Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Ultra high-field (7tesla) magnetic resonance spectroscopy in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

The main objective of this study was to utilize high field (7T) in vivo proton magnetic resonance imaging to increase the ability to detect metabolite changes in people with ALS, specifically, to quantify levels of glutamine and glutamine separately. The second objective of this study was to correlate metabolic markers with clinical outcomes of disease progression. 13 ALS participants and 12 age-matched healthy controls (HC) underwent 7 Tesla MRI and MRS. Single voxel MR spectra were acquired from the left precentral gyrus using a very short echo time (TE = 5 ms) STEAM sequence. MRS data was quantified using LCModel and correlated to clinical outcome markers. N-acetylaspartate (NAA) and total NAA (tNA, NAA + NAAG) were decreased by 17% in people with ALS compared to HC (P = 0.004 and P = 0.005, respectively) indicating neuronal injury and/or loss in the precentral gyrus. tNA correlated with disease progression as measured by forced vital capacity (FVC) (P = 0.014; Rρ = 0.66) and tNA/tCr correlated with overall functional decline as measured by worsening of the ALS Functional Rating Scale-Revised (ALSFRS-R) (P = 0.004; Rρ = -0.74). These findings underscore the importance of NAA as a reliable biomarker for neuronal injury and disease progression in ALS. Glutamate (Glu) was 15% decreased in people with ALS compared to HC (P = 0.02) while glutamine (Gln) concentrations were similar between the two groups. Furthermore, the decrease in Glu correlated with the decrease in FVC (P = 0.013; Rρ = 0.66), a clinical marker of disease progression. The decrease in Glu is most likely driven by intracellular Glu loss due to neuronal loss and degeneration. Neither choline containing components (Cho), a marker for cell membrane turnover, nor myo-Inositol (mI), a suspected marker for neuroinflammation, showed significant differences between the two groups. However, mI/tNA was correlated with upper motor neuron burden (P = 0.004, Rρ = 0.74), which may reflect a relative increase of activated microglia around motor neurons. In summary, 7T 1H MRS is a powerful non-invasive imaging technique to study molecular changes related to neuronal injury and/or loss in people with ALS.
IDENTIFYING COVER SONGS USING DEEP NEURAL NETWORKS

A cover song, cover version, or simply cover, by definition, is a new performance or recording of a previously recorded, commercially released song. It may be by the original artist themselves or a different artist altogether. Automatic cover song detection has been an active research area in the field of Computer Audition for the past decade. In this paper, we propose a novel method for cover song detection using automatic extraction of audio features with a stacked auto-encoder (SAE) combined with beat tracking in order to maintain temporal synchronicity.
Microtubule assembly during mitosis – from distinct origins to distinct functions?

Summary The mitotic spindle is structurally and functionally defined by its main component, the microtubules (MTs). The MTs making up the spindle have various functions, organization and dynamics: astral MTs emanate from the centrosome and reach the cell cortex, and thus have a major role in spindle positioning; interpolar MTs are the main constituent of the spindle and are key for the establishment of spindle bipolarity, chromosome congression and central spindle assembly; and kinetochore-fibers are MT bundles that connect the kinetochores with the spindle poles and segregate the sister chromatids during anaphase. The duplicated centrosomes were long thought to be the origin of all of these MTs. However, in the last decade, a number of studies have contributed to the identification of non-centrosomal pathways that drive MT assembly in dividing cells. These pathways are now known to be essential for successful spindle assembly and to participate in various processes such as K-fiber formation and central spindle assembly. In this Commentary, we review the recent advances in the field and discuss how different MT assembly pathways might cooperate to successfully form the mitotic spindle.
Comparison of two cold compression therapy protocols after tibial plateau leveling osteotomy in dogs

Summary Objective: To evaluate two different protocols of cold compression therapy (CCT) for pain management and functional recovery in dogs undergoing tibial plateau leveling osteotomy (TPLO). Material and methods: A total of 27 adult dogs (n = 30 stifles; staged bilateral procedures: n = 3) undergoing routine TPLO were randomly allocated to three groups (n = 10/group). Dogs of group I received CCT once before and immediately after surgery. In dogs of group II CCT was performed postoperatively four times at 6-hour intervals. Dogs of the control group did not receive CCT. Circumference of the stifle joint and the following pain-related parameters were measured by a single blinded observer before surgery and 1, 10 and 42 days after surgery: stifle joint range of motion (ROM), subjective degree of lameness, and score of a modified Glasgow Pain Scale (GPS). Results: Both CCT groups showed significantly greater ROM and lower GPS scores 24 hours after surgery compared to the control group. Ten days after surgery there was a significantly lower degree of lameness in both CCT groups compared to the control group. Fourty-two days after surgery a significantly greater ROM was observed in both CCT groups compared to the control group. Group II also showed a significant improvement in the degree of lameness and GPS. There were no significant differences in any of the parameters between the two CCT groups at any time point. Conclusion: CCT applied preoperatively and immediately postoperatively showed similar short- and long-term beneficial results compared to a previously established protocol of applying CCT four times postoperatively. This protocol may be more suitable for practical use. Clinical significance: The reported data can be used to establish the new protocol of CCT in a clinical surrounding and to support postoperative rehabilitation of the canine patient.
DISCUSSION PAPERS IN ECONOMICS ENTRY AND PRODUCTIVITY GROWTH : EVIDENCE FROM MICRO-LEVEL PANEL DATA

How does entry affect productivity growth of incumbents? In this paper we exploit policy reforms in the UK that changed entry conditions by opening up the UK economy during the 1980s and panel data on British establishments to shed light on this question. We show that more entry measured by a higher share of industry employment in foreign firms has led to faster total factor productivity growth of domestic incumbent firms and thus to faster aggregate productivity growth. JEL: L5, L10, O31, O4 Correspondence: paghion@arrow.fas. harvard.edu, r.blundell@ucl.ac. uk, rgriffith@ifs.org. uk, peter_howitt@brown.edu, sprantl@ifs.org. uk ∗Harvard University and IFS †University College London and IFS ‡University College London and IFS §Brown University ¶University College London and IFS
Quantum blind signature based on quantum circuit

Quantum circuit is a reversible circuit that can be designed the control module to derive the correlation between quantum input sequence and quantum output sequence. In addition, in this paper we use the control module of the quantum circuit to verify the equivalence of the quantum state such that quantum blind signature can achieve the security requirement of the signature scheme and resist eavesdropping from the outsider. The core concept of the proposed signature is based on the correlation of quantum entangled state to investigate that the message string and the signatory string is consistent. In regard to the security, the blindness and the failure of eavesdropping can be preserved by this work. The proposed signature can achieve impossibility of forgery and impossibility of disavowal.
Real Handball Goalkeeper vs. Virtual Handball Thrower

Virtual reality offers new tools for human motion understanding. Several applications have been widely used in teleoperation, military training, driving and flying simulators, and so forth. We propose to test if virtual reality is a valid training tool for the game of handball. We focused on the duel between a handball goalkeeper and a thrower. To this end, we defined a pilot experiment divided into two steps: an experiment with real subjects and another one with virtual throwers. The throwers' motions were captured in order to animate their avatar in a reality center. In this paper, we focused on the evaluation of presence when a goalkeeper is confronting these avatars. To this end, we compared the goalkeeper's gestures in the real and in the virtual experiment to determine if virtual reality engendered the same movements for the same throw. Our results show that gestures did not differ between the real and virtual environment. As a consequence, we can say that the virtual environment offered enough realism to initiate natural gestures. Moreover, as in real games, we observed the goalkeeper's anticipation to allow us to use virtual reality in future work as a way to understand the goalkeeper and thrower interactions. The main originality of this work was to measure presence in a sporting application with new evaluation methods based on motion capture.
Estimation of microcystins in the freshwater fish Oreochromis niloticus in an Egyptian fish farm containing a Microcystis bloom

Microcystins (MCYSTs) that accumulated in different organs of the freshwater fish Oreochromis niloticus, collected from a fish farm in Egypt containing heavy blooms of Microcystis aeruginosa, were investigated using an enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The distribution of MCYSTs in the organs varied significantly. The highest MCYST level was recorded in the guts (821 ng/g fresh weight), followed by the livers (531.8 ng/g) and kidneys (400 ng/g). Smaller amounts of MCYST were detected in muscles (102 ng/g). The present study suggests that fish farms should be monitored for the presence of toxic cyanobacterial blooms to minimize the exposure of fish to potent hepatotoxins. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Environ Toxicol 18: 137–141, 2003
Treatment of Head and Neck Cancers: Issues for Clinical Pharmacists

Head and neck cancers are a heterogeneous group of diseases involving the oral cavity, pharyngeal tube, and larynx. Given the drug therapy options available, clinical pharmacists can play an important role in the care of this patient population. They can recommend a regimen based on efficacy, toxicity, and patient‐specific factors; ensure that the prescribed regimen has been studied and reported in the literature; verify dosages; and monitor and counsel patients about adverse effects. Chemotherapy plus radiation (chemoradiation) is often the standard treatment for patients with stage III or nonmetastatic stage IV head and neck cancer. Cisplatin‐based regimens are preferred, although carboplatin may be appropriate in some circumstances. Induction therapy with a docetaxel‐based regimen is recommended for some patients; however, this therapy has been associated with a high frequency of grade 3 and 4 neutropenia and febrile neutropenia. Cetuximab, an epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitor, is the newest agent approved for treatment of head and neck cancer. Although evidence supports cetuximab combined with cisplatin versus cisplatin alone for patients with metastatic disease, the role of combination therapy is less clear in patients undergoing chemoradiation. Patients with head and neck cancer may experience swallowing difficulties or mouth pain, possibly interfering with drug administration and adherence; thus, pharmacists in all practice settings should be knowledgeable about different regimens and alternative routes of administration. Xerostomia and mucositis are common adverse effects of radiation therapy, and it is critical that good oral hygiene practices are maintained. Patients may achieve symptomatic relief from xerostomia with saliva substitutes, and clinical experience suggests that use of pilocarpine is worthwhile. Until more evidence becomes available, prevention of xerostomia and mucositis with amifostine is still controversial. Salt‐water rinses, bioadherent oral gel, and honey are relatively inexpensive and nontoxic agents for managing mucositis. Because of the expense of palifermin, it is best reserved for refractory cases. Skin toxicities are common with radiation. Rash is also a common adverse effect of cetuximab. When used together, they may produce complicated skin toxicities. It is important to become familiar with the grading of these rashes so that appropriate therapy can be recommended. As pharmacotherapy for head and neck cancers continues to evolve, clinical pharmacists will continue to have an important role in optimizing treatment for patients by balancing efficacy and toxicity.
Controversies in Initial Management of Open Fractures

Background: Treatment of open fractures continues to be a challenge for orthopedic and trauma surgeons, and early treatment recommendations, which persist in the literature for decades, often do not have supporting data. Methods: This is a critical review of the literature surrounding controversies in the initial management of open fractures. It also focuses on the utility of negative pressure dressings in the care of associated complex wounds. Studies were selected based on their relevance to the treatment of open fractures. Results: A total of 40 studies were included. The following topics were critically discussed: timing of initial debridement, antibiotic coverage, utility of obtaining cultures, and timing of wound closure. Conclusion: The majority of open fractures require urgent, not emergent, irrigation and debridement. Antibiotics are essential in preventing infection in open fractures. Timely wound closure after all necrotic tissue has been debrided decreases complications in open fractures. Finally, negative pressure wound therapy has dramatically changed the care of associated complex wounds.
Dynamic Coalitions and Communication : Public versus Private Negotiations ∗

We present a laboratory experiment to study the formation of dynamic coalitions in a bargaining setting where the current status quo policy is determined by the policy implemented in the previous period. Our main experimental treatment is the ability of subjects to negotiate with one another through unrestricted cheap-talk communication before a proposal comes to a vote. We compare committees with no communication, committees where communication is public and messages are observed by all committee members, and committees where communication is private and any committee member can send private messages to any other committee member. We find that the ability to communicate has a significant impact on outcomes and coalitions. When communication is public, committees more frequently agree on outcomes which give a significant fraction of the resources to every member. With private communication, we observe a significant increase in the share of allocations that give a positive amount to a minimal winning coalition. When either type of communication is allowed, dynamic coalitions emerge more frequently and majoritarian coalitions last longer. The content of communication is correlated with outcomes and with the persistence of a dynamic coalition. These findings suggest a coordination role for communication that varies with the mode of communication. ∗ We are grateful to Marina Agranov, Alessandra Casella, Guillaume Frechette, Drew Fudenberg, Dimitri Landa, Thomas Palfrey, and seminar audiences at the 2014 Mini-Conference on Experimental Economics at Caltech and the 2014 Behavioral Models in Politics Conference at Duke for helpful comments and interesting discussions. Elliott Ash and Anselm Rink provided excellent research assistance. Nunnari acknowledges financial support from the European Research Council (grant No. 648833).
Examining the Aging Nervous System

By and large, the examination of the human nervous system is not materially different at any given age. Tests of cognitive and cranial nerve function, tone and power, appendicular and axial cerebellar signs, sensation and reflexes are applied in the same way, seeking the same responses. The pediatric neurologic examination may rely more on observation than dynamic interaction, but the information desired closely parallels that of the geriatric neurologic examination. Signs of focal or diffuse cerebral dysfunction may be present and must be elicited in a convincing and reproducible manner to confirm the presence of one or more pathologic processes. Of considerable advantage is the derivation of historical facts from the subject who is able to give them. These more often than not direct the subsequent physical examination. It is a truism that if the neurologic diagnosis or limited differential diagnosis cannot be inferred from the history, the examination will not likely uncover it. Although exceptions to this principle exist, they stem more likely from inadequate history-taking than anything else. In general, finesse is required to get the most out of any physical examination, and the examiner who approaches each patient with a high degree of sensitivity and flexibility will reap more knowledge in the end. Ofgreatest concern at the outset is to allay patient anxiety (and sometimes your ownj. This is best done through taking a thorough, thoughtful, caring, concerned, and empathetic history. Persistence of fear or mistrust usually leads to an uncooperative, tense patient from whom little will be learned on the examination. It may be more important in the long run to invest interest in the patient's analysis of his own problem or litany of irrelevant facts. Genuine rapport is achieved only through accepting everything there is about the patient. Even when rapport is optimal, the examiner does best to recheck the critical signs using different approaches (for example, placing the arm in several different positions for the triceps reflex with the patient sitting and then lying to confirm a lower motor neuron disturbance). Because "asymmetry is abnormal," the patient is often his own best control. Careful comparison of rights and lefts, proximals and distals, or axials, and appendiculars often tells much about the relative importance of many signs, regardless of age. All the above considered, certain signs on the neurologic examination bear mention with regard to technique and responses sought in aged persons. The preceding articles in this issue of Seminars considerably enhance our prior understanding of the effects of aging on neurologic signs. ',
Contingency Ranking and Simulation for On-Line Use

This paper reports on a unified approach to computing the distribution factors and system performance indices in linear contingency analysis. The algorithm is based on the theory of matrix inversion lemma, and is capable of handling all contingency types including generation, load, multiple branches, bus splits, and their combinations. The derivation of the formulae stresses speed and efficiency, which are factors crucial for an on-line application.
Inhibiting complement regulators in cancer immunotherapy with bispecific mAbs

Although monoclonal antibody (mAb)-mediated immunotherapy of cancer has been proven to be feasible for clinical use, success rates until now have been disappointing. One reason for this might be the overexpression of membrane-bound complement regulatory proteins (mCRPs) by tumour cells. As complement activation is an important effector mechanism induced by therapeutic mAbs, inhibition of complement activation by tumour cells might reduce therapeutic efficacy by decreasing direct complement-mediated lysis as well as complement-dependent cellular cytotoxicity. Modulation of the function of these mCRPs might be achieved with therapeutic bispecific (bi-)mAbs that target a tumour antigen and simultaneously block a major mCRP. Clinical results will probably increase with such bi-mAbs compared with monovalent antitumour mAbs. In this review the feasibility of this approach is discussed.
Increase of frequency of post-traumatic stress disorder in disabled war veterans during prolonged stay in a rehabilitation hospital.

AIM To explore possible causative factors in the development of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in disabled Croatian war veterans. METHOD The sample comprised 42 disabled Croatian war veterans, aged 19 to 44 years, accommodated in the VaraZdinske Toplice Rehabilitation Hospital for the purpose of long-term physical rehabilitation. Manifestation of PTSD symptoms (Mississippi Scale for Combat-Related Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) and anxiety levels (Spilberger's State Trait Anxiety Inventory) were tested in 1994 and 1999. RESULTS Patients with PTSD symptoms had significantly higher anxiety levels then patients without PTSD symptoms. The percentage of patients manifesting PTSD increased from 19% in 1994 to 41% in 1999. Over the same period, the anxiety levels decreased in the patients with PTSD. CONCLUSION Anxiety and PTSD seem to share common etiologic grounds. Nevertheless, staying in the same homogenous group for a substantial period of time, in combination with inadequate social support and deficient psychological care, may contribute to the development of the PTSD symptomatology.
A compositional framework for the development of secure access control systems

Security requirements deal with the protection of assets against unauthorised access (disclosure or modification) and their availability to authorised users. Traditionally, security concerns are considered as an add-on to be implemented at a later stage of system development. Nowadays, it is well understood that adopting such belief can be difficult and error-prone. Therefore security must be considered as an integral part of the system requirements right from the early stages of the system development life cycle. In this thesis, we develop a unified compositional formal framework for the specification of the functional, temporal and security requirements of systems. The framework uses a single formalism, Interval Temporal Logic (ITL in short), for expressing the three types of requirements and for reasoning about them in a uniform manner. This provides an effective way of integrating security concerns into the system requirements and to address them early (high level specifications) in the system development process so that security holes can be detected and fixed timely. We propose a language for expressing access control policies and their composition. Especially, a set of operators is defined for expressing policies that can change dynamically in response to time or events. The resulting model provides a high flexibility to ii iii support the specification of several protection requirements that cannot be expressed in traditional access control models. We investigate the algebraic properties of the operators and develop sound algebraic laws for the comparison and the refinement of security policies. We take the view that a system is developed starting from a high level specification and transformed by a sequence of correctness preserving refinement steps down to a low level implementation. The low level system must implement a mechanism for enforcing security policies. In this respect, we develop a computational model, Secure Action System (SAS), that allows the enforcement of dynamically changing security policies. It is an extension of the traditional action system paradigm to cater for security. SASs can be composed into a large system. We propose a rich set of sound compositional rules for the design and verification of SASs. We develop a tool, SPAT, to animate security policy specifications and to analyse them. We evaluate our approach with a detailed case-study of a secure exam system and the formalisation of the British Medical Association’s security policy for Electronic Patient Records (EPRs).