the oligomers. We also suggest a new idea to detect Aβ40 oligomers with anti-Aβ40 monoclonal antibody using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. This method involves the different sensitivity of the thermal shifts between Aβ40 monomer and the oligomers. The idea is useful for the diagnostics of Alzheimer's disease to detect Aβ40 oligomers in the serum from the patients.