Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Chronic pain in New Zealand: a community sample.

AIM The 2010 New Zealand Chronic Pain Survey aimed to gather information from people who experience chronic pain about their pain, mental health, disabilities, and acceptance of pain. METHODS In December 2010, surveys were distributed in paper or online to GPs, hospitals, pain clinics asking for people with chronic pain to respond. The survey was open for 6 weeks. RESULTS There were 142 responses to the survey. Most people reported more than one cause of their pain, and pain in more than one site. Although respondents reported a wide range of causes of their pain, most people were unsure of the cause, or endorsed injury or arthritis as the cause. The most common site of pain was the lower back, followed by the pelvis and joints. Levels of disability were high. Pain was significantly correlated with depression and anxiety, and negatively correlated with acceptance. CONCLUSION New Zealanders experience chronic pain stemming from multiple origins, with multiple causes. Consistent with international data, the experience of pain causes high levels of mental health issues and disability, but can be modulated by acceptance. Future studies should examine treatment availability and effectiveness.
Visualization of DNA G-quadruplexes in herpes simplex virus 1-infected cells

We have previously shown that clusters of guanine quadruplex (G4) structures can form in the human herpes simplex-1 (HSV-1) genome. Here we used immunofluorescence and immune-electron microscopy with a G4-specific monoclonal antibody to visualize G4 structures in HSV-1 infected cells. We found that G4 formation and localization within the cells was virus cycle dependent: viral G4s peaked at the time of viral DNA replication in the cell nucleus, moved to the nuclear membrane at the time of virus nuclear egress and were later found in HSV-1 immature virions released from the cell nucleus. Colocalization of G4s with ICP8, a viral DNA processing protein, was observed in viral replication compartments. G4s were lost upon treatment with DNAse and inhibitors of HSV-1 DNA replication. The notable increase in G4s upon HSV-1 infection suggests a key role of these structures in the HSV-1 biology and indicates new targets to control both the lytic and latent infection.
Conception d’un circuit oscillateur MMIC à 2 OCT commutés large bande à faible bruit de phase pour applications spatiales

Ce memoire est consacre a la conception d’un circuit OCT MMIC a large bande d’accord et a faible bruit de phase utilisant un TBH InGaP/GaAs pour les applications spatiales. Le premier chapitre decrit le modele non lineaire du transistor utilise pour la conception du circuit et les mesures effectuees afin de valider le comportement de ce modele ainsi que la modelisation de bruit BF du transistor. De plus une modelisation de la diode varactor utilisee dans le circuit est realisee basee sur des caracterisations experimentales. Le deuxie��me chapitre de ce memoire, rappelle de maniere generale le fonctionnement des OCT, ainsi que leurs caracteristiques importantes et leurs methodes principales d’analyse. De plus, ce chapitre est constitue d’une etude non-lineaire des topologies classiques des OCT afin d’avoir une large bande d’accord tout en utilisant une methodologie de minimisation du bruit de phase. Le troisieme chapitre est consacre a la conception du circuit oscillateur utilisant une technique de commutation. Les resultats de simulation du circuit oscillateur a deux OCT commutes realise presente une bande d’accord comprise entre 2. 69 et 3. 66 GHz soit plus de 30% de bande autour de 3. 175 GHz avec un niveau de bruit de phase @100kHz de la porteuse inferieur a -98. 5 dBc/Hz sur toute la bande d’accord. De plus un niveau de puissance de sortie superieure a +3dBm est obtenu
Effects of topical hypotensive drugs on circadian IOP, blood pressure, and calculated diastolic ocular perfusion pressure in patients with glaucoma.

PURPOSE To compare the short-term effects of timolol 0.5%, brimonidine 0.2%, dorzolamide 2%, and latanoprost 0.005% on intraocular pressure (IOP), blood pressure (BP), and diastolic ocular perfusion pressure (DOPP), calculated as the difference between the diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and IOP. METHODS According to a 4 x 4 Latin squares design for repeated measures, 27 untreated patients and patients with newly diagnosed primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) were treated with timolol 0.5% at 8 AM and 8 PM; brimonidine 0.2% at 8 AM and 8 PM; dorzolamide 2% at 8 AM, 2 PM, and 8 PM; and latanoprost 0.005% at 8 PM. The duration of each treatment course was 6-weeks, with a 4-week washout between each treatment. IOP and BP were measured at baseline and at the end of each treatment period. IOP was measured every 2 hours throughout a 24-hour period. Sitting IOP was measured from 8 AM to 10 PM by Goldmann applanation tonometry. Supine IOP was assessed from 12 to 6 AM by means of a handheld electronic tonometer (TonoPen XL; Mentor, Norwell, MA). BP monitoring was performed by means of an automated portable device (TM-2430; A & D Co., Saitama, Japan). RESULTS All the drugs tested decreased the IOP significantly at all time points in comparison with baseline pressure. The mean 24-hour IOP after latanoprost administration (16.62+/-0.98 mm Hg) was significantly lower than that after timolol, brimonidine, or dorzolamide (P=0.0001). During the 24-hour period, brimonidine induced a significant decrease in systolic BP (SBP) and DBP at all time points when compared with baseline measurements and with those after administration of the other drugs (P<0.0001). Timolol caused a significant decrease in DBP and SBP at all the 24-hour time points when compared with the baseline and with the dorzolamide- and latanoprost-induced changes (P<0.0001). The mean 24-hour DOPPs were 50.7+/-5.9 mm Hg at baseline, 53+/-5.5 mm Hg with timolol, 46.2+/-5.4 mm Hg with brimonidine, 55.9+/-4.6 mm Hg with dorzolamide, and 56.4+/-4.9 mm Hg with latanoprost. Brimonidine induced a significant decrease in the mean 24-hour DOPP compared with that at baseline (P<0.0001), whereas dorzolamide and latanoprost induced a significant increase (P<0.0001). CONCLUSIONS Latanoprost seemed to induce a uniform reduction in IOP during the 24-hour period, although timolol was as effective as latanoprost during the daytime, and dorzolamide are as effective as latanoprost at night. SBP and DBP were significantly decreased by either timolol or brimonidine. In this study of patients with newly diagnosed POAG, only dorzolamide and latanoprost significantly increased mean 24-hour DOPP.
Method of improving receiver sensitivity of RFID Reader HW platforms with limited resources

We present a method and implementation to improve the receivers of radio-frequency identification (RFID) readers while focusing specifically on RFID measurement and test instruments targeting high sensitivity simultaneously reducing the required dynamic range of the real-time signal processing blocks. The article discusses the architecture of the software defined radio which allows tag answer analysis in real time by using a new approach. The main contributions are the implementation of the fast Fourier transform in fixed point arithmetic in an field programmable gate array to reduce hardware requirements and improvement of the dynamic range which allows use of commercially available IP cores. The proposed solution, its implementation on the universal software radio peripheral (USRP), and measurement in a real environment are also presented.
Hot hole degradation effects in lateral nDMOS transistors

The degradation of a n-type lateral DMOS transistor is shown to be related to the injection of hot holes in the drift region field oxide. The saturation effects observed in the parameter shifts are reproduced by a new degradation model using the bulk current as the driving force. The dependency of the hot hole injection on the layout of the LDMOS transistors is studied.
Stepwise mass spectrometry-based approach for confirming the presence of benzoxazinoids in herbs and vegetables.

INTRODUCTION Benzoxazinoids (BXs) are plant phytochemicals that have both defensive properties in plants and therapeutic effects in humans. The presence of BXs has been largely studied in the Poaceae family (monocots). To study the presence or absence of BXs in dicotyledons and monocotyledons outside the Poaceae family, parts of 24 plant species at several growth stages were selected for analysis, some of which were already known to contain BXs. OBJECTIVES To devise a stepwise mass spectrometry-based approach for confirming the presence of BXs in plant samples, and to use the method to explore the status of BXs in selected plant species. EXPERIMENTAL Plant samples were extracted using accelerated solvent extraction and analysed using triple-quadrupole liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. RESULTS The use of different columns, double mass transitions, and ion ratios proved to be a robust tool for confirming the presence of BXs in different plant species. By this method, the presence of BXs was confirmed in three of the 24 species. Double-hexose forms of BXs, which have not been reported before in dicotyledons, were confirmed to be present in the dicotyledon plants Acanthus mollis and Lamium galeobdolon, and the presence of BXs in the seeds of Consolida orientalis is reported for the first time here. High concentrations of BXs were found in the aerial parts of Acanthus mollis and Lamium galeobdolon, at 20 and 32 μmol/g plant dry weight, respectively. CONCLUSIONS The stepwise approach described in this work confirmed the presence of BXs in new samples.
Simultaneous misalignment correction for approximate circular cone-beam computed tomography

Currently, CT scanning is often performed using flat detectors which are mounted on C-arm units or dedicated gantries as in radiation therapy or micro CT. For perspective cone-beam backprojection of the Feldkamp type (FDK) the geometry of an approximately circular scan trajectory has to be available for reconstruction. If the system or the scan geometry is afflicted with geometrical instabilities, referred to as misalignment, a non-perfect approximate circular scan is the case. Reconstructing a misaligned scan without knowledge of the true trajectory results in severe artefacts in the CT images. Unlike current methods which use a pre-scan calibration of the geometry for defined scan protocols and calibration phantoms, we propose a real-time iterative restoration of reconstruction geometry by means of entropy minimization. Entropy minimization is performed combining a simplex algorithm for multi-parameter optimization and iterative graphics card (GPU)-based FDK-reconstructions. Images reconstructed with the misaligned geometry were used as an input for the entropy minimization algorithm. A simplex algorithm changes the geometrical parameters of the source and detector with respect to the reduction of entropy. In order to reduce the size of the high-dimensional space required for minimization, the trajectory was described by only eight fix points. A virtual trajectory is generated for each iteration using a least-mean-squares algorithm to calculate an approximately circular path including these points. Entropy was minimal for the ideal dataset, whereas strong misalignment resulted in a higher entropy value. For the datasets used in this study, the simplex algorithm required 64–200 iterations to achieve an entropy value equivalent to the ideal dataset, depending on the grade of misalignment using random initialization conditions. The use of the GPU reduced the time per iteration as compared to a quad core CPU-based backprojection by a factor of 10 resulting in a total of 15–20 ms per iteration, and thus providing an online geometry restoration after a total computation time of approximately 1–3 s, depending on the number of iterations. The proposed method provides accurate geometry restoration for approximately circular scans and eliminates the need for an elaborate off-line calibration for each scan. If a priori information about the trajectory is used to initialize the simplex algorithm, it is expected that the entropy minimization will converge significantly faster.
Systemic Sclerosis: Commonly Asked Questions by Rheumatologists

Systemic sclerosis is a rare autoimmune disorder with significant morbidity and mortality due to multi-organ system involvement. Early diagnosis and screening for organ involvement is critical as earlier treatment appears to improve function and may impact mortality. The purpose of this article is to address some of the commonly asked questions by rheumatologists on systemic sclerosis.
Aripiprazole in the Treatment of Pediatric Bipolar Disorder: A Systematic Chart Review

ABSTRACT Background Pediatric bipolar diorder is a serious neuropsychiatric disorder asociated with high levels of morbidity and disabilty. Objective This is a systematic chart review of all outpatient youth with the diagnosis of bipolar disorder and bipolar spectrum disorder treated with aripiprazole either alone or as add-on to ongoing treatments. Method Medical records were reviewed to identify all subjects with bipolar and bipolar spectrum disorder prescribed aripiprazole in our clinic. During the chart review, the Clinical Global Impression scale was completed by the treating clinicians to determine usefullness. Results Forty-one youths (mean age±SD: 11.4±3.5 years) with bipolar spectrum disorder who had been treated with aripiprazole were identified. These children received a mean daily dose of aripiprazole 16.0±7.9 mg over an average of 4.6 months. Using a Clinical Global Impression-Improvement scale score of <2 (very much/much improved) to define robust improvement, 71% showed improvement in manic symptoms. Treatment with aripiprazole was well tolerated. Conclusion This study suggests that aripiprazole may be a useful and well-tolerated treatment for youth with bipolar disorder and it supports the need for controlled clinical trials of this compound in juvenile mania.
Spongiibacter taiwanensis sp. nov., a marine bacterium isolated from aged seawater.

A Gram-reaction-negative, heterotrophic, marine bacterium, designated strain SPT1T, was isolated from an aged seawater sample which was collected from the shallow coastal region of Nanya, Keelung, Taiwan and stored at room temperature for more than 7 years. Strain SPT1T was a motile rod which exhibited monotrichous flagellation. It required NaCl for growth and exhibited optimal growth at 30-35 °C, 1-3 % NaCl and pH 7-8. The strain was a strictly aerobic bacterium, incapable of anaerobic growth by nitrate reduction or denitrification, or by fermenting glucose or other carbohydrates. Cellular fatty acids were dominated by C16 : 1ω7c and/or C16 : 1ω6c (23.4 %), C17 : 1ω8c (18.1 %), C16 : 0 (8.5 %), C18 : 1ω7c (8.4 %) and C10 : 0 3-OH (6.3 %). The predominant isoprenoid quinone was Q-8. Polar lipids consisted of phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol and phosphatidic acid. The DNA G+C content was 57.9 mol%. Phylogeny based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that strain SPT1T formed a distinct species-level lineage within the genus Spongiibacter of the class Gammaproteobacteria and shared sequence similarities of 94.4-96.2 % with Spongiibacter marinusand Spongiibacter tropicus, the only two species of the genus Spongiibacterwith validly published names. The 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities between strain SPT1T and other species were less than 93.1 %. Polyphasic taxonomic data obtained in this study indicated that strain SPT1T could be classified as a novel species of the genus Spongiibacter, for which the name Spongiibacter taiwanensis sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is SPT1T (=JCM 31012T=BCRC 80916T).
Effect of Progestagen/PMSG Treatment for Oestrus Synchronization of Tuj Ewes to be Bred after the Natural Breeding Season

Ucar O. , M. Kaya, S. Yildiz, F. Onder, M. Cenesiz, M. Uzun: Effect of Progestagen/PMSG Treatment for Oestrus Synchronization of Tuj Ewes to be Bred after the Natural Breeding Season. Acta Vet. Brno 74, 2005: 385-393. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of pregnant mare serum gonadotrophin (PMSG) and progestagen sponge on oestrus synchronization of Tuj ewes mated after breeding season. Body weights (b.w.) and condition scores (BCS) of seventeen mature fat-tailed Tuj ewes were recorded prior to the experiment and they were divided into two compared groups. All the ewes were treated by 30 mg Chronolone-impregnated intravaginal sponges for 14 days. Ewes in the first group (Group I, n = 9) were then injected with i.m. 600 I.U. PMSG upon sponge withdrawal while others, as control (Group II, n = 8) received placebo injection only. Ewes were monitored (at 2 h intervals) for both the signs of oestrus behaviour (classified as attractivity and receptivity) and their durations over the 102 h. Non-return rates were monitored (twice daily) during day 14-21 with the aid of a fertile ram. Lambing rates and litter sizes were recorded following the 150 ± 5 days of inseminations (hand-mating). Results showed that oestrus period was significantly prolonged (P < 0.05) in Group I. Additionally, a positive significant correlation (P = 0.021, R2 = 0.345) was found between BCS in situ and the litter size, regardless of PMSG administration. Furthermore, regardless of the nature of oestrus (induced or natural) in all the ewes, there was a profound effect of BCS per se on the overall litter size (P = 0.000, R 2 = 0.633). It was significantly higher in ewes that had BCS higher than both 2.0 (P = 0.001, R2 = 0.633) and 2.5 units (P = 0.001, R2 = 0.654). In conclusion, PMSG combined with progestagen sponge administration for oestrus synchronization prolonged the duration of oestrus period but with no marked effects on the non- return rate, lambing rate or the litter size in Tuj ewes mated after breeding season. During this period, however, body energy reserves appeared to be the major effector of the litter size. Tuj, out-of-season, PMSG, Progesterone, oestrus behaviour, lambing
Fear Conditioning and Long‐term Potentiation in the Amygdala

The cellular mechanisms that underlie learning and memory formation remain one of the most intriguing unknowns about the mammalian brain. A plethora of experimental evidence over the last 30 years has established that long‐term synaptic plasticity at excitatory synapses is the most likely mechanism that underlies learning and memory formation. Experiments done largely in acute brain slices maintained in vitro have revealed many of the molecular mechanisms in the induction and maintenance of long‐term potentiation (LTP). However, evidence directly liking LTP with learning and memory formation has not been established. Pavlovian fear conditioning is a good candidate to provide such evidence. The relations between events that produce fear conditioning are simple; these relations and their fear products involve circuits in the amygdala that are well understood, as are those circuits in the amygdala that underlie LTP. The evidence that links LTP in the amygdala with fear conditioning is reviewed.
Health-related quality of life among long-term survivors of stroke : results from the Auckland Stroke Study, 1991-1992.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The consequences of stroke are a major health concern. This study was conducted to compare the health-related quality of life among long-term survivors of stroke with that of the general population. METHODS Our data are taken from a population-based case-control study of all 6-year survivors of stroke with an age- and sex-matched control population. SF-36 mean scores for cases were compared with raw and standardized control and New Zealand norm mean scores. RESULTS Of the original 1761 registered cases, 639 were still alive at 6-year follow-up, and all of these participated in the study. Case patients were more likely than control subjects to be dependent in all basic activities of daily living. Crude mean scores were lower for women; as age increased; for those living in institutions; when the SF-36 was completed by proxy; and when help was required with the activities of daily living. Cases had statistically lower mean scores than both the control group and New Zealand norms for physical functioning and general health. After standardization for age and sex, no differences were found between cases and controls in mental health and bodily pain. CONCLUSIONS Health-related quality of life appears to be relatively good for the majority of patients 6 years after stroke. Despite significant ongoing physical disability, survivors of stroke appear to adjust well psychologically to their illness.
Nested PCR and New Primers for Analysis of Sulfate-Reducing Bacteria in Low-Cell-Biomass Environments

ABSTRACT New primers were designed for the amplification of dsrAB genes by nested PCR to investigate the diversity of sulfate-reducing prokaryotes (SRP) in environments with low bacterial cell density. The success of the nested PCR for the determination of SRP diversity was estimated by terminal-restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis in the Reigous, a small creek at an inactive mine (Carnoulès, France), which constitutes an extreme acidic arsenic-rich environment. Nested PCR limits were evaluated in dsrAB-rich sediments, and this technique was compared to direct PCR using either known primers (DSR1F/DSR4R) or new primers (dsr619AF/dsr1905BR). The comparison of clone libraries revealed that, even if the levels of diversity observed were not identical, nested PCR did not reduce the diversity compared to that of direct DSR1F/DSR4R PCR. Clone sequences were affiliated mainly with the Desulfobacteraceae and Desulfohalobiaceae families. Many sequences (∼30%) were related to a deeply branching lineage unaffiliated with any cultured SRP. Although this dsrAB cluster was found in all libraries, the new primers better amplified this lineage, providing more information on this unknown bacterial group. Thanks to these new primers in nested PCR, the SRP community from Carnoulès could be characterized. Specific SRP populations were obtained according to environmental characteristics. Desulfomicrobiaceae-related sequences were recovered in samples with low pH, low levels of dissolved oxygen, and high As content, while sequences belonging to the deeply branching group were found in a less extreme sample. Furthermore, for the first time, dsrAB sequences related to the latter group were recovered from freshwater.
An efficient FFT-mapping method based on cache optimization

Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) is an important technology in real-time signal processing system, which means the efficiency of FFT algorithm mapping to hardware system has very important significance. At first, we aim at the FFT execution process on processor. And then analyze the memory access process based on cache mechanism, and get that the cache hit directly affects FFT execution time. Hence, an efficient mapping method is come up with, which splits long FFT into multiple segments to make sure every segment is shorter than the cache capacity. Accordingly, the cache hit rate will be improved, correspondingly, the execution efficiency will be better finally. In the end, the new method is experimented on the ADI's TS201 digital signal processor, and the result shows that the execution time of FFT is improved greatly.
Defective Lipolysis and Altered Energy Metabolism in Mice Lacking Adipose Triglyceride Lipase

Fat tissue is the most important energy depot in vertebrates. The release of free fatty acids (FFAs) from stored fat requires the enzymatic activity of lipases. We showed that genetic inactivation of adipose triglyceride lipase (ATGL) in mice increases adipose mass and leads to triacylglycerol deposition in multiple tissues. ATGL-deficient mice accumulated large amounts of lipid in the heart, causing cardiac dysfunction and premature death. Defective cold adaptation indicated that the enzyme provides FFAs to fuel thermogenesis. The reduced availability of ATGL-derived FFAs leads to increased glucose use, increased glucose tolerance, and increased insulin sensitivity. These results indicate that ATGL is rate limiting in the catabolism of cellular fat depots and plays an important role in energy homeostasis.