Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Skin mounted accelerometer system for measuring knee range of motion

Sufficient range of motion of the knee joint is necessary for performing many activities of daily living. Ambulatory monitoring of knee function can provide valuable information about progression of diseases like knee osteoarthritis and recovery after surgical interventions like total knee arthroplasty. In this paper, we describe a skin-mounted, conformal, accelerometer-based system for measuring knee angle and range of motion that does not require a skilled operator to apply devices. We establish the accuracy of this technique with respect to clinical gold standard goniometric measurements on a dataset collected from normative subjects during the performance of repeated bouts of knee flexion and extension tests. Results show that knee angle and range of motion estimates are highly correlated with goniometer measurements, and track differences in knee angle and range of motion to within 1%. These results demonstrate the ability of this system to characterize knee angle and range of motion, enabling future longitudinal monitoring of knee motion in naturalistic environments.
The Paranasal Sinuses: The Last Frontier in Craniofacial Biology

This special issue of the Anatomical Record explores the presence and diversity of paranasal sinuses in distinct vertebrate groups. The following topics are addressed in particular: dinosaur physiology; development; physiology; adaptation; imaging; and primate systematics. A variety of approaches and techniques are used to examine and characterize the diversity of paranasal sinus pneumatization in a wide spectrum of vertebrates. These range from dissection to histology, from plain X‐rays to computer tomography, from comparative anatomy to natural experimental settings, from mathematical computation to computer model simulation, and 2D to 3D reconstructions. The articles in this issue are a combination of literature review and new, hypothesis‐driven anatomical research that highlights the complexities of paranasal sinus growth and development; ontogenetic and disease processes; physiology; paleontology; primate systematics; and human evolution. The issue incorporates a wide variety of vertebrates, encompassing a period of over 65 million years, in an effort to offer insight into the diversity of the paranasal sinus complexes through time and space, and thereby providing a greater understanding and appreciation of these special spaces within the cranium. Anat Rec, 291:1350–1361, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Adapted step length estimators for patients with Parkinson's disease using a lateral belt worn accelerometer.

BACKGROUND Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disease that predominantly alters patients' motor performance. Reduced step length and inability of step are important symptoms associated with PD. Assessing patients' motor state monitoring step length helps to detect periods in which patients suffer lack of medication effect. OBJECTIVE Evaluate the adaption of existing step length estimation methods based on accelerometer sensors to a new position on left lateral side of waist in 28 PD patients. METHODS In this paper, a user-friendly position, the lateral side of the waist, is selected to place a tri-axial accelerometer. A newly developed step detection algorithm - Sliding Window Averaging Technique (SWAT) is evaluated in detecting steps using signals from this location. The detected steps are then used to estimate step length using four proposed correction factors for Zijlstra's, Gonzalez's and Weinberg's methods that were originally developed for the signals from lower back. RESULT Results obtained from 28 PD patients are discussed and the effects of calibrating in each motor state are compared. A generic correction factor is also proposed and compared with the best method to use instead of individual calibration. Despite variable gait speed and different motor state, SWAT achieved overall accuracy of 96.76% in step detection. Among the different step length estimators, the Zijlstra method performs better with multiplying individual correction factors that consider left and right step length separately providing average error of 0.033 m. CONCLUSIONS Zijlstra's method with individual correction factor that considers left and right step length separately and obtained from during ON state of a PD patients provide most accurate estimation among the others. As training session is during ON state, data from induced OFF state to train the methods are not required. A generic correction factor is also proposed to apply with Zijlstra's method to avoid individual calibration process.
Developmental analysis of bone tumors in polyomavirus transgenic mice.

BACKGROUND Transgenic mice carrying the polyoma (Py) early region gene develop both vascular and bone tumors that express the transgene (R. Wang and V. L. Bautch, J. Virol. 65:5174-5183, 1991). To determine the correlation between bone tumor formation and transgene expression, mice of two lines that showed differences in tumor pattern were analyzed. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN Py DNA encoding the early region gene was inserted into B6D2F1 mouse embryos. Transgenic mice were sacrificed at appropriate times in development, and the histopathology of the skulls and genotype analyses were performed independently. Py transgene expression was assayed in individual skulls or small groups of skulls. RESULTS In mice of the Py-4 line, Py oncogene expression was detectable in skulls from 14.5 days of development. These mice had normal skulls at birth, and they developed lesions histologically resembling osteosarcoma synchronously 1 to 2 weeks after birth. Mice of the Py-3 line did not express detectable levels of transgene at 3 weeks of age, and they did not develop detectable skull pathology at this age. Less than 20% of adult Py-3 mice developed calvarial osteosarcoma-like lesions, and a similar number of these mice expressed the transgene in the skull. CONCLUSIONS These data show that Py transgene expression in bone of the skull is differentially regulated in mice of the two lines, and they indicate that epigenetic changes may be sufficient to complement expression of the Py oncogene in neoplastic bone formation during development.
A simplified intravenous artesunate regimen for severe malaria.

BACKGROUND We compared a conventional empirically derived regimen with a simplified regimen for parenteral artesunate in severe malaria. METHODS This was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled comparison to assess the noninferiority of a simplified 3-dose regimen (given at 0, 24, and 48 hours) compared with the conventional 5-dose regimen of intravenous artesunate (given at 0, 12, 24, 48, and 72 hours) in African children with Plasmodium falciparum malaria with a prespecified delta of 0.2. The total dose of artesunate in each group was 12 mg/kg. The primary end point was the proportion of children clearing ≥ 99% of their admission parasitemia at 24 hours. Safety data, secondary efficacy end points, and pharmacokinetics were also analyzed. RESULTS In 171 children (per protocol), 78% of the recipients (95% confidence interval [CI], 69%-87%) in the 3-dose group achieved ≥ 99% parasite clearance 24 hours after the start of treatment, compared with 85% (95% CI, 77%-93%) of those receiving the conventional regimen (treatment difference, -7.2%; 95% CI, -18.9% to 4.4%). Dihydroartemisinin was cleared slightly more slowly in those children receiving the higher 3-dose regimen (7.4 vs 8.8 L/h for a 13-kg child; P 5 .008). CONCLUSIONS Pharmacodynamic analysis suggests that 3 doses of artesunate were not inferior to 5 doses for the treatment of severe malaria in children. CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRATION NCT00522132.
The nonlinear effects of oil prices on tourism arrivals in Malaysia

ABSTRACT This study examines the positive and negative effects of oil price shocks on tourism arrivals in Malaysia over the period 2000–2016. Using a nonlinear autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) model, our results show that increases in oil prices have a stronger impact on tourism arrivals than decreases in oil prices, both in the short run and the long run.
Nipah Virus V Protein Evades Alpha and Gamma Interferons by Preventing STAT1 and STAT2 Activation and Nuclear Accumulation

ABSTRACT Characterization of recent outbreaks of fatal encephalitis in southeast Asia identified the causative agent to be a previously unrecognized enveloped negative-strand RNA virus of the Paramyxoviridae family, Nipah virus. One feature linking Nipah virus to this family is a conserved cysteine-rich domain that is the hallmark of paramyxovirus V proteins. The V proteins of other paramyxovirus species have been linked with evasion of host cell interferon (IFN) signal transduction and subsequent antiviral responses by inducing proteasomal degradation of the IFN-responsive transcription factors, STAT1 or STAT2. Here we demonstrate that Nipah virus V protein escapes IFN by a distinct mechanism involving direct inhibition of STAT protein function. Nipah virus V protein differs from other paramyxovirus V proteins in its subcellular distribution but not in its ability to inhibit cellular IFN responses. Nipah virus V protein does not induce STAT degradation but instead inhibits IFN responses by forming high-molecular-weight complexes with both STAT1 and STAT2. We demonstrate that Nipah virus V protein accumulates in the cytoplasm by a Crm1-dependent mechanism, alters the STAT protein subcellular distribution in the steady state, and prevents IFN-stimulated STAT redistribution. Consistent with the formation of complexes, STAT protein tyrosine phosphorylation is inhibited in cells expressing the Nipah virus V protein. As a result, Nipah virus V protein efficiently prevents STAT1 and STAT2 nuclear translocation in response to IFN, inhibiting cellular responses to both IFN-α and IFN-γ.
Wavelet decomposition analysis of the signal averaged electrocardiogram used for risk stratification of patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

AIMS To study the predictive value of wavelet decomposition, as demonstrated by the signal-averaged ECG, in order to identify patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy at increased risk for malignant ventricular arrhythmias or sudden death. METHODS AND RESULTS Two hundred and forty-six patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy were studied. During a mean follow-up of 68 +/- 17 months 32 patients died, of whom 17 died suddenly. Patients with sudden death, together with eight patients with a history of ventricular fibrillation (sudden death/ventricular fibrillation group) were analysed and compared to the other 221 patients as well as to a subgroup of 82 patients without a history of syncope, ventricular arrhythmias on a long-term ECG recording or a family history of sudden death. There were no differences in mean values of the four wavelet decomposition parameters among patients in the sudden death/ ventricular fibrillation group, those without sudden death/ ventricular fibrillation or patients in the low risk group. There were, however, significant differences between patients dying non-suddenly and patients being alive at the end of follow-up. Eighty-seven patients (35%) demonstrated evidence of non-sustained ventricular tachycardia on a long-term ECG. Analysis of wavelet decomposition resulted in abnormal findings in these patients more often than in those without ventricular arrhythmias. CONCLUSION The usefulness of wavelet decomposition analysis in predicting sudden death or ventricular fibrillation is limited in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. It may, however, play a role in identifying patients at risk of dying non-suddenly and of patients with non-sustained ventricular tachycardia.
The Related Adhesion Focal Tyrosine Kinase Forms a Complex with Paxillin in Hematopoietic Cells*

Related adhesion focal tyrosine kinase (RAFTK), also known as proline-rich tyrosine kinase 2 and cellular adhesion kinase β, has been recently cloned and characterized as a member of the focal adhesion kinase (FAK) subfamily. RAFTK has an overall 48% amino acid homology to p125FAK and contains a kinase domain but lacks a transmembrane region, myristylation sites, and Src homology region 2 and 3 domains. By Northern blot analysis, RAFTK is expressed in myeloid, lymphoid, and megakaryocytic hematopoietic cells. Like p125FAK, we found that RAFTK interacts with the focal adhesion protein paxillin. In the lymphoid cell line BaF3 and the myeloid cell line 32Dcl3, RAFTK coprecipitates with paxillin. Using in vitro binding assays, RAFTK and paxillin were shown to bind directly, through a segment of paxillin that required amino acids 100-227 and a domain in the C terminus of RAFTK. In vitro, RAFTK could phosphorylate paxillin on tyrosine residues. These results suggest that RAFTK, as well as p125FAK, may be important in phosphotyrosine-signaling events within the focal adhesion.
Controlling the mode of operation of organic transistors through side-chain engineering

Significance Side-chain engineering is a versatile tool to modify the processability, as well as the physical, electrical, and optical properties, of conjugated polymers. This approach is used to tailor the operating mechanism of electrolyte-gated organic transistors, allowing for facile bulk doping and therefore efficient modulation of transistor channel conductance. Such transistors combine fast response with high current-to-voltage signal transduction necessary for active sensing and low-power circuit applications. Electrolyte-gated organic transistors offer low bias operation facilitated by direct contact of the transistor channel with an electrolyte. Their operation mode is generally defined by the dimensionality of charge transport, where a field-effect transistor allows for electrostatic charge accumulation at the electrolyte/semiconductor interface, whereas an organic electrochemical transistor (OECT) facilitates penetration of ions into the bulk of the channel, considered a slow process, leading to volumetric doping and electronic transport. Conducting polymer OECTs allow for fast switching and high currents through incorporation of excess, hygroscopic ionic phases, but operate in depletion mode. Here, we show that the use of glycolated side chains on a thiophene backbone can result in accumulation mode OECTs with high currents, transconductance, and sharp subthreshold switching, while maintaining fast switching speeds. Compared with alkylated analogs of the same backbone, the triethylene glycol side chains shift the mode of operation of aqueous electrolyte-gated transistors from interfacial to bulk doping/transport and show complete and reversible electrochromism and high volumetric capacitance at low operating biases. We propose that the glycol side chains facilitate hydration and ion penetration, without compromising electronic mobility, and suggest that this synthetic approach can be used to guide the design of organic mixed conductors.
Einstein's hydrogen atom

In 1905, Einstein formulated his special relativity for point particles. For those particles, his Lorentz covariance and energy-momentum relation are by now firmly established. How about the hydrogen atom? It is possible to perform Lorentz boosts on the proton assuming that it is a point particle. Then what happens to the electron orbit? The orbit could go through an elliptic deformation, but it is not possible to understand this problem without quantum mechanics, where the orbit is a standing wave leading to a localized probability distribution. Is this concept consistent with Einstein's Lorentz covariance? Dirac, Wigner, and Feynman contributed important building blocks for understanding this problem. The remaining problem is to assemble those blocks to construct a Lorentz-covariant picture of quantum bound states based on standing waves. It is shown possible to assemble those building blocks using harmonic oscillators.
Lack of effect of proteinase‐activated receptor‐2 (PAR‐2) deletion on the pathophysiological changes produced by lipopolysaccharide in the mouse: comparison with dexamethasone

This study tested the hypothesis that activation of proteinase‐activated receptor‐2 (PAR‐2) contributes towards the pathophysiology of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)‐induced shock in the mouse. The effects of LPS on plasma glucose, biochemical markers of hepatic, renal and pancreatic exocrine function and lung content of myeloperoxidase (MPO) were examined in homozygous PAR‐2 knockout mice (PAR‐2 ‐/‐) and genetically equivalent, homozygous PAR‐2 +/+ mice. The effect of LPS was also examined in normal mice receiving dexamethasone (10 mg kg−1, i.p.) or saline as a positive control. At six hours after intraperitoneal injection, LPS (40 mg kg−1) produced an increase in rectal temperature, hypoglycaemia and elevations in serum concentrations of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), creatinine and lipase, as well as an increase in lung MPO content. Dexamethasone treatment reduced LPS‐induced hypoglycaemia and elevation of serum ALT concentrations but did not modify elevations in serum creatinine and lipase concentrations or the increase in lung MPO content. The changes in serum concentrations of glucose, ALT, creatinine and lipase produced by LPS in PAR‐2 ‐/‐ mice were not different from those seen in wild‐type or PAR‐2 +/+ mice. These data suggest that activation of PAR‐2 may not play a pivotal role in LPS‐induced multi‐organ dysfunction.
Output power leveling of wind generation system using inertia for PM synchronous generator

Wind energy conversion systems have become important in the research of renewable energy sources. This is not a small part due to the rapid advances in the size of wind generators as well as the development of power electronics and their applicability in wind energy extraction. However, wind energy has a drawback of having only 1/800 density as compared to that of water energy, and it does not remain constant and wind turbine output is proportional to the cube of wind speed, which causes the generated power of wind turbine generator (WTG) to fluctuate. In this paper, a technique is proposed for output power leveling of a wind generation system. Wind turbine blades have large inertia compared to the inertia of generator. The inertia of the rotor behaves like an inductor in an electrical circuit. It helps smooth the wind turbine output power, stores energy during acceleration, and restores energy during deceleration. The effectiveness of output power leveling control is verified by simulations for the wind power generation system.
Skeletal muscle-specific T-tubule protein STAC3 mediates voltage-induced Ca2+ release and contractility

Excitation–contraction (EC) coupling comprises events in muscle that convert electrical signals to Ca2+ transients, which then trigger contraction of the sarcomere. Defects in these processes cause a spectrum of muscle diseases. We report that STAC3, a skeletal muscle-specific protein that localizes to T tubules, is essential for coupling membrane depolarization to Ca2+ release from the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR). Consequently, homozygous deletion of src homology 3 and cysteine rich domain 3 (Stac3) in mice results in complete paralysis and perinatal lethality with a range of musculoskeletal defects that reflect a blockade of EC coupling. Muscle contractility and Ca2+ release from the SR of cultured myotubes from Stac3 mutant mice could be restored by application of 4-chloro-m-cresol, a ryanodine receptor agonist, indicating that the sarcomeres, SR Ca2+ store, and ryanodine receptors are functional in Stac3 mutant skeletal muscle. These findings reveal a previously uncharacterized, but required, component of the EC coupling machinery of skeletal muscle and introduce a candidate for consideration in myopathic disorders.
Assessing Awareness and Knowledge of Breast and Cervical Cancer Among Appalachian Women

Introduction West Virginia is the only state that lies entirely within Appalachia. West Virginians tend to be poorer and more likely to lack health insurance than the general U.S. population. The purpose of this qualitative study was to 1) obtain an understanding of attitudes about breast and cervical cancer screening among women aged 25 to 64 years; 2) determine factors that motivate women to be screened for breast and cervical cancer; and 3) evaluate educational materials about breast and cervical cancer screening for use in this population. Methods The West Virginia Breast and Cervical Cancer Screening Program (WVBCCSP) is a comprehensive public health program, funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, dedicated to removing barriers to breast and cervical cancer screening and providing screenings to underserved women aged 25 to 64 years. The program partnered with RMS Strategies, Inc, to conduct six focus groups in three communities in West Virginia. Women were recruited by telephone based on program eligibility guidelines. Results Results indicated that women were concerned about health care costs and lack of health insurance. Cost, fear, and embarrassment were identified as the top barriers to breast and cervical cancer screening. Participants believed that community-based educational campaigns would increase screening and promote use of the WVBCCSP. Conclusion Understanding why low-income Appalachian women do not get screened for breast and cervical cancer and determining motivational factors that encourage screening are important to increase screening rates among this population. Breast and cervical cancer efforts that use the words, knowledge, and suggestions of the women they serve are more likely to be effective and have a larger impact.
Human Type 1 Diabetes Is Associated with T Cell Autoimmunity to Zinc Transporter 8

Recently we demonstrated that zinc transporter 8 (ZnT8) is a major target of autoantibodies in human type 1 diabetes (T1D). Because the molecules recognized by T1D autoantibodies are typically also targets of autoreactive T cells, we reasoned that this would likely be the case for ZnT8. To test this hypothesis, IFN-γ–producing T cells specific for ZnT8 in the peripheral blood of 35 patients with T1D (<6 mo after onset at blood draw) and 41 age-matched controls were assayed by ELISPOT using a library of 23 overlapping dipeptide pools covering the entire 369 aa primary sequence. Consistent with our hypothesis, patients showed significantly higher T cell reactivity than the matched controls, manifest in terms of the breadth of the overall response and the magnitude of responses to individual pools. Therefore, the median number of pools giving positive responses (stimulation index ≥ 3) in the control group was 1.0 (range, 0–7) compared with 6.0 (range, 1–20; p < 0.0001) for the patients. Similarly, the median stimulation index of positive responses in controls was 3.1 versus 5.0 in the patients (p < 0.0001). Individually, 7 of 23 pools showed significant disease association (p < 0.001), with several of the component peptides binding the disease associated HLA-DR3 (0301) and -DR4 (0401) molecules in vitro. We conclude that ZnT8 is also a major target of disease-associated autoreactive T cells in human T1D, and we suggest that reagents that target ZnT8-specific T cells could have therapeutic potential in preventing or arresting the progression of this disease.