Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Relation of Age-Related Macular Degeneration and Cognitive Impairment in an Older Population

Background: The aetiology of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and cognitive impairment is poorly understood. A link between cognitive impairment and AMD has been proposed although only a weak association was found in population-based studies. Purpose: To assess cross-sectional associations between AMD and cognitive impairment in an older Australian population. Methods: The Blue Mountains Eye Study examined 3,509 persons aged 49+ years during 1997–2000. AMD lesions were assessed from retinal photographs using the Wisconsin System. Mini-mental state examination (MMSE), demographics, lifestyle factors and medical history were collected at interview. MMSE score was categorised as high-normal (28–30), low-normal (24–27) and impaired (<24). A modified MMSE excluded five vision related items and was dichotomised as normal (18–22) and impaired (0–17). Logistic regression was used to assess associations after adjusting for age, sex, visual impairment, stroke, current smoking status, hypertension, alcohol consumption and post-high-school qualification. Results: Prevalence rates for late and early AMD were 1.5% (n = 50) and 8.3% (n = 273), respectively. Cognitive impairment was present in 18.0% in persons with late AMD and 8.4% with early AMD, compared to 2.6% in persons without AMD. After multivariate adjustment, late AMD was associated with low normal MMSE (odds ratio (OR): 2.2, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.1–5.0) and cognitive impairment (OR: 3.7, CI: 1.3–10.6). Using the modified MMSE, the multivariate association between late AMD and cognitive impairment remained (OR: 2.2, CI: 1.0–5.0). No significant association was found between cognitive impairment and early AMD. Conclusions: We found a significant, cross-sectional association between late AMD and cognitive impairment in a sample of older Australians that appeared to be independent of visual impairment. The association was weaker but remained significant after excluding vision-related items from the MMSE.
Carrier Lifetime Engineering for Floating-Body Cell Memory

A novel bias scheme is demonstrated for performance improvement of floating-body cell memory, particularly retention time. Its basic mechanism is based on carrier lifetime engineering, which takes advantage of generation lifetime that is longer than recombination lifetime. In addition, the proposed scheme is suitable for low-power operation; a high drain bias is unnecessary to generate excess carriers, which allows reliable endurance of up to 1012 switching instances at 85 °C.
Robust speaker verification system with anti-spoofing detection and DNN feature enhancement modules

This thesis focuses on the robustness issues of speaker verification (SV) systems. Although current SV systems perform well under clean condition, their performance degrades dramatically under real-world uncontrolled environments. The reliability of current SV systems is also questionable under spoofing attacks. These pitfalls severely limit it’s deployment in many applications. This thesis presents approaches to combat these two robustness issues, namely noise robustness and spoofing attacks. To address the noise robustness issue, the use of deep neural networks (DNN) as a feature compensation method in the front-end module of the SV system is proposed. The motivation to use DNN is due to its success in various related speech fields, and its ability to model nonlinear relationships between high dimensional input and output. In this work, DNN is used to convert noisy input features into clean features. The proposed method is evaluated using the benchmarking speaker recognition evaluation (SRE) 2010 dataset provided by the National Institute of Standards and Technology(NIST). To focus on the effect of feature pre-processing, the SV system is trained using noise free speech and evaluated on noise corrupted speech. Results show that the proposed DNN feature compensation improves the equal error rate (EER) by 2%-25% under different unseen noise types for various SNR levels.
Terabit Optical Access Networks Based on WDM-OFDMA-PON

Next-generation optical access networks are envisioned to evolve into a converged, high-speed, multiservice platform supporting residential, business, mobile backhaul, and special purpose applications. Moreover, bandwidth demand projections suggest that terabit aggregate capacity may need to be reached in such next-generation passive optical networks (PON). To satisfy these requirements while leveraging the large investments made in existing fiber plants, a wavelength division multiplexed (WDM)-based long-reach PON architecture combined with a multiple access technology that features a passive last-mile split, large per-λ speeds, and statistical bandwidth multiplexing can be exploited. In this paper, the first terabit PON based on hybrid WDM orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) technology is proposed and experimentally verified. To enable high-speed, long-reach transmission with simplified optical network unit (ONU)-side digital signal processing, multiband OFDMA with ONU-side sub-band selectivity is proposed. Design challenges and tradeoffs between analog and digital domain sub-band combining and selection are also discussed. Finally, the experimental setup and results of the first 1.2 Tb/s (1 Tb/s after overhead) symmetric WDM-OFDMA-PON over 90 km straight single-mode fiber and 1:32 passive split, featuring multiband OFDMA, digitally selective ONUs, and a coherent-receiver OLT are presented and analyzed. By supporting up to 800 ONUs with 1.25/10 Gb/s guaranteed/peak rates and exhibiting a record rate-distance product achieved in long-reach PON, the demonstrated architecture may be viewed as promising for future converged terabit optical metro/access.
Relation of VP7 amino acid sequence to monoclonal antibody neutralization of rotavirus and rotavirus monotype

The neutralization epitopes of the VP7 of human rotavirus RV-4 were studied by using five neutralizing mouse monoclonal antibodies to select virus variants resistant to neutralization by each of the antibodies. Antibody resistance patterns and sequence analysis of the RV-4 variants revealed that at least four sites on VP7, located at amino acids 94 (region A), 147 to 148 (region B), 213 (region C), and 291, are involved in neutralization of the human G1 rotavirus RV-4. The A-region site elicited antibody cross-reactive between G types and showed species-restricted immunodominance not related to carbohydrate attachment. The monotype 1b rotavirus M37 lacked this site. The B region contained strain-specific and cross-reactive sites, absent in monotype 1c rotaviruses. The C-region site was present in all G1 rotaviruses tested. Monotype 1a rotaviruses contained all these sites of neutralization. Virus monotype and sensitivity to monoclonal antibody neutralization usually related to the presence of a particular amino acid(s) at or next to the positions at which the mutations were selected in the virus variants.
Pharmacotherapy for Attention-deficit–Hyperactivity Disorder

Attention-deficit–hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), one of the most common psychiatric disorders worldwide, is characterised by developmentally inappropriate levels of inattention and/or hyperactivity–impulsivity. Pharmacotherapy is an important treatment option for ADHD, either on its own or in combination with behavioural, educational and family interventions. Although stimulants are the most widely prescribed medications for ADHD, with numerous studies demonstrating their efficacy and safety in children, adolescents and adults, there are other agents that have been shown to be effective and that can be useful when stimulants are not indicated. Differences exist between Europe and North America in terms of the availability of pharmacological agents, guidelines for the use of drugs and perceptions about therapeutic options. This article describes the pharmacological and clinical characteristics of different medications approved globally for the treatment of ADHD and the factors that contribute to varying treatment choices, therapeutic options and perceptions about ADHD in Europe and North America.
QUANTITATIVE AND HISTOCHEMICAL STUDIES ON THE DESORPTION AND READSORPTION OF ALDOLASE IN CROSS-STRIATED MUSCLE

Complete extraction of aldolase from minced rabbit psoas muscle was achieved by successive extraction steps in 0.1 M phosphate buffer. Aldolase was then readsorbed quantitatively to the depleted myofibrils. Extraction, readsorption and a final redsorption of the enzyme were followed quantitatively by enzyme activity determinations and qualitatively by histochemical staining of aldolase. The intracellular location of the readsorbed enzyme was found to be identical with that of aldolase in native muscle. In both cases, aldolase was localized within the isotropic bands. These results as well as the previously demonstrated binding of the enzyme to F-actin suggest that aldolase is located within the interfilamentary sarcoplasm of the isotropic bands and is probably also bound in vivo to the actin filaments.
Is diversification history of maize influencing selection of soil bacteria by roots?

A wide range of plant lines has been propagated by farmers during crop selection and dissemination, but consequences of this crop diversification on plant‐microbe interactions have been neglected. Our hypothesis was that crop evolutionary history shaped the way the resulting lines interact with soil bacteria in their rhizospheres. Here, the significance of maize diversification as a factor influencing selection of soil bacteria by seedling roots was assessed by comparing rhizobacterial community composition of inbred lines representing the five main genetic groups of maize, cultivated in a same European soil. Rhizobacterial community composition of 21‐day‐old seedlings was analysed using a 16S rRNA taxonomic microarray targeting 19 bacterial phyla. Rhizobacterial community composition of inbred lines depended on the maize genetic group. Differences were largely due to the prevalence of certain Betaproteobacteria and especially Burkholderia, as confirmed by quantitative PCR and cloning/sequencing. However, these differences in bacterial root colonization did not correlate with plant microsatellite genetic distances between maize genetic groups or individual lines. Therefore, the genetic structure of maize that arose during crop diversification (resulting in five main groups), but not the extent of maize diversification itself (as determined by maize genetic distances), was a significant factor shaping rhizobacterial community composition of seedlings.
Genetic epidemiology in a molecular age

In this issue we publish three genetic epidemiology papers (Agrawal et al. 2002; Johnson et al. 2002; Wichers et al. 2002). Psychological Medicine in recent years has had genetic epidemiology as one of its major themes. We also publish some molecular genetic papers. This is a time when the development of molecular genetic technologies, which have already enabled the sequencing of the entire human genome, has been widely and appropriately hailed as a major advance, promising to generate a revolution in the understanding of causes of all human disease, including psychiatric, and in the discovery of new drugs. Psychological Medicine now has a distinguished American Editor from the world of genetic epidemiology in the person of Kenneth Kendler. This editorial, by his British editorial counterpart, is deliberately non-expert, and a view of the psychiatric future of genetic epidemiology from outside the field. The basic findings for heritability of major psychiatric disorders have become well established and replicated in some decades of research. Family studies were followed by twin studies and adoption studies which established on a much firmer basis that a substantial element in the familiality was genetic. Disappointingly, the genes still remain to be identified with certainty. That is the task of molecular genetics. It is becoming increasingly clear that the task will not be an easy one, because for the most part we seem to have multi-gene disorders, with a number of or many genes of small effect, requiring large samples and quantitative trait methods to elucidate (Plomin et al. 1994).
Sites of gene expression for vasoactive intestinal polypeptide throughout the brain of the chick (Gallus domesticus)

The peptide neurotransmitter vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) has several important functions in vertebrates, particularly, influencing the neuroendocrine and autonomic nervous systems both in developing and in adult animals. To document potential brain areas that might play significant functional roles, the distribution of VIP mRNA was examined throughout the entire chick brain by using in situ hybridization histochemistry (ISHH). In addition, a VIP binding‐site study was completed that focused on the lateral septal organ (LSO), a circumventricular organ of potential significance in avian species. The areas where VIP message was found included the olfactory bulbs, posterior hippocampus, parahippocampal area, hyperstriatum, archistriatum/nucleus (n.) taenia (amygdala), medial part of the LSO, organum vasculosum of the lamina terminalis, medial preoptic region, bed n. of the pallial commissure, anterior hypothalamic (hypo.) n. , lateral hypo. area (most extensive and dense message), periventricular hypo. n. , lateral to the paraventricular n. , ventromedial hypo. n. , stratum cellulare externum, inferior hypo. n. , infundibular hypo. n. , median eminence, three layers within the stratum griseum et fibrosum superficiale, area ventralis of Tsai, n. tegmenti pedunculopontinus pars compacta (substantia nigra), intercollicular n. , central gray, locus ceruleus, parabrachial n. , ventrolateral medulla, reticular pontine area, in and about the n. vestibularis descendens. When compared with immunocytochemistry that detected the presence of the peptide product VIP, more areas of the brain were found to contain perikarya expressing VIP by using ISHH, particularly in the telencephalon and the mesencephalon. VIP binding sites were found in the lateral portion of the LSO where the blood‐brain barrier is not fully developed. Hence, the LSO was found to contain neural elements that synthesize as well as bind VIP. VIP appears to be a useful peptide for defining major components of the visceral forebrain system in birds. J. Comp. Neurol. 381:101‐118, 1997. © 1997 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Enhanced area estimation algorithms for indoor wireless localization

We enhance the area average (AA) algorithm based on received signal strength (RSS) fingerprinting in Wi-Fi infrastructure by utilizing map information. The area searching (AS) algorithm adopts the concept of Cell-ID method before fingerprinting is proposed to select appropriate areas to reduce the estimation error. The fusion-based RSS distance computation (FRD) scheme can represent the RSS distance more accurate when both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz are considered. Experiment results validate that the enhanced algorithms achieve above 90% of area estimation accuracy in the area with access points in four different testing environments.
Forced retraction of spinal root injury enhances activation of p38 MAPK cascade in infiltrating macrophages

Root‐rupture injury is a type of preganglionic brachial plexus injury resulting from traction force, where a small section of the spinal root is usually left behind. We have established experimental models of both root‐rupture injury with traction force and rhizotomy without traction force in rats and we examined the activation of microglia/macrophages in both conditions. LGP107 and LGP96, which are rat homologs of lysosome‐associated membrane proteins, were most useful as immunohistochemical markers of mononuclear phagocytes. The metabolic activation of macrophages was analyzed by immunohistochemistry with a series of antibodies against tumor necrosis factor‐alpha (TNF‐alpha), cathepsin B, p38 mitogen‐activated protein kinase (MAPK), and mitogen‐activated kinase kinase 3 (MKK3). Both root‐rupture injury and rhizotomy rapidly induced the aggregation of numerous macrophages from the injured dorsal root to the dorsal funiculus and TNF‐alpha was highly expressed by the macrophages in the injured dorsal root at 48 h. Activation of p38 MAPK was preferentially observed in the macrophages at the ruptured dorsal root; however, only slight activation of p38 MAPK was observed at the rhizotomized dorsal root. These findings suggest that traction injury of the spinal root might induce activation of the p38 MAPK cascade and production of TNF‐alpha in the infiltrating macrophages, both of which might participate in aggravation of the root injury.
Determining the longitudinal relaxation time (T1) of blood at 3.0 Tesla

It is important to determine the longitudinal relaxation time of blood for black blood imaging, as well as for quantifying blood flow by arterial spin labeling (ASL). In this study a circulation system was used to measure blood T1 under physiological conditions at the new clinical field strength of 3.0T. It was found that 1/T1 in s−1 was linearly dependent (P < 0.05) on hematocrit (Hct) within a normal range of 0.38–0.46. The relationships were 1/T1 = (0.52 ± 0.15) · Hct + (0.38 ± 0.06) and 1/T1 = (0.83 ± 0.07) · Hct + (0.28 ± 0.03) for arterial (oxygenation = 92% ± 7%) and venous blood (69% ± 8%), respectively, which led to estimated T1 values of 1664 ± 14 ms (arterial) and 1584 ± 5 ms (venous) at a typical human Hct of 0.42. The temperature dependencies of blood T1 were 22.3 ± 0.6 ms/°C and 19.8 ± 0.8 ms/°C for Hct values of 0.42 and 0.38, respectively. When a head coil transmit/receive setup was used, radiation damping caused a slight reduction (19 ms) of the measured T1 values. Magn Reson Med 52:679–682, 2004. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
THE EFFECT OF WHOLE BODY VIBRATION ON FRACTURE HEALING – A SYSTEMATIC

This systematic review examines the efficacy and safety of whole body vibration (WBV) on fracture healing. A systematic literature search was conducted with relevant keywords in PubMed and Embase, independently, by two reviewers. Original animal and clinical studies about WBV effects on fracture healing with available full-text and written in English were included. Information was extracted from the included studies for review. In total, 19 articles about pre-clinical studies were selected. Various vibration regimes are reported; of those, the frequencies of 35 Hz and 50 Hz show better results than others. Most of the studies show positive effects on fracture healing after vibration treatment and the responses to vibration are better in ovariectomised (OVX) animals than non-OVX ones. However, several studies provide insufficient evidence to support an improvement of fracture healing after vibration and one study even reports disruption of fracture healing after vibration. In three studies, vibration results in positive effects on angiogenesis at the fracture site and surrounding muscles during fracture healing. No serious complications or side effects of vibration are found in these studies. WBV is suggested to be beneficial in improving fracture healing in animals without safety problem reported. In order to apply vibration on fractured patients, more well-designed randomised controlled clinical trials are needed to examine its efficacy, regimes and safety.
Interactions between drugs and polymers influencing hot melt extrusion

Hot melt extrusion (HME) as a technique for producing amorphous solid dispersion (ASD) has been widely used in pharmaceutical research. The biggest challenge for the application of HME is the thermal degradation of drug, poor physical stability of ASD and precipitation of drug during dissolution. Interactions between drugs and polymers may play an important role in overcoming these barriers. In this review, influence of drug–polymer interactions on HME and the methods for characterizing the drug–polymer interactions were reviewed.
Insights into the Role of Dopamine Receptor Systems in Learning and Memory

It is well established that learning and memory are complex processes involving and recruiting different brain modulatory neurotransmitter systems. Considerable evidence points to the involvement of dopamine in various aspects of cognition, and interest has been focused on investigating the clinical relevance of dopamine systems to age-related cognitive decline and manifestations of cognitive impairment in schizophrenia, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and other neurodegenerative diseases. In the past decade or so, in spite of the molecular cloning of the five dopamine receptor subtypes, their specific roles in brain function remained inconclusive due to the lack of completely selective ligands that could distinguish between the members of the D1-like and D2-like dopamine receptor families. One of the most important advances in the field of dopamine research has been the generation of mutant mouse models permitting evaluation of the dopaminergic system using gene targeting technologies. These mouse models represent an important approach to explore the functional roles of closely related receptor subtypes. In this review, we present and discuss evidence on the role of dopamine receptors in different aspects of learning and memory at the cellular, molecular and behavioral levels. We compare evidence using conventional pharmacological, lesion or electrophysiological studies with results from mice with targeted deletions of different subtypes of dopamine receptor genes. We particularly focus on dopamine D1 and D2 receptors in an effort to delineate their specific roles in various aspects of cognitive function. We provide strong evidence, from our own recent work as well as others, that dopamine is part of the network that plays a very important role in cognitive function, and that although multiple dopamine receptor subtypes contribute to different aspects of learning and memory, the D1 receptor seems to play a more prominent role in mediating plasticity and specific aspects of cognitive function, including spatial learning and memory processes, reversal learning, extinction learning, and incentive learning.