Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Inducing and measuring emotion through a multiplayer first-person shooter computer game

To develop an annotated database of spontaneous, multimodal, emotional expressions, recordings were made of facial and vocal expressions of emotions while participants were playing a multiplayer first-person shooter (fps) computer game. During a replay of the session, participants scored their own emotions by assigning values to them on an arousal and a valence scale, and by selecting emotion category labels (e.g. happiness and frustration). The fps-game proved to be a successful evoker of a diversity of emotions. The annotation results revealed interesting insights in current models of emotion. While the twodimensional arousal-valence space is usually described as circular, we found a V-shape pattern of reported arousal and valence values instead. Furthermore, correlations were found between emotion characteristics and user-specific preferences about games. The recorded data will be used in future research concerning automatic and human recognition of emotions.
Abnormalities of satellite cells function in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Abstract Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is characterized by progressive denervation leading to muscle atrophy prevented, during the early phase, by compensatory reinnervation. Little is known about muscle fibre regeneration capacity in ALS. We have carried out in vivo and in vitro investigation of skeletal muscle in ALS. Seven ALS patients underwent a deltoid muscle biopsy. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed various degrees of denervation- and reinnervation-related changes in the ALS muscle biopsies including satellite cells (SCs) activation and regenerating fibres. Only 3/7 primary cultures of ALS muscle cells were successfully established and had sufficient myogenicity, as assessed by desmin positivity, to be used without further purification. This was in contrast with the cultures derived from control muscles, predominantly desmin-positive cells. Although capable to proliferate in vitro, ALS-derived SCs presented an abnormal senescent-like morphology. Markers of senescence, including senescent-associated (SA)-βGal activity and p16 expression, were increased. Furthermore, ALS-derived SCs were also unable to fully differentiate in vitro as shown by abnormal myotubes morphology and reduced MHC isoform expression, compared to control myotubes. Our study suggests that SC function is altered in ALS. This could limit the efficacy of compensatory processes and therefore could contribute to the progression of muscle atrophy and weakness.
Communication Inequalities During Public Health Disasters: Katrina's Wake

We evaluate effects of low socioeconomic position (SEP) and social networks among Black Hurricane Katrina victims on access to and processing of evacuation orders, and abilities to evacuate before the storm hit. We also explore whether SEP, moderating conditions, and communication outcomes affected risk perceptions of the storm's severity and compliance with evacuation orders. We conducted stepwise logistic regression analyses using survey data collected in September 2005 among Black respondents in shelters throughout Houston, TX. Having few social networks, being unemployed, and being of younger age were significantly associated with having heard evacuation orders and whether victims' perceived having heard clear orders. This study provides implications for targeted public health emergency campaigns and future research to understand the effects of sociodemographic influences on communication inequalities and public health preparedness.
Microstrip diplexer based on common dual-band filter

A novel microstrip diplexer with novel coupling structure is proposed in this letter. The proposed diplexer is designed with several stepped-impedance resonators. A dual-mode dual-band filter unit is used in this design to replace the conventional matching network, what is more, the dual-mode dual-band filter unit is resonance with other circuit resonator. The diplexer size can be reduced efficiently in this way. The proposed diplexer is composed by two four-pole chevbyshev filters with six stepped-impedance resonators. Based on the structure, a diplexer with the central frequency of 1.89GHz and 2.35GHz for 4G wireless communication application is fabricated and measured. Good agreements between measured results and simulated results verify the proposed structure well.
Changes in the Chemical Barrier Composition of Tears in Alzheimer’s Disease Reveal Potential Tear Diagnostic Biomarkers

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is one of the most common neurodegenerative diseases, with increasing prevalence affecting millions of people worldwide. Currently, only autopsy is able to confirm the diagnosis with a 100% certainty, therefore, biomarkers from body fluids obtained by non-invasive means provide an attractive alternative for the diagnosis of Alzheimer`s disease. Global changes of the protein profile were examined by quantitative proteomics; firstly, electrophoresis and LC-MS/MS were used, thereafter, SRM-based targeted proteomics method was developed and applied to examine quantitative changes of tear proteins. Alterations in the tear flow rate, total tear protein concentration and composition of the chemical barrier specific to AD were demonstrated, and the combination of lipocalin-1, dermcidin, lysozyme-C and lacritin was shown to be a potential biomarker, with an 81% sensitivity and 77% specificity.
Power control of a multiport bidirectional DC-DC module for V2G

In the next decade, the rapid development of Electric Vehicles (EVs) and their charging facilities will become an inevitable trend. In order to integrate EVs into the grid efficiently and make full use of the “mobile energy storage” attribute of them, high efficient infrastructures and intelligent control of the interface between EVs and the grid are very important issues. Based on this, a multiport bidirectional DC-DC module (MPBDM) with the advantages of bidirectional power flow, compact control, less passive components and easy extension is proposed in this paper. The topology, operation principle and control strategy of proposed MPBDM are presented in detail with a five-port MPBDM model built in Matlab/Simulink. The simulation results verify that some of the EVs integrated in a MPBDM can be charged while others discharged at the same time so that the individual EV is able to flexibly respond to the power dispatch from system operator through proposed bidirectional power control strategies.
Physical organisation of simple sequence repeats (SSRs) in Triticeae: structural, functional and evolutionary implications

A significant fraction of the nuclear DNA of all eukaryotes is occupied by simple sequence repeats (SSRs) or microsatellites. This type of sequence has sparked great interest as a means of studying genetic variation, linkage mapping, gene tagging and evolution. Although SSRs at different positions in a gene help determine the regulation of expression and the function of the protein produced, little attention has been paid to the chromosomal organisation and distribution of these sequences, even in model species. This review discusses the main achievements in the characterisation of long-range SSR organisation in the chromosomes of Triticum aestivum L. , Secale cereale L. , and Hordeum vulgare L. (all members of Triticeae). We have detected SSRs using an improved FISH technique based on the random primer labelling of synthetic oligonucleotides (15–24 bases) in multi-colour experiments. Detailed information on the presence and distribution of AC, AG and all the possible classes of trinucleotide repeats has been acquired. These data have revealed the motif-dependent and non-random chromosome distributions of SSRs in the different genomes, and allowed the correlation of particular SSRs with chromosome areas characterised by specific features (e.g., heterochromatin, euchromatin and centromeres) in all three species. The present review provides a detailed comparative study of the distribution of these SSRs in each of the seven chromosomes of the genomes A, B and D of wheat, H of barley and R of rye. The importance of SSRs in plant breeding and their possible role in chromosome structure, function and evolution is discussed.
Dairy production systems in the emerging and communal sectors of South Africa: results from a structured survey.

A South African national livestock survey was conducted in 2003 as part of an FAO initiative. The design of the survey sample framework was based on the input variables of the different biomes and urban/rural and deep rural enumerator areas. This article presents the results of the survey in respect of the communal and emerging dairy sector. The keeping of cattle for milk accounted for only 10.2% of the total use of cattle in the communal sector. The most common grazing system was free grazing in both the communal and emerging sector. The head of the household was mainly male (77%) and more than 60% were older than 50 years. The most common dairy and dual-purpose breed types that were used for milking in the communal sector included the Nguni (23%) and Brahman (22%), with an average herd size of 6 dairy cattle or 11 dual purpose cattle. In the emerging sector milk cows consisted mainly of Drakensbergers (19%) with the most common dairy breeds lacking behind with 6% Friesians and 3% Jerseys. The average herd size for dairy cattle was 39, and for dual-purpose cattle, 42. The distance to water for dairy cattle varied from 1 to 5 km in 49% of the communal sector whereas the emerging farmers indicated that in most cases (43%) drinking water was available at the household.
Efficacy and safety of icotinib in Chinese patients with advanced nonsmall cell lung cancer after failure of chemotherapy

Background The preclinical experiments and several clinical studies showed icotinib, an oral epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitor, in Chinese patients with advanced non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who failed previous chemotherapy. We performed a retrospective study of the efficacy and safety of icotinib monotherapy in a different and more recent sample of Chinese patients. Methods The clinical data of 149 patients with advanced NSCLC who were admitted to Zhejiang Cancer Hospital from August 1, 2011 to July 31, 2012 were retrospectively analyzed. All patients were given icotinib treatment after the failure of previous chemotherapy. Univariate and multivariate analyses were conducted based on the Kaplan Meier method and Cox proportional hazards model. Results The objective response rate was 33/149 and disease control rate was 105/149. No complete response occurred. Median progression free survival (PFS) with icotinib treatment was 5.03 months (95% CI: 3.51 to 6.55). Median overall survival was 12.3 months (95% CI: 10.68 to 13.92). Multivariate analysis showed that the mutation of EGFR and one regimen of prior chemotherapy were significantly associated with longer PFS. At least one drug related adverse event was observed in 65.8% (98/149) of patients, but mostly grade 1 or 2 and reversible and none grade 4 toxicity. Conclusions Icotinib monotherapy is an effective and well tolerated regimen for Chinese patients with NSCLC after the failure of chemotherapy. It is a promising agent and further study with icotinib in properly conducted trials with larger patient samples and other ethnic groups is warranted.
Children's perseveration: attentional inertia and alternative accounts

Kirkham, Cruess and Diamond report important findings on children’s ability to switch to a new dimension in a card sorting task: When asked to label a relevant feature, 3-year-olds are more likely to switch to the new dimension, and when previously sorted cards are left face-up, 4-year-olds are less likely to switch to a new dimension. These are clever manipulations and interesting results. They contribute to a growing body of data on children’s perseveration, which should inform and constrain a variety of theories of the development of flexible behavior. The theoretical contributions from the paper are less clear, for two reasons. As elaborated below: (1) the proposed account has strengths, but in its current form comes across as somewhat inconsistent, underspecified and circular, and (2) alternative accounts are discounted too readily.
CRIES: a new neonatal postoperative pain measurement score. Initial testing of validity and reliability

We have developed a neonatal pain assessment tool CRIES. The tool is a ten point scale similar to the APGAR score (Apgar 1953). It is an acronym of five physiological and behavioural variables previously shown to be associated with neonatal pain. C—Crying; R—Requires increased oxygen administration; I—Increased vital signs; E—Expression; S—Sleeplessness. We have tested CRIES for validity and reliability. This report is the result of that testing. We have found CRIES to be valid, reliable and well accepted by neonatal nurses.
No fumarate hydratase (FH) mutations in hereditary prostate cancer

Mutations in fumarate hydratase (fumarase, FH ), a nuclear gene encoding a mitochondrial tricarboxylic acid cycle or Krebs cycle protein also present in the cytosol, have recently been shown to predispose to hereditary leiomyomatosis and renal cell cancer (HLRCC, OMIM 605839)1 or multiple cutaneous and uterine leiomyomatosis (MCL, OMIM 150800). 2 In addition to leiomyomas of the skin and uterus, some subjects also develop papillary renal cell carcinoma of rare type II histology.3,4 Germline FH mutations were found in approximately 60% (24/42) of families segregating HLRCC.1 Mutations in FH have been recently observed in apparently sporadic tumours. In a series of lesions studied, one uterine leiomyosarcoma and one cutaneous leiomyoma harboured a germline mutation while one soft tissue sarcoma represented the first known purely somatic case.5 Homozygous germline FH mutations have been found to cause recessive fumarate hydratase deficiency (OMIM 136850). 6–8 FH has been mapped to chromosome 1q43, between markers D1S2785 and D1S2842, within 500 kb of D1S2785. ### Key points
Ligand-responsive RNA mechanical switches

Ligand-responsive RNA mechanical switches represent a new class of simple switching modules that adopt well-defined ligand-free and bound conformational states, distinguishing them from metabolite-sensing riboswitches. Initially discovered in the internal ribosome entry site (IRES) of hepatitis C virus (HCV), these RNA switch motifs were found in the genome of diverse other viruses. Although large variations are seen in sequence and local secondary structure of the switches, their function in viral translation initiation that requires selective ligand recognition is conserved. We recently determined the crystal structure of an RNA switch from Seneca Valley virus (SVV) which is able to functionally replace the switch of HCV. The switches from both viruses recognize identical cognate ligands despite their sequence dissimilarity. Here, we describe the discovery of 7 new switches in addition to the previously established 5 examples. We highlight structural and functional features unique to this class of ligand-responsive RNA mechanical switches and discuss implications for therapeutic development and the construction of RNA nanostructures.
Phenanthrene derivatives from the stems and leaves of Dioscorea nipponica Makino

From the CHCl3-soluble portion of the 70% EtOH extract of the stems and leaves of Dioscorea nipponica Makino, two new phenanthrenes, 7-hydroxy-2,3,5-trimethoxy-9,10-dihydrophenanthrene (1) and 2,2′,7,7′-tetrahydroxy-4,4′,6,6′-tetramethoxy-1,1′-biphenanthrenes (2), as well as three known phenanthrenes, 6-methoxycoelonin (3), 4,7-dihydroxy-2,3,6-trimethoxyphenanthrene (4), and 3,7-dihydroxy-2,4,6-trimethoxyphenanthrene (5), were isolated. The structures were determined by means of HR-MS, 1H NMR, 13C NMR, and HMBC experiments.
Switching from methadone to a different opioid: What is the equianalgesic dose ratio?

8617 Background: Methadone (ME) is a highly effective opioid agonist used for difficult pain syndromes. However, the rotation from ME to another opioid may be difficult because of the absence of a uniformly accepted conversion ratio. METHODS We retrospectively reviewed consecutive medical records of Pts undergoing an opioid rotation from ME to an alternative opioid. For inclusion, Pts were required to have received ME for at least 3 days prior to the switch and reach a stable dose of the alternative opioid(s) during 7 days following. Stable dose was defined as a 30% or less change in opioid dose from one day to the next. For purposes of analysis, on the day before the switch, doses, were divided into ME doses and the oral morphine equivalent daily dose (MEDD), based on medication and route of all other opioids taken on that day, using standard equinalgesic tables. All doses after the switch were converted to the MEDD. For Pts receiving ME and a second opioid prior to the switch, the MEDD of the second opioid was subtracted from the MEDD calculated for the day when stable dose was reached. The remainder was used to calculate the equianalgesic raio with the previous ME dose. RESULTS Records on 39 Pts met inclusion criteria. Excluded from analysis were 5 Pts who were restarted on ME in < 8 days, 2 whose opioid dose markedly decreased of post switch, and 3 due to concerns about reliability of multiple routes used for fentanyl. Data from 29 Pts, 10 female, mean age 48 ±14.4 were evaluable. The ratio for: oral ME to MEDD was 1:4.7 (CL 3.0-6.5)(n=16), IV ME to MEDD was 1:13.5 (CL6.6-20.5)(n=13), p=0.06. ME dose is significantly correlated to stable MEDD after switching opioids for both ME IV and oral (Spearman=0.86,p=0.0001 and Spearman=0.72, p=0.0024, respectively. Mean day of achieving stable dose was on day 2.5 ±0.2 for IV ME and day 2.6±0.3 for oral ME. CONCLUSIONS These dose ratios are new findings that will assist in switching Pts more safely to alternative opioids, when side effects or pain problems occur.An important difference in analgesic potency appears to exist between IV and oral ME. Further research with prospective studies is required. No significant financial relationships to disclose.
Antioxidants: New-generation therapeutic base for treatment of polygenic disorders

Hyperphysiological burden of free radicals causes imbalance in homeostatic phenomena between oxidants and antioxidants in the body. This imbalance leads to oxidative stress that is being suggested as the root cause of aging and various human diseases like atherosclerosis, stroke, diabetes, cancer and neuro degenerative diseases such as Al zheimer’s disease and Parkinsonism. Therefore, in modern Western medicine, the balance between antioxidation and oxidation is believed to be a critical concept for maintaining a healthy biological system. Researches in the recent past have accumulated enormous evidence advocating enrichment of body systems with antioxidants to co rrect vitiated homeostasis and prevent the onset as well as treat the disease caused/fostered due to free rad icals and related oxidative stress. This article pr esents current understanding of the role of free radicals and oxidative stress in pathogen esis of various diseases and advancements made in developing antioxidantbased therapeutics and also discuss the opportunities to develop therapeutics from traditional medicinal practice.
Secretory vesicle aminopeptidase B related to neuropeptide processing: molecular identification and subcellular localization to enkephalin‐ and NPY‐containing chromaffin granules

Biosynthesis of peptide hormones and neurotransmittters involves proteolysis of proprotein precursors by secretory vesicle cathepsin L. Cathepsin L generates peptide intermediates with basic residues at their NH2‐termini, indicating that Arg/Lys aminopeptidase is needed to generate the smaller biologically active peptide. Therefore, this study identified the Arg/Lys aminopeptidase that is present in secretory vesicles of adrenal medulla and neuroendocrine tissues, achieved by molecular cloning and localization in ‘model’ neuropeptide‐containing secretory vesicles (bovine). Molecular cloning of the bovine aminopeptidase B (AP‐B) cDNA defined its primary sequence that allowed selection of antisera for immunolocalization studies. AP‐B was present in secretory vesicles that contain cathepsin L with the neuropeptides enkephalin and neuropeptide Y. The AP‐B in several neuroendocrine tissues was detected by western blots. Recombinant bovine AP‐B showed preference for Arg‐methylcoumarinamide substrate. AP‐B was inhibited by arphamenine, an inhibitor of aminopeptidases. Bovine AP‐B showed similar activities for Arg‐(Met)enkephalin (ME) and Lys‐ME neuropeptide substrates to generate ME, while rat AP‐B preferred Arg‐ME. Furthermore, AP‐B possesses an acidic pH optimum of 5.5–6.5 that is similar to the internal pH of secretory vesicles. The significant finding of the secretory vesicle localization of AP‐B with neuropeptides and cathepsin L suggests a role for this exopeptidase in the biosynthesis of neuropeptides.
Three-Dimensional Diffusion Tensor Magnetic Resonance Microimaging of Adult Mouse Brain and Hippocampus

The use of diffusion tensor information as an additional contrast in MR microimaging was investigated in ex vivo mouse brain and isolated hippocampus. Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) provided unique contrast to identify many internal structures of the gray matter such as hippocampus, thalamus, and cortex. In hippocampus, stratum granulosum and stratum pyramidale could be identified using the isotropic water diffusion constant. Stratum moleculare and stratum radiatum were identified from their characteristic fiber architecture revealed by color-coded DTI. Identification of these structures allowed reconstruction of their 3-D volume. Thus, high-resolution DTI has excellent potential as a tool for 3-D characterization of murine brains.
A PSK Group Modem for Satellite Communications

A PSK group modem which modulates and demodulates multiple PSK signals en bloc will play an important role in realizing a cost-effective satellite communications system based on the narrowband multicarrier PSK/FDMA technique. This paper briefly discusses its possible applications, and presents a developed PSK group modem including its algorithm, hardware design, and implementation. In the algorithm, filtering of respective PSK signals is effectively carried out by digital signal processing techniques applied to the digital transmultiplexer. Furthermore, in order to compensate for the difference between the operation timing of the PSK group modem and the symbol timing of each input/output data signal, digital signal processings based on a table-look-up method using ROM and a rate-conversion filter with adaptive weighting are proposed for the modulator and demodulator, respectively. An experimental 4-phase PSK group modem has been developed, and experiments have been conducted under various conditions. The measured performance of the developed hardware is also demonstrated.
Non-Markovianity over Ensemble Averages in Quantum Complex Networks

We consider bosonic quantum complex networks as structured finite environments for a quantum harmonic oscillator and investigate the interplay between the network structure and its spectral density, excitation transport properties and non-Markovianity. After a review of the formalism used, we demonstrate how even small changes to the network structure can have a large impact on the transport of excitations. We then consider the non-Markovianity over ensemble averages of several different types of random networks of identical oscillators and uniform coupling strength. Our results show that increasing the number of interactions in the network tends to suppress the average non-Markovianity. This suggests that tree networks are the random networks optimizing this quantity.