Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An Integrated Circuit for Simultaneous Extracellular Electrophysiology Recording and Optogenetic Neural Manipulation

Objective: The ability to record and to control action potential firing in neuronal circuits is critical to understand how the brain functions. The objective of this study is to develop a monolithic integrated circuit (IC) to record action potentials and simultaneously control action potential firing using optogenetics. Methods: A low-noise and high input impedance (or low input capacitance) neural recording amplifier is combined with a high current laser/light-emitting diode (LED) driver in a single IC. Results: The low input capacitance of the amplifier (9.7 pF) was achieved by adding a dedicated unity gain stage optimized for high impedance metal electrodes. The input referred noise of the amplifier is $\text{4.57}\,{\mu} {\rm{V}}_{{\rm{rms}}}$, which is lower than the estimated thermal noise of the metal electrode. Thus, the action potentials originating from a single neuron can be recorded with a signal-to-noise ratio of at least 6.6. The LED/laser current driver delivers a maximum current of 330 mA, which is adequate for optogenetic control. The functionality of the IC was tested with an anesthetized Mongolian gerbil and auditory stimulated action potentials were recorded from the inferior colliculus. Spontaneous firings of fifth (trigeminal) nerve fibers were also inhibited using the optogenetic protein Halorhodopsin. Moreover, a noise model of the system was derived to guide the design. Significance: A single IC to measure and control action potentials using optogenetic proteins is realized so that more complicated behavioral neuroscience research and the translational neural disorder treatments become possible in the future.
Evolución de la aspiración laringo-traqueal en la disfagia orofaríngea secundaria a lesión cerebral traumática: cuantificación videofluoroscópica

Introduction: swallowing impairments are frequent after severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). Objective: to define and prospectively quantify the videofluoroscopic symptoms in patients after TBI, and to evaluate the evolution of patients with laryngotracheal aspiration. Method: we studied 10 patients with TBI, and a clinical suspicion of aspiration confirmed by means of a videofluoroscopic exploration (VDF). VDF was repeated at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months thereafter. Results: 30% of patients had an impaired gag reflex, and 40% cough during oral feeding. In the first VDF exploration the following was observed: increased oral transit time (OTT) in 70% (average: 3.8 sec.; range: 0.8-15 sec.), altered lingual control in 60%, and dysfunctional palatoglossal closure in 20%. Mean pharyngeal transit time (PTT) was 0.72 sec. (range: 0.34-1.50 sec.), and time to swallowing reflex (TSR) was 0.32 sec. (range: 0.100.80 sec.). After one year only 3 patients had aspiration ‐with a normal OTT in 7 patients, a normal PTT in 9, and a normal TSR in all; 80% had an exclusively oral diet, and 20% combined oral intake and gastrostomy feeding. Conclusion: videofluoroscopic evaluation allows to confirm and quantite swallowing dysfunction in patients with severe TBI. Most frequent early findings included an increase in OTT and alterations in lingual control; aspirations were quite frequent, and more than half were silent. After one year the majority of patients showed a favorable outcome.
Fully Automatic 3-D-TEE Segmentation for the Planning of Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation

A novel fully automatic framework for aortic valve (AV) trunk segmentation in three-dimensional (3-D) transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) datasets is proposed. The methodology combines a previously presented semiautomatic segmentation strategy by using shape-based B-spline Explicit Active Surfaces with two novel algorithms to automate the quantification of relevant AV measures. The first combines a fast rotation-invariant 3-D generalized Hough transform with a vessel-like dark tube detector to initialize the segmentation. After segmenting the AV wall, the second algorithm focuses on aligning this surface with the reference ones in order to estimate the short-axis (SAx) planes (at the left ventricular outflow tract, annulus, sinuses of Valsalva, and sinotubular junction) in which to perform the measurements. The framework has been tested in 20 3-D-TEE datasets with both stenotic and nonstenotic AVs. The initialization algorithm presented a median error of around 3 mm for the AV axis endpoints, with an overall feasibility of 90%. In its turn, the SAx detection algorithm showed to be highly reproducible, with indistinguishable results compared with the variability found between the experts’ defined planes. Automatically extracted measures at the four levels showed a good agreement with the experts’ ones, with limits of agreement similar to the interobserver variability. Moreover, a validation set of 20 additional stenotic AV datasets corroborated the method's applicability and accuracy. The proposed approach mitigates the variability associated with the manual quantification while significantly reducing the required analysis time (12 s versus 5 to 10 min), which shows its appeal for automatic dimensioning of the AV morphology in 3-D-TEE for the planning of transcatheter AV implantation.
Proximate Determinants of Fertility in Peninsular Malaysia

The continuing decline in fertility despite a contraction in contraceptive use in Peninsular Malaysia since the mid-1980s has triggered considerable interest in the reasons behind this phenomenon, such as increase in abortion, sterility, and out-of-wedlock pregnancy. Fertility decline has been attributed to rapid socioeconomic development, which can only influence fertility through the intermediate variables. Application of vital statistics, population census, and survey data of Peninsular Malaysia on Bongaarts’s model vindicates that marriage postponement and contraceptive use are the 2 most important proximate determinants of fertility, but the effects are not uniform across the ethnic groups. For instance, the predicted total fertility rate for Chinese and Malays are 2.9 and 1.6, respectively, compared with the observed level of 3.0 and 1.9. Postpartum infecundability and abortion also play a part in explaining ethnic fertility differentials. The fertility inhibiting effects of these proximate determinants have significant implications on reproductive health and future population growth.
Hypertensive Erkrankungen in der Schwangerschaft: Eine interdisziplinäre Herausforderung

Hypertensive diseases in pregnancy are one of the main reasons of maternal, fetal and neonatal morbidity and mortality. As preeclampsia is a multisystem disorder with different clinical characteristics, prevention, diagnosis and therapy of this disease require a close interdisciplinary cooperation. The present papers will summarize the status quo of the management of preeclampsia.
Influence of Otitis Media on Evoked Otoacoustic Emissions in Children

Reprint requests: Dr. Lonsbury-Martin, Department of Otolaryngology (M805), University of Miami Ear Institute, P.O. Box 016960, Miami, FL 33101. Evoked otoacoustic emissions are a rel­ atively recently discovered class of cochlear response. Some worthwhile properties of emissions as measures of peripheral audi­ tory processing in clinical settings include their objectivity, noninvasiveness, and specificity for testing the biomechanical ac­ tivity of outer hair cells (OHCs). Because of these exceptional features, evoked emis­ sions are currently undergoing compre­ hensive evaluation in a number of applied settings in order to assess their suitability as potential objective tests of hearing. Two classes of evoked emissions, in particular, the transiently evoked otoacoustic emis­ sions (TEOAEs) and the distortion-prod­ uct otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs), hold the most promise for clinical applications. It is well recognized that the noninvasive property of emissions, involving the simple placement of a small acoustic probe in the outer ear canal, makes these measures par­ ticularly promising for application to diffi­ cult to test patients such as infants and young children. Another feature of emis­ sions that makes them attractive to use in situations in which patient compliance is often difficult to obtain is their objectivity, which permits them to be measured rap­ idly, accurately, and relatively inexpen­ sively, using techniques based on personal microcomputer technology. The above strengths of evoked oto­ acoustic emissions have formed the basis for a number of investigations that have utilized TEOAEs to screen hearing in new­ borns and infants. The excellent prelim­ inary results of studies involving a system­ atic comparison of the outcome of conventional screening using auditory brain stem responses (ABRs) and compara­ ble analyses using TEOAEs (e.g., ref. 8) have suggested a new approach to assess­ ing hearing in full-term neonates in the well-baby nursery as well as in at-risk new­ borns in the neonatal intensive care unit. Specifically, this proposed strategy consists of conducting the initial screening with TEOAEs, in order to achieve a rapid "yes/ no" answer with respect to the question of the presence of reasonably normal (i.e., ≤30 dB HL) versus impaired (i.e., >30 dB HL) hearing, and a follow-up examination of patients failing the emissions test with a 53
Microbiome. The right gut microbes help infants grow.

Almost 180 million children across the globe are stunted, a severe, disabling consequence of malnutrition, repeated childhood infections, and sometimes irreversible damage. Now, new studies suggest the gut microbiome plays a critical role in infant growth—sometimes promoting it even in the absence of sufficient calories—providing tantalizing, if preliminary, clues about possible new interventions. They show that microbial communities change as an infant ages, and when they don't poor nutrition leads to stunting and other problems. Work in germ-free mice shows providing the right human microbial communities can restore growth, likely by restoring the proper connections between growth hormone and insulinlike growth factor 1. And supplying young mice with certain sugars typically provided in breast milk helps to make sure the right microbial community gets established.
Affective disorders following mild to moderate brain injury: Interpretive hazards of the SCL-90-R

ABSTRACT:This article describes an analysis of the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90-R), a self-report measure of emotional distress, demonstrating potentially misleading scale elevations (ie, psychopathology) in data from 23 patients with mild to moderate traumatic brain injury (initial Glasgow Coma Scale score range=9-15). Average scores were significantly higher than those for the normative control group on 88 of 90 symptoms, seven of nine individual dimensions, and three summary indices. A considerable portion of these elevations was attributable to endorsement of 14 items (15.5%) identified by experts as “usual consequences” of traumatic head injury. The Obsessive-Compulsive, Hostility, and Depression scales were especially weighted with brain injury symptoms. These findings corroborate previous reports concerning the hazards of applying to neurological patients psychological instruments that were normed on physically healthy populations. Scores that would indicate pathological abnormality in the latter group may hold substantially different diagnostic significance for the former group. Clinicians should inspect individual responses to self-report questionnaires and seek confirmation from additional sources.
Epidemic of fear.

The general public9s exposure to radiation due to the meltdowns at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in Japan was limited because of prompt evacuations and swift control of the food supply. Nevertheless, Fukushima Prefecture launched a health monitoring program to assure residents and quickly identify any health problems that might result from the accident. As part of this program the prefecture is offering ultrasound thyroid examinations for all those aged 18 or younger at the time of the accident. Surprisingly, this program turned up thyroid growths in roughly 50% of those screened and more than 100 cases of cancer. Most scientists attribute the findings to the screening, which catches growths that would not normally be clinically identified and likely pose no health threat. The screening program might lead to a better understanding of thyroid growths and what they mean for patients.
Does Ethnicity Contribute to the Control of Cardiovascular Risk Factors Among Patients With Type 2 Diabetes?

This study aimed to examine the control of cardiovascular risk factors among the ethnic groups with type 2 diabetes in Malaysia. The authors analyzed the data of 70 092 adults from the Malaysian diabetes registry database. Malays had the worst achievement of target for most of the risk factors. Indians had poor achievement of control for waist circumference (odds ratio [OR] = 0.6, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.6-0.7) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (OR = 0.5, 95% CI = 0.4-0.5). As compared with the Malays, the Chinese had a better achievement of target control for the risk factors, including the following: body mass index (OR = 1.3, 95% CI = 1.2-1.4), blood pressure (OR = 1.3, 95% CI = 1.3-1.4), total cholesterol (OR = 1.7, 95% CI = 1.6-1.8), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (OR = 1.7, 95% CI = 1.6-1.8), glycated hemoglobin A1c (OR = 1.4, 95% CI = 1.3-1.4) and fasting blood glucose (OR = 1.4, 95% CI = 1.3-1.5). Ethnicity, sociocultural factors, and psychobehavioral factors should be addressed in designing and management strategies for the control of cardiovascular risk factors among type 2 diabetes patients.
When DNA is lying.

Greg Hampikian, who holds joint appointments in biology and criminal justice at Boise State University and heads the Idaho Innocence Project, has helped free innocent people from prison for more than 20 years by exploiting the power of DNA forensics—or by exposing its pitfalls. DNA evidence is virtually unassailable, and it has helped exonerate hundreds of wrongly convicted people. But new techniques make it possible to detect DNA at levels hundreds or even thousands of times lower than 30 years ago. This heightened sensitivity can create false positives and land innocent people in jail.
Impact of Hypertension-Related Comorbidity on Health-Related Quality of Life

The aim of this study was to examine the impact of the most prevalent comorbid chronic diseases in hypertensives on health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in the general representative Korean population using the EuroQOL-5D (EQ-5D) and to assess this impact by sex and after controlling for sociodemographic factors. The effects of hypertension and comorbidity on HRQOL were examined using multiple linear regression models with Fourth Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data. In a total of 5736 adults, the prevalence of hypertension alone was 20.8%, and the prevalence rates of hypertension comorbid with diabetes mellitus (DM), cardiovascular disease (CVD), and musculoskeletal (MS) disease were 9.5%, 3.8%, and 33.5%, respectively. Females with hypertension and other comorbidity showed worse HRQOL scores, with the exception of hypertension and CVD, where males scored worse for HRQOL. After adjustment, subjects with comorbid DM, CVD, or MS experienced EQ-5D scores decreasing by 0.01, 0.09, and 0.05, respectively. Since comorbidity impairs HRQOL in hypertensives, health providers should consider comorbid diseases in hypertensives when developing methods of intervention to effectively manage hypertension.
Quantitative Susceptibility Mapping (QSM) Algorithms: Mathematical Rationale and Computational Implementations

Quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) solves the magnetic field-to-magnetization (tissue susceptibility) inverse problem under conditions of noisy and incomplete field data acquired using magnetic resonance imaging. Therefore, sophisticated algorithms are necessary to treat the ill-posed nature of the problem and are reviewed here. The forward problem is typically presented as an integral form, where the field is the convolution of the dipole kernel and tissue susceptibility distribution. This integral form can be equivalently written as a partial differential equation (PDE). Algorithmic challenges are to reduce streaking and shadow artifacts characterized by the fundamental solution of the PDE. Bayesian maximum a posteriori estimation can be employed to solve the inverse problem, where morphological and relevant biomedical knowledge (specific to the imaging situation) are used as priors. As the cost functions in Bayesian QSM framework are typically convex, solutions can be robustly computed using a gradient-based optimization algorithm. Moreover, one can not only accelerate Bayesian QSM, but also increase its effectiveness at reducing shadows using prior knowledge based preconditioners. Improving the efficiency of QSM is under active development, and a rigorous analysis of preconditioning needs to be carried out for further investigation.
NEUROSCIENCE. Cadaver study challenges brain stimulation methods.

Earlier this month, Gyorgy Buzsaki of New York University in New York City showed a slide that sent a murmur through an audience in the Grand Ballroom of New York's Midtown Hilton during the annual meeting of the Cognitive Neuroscience Society. It wasn't just the grisly image of a human cadaver with more than 200 electrodes inserted into its brain that set people whispering; it was what those electrodes detected—or rather, what they failed to detect. When Buzsaki and his colleague, Antal Berenyi of the University of Szeged in Hungary, mimicked an increasingly popular form of brain stimulation by applying alternating electrical current to the outside of the cadaver's skull, the electrodes inside registered little. Hardly any current entered the brain. On closer study, the pair discovered that up to 90% of the current had been redirected by the skin covering the skull, which acted as a "shunt," Buzsaki said. For many meeting attendees, the unusual study heightened serious doubts about the mechanism and effectiveness of transcranial direct current stimulation, an experimental, noninvasive treatment that uses electrodes to deliver weak current to a person's scalp or forehead.
Engaging General Practitioners in Public–Private Mix Tuberculosis DOTS Program in an Urban Area in Pakistan

A public–private mix tuberculosis (TB) DOTS project was implemented to enhance coverage and collaboration between the public and private sectors, with an objective to increase case detection and to improve TB case management in a large urban area. General practitioners (GPs) were trained to provide DOTS services. Patients were diagnosed and treated as per national guidelines and outcomes were reported to national TB control program. Treatment and sputum microscopy were provided free of cost. A total of 94 GPs were trained. In all, 57.4% of trained GPs remained actively involved in the project. Overall treatment success rate of the patients enrolled with the project was 86.3% with 8.7% default patients. Experience suggests that a more stringent selection criteria need to be followed for inclusion of GPs in the program to improve the success of the program. A multifaceted context specific approach is needed while working with private health care providers.
GEOCHEMISTRY. New solution to carbon pollution?

Researchers working in Iceland say they have discovered a new way to trap the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (CO2) deep underground: by changing it into rock. Results published this week in Science show that injecting CO2 into volcanic rocks known as basalt triggers a reaction that rapidly forms new carbonate minerals—potentially locking up the gas forever. Most other tests of carbon capture and storage (CCS) have taken place in sandstone formations. But sandstone is too chemically inert to foster CO2-trapping reactions, and scientists worry that gas injected into it could leak back into the atmosphere. Scientists say the new results could help solve some of the technical problems that have kept CCS projects from being commercially successful. But they say the main obstacle—high cost—is one that only changes in policy can overcome.
The ILLIAC IV Computer

Abstract—The structure of ILLIAC IV, a parallel-array computer containing 256 processing elements, is described. Special features include multiarray processing, multiprecision arithmetic, and fast data-routing interconnections. Individual processing elements execute 4×10<R>6</R> instructions per second to yield an effective rate of 109 operations per second.
Pattern Classifier Design by Linear Programming

Abstract—A common nonparametric method for designing linear discriminant functions for pattern classification is the iterative, or "adaptive," weight adjustment procedure, which designs the discriminant function to do well on a set of typical patterns. This paper presents a linear programming formulation of discriminant function design which minimizes the same objective function as the "fixed-increment" adaptive method. With this formulation, as with the adaptive methods, weights which tend to minimize the number of classification errors are computed for both separable and nonseparable pattern sets, and not just for separable pattern sets as has been the emphasis in previous linear programming formulations.
Illicit Drug Use Among School-Going Adolescents in Malaysia

Illicit drug use among adolescents has become a public health issue in Malaysia. This study was from the Global School-Based Student Health Survey (GSHS) and aimed to determine the prevalence of and factors associated with illicit drug use among school-going adolescents in Malaysia. A 2-stage stratified cluster sampling method was used and data were collected via a self-administered questionnaire. A total of 25 507 students participated in the study. The prevalence of adolescents who ever used illicit drugs was 1.7%. Adolescents who ever used illicit drugs were associated with current smoking (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 6.99; 95% CI = 5.19, 9.40), current alcohol use (aOR = 4.63; 95% CI = 3.43, 6.26), ever having sex (aOR = 4.76; 95% CI = 3.54, 6.41), truancy (aOR = 1.43; 95% CI = 1.07, 1.90), lack of peer support (aOR = 1.47; 95% CI = 1.07, 2.03), and lack of parental monitoring (aOR = 1.71; 95% CI = 1.22, 2.39). Public health intervention should be addressed to prevent illicit drug used among adolescents.
Software mangineeringment: teaching project management from software engineering perspective

Software Engineers are often promoted to management positions, based on their engineering excellence, lacking management knowledge, which is not always part of their undergraduate SE program. Moreover, very early in their career software engineers face management issues, when they are required to meet budget and schedule, to assess potential risks, to make make/buy decisions or to maintain effective communications over globally-dispersed teams. These combined jobs may be referred to as "Software Mangineeringment". General Project Management education does not equip these engineers with enough relevant practice for the software domain. This article describes an undergraduate course which combines the general project management theory and practice with software-specific practices. The course framework is the guide to Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide), which includes 42 projects management processes organized categorized into 9 Knowledge Areas. The course extends these processes with many practices taken from a large variety of software engineering resources. The course is also delivered as an industrial seminar targeted at software managers in their initial management steps.