Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Macro-Structural Dispersion Characteristic of Brain White Matter and Its Application to Bipolar Disorder

Objective: Our goal is to find distinct characteristics of brain white matter in bipolar disorder, of which the development of diagnostic imaging measures is necessary for early diagnosis and prospective studies. Methods: Given a tractogram dataset which is a dense set of white matter fiber pathways of the whole brain obtained from diffusion magnetic resonance imaging, we propose to compute a global measure for a voxel from the dispersion statistics of a set of fibers which indicates the complexity of the white matter voxel not locally but at macroscopic scales. Results: Our findings demonstrate that macro-structural dispersion information is significant for discrimination of the bipolar patients from the healthy controls, particularly in the frontally associative bundles such as cingulum and inferior occipito-frontal fascicles. Conclusion: The proposed measure is as informative as the local diffusion measures for the detection of changes in the white matter regions. Significance: Our findings show that the proposed measure is a potential diagnostic imaging marker in bipolar disorder and the proposed novel dispersion map of the brain could be used for other neurological applications.
Hydraulically Steerable Micro Guidewire Capable of Distal Sharp Steering

Current steerable catheters or guidewires often cannot advance into small diameter vessels due to their large diameters or lack of sharp steering capacity. This paper proposes a hydraulically steerable guidewire with 400 μm diameter, which can access 1 mm diameter vessels whose branching angle is larger than 90 degrees. The designed steering mechanism consists of a flexible eccentric tube with inner micro patterns, which can bend in two different curvatures when pressurized. Its distal sharp curve of the 2 mm segment allows access to small diameter vessels because it provides a large steering angle even in confinement inside the narrow vessels. Its proximal gradual curve of the 9 mm segment allows access to relatively large diameter vessels because of its large steering distance. Fabrication of the steering mechanism uses a template and does not use adhesion or division. A 3D printed cylindrical template is patterned by stamping and chemically removed after silicone coating. The performance of selective insertion of the proposed guidewire is evaluated in a blood circulatory system specially developed to mimic human arterial environment. It emulates viscosity, pressure, and flow velocity inside the blood vessels as well as bifurcation geometry. Experiment result shows that the proposed guidewire can access 1 mm diameter vessels with 128 degrees of bifurcation angle. The developed guidewire uses only biocompatible materials including driving fluid.
Parameter invariance in field theory and the Hamiltonian formalism.

The deparametrization problem for parameter-invariant Lagrangian densities defined over J(1)(N, F), is solved in terms of a projection onto a suitable jet bundle. The Hamilton-Cartan formalism for such Lagrangians is then introduced and the pre-symplectic structure of such Variational problems is proved to be project able through the aforementioned projection. Specific examples with physical meaning are also analyzed. 1998 PACS codes. 02.20. Tw Infinite-dimensional Lie groups, 02.30. Wd Calculus of variations and optimal control, 02.40. Ky Riemannian,geometries, 02.40. Ma Global differential geometry, 02.40. Vh Global analysis and analysis on manifolds, 04.20. Fy Canonical formalism, Lagrangians, and variational principles, 11.10. Ef Lagrangian and Hamiltonian approach, 11.10. Kk Field theories in dimensions other than four, 11.25. Sq Nonperturbative techniques; string field theory. 1991 Mathematics Subject Classification. Primary: 58E30 Variational principles; Secondary: 53B20 Local Riemannian geometry, 58A20 Jets, 58E12 Applications to minimal surfaces (problems in two independent variables), 58G35 Invariance and symmetry properties, 81S10 Geometric quantization, symplectic methods, 83E30 String and superstring theories.
Equivalent Circuit Model for a Large Array of Coupled Piezoelectric Micromachined Ultrasonic Transducers With High Emission Performance

In this article, an analytical equivalent circuit model is established for the piezoelectric micromachined ultrasonic transducer (PMUT) cell and array with a combination of the annular and circular diaphragms used for structural optimization and complex array design. Based on this model, a comprehensive analysis is conducted on the acoustic-structural coupling of an annular and circular diaphragm-coupled PMUT (AC-PMUT) with a new excitation method. The model-derived results are in good agreement with the simulation and experimental results. Then, an optimized design has been presented to achieve high-output pressure and a good array working performance. In summary, a comparison of the array working performance is conducted between the arrays that consist of AC-PMUTs and traditional circular diaphragm PMUTs (C-PMUTs). The results indicate that the AC-PMUT array has a much lower crosstalk effect than that of the traditional C-PMUT array. By this means, the AC-PMUT array can fully use the high vibration amplitude achieved by each AC-PMUT cell to improve its output ability. As a result, the highest ultrasonic output pressure generated by the AC-PMUT array in its resonant condition can achieve an increase of 155%, compared with that generated by the C-PMUT array.
Protein Nanowires: the Electrification of the Microbial World and Maybe Our Own

Electrically conductive protein nanowires appear to be widespread in the microbial world and are a revolutionary “green” material for the fabrication of electronic devices. Electrically conductive pili (e-pili) assembled from type IV pilin monomers have independently evolved multiple times in microbial history as have electrically conductive archaella (e-archaella) assembled from homologous archaellin monomers. A role for e-pili in long-range (micrometer) extracellular electron transport has been demonstrated in some microbes. ABSTRACT Electrically conductive protein nanowires appear to be widespread in the microbial world and are a revolutionary “green” material for the fabrication of electronic devices. Electrically conductive pili (e-pili) assembled from type IV pilin monomers have independently evolved multiple times in microbial history as have electrically conductive archaella (e-archaella) assembled from homologous archaellin monomers. A role for e-pili in long-range (micrometer) extracellular electron transport has been demonstrated in some microbes. The surprising finding of e-pili in syntrophic bacteria and the role of e-pili as conduits for direct interspecies electron transfer have necessitated a reassessment of routes for electron flux in important methanogenic environments, such as anaerobic digesters and terrestrial wetlands. Pilin monomers similar to those found in e-pili may also be a major building block of the conductive “cables” that transport electrons over centimeter distances through continuous filaments of cable bacteria consisting of a thousand cells or more. Protein nanowires harvested from microbes have many functional and sustainability advantages over traditional nanowire materials and have already yielded novel electronic devices for sustainable electricity production, neuromorphic memory, and sensing. e-pili can be mass produced with an Escherichia coli chassis, providing a ready source of material for electronics as well as for studies on the basic mechanisms for long-range electron transport along protein nanowires. Continued exploration is required to better understand the electrification of microbial communities with microbial nanowires and to expand the “green toolbox” of sustainable materials for wiring and powering the emerging “Internet of things. ”
Fenestration of the cervical internal carotid artery misdiagnosed as dissection

Internal carotid artery (ICA) anatomical variations are relatively rare occurrences during diagnostic imaging procedures. Their presence can have important prognostic consequences in the evaluation of vascular neurological diseases. It is therefore important to have a good knowledge about these variations, in order to avoid unwarranted medical interventions. We present the case of a patient harboring a right ICA fenestration in the cervical segment, misdiagnosed as a dissection on computed tomography angiography, admitted in the Department of Neurology and treated accordingly. The possible pathological and embryological origins of arterial fenestrations are discussed, and a brief review of the literature related to ICA fenestrations is presented.
Gait Adaptation Using a Cable-Driven Active Leg Exoskeleton (C-ALEX) With Post-Stroke Participants

Individuals with chronic hemiparesis post-stroke exhibit gait impairments that require functional rehabilitation through training. Exoskeletal robotic assistive devices can provide a user with continuous assistance but impose movement restrictions. There are currently devices that allow unrestricted movement but provide assistance only intermittently at specific points of the gait cycle. Our design, a cable-driven active leg exoskeleton (C-ALEX), allows the user both unrestricted movement and continuous force assistance throughout the gait cycle to assist the user in new walking patterns. In this study, we assessed the ability of C-ALEX to induce a change in the walking patterns of ten post-stroke participants using a single-session training protocol. The ability of C-ALEX to accurately provide forces and torques in the desired directions was also evaluated to compare its design performance to traditional rigid-link designs. Participants were able to reach 91% ± 12% of their target step length and 89% ± 13% of their target step height. The achieved step parameters differed significantly from participant baselines ( ${p} < {0.05}$ ). To quantify the performance, the forces in each cable’s out of the plane movements were evaluated relative to the in-plane desired cable tension magnitudes. This corresponded to an error of under 2Nm in the desired controlled joint torques. This error magnitude is low compared to the system command torques and typical adult biological torques during walking (2–4%). These results point to the utility of using non-restrictive cable-driven architectures in gait retraining, in which future focus can be on rehabilitating gait pathologies seen in stroke survivors.
Chronic stress in adolescence differentially affects cocaine vulnerability in adulthood in a selectively bred rat model of individual differences: role of accumbal dopamine signaling

Abstract Stress during adolescence has profound effects on the onset and severity of substance use later in life. However, not everyone with adverse experiences during this period will go on to develop a substance use disorder in adulthood, and the factors that alter susceptibility to substance use remain unknown. Here, we investigated individual differences in response to stress and drugs of abuse using our selectively bred high-responder (bHR) and low-responder (bLR) rats. These animals model extremes of temperamental tendencies and differ dramatically in both stress responsiveness and addiction-related traits. The present study investigated how environmental interventions in the form of a chronic variable stress (CVS) regimen in early adolescence interact with the bHR/bLR phenotype to alter behavioral sensitization to cocaine in adulthood. We also determined whether accumbal dopamine signaling is involved in the interaction of stress history and cocaine by assessing the mRNA levels of dopamine D1 (D1R) and D2 (D2R) receptors. Our results showed that CVS history alone had enduring and phenotype-specific effects on accumbal dopamine signaling. Importantly, adolescent stress had opposing effects in the two lines- decreasing the locomotor response to cocaine challenge in bHRs but increasing this measure in bLRs. Moreover, these opposing effects on cocaine sensitivity following adolescent CVS were accompanied by parallel effects in the accumbal dopamine system, with prior stress and cocaine exposure interacting to decrease D2R mRNA in bHRs but increase it in bLRs. Overall, these findings indicate that environmental challenges encountered in adolescence interact with genetic background to alter vulnerability to cocaine later in life. Lay Summary Stress experienced during adolescence affects the onset and severity of drug dependence later in life. However, not everyone with adverse experiences during this period will go on to develop SUD in adulthood. Using a rat model of innate differences in emotional reactivity, this study shows that the interplay between individual temperament and previous experience of adolescent stress/trauma determines whether an individual will be vulnerable or resilient to develop SUDs later in life. In addition, the present study shows that the dopamine D2 receptor in the brain’s reward center, nucleus accumbens, may be implicated in this interplay.
Geographical Prevalence of Isolated Patellofemoral osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis is not a single disease [1]. Osteoarthritis affects isolated Tibiofemoral compartment, isolated patellofemoral compartment or the both combined of them. Among various approaches to sub classification of knee osteoarthritis, European League against Rheumatism (EULAR) Task Force recognized subtype of compartmental distribution for diagnosis of osteoarthritis [2]. Traditionally, in cases of osteoarthritis of knee most of the research has focused on understanding of general osteoarthritis of knee or tibiofemoral osteoarthritis of knee. In fact, isolated patellofemoral osteoarthritis may not be so rare. Even though, the PF compartment is rarely considered in investigation of osteoarthritis.
Ultrasound Super-Resolution Flow Measurement of Suspensions in Narrow Channels

Zinc-air flow batteries provide a scalable and cost-efficient energy storage solution. However, the achieved power density depends on the local flow conditions of the zinc particle suspension in the electrochemical cell. Numerical modeling is challenging due to the complex multiphase fluid and the interaction of flow and electrochemistry. Hence, performing experiments is crucial to investigate the influence of the flow conditions on the electrical performance, which requires flow instrumentation for the opaque suspension. To resolve the flow field across the 2.6-mm-wide flow channel of the investigated zinc-air flow battery (ZAB), a spatial resolution below 100 $\mu \text{m}$ has to be typically achieved. Using ultrasound techniques, the achieved spatial resolution is limited by the trade-off between ultrasound frequency and imaging depth. This trade-off is even more critical for suspensions due to the scattering of the ultrasound, which increases strongly with frequency. We propose super-resolution particle tracking velocimetry (SRPTV) to overcome this limitation by achieving the required spatial resolution at a low ultrasound frequency. SRPTV is based on the super-resolution technique ultrasound localization microscopy, which is adapted to strongly scattering suspensions by using a dual-frequency-phased array and applying a coherence weighting beamformer to suppress speckles, which result from the scattering at the zinc particles of the suspension. The spatial resolution and the velocity uncertainty are characterized through calibration measurement and numerical simulation. A spatial resolution of 66 $\mu \text{m}$ at an excitation wavelength of 330 $\mu \text{m}$ was achieved, which is sufficient for performing flow investigation in an operational ZAB. The measured flow profile reveals shear-thinning properties and wall slip and therefore differs significantly from a parabolic flow profile of a Newtonian fluid. The presented technique offers potential for performing flow investigations of suspensions in small geometries with a spatial resolution beyond the diffraction limit.
Publication rate of abstracts from presentations at the British Orthodontic Conference 2009–2014

Objective: The primary objective of this study was to investigate the publication rate of scientific abstracts presented at the British Orthodontic Conference 2009–2014. Predictors of full-text publications after presentation of abstracts were explored. Design: Cross-sectional study. Materials and methods: Details of abstracts were retrieved from the conference programmes. Abstracts were screened and full-text publications identified by a single author with discrepancies discussed. Two electronic databases were searched to identify full-text publication of abstracts presented at the British Orthodontic Conference during 2009–2014. Study characteristics were recorded in a prespecified data collection sheet. Descriptive and correlation statistics were calculated. Multivariable Cox regression modelling was implemented in order to assess the effect of predictors on the instance of probability of publication. Results: A total of 225 abstracts (148 poster presentations and 77 oral presentations) were identified. Observational studies were frequent (60%) and significant results were reported in 38.7% of abstracts. The rate of full-text publication after abstract presentation was 46.2% with a mean time to publication of 18.3 ± 18.7 months. Authors based at both university and hospitals (Hazard ratio: 2.63, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.26–5.47, P=0.01) had a higher instant probability of publication compared to university only, whereas diagnostic studies (Hazard ratio: 0.18, 95% CI 0.04–0.74, P=0.02) had lower instant probability of publication compared to systematic reviews. Conclusion: Over 50% of study abstracts presented at the British Orthodontic Conference during 2009–2014 remain unpublished. Author affiliation and study type appear to influence full text publication. In order to reduce publication bias within the literature, publication of full-text articles by authors of presented abstracts is encouraged.
Voluntary Control of an Ankle Joint Exoskeleton by Able-Bodied Individuals and Stroke Survivors Using EMG-Based Admittance Control Scheme

Control schemes based on electromyography (EMG) have demonstrated their superiority in human-robot cooperation due to the fact that motion intention can be well estimated by EMG signals. However, there are several limitations due to the noisy nature of EMG signals and the inaccuracy of EMG-force/torque estimation, which might deteriorate the stability of human-robot cooperation movement. To improve the movement stability, an EMG-based admittance control scheme (EACS) was proposed, comprised of an EMG-driven musculoskeletal model (EDMM), an admittance filter and an inner position controller. To investigate the performance of EACS, a series of sinusoidal tracking tasks were conducted with 12 healthy participants and 4 stroke survivors in an ankle exoskeleton in comparison with the EMG-based open-loop control scheme (EOCS). The experimental results indicated that both EACS and EOCS could improve stroke survivors’ ankle range of motion (ROM). The experimental results of both healthy participants and stroke survivors showed that the assistance torque, tracking error and jerk values of EACS were lower than those of EOCS. The interaction torque of EACS decreased towards the increasing assistance ratio while that of EOCS increased. Moreover, the EMG levels of tibialis anterior (TA) decreased towards the increasing assistance ratio but were higher than those of EOCS. EACS was effective in improving movements stability, and had the potential to be applied in robot-assisted rehabilitation training to address the foot-drop problem.
Cognitive Impairments and Associated Structural Brain Changes in Metabolic Syndrome and Implications of Neurocognitive Intervention

Currently, metabolic syndrome has become a global health problem. Alterations in neurocognitive functions among patients with metabolic syndrome are important issues in this disorder. In this paper, studies on metabolic syndrome were reviewed and their importance emphasized for the benefit of experts and policy makers. Metabolic syndrome activates inflammatory mediators that disrupt brain metabolism. These mediators can be activated by metabolic inflammation and microvascular disorders and may further cause damage to the white matter and impair cognitive function. These alterations can result in serious changes in cognitive abilities. The association between cognitive changes and metabolic syndrome has been independently evaluated in several studies. In addition, some areas of research in the field of metabolic syndrome include the effectiveness of neurocognitive interventions to enhance normal behaviors or reduce risky behaviors in patients. Structural brain correlates of health-related behaviors provide a basis for designing more effective behavioral interventions by identifying the corresponding brain regions and using behavioral interventions.
Analysis of supplements available to UK consumers purporting to contain Selective Androgen Receptor Modulators.

Selective androgen receptor modulators (SARMs) are compounds with specific androgenic properties investigated for treatment of conditions such as muscle wasting diseases. The reported androgenic properties have resulted in their use by athletes, and consequently they have been on the World Anti-Doping Agency prohibited list for more than a decade. SARMs have been investigated by pharmaceutical companies as potential drug candidates, but to date no SARM has demonstrated sufficient safety and efficacy to gain clinical approval by either the European Medicines Agency or the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Despite their lack of safety approval, SARMs are often illegally marketed as dietary supplements, available for consumers to buy online. In this study, a range of supplement products marketed as SARMs were purchased and analysed using high resolution accurate mass - mass spectrometry to evaluate the accuracy of product claims and content labelling. This study found discrepancies ranging from a supplement in which no active ingredients were found, to supplements containing undeclared prohibited analytes. Where SARMs were detected, discrepancies were observed between the concentrations measured and those detailed on the product packaging. The outcome of this experiment highlights the high risk of such supplement products to consumers. The inaccurate product claims give rise to uncertainty over both the dose taken and the identity of any of these unapproved drugs. Even for supplements where product labelling is correct, the lack of complete toxicity data, especially for combinations of SARMs taken as stacks, means that the safety of these supplements is unknown.
The Evolution of Resistance and Tolerance to Herbivores

Tolerance and resistance are two different plant defense strategies against herbivores. Empirical evidence in natural populations reveals that individual plants allocate resources simultaneously to both strategies, thus plants exhibit a mixed pattern of defense. In this review we examine the conditions that promote the evolutionary stability of mixed defense strategies in the light of available empirical and theoretical evidence. Given that plant tolerance and resistance are heritable and subject to environmentally dependent selection and genetic constraints, the joint evolution of tolerance and resistance is analyzed, with consideration of multiple species interactions and the plant mating system. The existence of mixed defense strategies in plants makes it necessary to re-explore the coevolutionary process between plants and herbivores, which centered historically on resistance as the only defensive mechanism. In addition, we recognize briefly the potential use of plant tolerance for pest management. Finally, we highlight unresolved issues for future development in this field of evolutionary ecology.