Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Clinical Study of Post-Traumatic Amnesia *

Fifteen consecutive patients with head injuries, admitted to the neurosurgical services of the Winnipeg General and St. Boniface hospitals, were given two memory tests within 24 hours following recovery of consciousness. The first test concerned immediate recall of a series of digits, presented orally. The second was a paired-associates test which involved learning and retaining pairs of stimuli and also required that when one stimulus of the pair is given the subjects correctly respond with the other associated stimulus. Fifteen control subjects admitted to hospital for acute episodes other than head injury were tested. The controls were matched with the head-injured subjects for age and education. During the eight-minute retention interval a distraction stimulus was administered randomly to six of the head-injured subjects and to six matched controls. No defect was found in immediate (a few seconds) memory of the head-injured group. The distracting stimulus had no significant influence on retention. Verbal learning, as defined by the number of trials to reach a criterion score on a memory test, was impaired and verbal retention, tested by recall at one hour after the initial learning period, was also impaired. These findings suggest that head-injured patients have at least a temporarily decreased ability to form lasting memory traces.
Precise Localization of Landmarks on 3D Faces using Gabor Wavelets

This paper presents a method for localization of landmarks on 3D faces. Gabor wavelets are used to extract the curvature of the 3D faces which is then used for performing a coarse detection of landmarks. As a second step, an ICP with a mean face is locally applied on each characteristic point in order to enhance the precision of the detection and to detect possible errors. Experiments realized on the 3D face FRGC V1.0 database show that our method provides a high precision compared to state of the art methods.
64-QAM 60-GHz CMOS Transceivers for IEEE 802.11ad/ay

This paper presents 64-quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) 60-GHz CMOS transceivers with four-channel bonding capability, which can be categorized into a one-stream transceiver and a two-stream frequency-interleaved (FI) transceiver. The transceivers are both fabricated in a standard 65-nm CMOS technology. For the proposed one-stream transceiver, the TX-to-RX error vector magnitude (EVM) is less than −23.9 dB for 64-QAM wireless communication in all four channels defined in the IEEE 802.11ad/WiGig. The maximum communication distance with the full rate can reach 0.13 m for 64 QAM, 0.8 m for 16 QAM, and 2.6 m for QPSK using 14-dBi horn antennas. A data rate of 28.16 Gb/s is achieved in 16 QAM by four-channel bonding. The transmitter, receiver, and phase-locked loop consume 186, 155, and 64 mW, respectively. The core area of the transceiver is 3.9 mm2. For the proposed two-stream FI transceiver, four-channel bonding in 64 QAM is realized with a data rate of 42.24 Gb/s and an EVM of less than −23 dB. The front end consumes 544 mW in transmitting mode and 432 mW in receiving mode from a 1.2-V supply. The core area of the transceiver is 7.2 mm2.
Satellite tracking highlights the need for international cooperation in marine turtle management

We present detailed results of a satellite tracking project following 10 adult female tur- tles from the Cayman Islands, thought to have once been one of the world's largest rookeries. By tracking the movements of 7 green turtles Chelonia mydas and 3 loggerhead turtles Caretta caretta from now critically reduced rookeries we defined key habitats for internesting movement, migration, and foraging in a range of Caribbean jurisdictions. Turtles tracked from the Cayman Islands traveled to foraging grounds in Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua and the USA. This range encompasses a >2000 km stretch of Caribbean coastline and the Florida Keys, highlighting the need for international cooperation in identifying and mitigating foraging ground threats. For one of the green turtles, foraging site fidelity was elucidated over the course of two reproductive seasons, and oceanic internesting intervals/post-nesting oceanic circles were defined for the first time in Atlantic loggerhead turtles. In addition to fundamental and applied insights into the biology of the 2 species, this research elucidates geographic scale for potential ecological effects of past decimation of rook- eries in the Cayman Islands and highlights the effectiveness of community efforts in support of conservation research.
Relevant parameters of SPICE3 MOSFET model for EMC analysis

Design of static converters circuits and virtual prototyping of power electronics systems requires the use of heavy semiconductors components models, with a large number of parameters whose exact knowledge often requires several delicate experimental measurements and heavy optimisations procedures. This paper presents a sensitivity survey that permits to determine which parameters of the SPICE3 MOSFET model are applicable for the EMC analysis with the goal to reduce the number of measurements to carry out at the phase of parameters extraction.
Seasonal photoreactivity of dissolved organic matter from lakes with contrasting humic content

We studied seasonal variability in photodegradation of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) resulting from artificial ultraviolet-A (UV-A) and UV-B irradiation. Water samples were taken approximately monthly from the surface layers of two oligotrophic lakes with contrasting humic content, situated in southern Sweden. Lake water was filter-sterilized (0.2 μm) and exposed to artificial UV radiation in quartz tubes. Potential DOC photodegradation, measured as a photoproduction of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) and oxalic, malonic, formic, and acetic acid in irradiated samples, was observed throughout the sampling period. In addition, exposure to UV radiation resulted in a decrease in DOC, absorbance, and humic substance fluorescence. The photoproduction of DIC and the low molecular weight (LMW) organic acids varied seasonally, being generally higher in winter and spring (December-May), while DOC appeared to become less photoreactive after the extensive exposure to solar radiation during summer. Production rates of both DIC and LMW organic acids were approximately eight times higher in the humic lake despite that the DOC concentration was only two times higher than in the clearwater lake. This is most probably due to the high input of allochthonous DOC and the resulting higher absorbance to DOC ratio in the humic system. Furthermore, the longer hydraulic residence time in the clearwater system could have resulted in an accumulation of residual DOC, recalcitrant to further photodegradation. (Less)
Coupling investigation between RF coil array elements backed by surface impedance characterized shields for 7 Tesla MRI

In this paper we present a coupling investigation between RF coil array elements which are backed by surface impedance characterized RF shields for 7 Tesla magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Two simulation models for the RF coil elements are considered here: an ideal impressed current model for an initial 2-D investigation, and a symmetrically fed dipole with meander terminals for the 3-D investigation. The RF shield, which is placed behind the coil element, is characterized by a surface impedance boundary condition (SIBC), where different surface impedances are defined. An optimal surface impedance of the RF shield can be found to achieve minimum coupling between neighboring coil elements. Different spatial arrangements (e.g. the shape of the phantom, the edge-to-edge separation between coupled coil elements, the separation from coil element to RF shield) are considered. In general, a large surface impedance provides a higher coupling level in comparison to a small surface impedance. As the separation distance from the coil element to the RF shield increases, a reduced surface impedance selectivity of the coupling behavior is observed. The proposed fundamental investigation reveals a new approach to modify the coupling characteristics of the dipole coil elements for MRI.
Effects of Stress, Stop Release, and Familiarization on Speech Recognition Thresholds

Objective: This study examined outcomes of common procedural variations of speech recognition threshold (SRT) testing, specifically related to the effects of equal syllable stress, word-final stop consonant release, and prior-familiarization, with the participants’ language status taken into account. Methods: SRTs were obtained from 40 adults with normal hearing. Twenty participants received prior-familiarization with the spondee list and the other 20 received no prior-familiarization. Repeated SRT tests were administered using three different recordings which varied in syllable stress and word-final stop release patterns. Results: The group with prior-familiarization demonstrated a threshold that was significantly lower than the group without prior-familiarization, by approximately 5 dB HL. Despite the statistically significant effects of equal syllable stress and word-final stop release on SRTs, the magnitude of SRT changes elicited by these acoustic-phonetic variations was only slightly above 1 dB HL. The monolinguals generally outperformed the bilinguals in SRT outcomes with the threshold difference less than 3 dB HL. Conclusion: Findings from the present study suggest that familiarizing listeners with test vocabulary prior to SRT administration should continue to remain an important procedural requirement. Future research addressing the extent to which acoustic-phonetic variations of spondee production affect SRTs in individuals with hearing impairments is warranted.
Distinct Roles for Amino- and Carboxyl-terminal Sequences of SPRR1 Protein in the Formation of Cross-linked Envelopes of Conducting Airway Epithelial Cells*

The small proline-rich protein, SPRR1, is a marker gene whose expression in conducting airway epithelium is elevated under a variety of conditions that enhance squamous differentiation. The purpose of this study is to elucidate the nature of the SPRR1 sequence involved in cross-linked envelope formation in a tissue/cell type, such as conducting airway epithelium, that normally does not express squamous function except after injury or maintenance in culture. For this, a Flag-SPRR1 fusion protein expression system has been developed. Using the liposome-mediated gene transfer technique on passage 1 culture of human tracheobronchial epithelial (TBE) cells, the Flag-SPRR1 fusion protein can be expressed and detected immunologically by both anti-Flag and anti-SPRR1 antibodies. The incorporation of Flag-SPRR1 fusion protein into cross-linked envelopes can be demonstrated when transfected human passage 1 TBE cultures are treated with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate and high calcium (1.5 mm). By deletion and site-directed mutagenesis, two distinct roles of the amino- and carboxyl-terminal sequences of SPRR1 have been demonstrated. First, we demonstrated that the amino-terminal sequence of SPRR1 protein is required for the incorporation of the fusion protein into cross-linked envelopes, whereas a deletion on the carboxyl-terminal region or on the middle repetitive unit has no effect. Interestingly, insertion of a 24-amino acid peptide of monkey MUC2 repetitive sequence in the amino-terminus of SPRR1 protein had a stimulatory effect. Site-directed mutagenesis on the following amino acid residues, Lys7, Gln88, and Lys89, which were found previously to participate in the cross-linked envelope formation of keratinocytes, had no detrimental effect on the incorporation. However, mutations on Gln clusters, such as Gln4-Gln6 and Gln22-Gln25, had detrimental effects on the incorporation. These results suggest an amino-terminal sequence-dependent and multiple cross-linked sites for the incorporation of Flag-SPRR1 fusion protein into cross-linked envelopes of cultured human TBE cells. Second, we demonstrated that the carboxyl terminus of SPRR1 protein is required for a high level of Flag-fusion protein expression. A deletion in the carboxyl region or a mutation on the last lysine residue of the carboxyl end had a detrimental effect on the level of Flag-SPRR1 fusion protein expressed in transfected cells. In contrast, there was only a slight decrease in the level of expression if the amino-terminus was deleted. Interestingly, the efficiency for fusion protein to incorporate into cross-linked envelopes was elevated by the mutation at the carboxyl end. These results suggest distinct roles, perhaps coordinately, for both amino- and carboxyl-terminal sequences in the regulation of the life cycle of SPRR1 protein in cultured TBE cells.
Rapid lysis of cell walls of Micrococcus radiodurans with lysozyme: effects of butanol pretreatment on DNA.

A method is presented by which the walls of Micrococcus radiodurans are rendered sensitive to rapid decomposition by lysozyme after a preliminary extraction with an n-butanol-saturated buffer. The method has been adapted for density gradient centrifugation studies of DNA in alkaline sucrose.Butanol induced an endonuclease activity which was inhibited by EDTA. Endonuclease-induced breaks were not repaired. Protoplasts did not repair X-ray-induced breaks. Therefore, pretreatment with butanol inactivated the DNA repair system. Untreated cells repaired a portion of their X-ray-induced breaks.
Идентификация Нечетких Систем: Методы И Алгоритмы

Рассмотрены основные этапы построения нечетких моделей: экспертное оценивание, идентификация структуры, идентификация параметров. Отмечено, что экспертное оценивание включает в себя определение типа нечеткой модели, выбор t-нормальных функций для задания нечетких логических операций, выбор способов нечеткого вывода. Для идентификации структуры предложено применять два метода: нечеткий кластерный анализ и алгоритм перебора. Для идентификации параметров выбраны следующие алгоритмы: генетический, муравьиной колонии, роящихся частиц, имитации отжига. Приведены результаты имитационного эксперимента.
Altered functional properties of a TRPM2 variant in Guamanian ALS and PD

Two related neurodegenerative disorders, Western Pacific amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and parkinsonism–dementia (PD), originally occurred at a high incidence on Guam, in the Kii peninsula of Japan, and in southern West New Guinea more than 50 years ago. These three foci shared a unique mineral environment characterized by the presence of severely low levels of Ca2+ and Mg2+, coupled with high levels of bioavailable transition metals in the soil and drinking water. Epidemiological studies suggest that genetic factors also contribute to the etiology of these disorders. Here, we report that a variant of the transient receptor potential melastatin 2 (TRPM2) gene may confer susceptibility to these diseases. TRPM2 encodes a calcium-permeable cation channel highly expressed in the brain that has been implicated in mediating cell death induced by oxidants. We found a heterozygous variant of TRPM2 in a subset of Guamanian ALS (ALS-G) and PD (PD-G) cases. This variant, TRPM2P1018L, produces a missense change in the channel protein whereby proline 1018 (Pro1018) is replaced by leucine (Leu1018). Functional studies revealed that, unlike WT TRPM2, P1018L channels inactivate. Our results suggest that the ability of TRPM2 to maintain sustained ion influx is a physiologically important function and that its disruption may, under certain conditions, contribute to disease states.
Incidence of HHV7 in donors and recipients of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

To the Editor: We read with the great interest the article of by Khanani et al. [1] and were surprised with the extremely low incidence of detected Human Herpesvirus 7 (HHV7) in paediatric hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) recipients, which is not in agreement with our experience. The incidence in the allogeneic setting was 5.5% (9/163) with the median of detection 21 days after HSCT. It would have been interesting to see the total number of tested samples in different categories (blood, plasma, other body fluids, tissue) and the separation of that cohort concerning patients on ganciclovir (GCV) prophylaxis as possible explanation for the low HHV7 incidence. In the article and in the reference about the PCR methods [2] we were not able to find the sensitivity of theHHV7 assay. The lower incidencemay be then also explained by the lower sensitivity of assay. In our institution,we have testedHHV7 in similar clinical setting with the exception of GCV prophylaxis. All patients received acyclovir prophylaxis, while GCV was used to treat CMV preemptively based on the results of weekly PCR monitoring. Viral detection is based on DNA extraction fromwhole blood. The results are normalized to 10,000 human genome equivalents quantified using the albumin gene. The sensitivity of both the HHV7 and albumin gene detection are down to 5 copies per reaction. Up to May 2007, we tested for HHV7 2,546 blood samples obtained from125 patients transplanted between February 2000 and May 2006 (median age at HSCT 9.13 years). Two hundred seventyeight samples from 56 patients (44.8%) contained more than 1 normalized viral copy (NVC), more than 10 NVCs contained samples from 26 patients (20.8%) and more than 100 NVCs were detected in only 5 patients (0.04%). In 72 patients from our cohort, we found no impact of viral reactivation on clinical features (e.g., presence of fever, pneumonia, thrombocytopenia). With regard to the predictors of the reactivation of HHV7 at level 10 NVCs, we have found that a higher dose of CD34þ cells in the graft and use of busulfan increased the probability for HHV7 detection during posttransplant surveillance. HSCT with related donor compared to unrelated resulted in a 4.5-fold increase in risk of HHV7 reactivation. Compared to Khanani et al. [1], we found a positive association of HHV7 and HHV6 detection while there was no relation between HHV7 and CMVand EBV. Interestingly, we were able to detect HHV7 DNA in 9 unrelated and 5 related donors out of 30 donors tested (21 unrelated and 9 related donors) and observed no clinical consequence for the recipient. The quantity of HHV7 DNA in these cases was below 100 NVCs (median 7.5, range 0.6–88). Because the graft for HSCT is obtained in donors without any clinical sign of infection, we suggest this level as a non-clinically important in term of latent HHV7, at least for immunocompetent host. Compared to Khanani et al., higher incidence observed in our cohort is similar to other publishedworks [3,4] andmay be caused by the higher sensitivity of our PCR assay.
Subdural Haematoma in Patients With Spontaneous Intracranial Hypotension

The incidence and clinical relevance of subdural haematoma (SDH) in patients with spontaneous intracranial hypotension (SIH) remain undetermined. We reviewed 40 consecutive SIH patients (18 female, 22 male) in a tertiary hospital. Eight (20%) of them had SDH and nine (23%), non-haemorrhagic subdural collections. The presence of SDH was associated with higher frequencies of male gender, recurrence of severe headache and neurological deficits. Outcomes were satisfactory after supportive care or epidural blood patches except for one SDH patient, who developed transtentorial herniation resulting in Duret haemorrhage and infarctions of bilateral posterior cerebral artery territories. In conclusion, subdural fluid collections were common in patients with SIH. SDH was associated with headache worsening or neurological deficits. Patients with SDH generally recovered well; however, serious sequela might occur.
Translesion DNA synthesis in eukaryotes: a one- or two-polymerase affair.

Cellular DNA is continually damaged by a plethora of extrinsic and intrinsic sources, including UV light from the sun and reactive oxygen species resulting from aerobic respiration. Although cells possess a variety of repair processes to remove DNA lesions, lesions that escape repair can block the replicational machinery, and there has been little understanding of the mechanisms by which eukaryotic cells overcome such blocks and promote the continuity of the newly replicated DNA strand. The past three years, however, have witnessed phenomenal progress in this area of research, and here we highlight the important findings and major conclusions that have emerged regarding translesion DNA synthesis (TLS) in eukaryotes.
Novel methodology for Kannada Braille to speech translation using image processing on FPGA

With the introduction and popularization of text to speech convertors, a huge drop in literacy rates is being seen amongst the visually impaired. Also, since Braille is not well known to the masses, communication by the visually impaired with the outside world becomes an arduous task. A lot of research is being carried out in conversion of English text to Braille but not many concentrate on the alternative i.e. conversion of Braille to regional languages. In order to address this issue, in this paper we introduce a novel methodology to convert Braille characters representing the Kannada Language (a popular language of southern part of India), captured by a camera, into Kannada text or speech. An automated thresholding algorithm for segmentation of the Braille dots along with a novel algorithm for identification of the characters has been explained. All algorithms were designed and developed for a Xilinx Spartan 3E FPGA and were executed in real time. An accuracy of over 94% was achieved in Braille segmentation and detection. The algorithm for identification of the Kannada Braille character was found to be four times faster than many existing methodologies, on the FPGA.
Turbo space-time equalization of TCM for broadband wireless channels

This paper presents a turbo (iterative) equalization method for complex TCM (trellis-coded modulation) signals over broadband wireless channels based on receiver antenna array measurements. The channel is highly dispersive at high data rates causing a severe intersymbol interference (ISI) effect and making the direct application of any trellis based equalization algorithm infeasible. The problem of reducing this excess interference is solved by receiver diversity combining, i.e. using a linear antenna array and a broadband beamformer in the receiver. The beamformer output that contains less ISI is viewed as the output of a serial concatenated coding system and optimum symbol detection is achieved by a turbo equalization and decoding scheme. The proposed receiver structure is simulated for two dimensional TCM signals such as 8-16 PSK and 16-QAM and the results indicate an improved performance of the diversity receiver.