Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Parasomnias decline during pregnancy

Objectives– A survey of the effects of pregnancy on parasomnias. Material and methods– In an area of a central hospital and the maternity care units in the nearby rural community, women were interviewed during and after their pregnancy with a series of five questionnaires to assess the frequency of their parasomnias. The first questionnaire covered the 3 months before becoming pregnant, the next three the trimesters of pregnancy and the last one the 3 months after delivery. Altogether 325 mothers filled all the five questionnaires and constitute the study group. Results– The total number of parasomnias declined (P < 0.001) during pregnancy and even more among the primiparas than among the multiparas (difference until third trimester, P=0.02). Among various parasomnias reported, sleep talking and sleepwalking decreased from the prepregnant period to the second trimester (22.8 vs 12.6%, change P=0.003), and the reported sleep starts also diminished from the prepregnant time to the first trimester (78.5 vs 63.1%, P < 0.001), but these phenomena did not change further during the follow‐up. Altogether 55.7% of the women reported having nightmares 3 months before the pregnancy, and 47.7, 49.5, 41.2 and 40.3% (change from the prepregnant period, P < 0.001), respectively, at first, second and third trimester and after the delivery. Reported hypnagogic hallucinations decreased from the prepregnant time to the first trimester (9.8 vs 6.5%, P=0.027), but returned thereafter to the previous level. During the prepregnant period, 25.8% of the women reported bruxism and only 19.9% during the first trimester (P=0.009). Though the prevalence of sleep paralysis decreased during the first trimester of pregnancy, it was the only parasomnia that increased during later pregnancy (from 5.7 to 13.3% in the second trimester, P < 0.013). Conclusions– The reported frequency of most parasomnias decreases during pregnancy and even more in primiparas than multiparas.
Un rôle pour la science de l'information géographique en écologie moléculaire La détection de régions du génome soumises à la sélection naturelle

We introduce a new method to detect signatures of natural selection in the genome based on the application of spatial analysis, with the contribution of Geographical Information Systems, environmental variables, molecular data, and multiple univariate logistic regressions. Its use allows the identification of the same genomic regions as revealed by a theoretical approach in population genomics, but also the uncovering of environmental parameters responsible for selection which was so far difficult. This research also opens up avenues for GISciences research in molecular ecology.
Safe Asset Demand: A Review

We survey the emerging literature on safe assets, built upon novel insights on a strong segmentation between safe savings and speculative investment markets. We review the recent evidence on a time-varying safety premium that suggests a demand for safety quite distinct from demand for liquidity. Next we look at the theoretical work on private safe asset creation by financial intermediaries and its effect on financial stability. Novel concepts such as maturity races, information sensitivity, risk-intolerant debt and induced runs reinforce the liquidity risk externality associated with private quasi safe assets. These new foundations have significant implications for macrofinance research on credit cycles and for prudential
Random forests for statistical speech synthesis

The world of statistical parametric speech synthesis continues to improve with recent investigations of different machine learning techniques to better model spectrum, F0 and duration from corpora of natural speech. Traditional techniques rely on decision trees alone. This paper shows the advantages of modeling with random forests of decision trees over single trees. Improvements equivalent to more than doubling the data can be achieved, offering end users signiﬁcantly better synthesis from the same data size. These techniques give proportionally more improvements on smaller datasets, particularly with voices with only 30 minutes of speech. These techniques have been tested over a wide range of voices and languages of various sizes and quality, producing signiﬁcant improvements in all cases. These techniques are documented, and robustly implemented for others to use through the Dec 2014 release of the Festvox voice building toolkit, thereby directly allowing these beneﬁts to be used in standard voices build for the Festival Speech Synthesis System and CMU Flite.
Comparing Web 2.0 Applications as Marketing Tools

This study aims to evaluate and compare the Web 2.0 applications as marketing tools. In this context, blogs, micro-blogs, collaborative projects (wikis and social bookmarking), content communities, social networking sites, and virtual worlds have been examined. Eventually, it can be expected that blogs will provide more transparent feedback; micro-blogs will provide instant feedback; wikis will make the cooperative efforts of product development easier; social bookmarking will enable search-engine marketing; content communities will enable easy product training; social networking sites will create brand communities; and virtual worlds will provide new places to interact more effectively. All of these tools can come into prominence in the context of marketing.
Lack of Association between the BDNF Gene Val66Met Polymorphism and Alzheimer Disease in a Chinese Han Population

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by excessive neuronal loss in specific regions of the brain. Among the areas most severely affected are the basal forebrain cholinergic neurons and their projection regions, the hippocampus and the cortex. Several lines of evidence have made brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) an important candidate gene conferring risk for AD. Recently, several reports investigated the association between a single nucleotide polymorphism (Val66Met, rs6265) of the BDNF gene and AD but yielded ambiguous results. To figure out the association of this single nucleotide polymorphism in the BDNF gene with sporadic AD in a Chinese Han population, we analyzed 513 patients with AD and 575 controls for the genetic association studies. Our results indicated that the distribution of the BDNF genotypes and alleles did not differ significantly. Similar results were observed when the AD and control groups were stratified by age/age at onset and sex. Our data also showed that in the Chinese Han population, the frequencies of the BDNF Met allele (46.5%) and Val allele (53.5%) were significantly different from ethnic groups from Italy, Japan and the USA. The present data revealed no significant effect of the genotypes on the age at onset for developing AD, and no significant association between the genotypes and the severity of the disease.
Isolation and Characterization of a Halophilic Methanogen from Great Salt Lake

A halophilic methanogenic microorganism isolated from sediments collected from the southern arm of Great Salt Lake, Utah, is described. Cells were irregular, nonmotile cocci approximately 1.0 μm in diameter and stained gram negative. Colonies from anaerobic plates and roll tubes were foamy, circular, and cream-yellow. Methanol, methylamine, dimethylamine, and trimethylamine supported growth and methanogenesis. Hydrogen-carbon dioxide, formate, and acetate were not utilized. Sodium and magnesium were required for growth; the optimum NaCl concentration ranged between 1.0 and 2.0 M, with the minimum doubling time occurring at 2.0 M. The optimum growth temperature was 35°C, with maximum growth rate occurring at pH 7.5. The DNA base composition was 48.5 mol% guanine + cytosine. SLP is the type strain designation (= ATCC 35705). Images
Citizen science on a smartphone: Participants’ motivations and learning

Citizen science provides researchers means to gather or analyse large datasets. At the same time, citizen science projects offer an opportunity for non-scientists to be part of and learn from the scientific process. In the Dutch iSPEX project, a large number of citizens turned their smartphones into actual measurement devices to measure aerosols. This study examined participants’ motivation and perceived learning impacts of this unique project. Most respondents joined iSPEX because they wanted to contribute to the scientific goals of the project or because they were interested in the project topics (health and environmental impact of aerosols). In terms of learning impact, respondents reported a gain in knowledge about citizen science and the topics of the project. However, many respondents had an incomplete understanding of the science behind the project, possibly caused by the complexity of the measurements.
Analytical Current and Capacitance Models for Amorphous Indium-Gallium-Zinc-Oxide Thin-Film Transistors

We propose analytical current and capacitance models for amorphous indium-gallium-zinc-oxide (a-IGZO) thin-film transistors (TFTs) for the simulation of a-IGZO TFT-based-circuits. The proposed models are composed of physical parameters including the subgap density of states and confirmed by comparing the calculated current-voltage and capacitance-voltage characteristics with measured ones. The proposed models are expected to be useful for the optimization of fabrication processes and for the prospective estimation of the effect of process conditions on the circuit performances. Through the circuit simulation implemented with the proposed models, we verify that the proposed analytical model and simulation methodology can be applicable to the expectation of the complicated circuit behaviors. The simulation framework with proposed analytical models is expected to be a powerful tool in the optimization process and circuit design with amorphous oxide semiconductor TFTs including a-IGZO TFTs.
Investigating Effective Obstacles on Iranian Women Entrepreneurship

Entrepreneurship is rapidly expanding and women's entrepreneurship particular topic of interest around the world. Economic activities of women in the world and their orientation towards entrepreneurial activity for several reasons, including unemployment, income, low wages and lack of job satisfaction. Women's entrepreneurship and community development plays an important role in women's authority. In many societies and cultures, including our country, women have increasingly turned to entrepreneurship, but despite this era of women entrepreneurship has always been faced with many obstacles. Statistics show that less than 10% of entrepreneurs are women in Iran and various factors prevent growth potential in the era of women's entrepreneurship. In this article we have tried to identify and review obstacles to women's entrepreneurship in Iran. In order to identify obstacles and constraints has been the first to examine the meaning of entrepreneurship, so the consequence of empirical research on the topic suggests that using information and results of all studies conducted and the characteristics of the obstacles women entrepreneurs to overall results and influencing entrepreneurship of women in Iran reached and then to offer suggestions and solutions.
Efficacy and safety of sertraline treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder: a randomized controlled trial.

CONTEXT Despite the high prevalence, chronicity, and associated comorbidity of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in the community, few placebo-controlled studies have evaluated the efficacy of pharmacotherapy for this disorder. OBJECTIVE To determine if treatment with sertraline hydrochloride effectively diminishes symptoms of PTSD of moderate to marked severity. DESIGN Twelve-week, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial preceded by a 2-week, single-blind placebo lead-in period, conducted between May 1996 and June 1997. SETTING Outpatient psychiatric clinics in 8 academic medical centers and 6 clinical research centers. PATIENTS A total of 187 outpatients with a Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Revised Third Edition diagnosis of PTSD and a Clinician Administered PTSD Scale Part 2 (CAPS-2) minimum total severity score of at least 50 at baseline (mean age, 40 years; mean duration of illness, 12 years; 73% were women; and 61.5% experienced physical or sexual assault). INTERVENTION Patients were randomized to acute treatment with sertraline hydrochloride in flexible daily dosages of 50 to 200 mg/d, following 1 week at 25 mg/d (n=94); or placebo (n=93). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Baseline-to-end-point changes in CAPS-2 total severity score, Impact of Event Scale total score (IES), and Clinical Global Impression-Severity (CGI-S), and CGI-Improvement (CGI-I) ratings, compared by treatment vs placebo groups. Results Sertraline treatment yielded significantly greater improvement than placebo on 3 of the 4 primary outcome measures (mean change from baseline to end point for CAPS-2 total score, -33.0 vs -23.2 [P =.02], and for CGI-S, -1.2 vs -0.8 [P=.01]; mean CGI-I score at end point, 2.5 vs 3.0 [P=.02]), with the fourth measure, the IES total score, showing a trend toward significance (mean change from baseline to end point, -16.2 vs -12.1; P=.07). Using a conservative last-observation-carried-forward analysis, treatment with sertraline resulted in a responder rate of 53% at study end point compared with 32% for placebo (P=.008, with responder defined as >30% reduction from baseline in CAPS-2 total severity score and a CGI-I score of 1 [very much improved], or 2 [much improved]). Significant (P<.05) efficacy was evident for sertraline from week 2 on the CAPS-2 total severity score. Sertraline had significant efficacy vs placebo on the CAPS-2 PTSD symptom clusters of avoidance/numbing (P=.02) and increased arousal (P=.03) but not on reexperiencing/intrusion (P=.14). Sertraline was well tolerated, with insomnia the only adverse effect reported significantly more often than placebo (16.0% vs 4.3%; P=.01). CONCLUSIONS Our data suggest that sertraline is a safe, well-tolerated, and effective treatment for PTSD.
Treatment of pseudoarthrosis of the upper limb using expanded mesenchymal stem cells: a pilot study.

BACKGROUND In orthopedic field is growing interest in the use of stem cells: this mesenchymal multipotent line (MSCs) can lead to differentiation into osteocytes and thus the formation of bone tissue. In literature applications of this line are described in injuries of tendons and ligaments, small bony avulsions, nonunion fractures and cartilage defects. AIM Utilize MSCs expanded in laboratory in case of atrophic pseudoarthrosis of the upper limb. MATERIALS AND METHODS We obtain the amount of cell necessary for the implant by the collaboration with the UO Haematological Department. For the procedure we make a blood sample from the iliac crest bone marrow and a subsequent phase of selection and cultivation of mesenchymal line for 3 weeks, to get a sufficient amount of tissue to be used, which is presented at the time of surgery on a scaffold made by autologous plasma gel and CaCl(2). We reassessed our experience in 8 different types of upper limb fractures result in pseudarthrosis and delayed of consolidation: 4 women and 4 men, average 44 years old followed with a follow-up of 50.3 months. In all cases the site of non-union has been revitalized (by microfractures and drilling) and a synthesis was performed with a rigid plate. So we fill the bone gap with autologous bone and mesenchymal stem cells expanded in the laboratory. RESULTS We have a radiographic healing in 8 cases and no adverse events were highlighted. CONCLUSIONS Using this cells line we obtained encouraging but certainly not conclusive impressions, according to the limited number of cases and lack of adequate comparative studies. In tissue engineering are also certainly needed further investigations and developments.
Abstract : Numeric Planning

Planning is the art to automatically find solutions to problems where a model of the world is described in terms of variables and actions. A solution to such a planning problem is a sequence of actions (called plan) transforming the initial situation to a state that satisfies a goal description. In classical planning, the world is described by Boolean variables and the field is well studied with eminent advances of the state of the art in the last decades. However, classical planning is not expressive enough, e.g. for many interesting real-world applications that rely on numeric quantities. Therefore, we contemplate on numeric planning in this dissertation.
Inflammatory status and cartilage regenerative potential of synovial fibroblasts from patients with osteoarthritis and chondropathy.

OBJECTIVES To evaluate the inflammatory status and the cartilage regenerative potential of pathological synovial fibroblasts from patients with osteoarthritis (OA) compared with non-inflamed synovium (NS)-derived cells from patients with chondropathy. METHODS The inflammatory cell phenotype was investigated based on the constitutive and inducible surface expression and secretion of various effector molecules using flow cytometry or ELISA assays. The capacity of cells to produce cartilage-like extracellular matrix was assessed using acid Alcian blue staining and type II collagen immunostaining after treatment with transforming growth factor beta1 (TGF-beta1). RESULTS OA and NS fibroblasts consistently expressed CD29, CD44, CD49e, CD54, CD90 and CD106. Expression of high-affinity receptors for IL-4, IL-15, CXCL8 and CXCL12 was also detected but only intracellularly. All types of fibroblasts spontaneously released abundant amounts of CXCL12, CCL2, IL-6 and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 1, while the production of IL-11, TGF-beta1, matrix metalloproteinase 1 (MMP-1) and MMP-9 was detected at moderate levels. Several other secreted factors remained undetectable. No statistically significant differences were noted between the two groups of fibroblasts. Treatment with the proinflammatory cytokine tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) up-regulated the same set of surface and secreted molecules, including CD54, CD106, membrane IL-15, CCL2 and CCL5. Under TGF-beta1 treatment and adipogenic culture conditions, both OA and NS fibroblasts displayed chondrogenic and adipocytic activities that were reduced in OA compared with NS cells. CONCLUSIONS OA synovial fibroblasts did not display a distinct activated inflammatory phenotype compared with NS cells. However, they did differ in their reduced ability to produce cartilage-like matrix. This difference may be an additional important factor contributing to OA pathogenesis.
Integration of signaling pathways regulating chondrocyte differentiation during endochondral bone formation

During endochondral bone formation, chondrocytes undergo a process of terminal differentiation or maturation, during which the rate of proliferation decreases, cells become hypertrophic, and the extracellular matrix is altered by production of a unique protein, collagen X, as well as proteins that promote mineralization. The matrix surrounding the hypertrophic chondrocytes eventually becomes mineralized, and the mineralized matrix serves as a template for bone deposition. This process is responsible for most longitudinal bone growth, both during embryonic development and in the postnatal long bone growth plates. Chondrocyte maturation must be precisely controlled, balancing proliferation with terminal differentiation; changes in the rate of either proliferation or differentiation result in shortened bones. Numerous signaling molecules have been implicated in regulation of this process. These include the negative regulators Indian hedgehog (Ihh) and parathyroid hormone‐related protein (PTHrP; Pthlh, PTH‐like hormone), as well as a number of positive regulators. This review will focus on several positive regulators which exert profound effects on chondrocyte maturation: the thyroid hormones T3 and T4, retinoic acid (the major active metabolite of vitamin A) and bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs), as well as the transcription factor Runx2. Each of these molecules is essential for endochondral bone formation and cannot compensate for the others; abrogation of any one of them prevents differentiation. The important features of each of these signaling pathways will be discussed as they relate to chondrocyte maturation, and a model will be proposed suggesting how these pathways may converge to regulate this process. J. Cell. Physiol. 213:635–641. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Examination of the three‐dimensional geometry of cetacean flukes using computed tomography scans: Hydrodynamic implications

The flukes of cetaceans function in the hydrodynamic generation of forces for thrust, stability, and maneuverability. The three‐dimensional geometry of flukes is associated with production of lift and drag. Data on fluke geometry were collected from 19 cetacean specimens representing eight odontocete genera (Delphinus, Globicephala, Grampus, Kogia, Lagenorhynchus, Phocoena, Stenella, Tursiops). Flukes were imaged as 1 mm thickness cross‐sections using X‐ray computer‐assisted tomography. Fluke shapes were characterized quantitatively by dimensions of the chord, maximum thickness, and position of maximum thickness from the leading edge. Sections were symmetrical about the chordline and had a rounded leading edge and highly tapered trailing edge. The thickness ratio (maximum thickness/chord) among species increased from insertion on the tailstock to a maximum at 20% of span and then decreasing steadily to the tip. Thickness ratio ranged from 0.139 to 0.232. These low values indicate reduced drag while moving at high speed. The position of maximum thickness from the leading edge remained constant over the fluke span at an average for all species of 0.285 chord. The displacement of the maximum thickness reduces the tendency of the flow to separate from the fluke surface, potentially affecting stall patterns. Similarly, the relatively large leading edge radius allows greater lift generation and delays stall. Computational analysis of fluke profiles at 50% of span showed that flukes were generally comparable or better for lift generation than engineered foils. Tursiops had the highest lift coefficients, which were superior to engineered foils by 12–19%. Variation in the structure of cetacean flukes reflects different hydrodynamic characteristics that could influence swimming performance. Anat Rec, 290:614–623, 2007. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Novel Waveguide 3 dB Hybrid With Improved Amplitude Imbalance

We present a new design concept for a 90° waveguide hybrid and its implementation. This novel hybrid design is based on a multiple branch waveguide hybrid. The primary feature of this quadrature waveguide hybrid is the introduction of a controllable ripple in the operational band for achieving a better overall amplitude imbalance. This design concept is verified by implementation of a 90° waveguide hybrid for the 166-208 GHz band and can be used for waveguide hybrids up to several THz. Our simulations indicate that the amplitude imbalance of the designed hybrid is better than 0.11 dB over the most of the 166-208 GHz band with a phase imbalance better than ± 2.3°. Experimental verification of the hybrid shows excellent agreement with simulations with an amplitude imbalance better than 0.15 dB and phase imbalance of ± 2.5° over most of the band being achieved.