Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Maskless method to selectively etch Parylene-C from high aspect ratio neural devices

Neural interfaces connect signal processing electronics to the nervous system via implanted microelectrode arrays such as the Utah electrode array (UEA). The UEA is coated with a biocompatible Parylene-C layer. However, in order to form active sites, Parylene-C is removed from the electrode tips of the UEA. Currently, this is achieved by manually punching aluminum foil through the electrodes to the desired length and subsequent etching of Parylene-C in oxygen plasma. This method is not only operator dependent, but also results in non-uniform tip exposure in the array. This paper examines a novel maskless approach of selectively desinsulating the tips of the UEA by using the unique architecture of the UEA (aspect ratio 15:1) in its favor. This is achieved by biasing the back-plane of the UEA to the DC bias voltage resulting from the reactive ion etching (RIE) process. During the RIE the electric field is stronger at the tip of the electrode, leading to higher concentration of the oxygen plasma at the tip. As a result, the Parylene-C is selectively etched from the tip. The etching rate is controlled by the inductively coupled plasma (ICP) power, which controls the oxygen plasma density around the tip. The process yields high controllability and reproducibility in selectively etching the tips of the UEA. Furthermore, this method can be applied to other high aspect ratio structures, which have sharp tips.
A Randomized, Multicenter Study of Steroid Avoidance, Early Steroid Withdrawal or Standard Steroid Therapy in Kidney Transplant Recipients

In a randomized, open‐label, multicenter study, de novo renal transplant patients received no steroids (n = 112), steroids to day 7 (n = 115), or standard steroids (n = 109) with cyclosporine microemulsion (CsA‐ME), enteric‐coated mycophenolate sodium (EC‐MPS) and basiliximab. The primary objective, to demonstrate noninferiority of 12‐month GFR in the steroid‐free or steroid‐withdrawal groups versus standard steroids, was not met in the intent‐to‐treat population. However, investigational groups were not inferior to standard steroids in the observed‐case analysis. Median 12‐month GFR was not significantly different in the steroid‐free or steroid‐withdrawal groups (58.6 mL/min/1.73 m2 and 59.1 mL/min/1.73 m2) versus standard steroids (60.8 mL/min/1.73 m2). The 12‐month incidence of biopsy‐proven acute rejection (BPAR), graft loss or death was 36.0% in the steroid‐free group (p = 0.007 vs. standard steroids), 29.6% with steroid withdrawal (N.S.) and 19.3% with standard steroids. BPAR was significantly less frequent with standard steroids than either of the other two regimens. Reduced de novo use of antidiabetic and lipid‐lowering medication, triglycerides and weight gain were observed in one or both steroid‐minimization group versus standard steroids. For standard‐risk renal transplant patients receiving CsA‐ME, EC‐MPS and basiliximab, steroid withdrawal by the end of week 1 achieves similar 1‐year renal function to a standard‐steroids regimen, and may be more desirable than complete steroid avoidance.
Randomised trial of infant sleep location on the postnatal ward

Objective: To determine whether postnatal mother–infant sleep proximity affects breastfeeding initiation and infant safety. Design: Randomised non-blinded trial analysed by intention to treat. Setting: Postnatal wards of the Royal Victoria Hospital (RVI), Newcastle upon Tyne, UK. Participants: 64 newly delivered mother–infant dyads with a prenatal intention to breastfeed (vaginal deliveries, no intramuscular or intravenous opiate analgesics taken in the preceding 24 h). Intervention: Infants were randomly allocated to one of three sleep conditions: baby in mother’s bed with cot-side; baby in side-car crib attached to mother’s bed; and baby in stand-alone cot adjacent to mother’s bed. Main outcome measures: Breastfeeding frequency and infant safety observed via night-time video recordings. Results: During standardised 4-h observation periods, bed and side-car crib infants breastfed more frequently than stand-alone cot infants (mean difference (95% confidence interval (CI)): bed v stand-alone cot = 2.56 (0.72 to 4.41); side-car crib v stand-alone cot = 2.52 (0.87 to 4.17); bed v side-car crib = 0.04 (−2.10 to 2.18)). No infant experienced adverse events; however, bed infants were more frequently considered to be in potentially adverse situations (mean difference (95% CI): bed v stand-alone cot = 0.13 (0.03 to 0.23); side-car crib v stand-alone cot = 0.04 (−0.03 to 0.12); bed v side-car crib = 0.09 (−0.03–0.21)). No differences were observed in duration of maternal or infant sleep, frequency or duration of assistance provided by staff, or maternal rating of postnatal satisfaction. Conclusion: Suckling frequency in the early postpartum period is a well-known predictor of successful breastfeeding initiation. Newborn babies sleeping in close proximity to their mothers (bedding-in) facilitates frequent feeding in comparison with rooming-in. None of the three sleep conditions was associated with adverse events, although infrequent, potential risks may have occurred in the bed group. Side-car cribs are effective in enhancing breastfeeding initiation and preserving infant safety in the postnatal ward.
Techniques for reducing the reverse short channel effect in sub-0.5 μm CMOS

Experimental evidence is presented demonstrating that the reverse short channel effect (RSCE) is initiated by damage from the source-drain implants which, in turn, causes defect-enhanced diffusion of the channel dopants toward the gate oxide interface. Several process options that attempt to modify the diffusion of the channel implants, such as channel doping profile engineering, vacancy injection into the silicon substrate through sputter-etch damage, and TEOS depositions on silicon followed by rapid thermal annealing, are described which reduce the magnitude of the reverse short channel effect. This often results in an increase in device short channel margin of as much as 50 nm and a concomitant increase in the n-channel drive current of as much as 10%. <<ETX>>
New techniques to simulate and diagnose stator winding faults in low voltage induction motors

This paper presents the experimental results obtained by implementing two different methods to simulate stator short circuits in laboratory for induction motors. In order to diagnose this fault, the measurements of one phase stator current and of the stray flux gathered in different positions around the motor have been statistically processed. The novelty introduced by the use of two different techniques to simulate the same fault consists in a more robust identification of the diagnostic indicators that could be employed in the industry for the condition monitoring of the low voltage induction motors.
Dexterity is impaired at both hands following unilateral subcortical middle cerebral artery stroke

Dexterity was investigated in right‐handed subjects in the subacute phase of a first unilateral subcortical middle cerebral artery stroke affecting the left or right hemisphere and right‐handed healthy subjects. Dexterity was quantified at both hands by kinematic recordings of finger and hand tapping, a reach‐to‐grasp movement, quantitative analysis of grip forces in a grasp‐lift task and clinical rating scales. Stroke subjects exhibited significant deficits in timing and coordination of tapping movements at both the contralesional and ipsilesional hands, irrespective of the hemisphere affected. Likely for the reach‐to‐grasp and grasp‐lift movements a bilateral impairment was found in stroke subjects. In particular, slowing of hand transport towards the object, deficient timing and scaling of grasp formation, discoordination between grip and lift forces and inefficient scaling of grip forces were observed. The severity of impairment was independent of the hemisphere affected and evident for both the reach (involving more proximal muscles of the arm) and grasp (involving more distal muscles of the arm and hand) components of the task. Strong correlations were found between clinical scores of hand function and loss of sensibility with the deficits in timing, coordination and efficiency of movement of the contralesional and ipsilesional hand. These data provide evidence that dexterity is impaired at both hands after subcortical middle cerebral artery stroke.
Música y mindfulness: una mirada interdisciplinar

El Mindfulness es una tecnica milenaria de Oriente que se ha popularizado mucho en estas ultimas decadas en Occidente. Inicialmente tuvo mucha repercusion en el ambito sanitario y poco a poco se ha empezado a utilizar en otros ambitos, como el educativo. El objetivo de este trabajo es buscar los vinculos entre algunas practicas musicales y el Mindfulness a partir de sus tecnicas de trabajo y su aplicacion pionera en la ensenanza primaria mediante programas existentes, para proponer propuestas interdisciplinares de su aplicacion a partir de experiencias musicales practicas, adaptables a distintos niveles y contextos. Para ello se recogen las diferentes definiciones del termino Mindfulness para clarificar el concepto y a continuacion se hace un resumen de diferentes programas basados en esta tecnica que se desarrollan actualmente en el ambito educativo. Finalmente se ha hecho una propuesta de programa para poder introducir el trabajo del Mindfulness dentro de las clases de musica.
Implementation of compressed sensing for fPCG signal compression: Design and performance evaluation

In this article we innovate and develop the Shuffled-Compressed Sensing (S-CS) method which provides the efficient compression and reconstruction of fPCG recorded signals. As the fPCG signal is not spares in time domain it should be brought to another orthogonal space. Because of the structured sparsity of fPCG coefficients in the orthogonal space, the CS method should be adapted to the fPCG signal's features. Thus to improve the compression performance, we used a shuffler matrix to defuse the structured sparsity. Then, the reconstruction problem would be a convex optimization problem which can be solved by recursive and iterative algorithms. The simulation results shows that the proposed S-CS method is a beneficial principle for the fPCG signal compression with the acceptable reconstruction errors.
Use of polymerase chain reaction on pooled cervical swabs to detect Chlamydia trachomatis infections in female sex workers in Singapore.

INTRODUCTION Infections caused by Chlamydia trachomatis (C. trachomatis) is one of the commonest sexually transmitted infections (STI). As there is currently no laboratory in Singapore that offers the chlamydia culture tests, alternative laboratory methods were developed and antigen detection methods such as enzyme immunoassays (EIA) proved to be even less sensitive than cell culture. This study was done to assess the accuracy and sensitivity of pooling five endocervical swabs collected for C. trachomatis testing by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technology, as compared to the currently used EIA on individual swabs, in female sex workers who were seen at a STI clinic in Singapore. METHODS A total of 1,182 endocervical swab specimens were analysed by EIA as well as in pools of five specimens using PCR. Any pool with a positive PCR result for C. trachomatis infections was subjected to repeat PCR testing of the five individual specimens in the pool. RESULTS There were a total of 48 confirmed cases of C. trachomatis infection. EIA detected 19 positive samples for C. trachomatis, yielding a prevalence of 1.6 percent among the sex workers tested. Pooled PCR testing showed a higher prevalence rate of 4.1 percent, with 48 PCR positive samples. All cases that were EIA positive were also PCR positive. Individual runs on 200 random samples as well as on 220 individual samples from positive pooled results showed PCR inhibition rates ranging from 1.5 percent to 2.3 percent. However, the PCR inhibition rate was 0 percent with the use of pooling. Sensitivity of EIA was 39.6 percent, with 100 percent specificity. EIA tests had a false negative rate of 60.4 percent. PCR was found to be 100 percent sensitive and specific. CONCLUSION C. trachomatis infections among female sex workers attending the clinic were found to be higher using PCR technology. Less sensitive methods such as EIA result in undertreatment of otherwise undetected cases. The pooling strategy using pool sizes of five specimens, with a disease prevalence of 4.1 percent is reliable and cost-effective, and has since been introduced in the current medical surveillance scheme for sex workers in the clinic.
Thermal conductivity of nano-filled epoxy systems

Epoxy resin systems are used in high voltage transformers, cable terminations, bushings, power apparatus, or insulation for X-ray tubes. They could be used more widely, but low thermal conductivity limits their applications. Polymers used as insulating materials generally lack the ability to dissipate excess heat efficiently. The aim of this study is to investigate the influence of different types and filler loadings of electrically insulating — but thermally conductive -nanosized particles on the thermal conductivity of epoxy resin. The concentration of the filler is varied from 0.5 wt. % to 5 wt. %. A combination of ultrasonic processing and high shear force stirring is used to obtain an even dispersion of the corresponding filler in the base material. A silane coupling agent is used for surface functionalization of the nanoparticles. The application of the coupling agent improves the compatibility of the particles with the base polymer. Morphological characteristics of the samples are determined by using transmission electron microscope observation. The composites of epoxy resin containing nanoscale particles showed improved thermal conductivity values compared to epoxy resin without particles. The experimentally measured thermal conductivity results are compared with theoretical and empirical models for two component systems.
Adaptation of the odour‐induced response in frog olfactory receptor cells

1 Receptor current and spiking responses were recorded simultaneously from isolated frog olfactory receptor cells using the suction pipette technique. Cells were stimulated with the odour cineole by rapid exchange of the solution bathing the olfactory cilia. 2 The receptor current response to a 1 s odour stimulus increased in a graded manner over a 300‐fold range of odour concentration without clear saturation, and was accompanied by a train of action potentials. As the concentration of the odour stimulus increased, the frequency of firing increased also, until it saturated at the highest concentrations. The number of spikes evoked by the stimulus first increased and then decreased with increasing concentration, reaching a maximum at intermediate odour concentrations. The dose‐response relation for spike firing rose at lower odour concentrations than the dose‐response relation for the receptor current response. 3 Adaptation to steady odour stimuli was investigated by exposing the cilia to a 4 s odour pre‐pulse and then to a 1 s odour test pulse. As the pre‐pulse concentration was increased the dose‐response relations derived from the receptor current and spiking responses shifted to higher absolute test pulse concentrations. However the number of spikes fired in response to a given test pulse was little affected by the pre‐pulse until, at the highest pre‐pulse concentrations spike firing was abolished despite the continued presence of a receptor current response. 4 The sensitivity of the receptor‐current response to incremental stimuli fell with increasing pre‐pulse concentration, declining with a limiting slope of 2.4 in double logarithmic co‐ordinates. The sensitivity determined from the spiking responses declined to zero at a lower pre‐pulse concentration, reflecting the abolition of spike firing at pre‐pulse concentrations which still evoked a graded receptor‐current response.
On message resequencing in computer networks

In computer networks incorporating virtual circuits, packets of messages are delivered at the destination in the same sequence as they are received at the source. These messages may arrive at a node D out of sequence if sent from a node S with multiple links connecting it to D. Consequently, messages may be delayed at D to put them back in sequence. Assuming that each virtual circuit contributes a Poisson stream and message transmission times have exponential distribution, the author determines expressions for mean resequencing delay and average buffer lengths. He assumes that messages belonging to different virtual circuits have different mean lengths. The author considers an infinite number of links connecting S and D. Thus, the results provide an upper bound on the above metrics for nodes connected by finitely many links. The author considers both channel level and virtual circuit level resequencing and compares them. <<ETX>>
Efficacy of cognitive–behavioural therapy and other psychological treatments for adult depression: meta-analytic study of publication bias

Background It is not clear whether the effects of cognitive–behavioural therapy and other psychotherapies have been overestimated because of publication bias. Aims To examine indicators of publication bias in randomised controlled trials of psychotherapy for adult depression. Method We examined effect sizes of 117 trials with 175 comparisons between psychotherapy and control conditions. As indicators of publication bias we examined funnel plots, calculated adjusted effect sizes after publication had been taken into account using Duval & Tweedie's procedure, and tested the symmetry of the funnel plots using the Begg & Mazumdar rank correlation test and Egger's test. Results The mean effect size was 0.67, which was reduced after adjustment for publication bias to 0.42 (51 imputed studies). Both Begg & Mazumbar's test and Egger's test were highly significant (P<0.001). Conclusions The effects of psychotherapy for adult depression seem to be overestimated considerably because of publication bias.
Aural combination tones and auditory masking.

In experiments mapping pure‐tone masked audiograms at low to moderate masker intensities, in which the signal is either a pure tone or a narrow band of noise, a notch appears on the high‐frequency side of the masker with a low point at a frequency one critical bandwidth from the masker frequency. The evidence indicates that this notch is caused by the detection, on the lower‐frequency side of the masker, of the cubic combination tones that are produced by the addition of masker and signal. At higher masker intensities, the difference tone may also be involved in accordance with the conclusions of Wegel and Lane [Phys. Rev. 23, 266–285 (1924)]. Similar results are obtained when a very narrow band of noise masks a pure‐tone signal. The implication that the same process that creates combination tones creates combination bands further supports other evidence as to the mechanical nature of combination tones. The immediate further implications that combination bands or tones arising from complex maskers should .
Undernutrition & risk of infections in preschool children.

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE It is well documented that in preschool children undernutrition is associated with immune depression and increased risk of infections; infections aggravate undernutrition. Underweight is the most widely used indicator for assessment of undernutrition for investigating undernutrition and infection interactions. In India, nearly half the children are stunted and underweight; but majority of children have appropriate weight for their height and less than a fifth are wasted. The present study was undertaken to explore which of the five anthropometric indices for assessment of undernutrition (weight for age, height for age, wasting, BMI for age, and wasting and stunting with low BMI) is associated with more consistent and higher risk of morbidity due to infection in preschool children. METHODS The National Family Health Survey-3 (NFHS-3) database provided the following information in 56,438 preschool children: age, sex, weight, height, infant and young child feeding practices and morbidity due to infections in the last fortnight. Relative risk (RR) of morbidity due to infections was computed in infants and children with stunting, underweight, low BMI for age, wasting and stunting with low BMI (< mean-2SD of WHO 2006 standards). RESULTS Comparison of the RR for infections in undernourished children showed that the relative risk of morbidity due to infections was higher and more consistently seen in children with low BMI and wasting as compared to stunting or underweight. The small group of children who had stunting with wasting had the highest relative risk of morbidity due to infection. INTERPRETATION & CONCLUSION In Indian preschool children, RR for infection was more consistently associated with BMI for age and wasting as compared to weight for age and height for age. Low BMI for age and wasting indicate current energy deficit; early detection and correction of the current energy deficit might reduce the risk of infection and also enable the child to continue in his/her growth trajectory for weight and height.
Review of clinical trials: update on oral insulin spray formulation

Large clinical trials have shown that improving glycaemic control significantly reduces the risk of long‐term microvascular complications in type 1 (T1DM) and type 2 (T2DM) diabetes. Achieving optimal glycaemic control often requires the use of multiple daily insulin injections. Current approaches to insulin administration are less than optimal; many T2DM patients view insulin therapy as inconvenient and uncomfortable and may delay starting insulin therapy because of this. A new oral insulin spray formulation and delivery system provides an alternative to injectable and inhaled insulin. The system allows a liquid oral spray insulin formulation to be delivered into the mouth via an aerosolized spray. The oral insulin spray is a tasteless liquid aerosol mist formulation that is administered to the buccal mucosa using a proprietary delivery system. The active pharmaceutical ingredient is recombinant human insulin; however, the formulation behaves in a fashion more similar to the synthetic fast‐acting insulin analogues. In clinical studies of healthy subjects and subjects with T1DM and T2DM, investigators have shown that the oral insulin spray was absorbed in direct relation to the amount given and had a faster onset and a shorter duration of action when compared with regular insulin given subcutaneously. In all of the studies conducted, the oral insulin spray was generally well tolerated. Some healthy individuals and subjects with T1DM experienced transient (1–2 min) mild dizziness during dosing; these symptoms were mild and self‐limited. No changes in vital signs, laboratory values or physical examination results were noted. The ease of use of the insulin spray formulation may increase patient acceptance and treatment compliance, thereby potentially reducing complications and improving quality of life for patients with insulin‐dependent diabetes. This article provides an overview of the safety profile and proposed mechanism of action of this insulin formulation and presents findings from trials which studied its effects in subjects with T1DM and T2DM.