Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Correlation of phasic muscle strength and corticomotoneuron conduction time in multiple sclerosis

Central motor conduction times for the adductor pollicis muscle, the twitch force of that muscle to scalp magnetic motor cortex stimulation, and the maximum force of phasic voluntary contraction of the same muscle were measured in 15 patients with multiple sclerosis. Two tests of manual dexterity of the same hand also were studied: the Purdue pegboard test, and the maximal frequency of a scissors movement of the thumb and index finger. The patients had normal strength or minimal weakness of the intrinsic muscles of the hand on clinical examination. The mean central motor conduction times for the adductor pollicis muscle for the patients were longer than normal, the peak twitch force of the adductor pollicis muscle evoked by cortical stimulation and the maximum force of a phasic voluntary contraction of the adductor pollicis muscle were smaller than normal. There were strong correlations between all these measures. Central motor conduction time in the patients was inversely correlated with voluntary phasic force and the twitch force after cortical stimulation. That is, the longer the central motor conduction time, the weaker the force. Prolonged central motor conduction time is likely to be accompanied by conduction block in corticomotoneuron pathways. The correlation of central motor conduction time with voluntary phasic force and the twitch force most likely reflects the degree of conduction block and temporal dispersion rather than delay in conduction per se. These results indicate that objective assessments of phasic muscle strength may reveal correlations with central motor conduction time that are not evident on conventional clinical examination which assesses tonic muscle contraction strength. There also was some correlation of central motor conduction time, twitch force, and voluntary phasic force with the performance of tests of manual dexterity. Since the voluntary phasic strength and twitch force to cortical stimulation were similarly weakened, the findings would also be consistent with the cortical stimulus and voluntary contraction using the same descending motor tracts.
Optic neuritis

Article abstract—We reviewed the records of all patients with optic neuritis (ON) in Olmsted County, Minnesota, identified through the comprehensive records-linkage system at the Mayo Clinic, and identified 156 ON patients from 1935 to 1991 who had onset of the disease while residing in Olmsted County (incidence cases). Poisson regression analysis revealed that age, gender, and calendar year were associated with incidence. The annual age- and sex-adjusted incidence rate was 5.1 per 100,000 person-years from 1985 to 1991. On December 1, 1991, 128 patients with a documented history of ON resided in Olmsted County (prevalence cohort). The age- and sex-adjusted prevalence rate per 100,000 was 115. The average length of follow-up for the incidence cohort was 13.2 years. Life table analysis showed that 39% of the 95 patients with isolated ON in the incidence cohort had progressed to clinically definite multiple sclerosis (MS) by 10 years of follow-up, that 49% had by 20 years, 54% by 30 years, and 60% by 40 years. There was no difference in the risk of developing MS between men and women. The presence of venous sheathing (p = 0.044) and evidence for recurrent ON (p < 0.0001) were associated with an increased likelihood of developing MS. The estimated 25–year survival rate was 88.3% ± 5.8% for the incidence cohort with isolated ON, compared with 83.9% for the general US population of similar age and sex.
Optical coherence tomography of macular thickness after biaxial vs coaxial microincision clear corneal cataract surgery

Purpose To evaluate macular thickness changes after biaxial microincision versus coaxial small incision cataract surgery using optical coherence tomography (OCT). Methods This prospective, randomized, marked study comprised 70 patients (70 eyes) undergoing biaxial microincision surgery or conventional coaxial phacoemulsification. Patients were evaluated by Stratus OCT preoperatively and 1 day, 4 weeks, and 8 weeks postoperatively. Best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), phacoemulsification power, and effective phacoemulsification time (EPT) were evaluated. Results In the biaxial group, median foveal thickness changed from 160 μm preoperatively to 168 μm 8 weeks postoperatively (p=0.018), while median macular volume increased from 2.43 mm3 to 2.57 mm3 (p<0.001). In the coaxial group, median foveal thickness increased from 164 μm preoperatively to 170 μm 8 weeks postoperatively (p=0.082), while median macular volume changed from 2.45 mm3 to 2.55 mm3 (p<0.001). No significant differences in the intraindividual increase of foveal thickness and macular volume were found between groups at 8 weeks. A statistically significant difference between groups was found in median foveal thickness at day 1 postoperatively (p=0.027). No significant differences between groups in median macular volume were found at day 1 or at 4 and 8 weeks postoperatively. Median phacoemulsification power was 7.1% and EPT 2.4 seconds in the biaxial group versus 10.6% and 3.2 seconds in the coaxial group (p<0.001 and p=0.078). Conclusions No clinically relevant differences in foveal thickness or macular volume were observed after biaxial microincision and coaxial small incision clear corneal cataract surgery. The blood–retinal barrier did not seem to be influenced by either procedure.
Nonstationary vortexlike reentrant activity as a mechanism of polymorphic ventricular tachycardia in the isolated rabbit heart.

BACKGROUND Ventricular tachycardia may result from vortexlike reentrant excitation of the myocardium. Our general hypothesis is that in the structurally normal heart, these arrhythmias are the result of one or two nonstationary three-dimensional electrical scroll waves activating the heart muscle at very high frequencies. METHODS AND RESULTS We used a combination of high-resolution video imaging, electrocardiography, and image processing in the isolated rabbit heart, together with mathematical modeling. We characterized the dynamics of changes in transmembrane potential patterns on the epicardial surface of the ventricles using optical mapping. Image processing techniques were used to identify the surface manifestation of the reentrant organizing centers, and the location of these centers was used to determine the movement of the reentrant pathway. We also used numerical simulations incorporating Fitzhugh-Nagumo kinetics and realistic heart geometry to study how stationary and nonstationary scroll waves are manifest on the epicardial surface and in the simulated ECG. We present epicardial surface manifestations (reentrant spiral waves) and ECG patterns of nonstationary reentrant activity that are consistent with those generated by scroll waves established at the right and left ventricles. We identified the organizing centers of the reentrant circuits on the epicardial surface during polymorphic tachycardia, and these centers moved during the episodes. In addition, the arrhythmias that showed the greatest movement of the reentrant centers displayed the largest changes in QRS morphology. The numerical simulations showed that stationary scroll waves give rise to monomorphic ECG signals, but nonstationary meandering scroll waves give rise to undulating ECGs characteristic of torsade de pointes. CONCLUSIONS Polymorphic ventricular tachycardia in the healthy, isolated rabbit heart is the result of either a single or paired ("figure-of-eight") nonstationary scroll waves. The extent of the scroll wave movement corresponds to the degree of polymorphism in the ECG. These results are consistent with our numerical simulations that showed monomorphic ECG patterns of activity for stationary scroll waves but polymorphic patterns for scroll waves that were nonstationary.
Spotlight Measuring Visual Memory in Its Native Format

For the most part, visual working memory research uses simple shapes, such as colored squares, precisely because there are few prelearned bindings of feature values for such stimuli; one colored square is almost as likely as another for most of us. These artificial stimuli give the researcher greater control over the amount of information to be stored, since the visual system of the participant will be limited in its ability to chunk or compress the information.
ICI — Interference characterization and identification for WSN

In Wireless Sensor Networks, nodes regularly suffer from interference which is generated by devices working in the same frequency band. Thus, we propose a mechanism which: 1) identifies the percentage of interference in a wireless link; and 2) locates the source of interference. This mechanism is called Interference Characterization and Identification (ICI), and it comprises two phases: interference characterization and identification. In the first phase, we propose a novel metric called LP, which is based on measurements of latency and packet loss, in order to characterize the quality of the wireless link. In the second phase, we identify the percentage of interference of the wireless link by computing two statistical distances: Kolmogorov-Smirnov and Cramer-von Mises. Besides, in the second phase, we also determine whether the source of interference is close to the transmitter or the receiver. The results show that we can efficiently determine the percentage of interference in a wireless link and the location of the source of interference.
Radiometric Performance of Digital Image Data Collection - A Comparison of ADS40/DMC/UltraCam and EmergeDSS

The digital photogrammetric sensors offer attractive radiometric properties, including linearity of the radiometric response, large dynamic range, great radiometric resolution, low noise level, and multi-spectral and multiangular imagery. Radiometric processing chains should be developed for the phtogrammetric production lines in order to utilize these properties into optimum effect and to ensure the usability of the data as historical data sets in the future. The resulting data can be applied in conventional photogrammetric tasks as well as in automated image interpretation applications, such as change detection and classification. In this study the radiometric properties of digital large format sensors ADS40, DMC, and UltraCamD and the medium format Emerge DSS were studied from the available literature and using empirical image data sets. The radiometry of the DSS was optimized for visual interpretation, thus the analysis is not quite comparable to the analysis of the large format sensors. Literature describes various sensors in different details. The empirical study proved quantitatively the above enumerated radiometric properties. Detected problems included the low sensitivity of the ADS40 multispectral channels and the risk of overexposure of the UltraCamD and DMC in certain conditions and system configuration. The results showed that the airborne system characterization is necessary. Different sensor designs provide different spectral and radiometric properties and potential, and the future studies will show the applicability of the sensors for various applications.
Assessment of Executive Function in First Degree Relatives of Schizophrenia and Healthy Controls-A Comparative Study

Original Research Article Introduction: The lifetime risk of developing schizophrenia in first degree relatives (FDRs) of schizophrenia is very high compared to general population. Executive functions are proposed as an important endophenotype in schizophrenia when it is compared in patients and first degree relatives. So, assessment and comparison of executive function among first degree relatives and healthy controls could provide important information regarding executive function as a marker for schizophrenia. Materials and Methods: 20 unaffected FDRs of Schizophrenia patients and 20 normal controls were included in the study by purposive sampling. Cross sectional executive function (EF) assessment was done by Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST). Statistical analysis was done to identify various factors. Results: Results show deficit in executive function in FDRs of schizophrenia compared to healthy controls. FDRs of Schizophrenia performed poorly on near half of the WCST domains out of 16 domains of WCST. Percentage preservative error and percentage non preservative error was most significant among all domains. Conclusion: WCST domains (which are commonly used for assessment of executive function) deficits are having heritable risk with endophenotypic significance.
High Inter-port Isolation Dual Circularly Polarized Modified Franklin Microstrip Antenna

A dual circularly polarized microstrip antenna with high interport isolation is presented. The design comprises of 12 series-fed radiating patch elements separated by phase shifters arranged in a circular fashion with two ports at the feed-lines connected to terminal patches- one each for transmission (Tx) and reception (Rx). The impedance bandwidth of the antenna is 399 MHz (6.727 GHz to 7.126 GHz) and the axial ratio (AR) bandwidth is 256 MHz (6.87 GHz to 7.12 GHz). The interport isolation is better than 30.8 dB in the entire band and reaches as high as 59.4 dB. Because of its high inter-port isolation and moderate impedance and AR bandwidth, the design is a suitable for usage as a DCP antenna for C-band applications.
A Ge Ultrathin-Body n-Channel Tunnel FET: Effects of Surface Orientation

We theoretically investigated the surface orientation effects on the complex band structures and performance of a 5-nm ultrathin-body Ge n-channel double gate tunnel field-effect transistor. The Ge is an indirect bandgap material, and the direct band-to-band (BTB) tunneling rate in Ge is not appreciated. We use (001) and (011) Ge thin-body to project the X[001] and X[100] valley to the 2-D Brillouin zone center, and (111) Ge thin-body to project the L[111] valley pair to the zone center. The trajectory of imaginary k is the key factor for direct BTB tunneling, and we find that the imaginary k-axis of the projected L[111] valley of (111) Ge thin-body provides the best BTB tunneling rate among the three orientations. The direct bandgap of (111) orientation is lowest among the three orientations, which results in the thinnest tunnel barrier in (111) device. The drive current of (111) device is 4× higher than (011) device and 15× higher than (001) device. The (001), (011), and (111) devices have subthreshold slope substantially lower than thermal limit, however, only (111) device has an I60 (current at 60 mV/decade slope) value close to the desired limit. We use lower Gaussian doping in drain region to suppress ambipolar current. A 5× lower doping results in a 2× longer tunnel barrier at the drain-channel interface and more than two orders of magnitude suppression of ambipolar current.
Edinburgh Research Explorer A particular kind of wonder

Wonder may be an important emotion, but the term ‘wonder’ is remarkably ambiguous. For centuries, in psychological discourse, it has been defined as a variety of things. In an attempt to be more focused, and given the growing scientific interest in magic, this article describes a particular kind of wonder: the response to a magic trick. It first provides a historical perspective by considering continuity and change over time in this experience, and argues that, in certain respects, this particular kind of wonder has changed. It then describes in detail the experience of magic, considers the extent to which it might be considered acquired rather than innate, and how it relates to other emotions, such as surprise. In the process, it discusses the role of belief, and offers some suggestions for future research. It concludes by noting the importance of context and meaning in shaping the nature of the experience, and argues for the value of both experimental and historical research in the attempt to understand such experiences.
Accommodative Fluctuations, Lens Tension, and Ciliary Body Thickness in Children

Purpose. To investigate the relationship among microfluctuations in accommodation, resting tension on the crystalline lens, ciliary body thickness, and refractive error in children. Methods. Subjects were 49 children, aged 8 to 15 years. Subjects wore habitual correction over their left eye and an infrared filter over the right eye during accommodative measurements. Monocular accommodation was measured continuously for two, 30-second periods using a PowerRef I at a sampling rate of 25 Hz while subjects viewed a high-contrast target at 0.25 m. The high (1.0 to 2.3 Hz) and low- (0 to 0.6 Hz) frequency components of the power spectrum from a fast Fourier transform of the accommodative response were used in analysis. Resting tension on the crystalline lens was assessed by measuring the amplitude of the oscillations of the crystalline lens after a rightward 20° saccadic eye movement. Ciliary body thickness was measured 2 mm posterior to the scleral spur from images obtained with a Zeiss Visante optical coherence tomography (OCT). Cycloplegic spherical equivalent refractive error was obtained with the Grand Seiko autorefractor. Results. The mean ± SD spherical equivalent refractive error was −1.00 D ± 2.25 (range, −6.00 D to +3.44 D). Greater power in the log of the high-frequency component of accommodative microfluctuations was associated with thinner ciliary bodies (p = 0.03) and lower ages (p = 0.0004). More hyperopic refractive errors with greater power in the high-frequency component (p = 0.0005) and the low-frequency component (p = 0.02). No statistically significant relationship was found for the low-frequency component or root mean square of accommodative microfluctuations and refractive error. Conclusions. High-frequency microfluctuations of accommodation appear to be suppressed with thicker ciliary bodies. These variations in accommodation need to be observed in a longitudinal study to better assess the functional significance of their relationship to ciliary body size and refractive error.
Effects of Curcumin Nanoparticles in Isoproterenol-Induced Myocardial Infarction

Curcumin has anti-inflammatory, antioxidative, anticarcinogenic, and cardiovascular protective effects. Our study is aimed at evaluating the effects of pretreatment with curcumin nanoparticles (CCNP) compared to conventional curcumin (CC) on isoproterenol (ISO) induced myocardial infarction (MI) in rats. Fifty-six Wistar-Bratislava white rats were randomly divided into eight groups of seven rats each. Curcumin and curcumin nanoparticles were given by gavage in three different doses (100 mg/kg body weight (bw), 150 mg/kg bw, and 200 mg/kg bw) for 15 days. The MI was induced on day 13 using 100 mg/kg bw ISO administered twice, with the second dose 24 h after the initial dose. The blood samples were taken 24 h after the last dose of ISO. The antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and cardioprotective effects were evaluated in all groups. All doses of CC and CCNP offered a cardioprotective effect by preventing creatine kinase-MB leakage from cardiomyocytes, with the best result for CCNP. All the oxidative stress parameters were significantly improved after CCNP compared to CC pretreatment. CCNP was more efficient than CC in limiting the increase in inflammatory cytokine levels (such as TNF-α, IL-6, IL-1α, IL-1β, MCP-1, and RANTES) after MI. MMP-2 and MMP-9 levels decreased more after pretreatment with CCNP than with CC. CCNP better prevented myocardial necrosis and reduced interstitial edema and neutrophil infiltration than CC, on histopathological examination. Therefore, improving the bioactivity of curcumin by nanotechnology may help limit cardiac injury after myocardial infarction.
Faster Region-based Hotspot Detection

As the circuit feature size continuously shrinks down, hotspot detection has become a more challenging problem in modern DFM flows. Developed deep learning techniques have recently shown their advantages on hotspot detection tasks. However, existing hotspot detectors only accept small layout clips as input with potential defects occurring at a center region of each clip, which will be time consuming and waste lots of computational resources when dealing with large full-chip layouts. In this paper, we develop a new end-to-end framework that can detect multiple hotspots in a large region at a time and promise a better hotspot detection performance. We design a joint auto-encoder and inception module for efficient feature extraction. A two-stage classification and regression flow is proposed to efficiently locate hotspot regions roughly and conduct final prediction with better accuracy and false alarm penalty. Experimental results show that our framework enables a significant speed improvement over existing methods with higher accuracy and fewer false alarms.
Cross-fertilization and Isomorphism : The Role of Consumer Culture Theory , Institutional Theory , and Institutional Semiotics in Business Markets

This paper proposes borrowing not only from the B2C research traditions articulated by Cova and Salle (op.cit.) but also from those informing the newly theorised Consumer Culture Theory (Arnould and Thompson 2005). It also proposes a beneficial cross-fertilization from sociological and management research into Institutional Theory, and the theory-informed, methodological tool of Institutional Semiotics (Arnold, Kozinets and Thompson 2001) to suggest new approaches to firms’ marketing communications
Investigating Graph Embedding Neural Networks with Unsupervised Features Extraction for Binary Analysis

In this paper we investigate the use of graph embedding networks, with unsupervised features learning, as neural architecture to learn over binary functions. We propose several ways of automatically extract features from the control flow graph (CFG) and we use the structure2vec graph embedding techniques to translate a CFG to a vectors of real numbers. We train and test our proposed architectures on two different binary analysis tasks: binary similarity, and, compiler provenance. We show that the unsupervised extraction of features improves the accuracy on the above tasks, when compared with embedding vectors obtained from a CFG annotated with manually engineered features (i.e., ACFG proposed in [39]). We additionally compare the results of graph embedding networks based techniques with a recent architecture that do not make use of the structural information given by the CFG, and we observe similar performances. We formulate a possible explanation of this phenomenon and we conclude identifying important open challenges.
Percutaneous Radiofrequency Ablation of Hepatic Colorectal Metastases: Technique, Indications, Results, and New Promises

Surgical resection is the standard of care for colorectal metastases isolated to the liver. However, only 10–25% of the patients are eligible for resection because of extent and location of the disease in the liver or concurrent medical conditions. Image-guided radiofrequency (RF) ablation is a minimally invasive technique that is emerging as a viable alternate treatment of nonsurgical patients with limited hepatic metastatic disease. Several series have shown that RF ablation can result in complete tumor eradication in properly selected candidates and have provided indirect evidence that the treatment improves survival. In a recent multicenter trial including 423 patients, overall survival of RF-ablation treated patients reached 47% at 3 years and 24% at 5 years. RF ablation technology is undergoing continuous improvement, and its clinical application has been successfully expanded to the treatment of colorectal metastases to the lung. Randomized trials comparing RF ablation with either surgical resection or chemotherapy protocols, however, are still missing. In this article, we review technique, indications, clinical results, and future prospects of RF ablation in the therapeutic management of metastatic colorectal cancer patients.