Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Remarks on SVM-based emotion recognition from multi-modal bio-potential signals

This work proposes an emotion recognition system from multi-modal bio-potential signals. For emotion recognition, support vector machines (SVM) are applied to design the emotion classifier and its characteristics are investigated. Using gathered data under psychological emotion stimulation experiments, the classifier is trained and tested. In experiments of recognizing five emotion: joy, anger, sadness, happiness, and relax, recognition rate of 41.1% is achieved. The experimental result shows that using multi-modal bio-potential signals is feasible and that SVM is well suited for emotion recognition tasks.
The mechanism of injury in a steatotic liver graft during cold preservation.

BACKGROUND Fatty livers are more prone to primary nonfunction after transplantation. It is known that cell injury is strongly associated with alterations in the content and composition of membrane lipids. We assumed that plasma membrane (PM) fluidity, which is the most important property of the membrane, differed between fatty and normal livers. METHODS The livers from obese and lean Zucker rats were flushed with cold Ringer's lactate and University of Wisconsin (UW) solution via the portal vein and preserved in cold UW solution for 24 hr. Histological examinations of electron microscopy were performed to investigate of sinusoidal lining cells (SLCs). PMs were isolated using a discontinuous density gradient of Percoll, and the lipid compositions were determined by chromatography. RESULTS SLCs of fatty livers were markedly injured compared with control livers even after short preservation time. Moreover, many blebs were observed in the obese rats even after short preservation time. As for PM lipid composition, the cholesterol/phospholipid (PL) ratio of total PM was 0.14+/-0.03 in the obese rats and 0.21+/-0.03 in the lean rats (P<0.05). The relative proportions of polyunsaturated fatty acids among PLs in PM were 35.7+/-1.2% vs. 45.9+/-1.5% (P<0.0001). These results indicated that the fluidity of the PM in the obese rats is decreased after exposure to low temperatures. CONCLUSIONS Our results suggest that steatotic livers from obese donors are more susceptible to cold preservation injury than livers without steatosis because of the severe deterioration of SLCs, and it is associated with PM fluidity even after short-term cold preservation.
Strategies to Prevent Mycotoxin Contamination of Food and Animal Feed: A Review

Mycotoxins are fungal secondary metabolites that have been associated with severe toxic effects to vertebrates produced by many important phytopathogenic and food spoilage fungi including Aspergillus, Penicillium, Fusarium, and Alternaria species. The contamination of foods and animal feeds with mycotoxins is a worldwide problem. We reviewed various control strategies to prevent the growth of mycotoxigenic fungi as well as to inhibit mycotoxin biosynthesis including pre-harvest (resistance varieties, field management and the use of biological and chemical agents), harvest management, and post-harvest (improving of drying and storage conditions, the use of natural and chemical agents, and irradiation) applications. While much work in this area has been performed on the most economically important mycotoxins, aflatoxin B1 and ochratoxin A much less information is available on other mycotoxins such as trichothecenes, fumonisin B1, zearalenone, citrinin, and patulin. In addition, physical, chemical, and biological detoxification methods used to prevent exposure to the toxic and carcinogenic effect of mycotoxins are discussed. Finally, dietary strategies, which are one of the most recent approaches to counteract the mycotoxin problem with special emphasis on in vivo and in vitro efficacy of several of binding agents (activated carbons, hydrated sodium calcium aluminosilicate, bentonite, zeolites, and lactic acid bacteria) have also been reviewed.
STEROIDOGENIC RESPONSE TO A SINGLE INJECTION OF hCG IN PRE‐ AND EARLY PUBERTAL CRYPTORCHID BOYS

The temporal response patterns of the concentrations of serum testosterone, oestradiol, 17‐hydroxyprogesterone, pregnenolone, progesterone, androstenedione and 5α‐dihydrotestosterone to a single i.m. dose of hCG (5000IU/1.7 m2) were investigated in prepubertal and early pubertal cryptorchid boys, and compared with the response patterns obtained earlier in adult men. The rapid reponse (at approximately 2–4 h) of serum testosterone was lacking in all boys, whereas the slow response at 2–5 days was constant. The relative response (the maximum stimulated concentration vs. the basal level) of serum testosterone was 70‐fold in prepubertal boys and 6‐fold at early puberty, compared with 2.4‐fold in adult men. Serum oestradiol and 17‐hydroxyprogesterone concentrations did not increase in the prepubertal boys, but did increase at early puberty, revealing a pattern similar to thac observed in adult men. Hence, the prepubertal endocrine testis appears to be very responsive to hCG stimulation, and this responsiveness is rapidly lost with advancing puberty. The absolute increases, however, were smallest in prepubertal boys, perhaps reflecting the small potential Leydig cell mass.
Lifespan extension and delayed immune and collagen aging in mutant mice with defects in growth hormone production

Single-gene mutations that extend lifespan provide valuable tools for the exploration of the molecular basis for age-related changes in cell and tissue function and for the pathophysiology of age-dependent diseases. We show here that mice homozygous for loss-of-function mutations at the Pit1 (Snell dwarf) locus show a >40% increase in mean and maximal longevity on the relatively long-lived (C3H/HeJ × DW/J)F1 background. Mutant dwJ/dw animals show delays in age-dependent collagen cross-linking and in six age-sensitive indices of immune system status. These findings thus demonstrate that a single gene can control maximum lifespan and the timing of both cellular and extracellular senescence in a mammal. Pituitary transplantation into dwarf mice does not reverse the lifespan effect, suggesting that the effect is not due to lowered prolactin levels. In contrast, homozygosity for the Ghrhrlit mutation, which like the Pit1dw mutation lowers plasma growth hormone levels, does lead to a significant increase in longevity. Male Snell dwarf mice, unlike calorically restricted mice, become obese and exhibit proportionately high leptin levels in old age, showing that their exceptional longevity is not simply due to alterations in adiposity per se. Further studies of the Pit1dw mutant, and the closely related, long-lived Prop-1df (Ames dwarf) mutant, should provide new insights into the hormonal regulation of senescence, longevity, and late life disease.
Hydroxyitraconazole, Formed During Intestinal First-Pass Metabolism of Itraconazole, Controls the Time Course of Hepatic CYP3A Inhibition and the Bioavailability of Itraconazole in Rats

Itraconazole (ITZ) is a substrate of CYP3A and both ITZ and hydroxyitraconazole (OH-ITZ), a major metabolite formed by CYP3A, are potent inhibitors of CYP3A. The concentration- and time-dependent changes in the hepatic availability (FH) of ITZ were evaluated in rats after oral doses of 5 and 40 mg/kg. Simultaneous blood samples were obtained from the aorta, portal vein, and hepatic vein for 24 h following duodenal ITZ administration, and concentrations of ITZ and OH-ITZ determined by LC/MS. During the absorption phase, the FH of ITZ increased from 0.2 to 1.0, reflecting the time course of hepatic CYP3A inhibition. A counterclockwise hysteresis was observed between ITZ concentrations entering the liver (CIN,ITZ) and FH, whereas there was no time delay observed between the change in FH and the OH-ITZ concentrations entering the liver (CIN,OH-ITZ). The direct relationship between CIN,OH-ITZ and FH suggested that OH-ITZ was mainly responsible for the inhibition of CYP3A. A positive portal venous-aortic gradient for OH-ITZ was measured after duodenal administration of ITZ, indicating intestinal formation of OH-ITZ. The in vivo Ki for OH-ITZ (38 ± 3 nM) was estimated from CIN,OH-ITZ versus FH of ITZ, and is similar to values obtained from inhibition of midazolam hydroxylation in CYP3A4 supersomes (Drug Metab Dispos 32:1121–1131, 2004). The data suggest that OH-ITZ, formed by intestinal CYP3A, controls the time course of hepatic CYP3A inhibition and is mainly responsible for the observed increase in FH of ITZ.
Flow injection system for real-time monitoring of lactic acid at the outer surface of the skin

A flow injection system using electrochemical biosensor for in-time monitoring of lactic acid at the skin's surface was fabricated and tested. The system consists of a microfluidic `skin-patch' sampling device and an electrochemical biosensor using a carbon graphite electrode. In order to enhance the stability of monitoring, lactic acid excreted at the skin's surface was directly solved into the career flow (phosphate buffered saline) in the `skin-patch' sampling device. Therefore our system measures the amount of lactic acid secretion instead of concentrations of lactic acid in the sweat. The electrodes of the biosensor was modified using osmium wired horseradish peroxidase (Os-HRP) redox polymer. The detection limit of the biosensor for lactic acid was 1.0 μM and the sensitivity was 3.125 μA / mM at 1.0 mM. Real-time monitoring of excreted lactic acid during the stationary bike workout was carried out. The flow injection system was attached on the upper arm of the volunteer. Owing to the `skin-patch' flow-channel, transudation of lactic acid was successfully monitored continuously in real-time with sufficient stability. As a result, the lactic acid level increased during the exercise and decreased to the initial level after the exercise. From this result, the system is expected to be used in sports science field such as scientific sports training.
Increased Slope of the Lateral Tibial Plateau Subchondral Bone Is Associated With Greater Risk of Noncontact ACL Injury in Females but Not in Males

Background: There is an emerging consensus that increased posterior-inferior directed slope of the subchondral bone portion of the tibial plateau is associated with increased risk of suffering an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury; however, most of what is known about this relationship has come from unmatched case-control studies. These observations need to be confirmed in more rigorously designed investigations. Hypothesis: Increased posterior-inferior directed slope of the medial and lateral tibial plateaus are associated with increased risk of suffering a noncontact ACL injury. Study Design: Case-control study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods: In sum, 176 athletes competing in organized sports at the college and high school levels participated in the study: 88 suffering their first noncontact ACL injury and 88 matched controls. Magnetic resonance images were acquired, and geometry of the subchondral bone portion of the tibial plateau was characterized on each athlete bilaterally by measuring the medial and lateral tibial plateau slopes, coronal tibial slope, and the depth of the medial tibial plateau. Comparisons between knees of the same person were made with paired t tests, and associations with injury risk were assessed by conditional logistic regression analysis of ACL-injured and control participants. Results: Controls exhibited side-to-side symmetry of subchondral bone geometry, while the ACL-injured athletes did not, suggesting that the ACL injury may have changed the subchondral bone geometry. Therefore, the uninjured knees of the ACL-injured athletes and the corresponding limbs of their matched controls were used to assess associations with injury risk. Analyses of males and females as a combined group and females as a separate group showed a significant association between ACL injury risk and increased posterior-inferior directed slope of the lateral tibial plateau slope. This relationship was not apparent when males were analyzed as a group. Multivariate analyses indicated that these results were independent of the medial tibial plateau slope, coronal tibial slope, and depth of the medial tibial plateau, which were not associated with ACL injury. Conclusion: There is a 21.7% increased risk of noncontact ACL injury with each degree increase of the lateral tibial plateau slope among females but not among males. The medial tibial plateau slope, coronal tibial slope, and depth of the medial tibial plateau were not associated with risk of injury for females or males.
Common trend of antibiotics usage in a tertiary care hospital of Peshawar, Pakistan.

BACKGROUND Antibiotics are used to eradicate the pre- and postoperative infections in surgical procedures and in all others medical cases. However, inappropriate and indiscriminate use of antimicrobial agents can potentially have a number of problems. The emergence of antimicrobial resistant bacteria, an increased number of patients experiencing adverse drug events, and increased drug-related cost have been documented. The objective of the study was to determine the trend of use of antibiotics and hospitalisation of patients in various units of a tertiary care hospital, to investigate practice variation of antimicrobial agents within the hospital, and to identify and document any opportunity for its improvement. METHODS A questionnaire containing relevant information about the study was prepared. Patients' age, sex, diagnosis, duration of hospital stay and type of antibiotic used were recorded and analysed, with particular reference to antibiotic group and disease pattern, in 3 different treatment areas of Hayatabad Medical Complex (HMC), Peshawar, Pakistan, from July 2006 to June 2007. RESULTS During the period under report, a total of 519 patients were studied for their disease and the type of antibiotics used. The leading type of antibiotics reported were 3rd generation antibiotic used on 147 (28.33%) patients in the 3 units collectively, 1st generation 127 (24.47%), and penicillin 99 (19.08%), while macrolides were the least used. CONCLUSION The available resources are needed to be effectively utilised, to minimise the hospital stay due to rational use of antibiotics, and to minimise burden of antibiotics on poor patients.
Asymptomatic plasmodial infection in pregnant women: A global scenario

Though asymptomatic plasmodial infection (API) is well known phenomenon and play an important role in different populations and malaria transmission settings, it has received less attention in malaria intervention strategies. This review was aimed to estimate the prevalence of API in pregnant women across the world. The bibliography records relevant to the study were searched on PubMed and Lilacs, till August 15, 2016, without restriction of language. A total of 78 references were identified, of which 29 met the inclusion criteria. The study of the identified reports revealed that the mean prevalence of API in pregnant women was 10.8% (3382/31186), with wide variation among countries and transmission settings. The reports showed that APIs are very common even in low malaria transmission areas, and most of the APIs are due to submicroscopic plasmodial infection (SPI). More sensitive diagnostic tools are required to address API and SPI in such areas. Every malaria endemic region/country should carry out systematic studies for accurate estimation of frequency for both these events (API and SPI) in different populations for planning appropriate intervention measures.
Comparative analysis of moral distress and values of the work organization between American and Spanish podiatric physicians.

BACKGROUND Moral distress is a stress symptom arising from situations that involve ethical dimensions where the health-care provider believes that he or she is unable to preserve all interests and values at stake. The aims of this study were to evaluate the impact of, and identify possible differences in, moral distress in podiatric physicians in the United States and Spain and to determine the ethical principles most closely related to moral distress. METHODS A 2008 e-mail survey of 93 US podiatric physicians and 93 Spanish podiatric physicians (N = 186) presented statements about different ethical dilemmas, values, and goals in the workplace. RESULTS Although moral distress is strongly present across the sample for all of the questions, the US sample shows higher levels of any kind of moral distress concerning questions about patients' treatment and economic constraints, overload of paperwork, and acting against one's conscience. In the US sample, 91.4% of physicians agreed mostly or completely with the statement that they often had to compromise their own values to cope with the demands of the workplace; 89.25% of US podiatric physicians indicated that their own professional values were congruent with the values of the organization; and a similar percentage (77.5%) reported a strong identification with the goals and framework of their work organization. The Spanish sample had similar results. CONCLUSIONS The results underline the significance of moral distress for both samples, mainly related to time constraints and organizational aspects concerning patients and lack of resources.
Position Offset-Based Parameter Estimation for Permanent Magnet Synchronous Machines Under Variable Speed Control

A position offset-based multiparameter estimation for permanent magnet synchronous machines (PMSMs) under variable speed control is proposed in this paper, which does not need the aid from nominal parameter values of the PMSM and could estimate the rotor permanent magnet (PM) flux linkage and winding resistance separately. For the estimation of rotor PM flux linkage, two sets of PMSM data corresponding to two position offsets are measured while the dq -axis reference currents are set to constants so as to ensure that the estimated machine parameters will not vary during the data measurement. Afterwards, the winding resistance will be estimated from measured PMSM data without addition of position offsets, in which the estimation and compensation of distorted voltage due to inverter nonlinearity are also taken into account. The conventional quantum genetic algorithm is used for aiding the calculation of proposed estimation, which is finally tested on an interior PMSM and shows very good performance in the estimation of rotor PM flux linkage and winding resistance. Thus, it could be used for the condition monitoring of stator winding and rotor PMs of PMSMs.
Cloning and partial characterization of zwittermicin A resistance gene cluster from Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki strain HD1

Aim: The study seeks to shed light on the aminopolyol, broad‐spectrum antibiotic zwittermicin A gene cluster of Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki HD1 and to identify any new uncharacterized genes with an eventual goal to establish a better understanding of the resistance gene cluster.
A Novel AP-1 Element in the CD95 Ligand Promoter Is Required for Induction of Apoptosis in Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cells upon Treatment with Anticancer Drugs

ABSTRACT The CD95 (also called APO-1 or Fas) system plays a major role in the induction of apoptosis in lymphoid and nonlymphoid tissues in response to a variety of extracellular signals, including chemotherapeutic drugs. Here we report that the CD95 ligand (CD95L) is upregulated in hepatoma cells upon treatment with antineoplastic drugs. Upregulation by different chemotherapeutic drugs is functionally relevant for drug-induced apoptosis and is mediated by transcriptional mechanisms. The MEKK1/JNKK pathway and a novel AP-1 element in the CD95L promoter downstream of the TATA box are required for CD95L upregulation. Thus, understanding the mechanisms of CD95-mediated apoptosis through CD95L upregulation upon treatment of hepatocellular carcinomas with chemotherapeutic drugs may contribute to the improvement of anticancer chemotherapy.
Trajectories of PTSD: a 20-year longitudinal study.

OBJECTIVE This study assessed the psychopathological effects of combat in veterans with and without combat stress reaction. METHOD Veterans (N=214) from the 1982 Lebanon War were assessed in a prospective longitudinal design: 131 suffered from combat stress reaction during the war, and 83 did not. They were evaluated 1, 2, 3, and 20 years after the war. RESULTS Combat stress reaction is an important vulnerability marker. Veterans with combat stress reaction were 6.6 times more likely to endorse posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) at all four measurements, their PTSD was more severe, and they were at increased risk for exacerbation/reactivation. A qualitative analysis of the profile of PTSD symptoms revealed some time-related changes in the symptom configuration of veterans who did not suffer from combat stress reaction. In both groups, the course fluctuated; PTSD rates dropped 3 years postwar and rose again 17 years later; 23% of veterans without combat stress reaction reported delayed PTSD. CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest that the detrimental effects of combat are deep and enduring and follow a complex course, especially in combat stress reaction casualties. The implications of aging and ongoing terror in impeding recovery from the psychological wounds of war are discussed.
On the Mutual Coupling of the Finite Microstrip Antenna Arrays

Mutual coupling between radiation frequency (RF) components, antenna elements in a microstrip antenna array or between two microstrip antenna arrays is a potential source of the performance degradation. The degradation includes the impedance mismatching, the increased side-lobe level, the deviation of the radiation pattern from the desired one, and the decrease of gain due to the excitation of the surface wave. In the application of continuous wave radar, when the transmitting antenna and the receiving antenna are placed closely side by side, the transmitting energy may even blockade the receiver. In the application of adaptive nulling arrays, the mutual coupling will result in the serious degradation of the adaptive nulling performance. The mutual coupling is also important to the issues of electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) when a lot of RF systems work simultaneously in a limited space, especially to the signal integrality (SI) design. The mechanism of the mutual coupling is quite complicated which involves both the near field and the far field couplings. In dealing with these problems, the full wave analysis is indispensable. In the meantime, in the analysis or optimization design, the frequency response should be taken into account as well. In this paper, the effective frequency dependent full wave analysis will be introduced. Examples of mutual coupling reduction are given that involve the mutual coupling reduction between two microstrip antenna arrays and the mutual coupling reduction between microstrip antenna elements,. In addition, the mutual coupling effect on the performances of some antenna arrays will be briefly addressed.
Efficient Random Number for the Masking Method against DPA Attacks

Security LSI which is implemented on IC cards conducts the encryption processing to protect confidential information such as cipher keys. In the encryption, encryption standards such as DES algorithm and AES algorithm are widely used and are theoretically secured. However, when these encryption standards are incorporated into electronic devices, it is reported to be possible to estimate the confidential information by analyzing the secondary information such as power consumption during the circuit's operation. The transformed masking method is a typical measure against this attack at the algorithm level. In this method, adding random numbers to intermediate data of encryption masks the correlation between power consumption and confidential information. The transformed masking method is effective for hamming weight attack that focuses on the bit value. This study clarifies random numbers used in the transformed masking method that are effective for this attack. Experimental results show the validity of the proposed method.