Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Prevalence and Associated Risk Factors for Obesity During Pregnancy Over Time

Abstract Objective: The increasing prevalence of obesity is having an impact on morbidity worldwide. Since young mature women are equally affected by the general increase in weight, the aim of the study was to evaluate the prevalence of obesity together with associated maternal risk factors, complications during pregnancy, and fetal outcomes in a local cohort for the years 2006 and 2011. Study Design: Maternal and fetal records of women who delivered at the University of Würzburg, with a 5-year interval (2006 and 2011) between investigations, were retrospectively analyzed. Descriptive statistics included prevalence of obesity, maternal weight gain, as well as several complications during pregnancy and fetal characteristics. The association between maternal or fetal complications and extent of maternal obesity was analyzed. Results: Our analysis included 2838 mothers with singleton pregnancies who delivered in 2006 (n = 1293) or 2011 (n = 1545) in our department. We found that neither pre-pregnancy body mass index (23.77 ± 4.85 vs. 24.09 ± 5.10 kg/m2, p = 0.25) nor weight gain (14.41 ± 5.77 vs. 14.78 ± 5.65 kg; p = 0.09) increased significantly over time. But the majority of all overweight (71 %) or obese (60.4 %) mothers gained more weight than generally recommended. The prevalence of gestational diabetes, gestational hypertension, and preeclampsia increased significantly and was associated with high pre-pregnancy body mass index, as was delivery by cesarean section. However, obesity was not associated with prolonged pregnancy and did not seem to negatively affect fetal outcome. Conclusion: There is a trend to increasing weight gain during pregnancy, and the majority of mothers, especially those with a high pre-pregnancy body mass index, exceeded the weight gain recommendations. Associated risk factors such as gestational diabetes, hypertension, and delivery by cesarean section are increasing.
dtwSat: Time-Weighted Dynamic Time Warping for Satellite Image Time Series Analysis in R

The opening of large archives of satellite data such as LANDSAT, MODIS and the SENTINELs has given researchers unprecedented access to data, allowing them to better quantify and understand local and global land change. The need to analyze such large data sets has led to the development of automated and semi-automated methods for satellite image time series analysis. However, few of the proposed methods for remote sensing time series analysis are available as open source software. In this paper we present the R package dtwSat. This package provides an implementation of the time-weighted dynamic time warping method for land cover mapping using sequence of multi-band satellite images. Methods based on dynamic time warping are flexible to handle irregular sampling and out-of-phase time series, and they have achieved significant results in time series analysis. Package dtwSat is available from the Comprehensive R Archive Network (CRAN) and contributes to making methods for satellite time series analysis available to a larger audience. The package supports the full cycle of land cover classification using image time series, ranging from selecting temporal patterns to visualizing and assessing the results.
In vivo subharmonic pressure estimation of portal hypertension in canines

In this work, the development and first-ever application of in vivo subharmonic pressure estimation to detect portal pressures and investigate portal hypertension (portal vein pressures > 12 mmHg) is presented. A modified Logiq 9 scanner (GE Healthcare, Milwaukee, WI) operating in pulse inversion subharmonic mode (ftransmit=2.5 MHz, freceive=1.25 MHz) was used to scan 14 canines. The canines received an intravenous infusion of Sonazoid microbubbles (GE Healthcare, Oslo, Norway) at a dose of 0.015 μl/kg/min. Two models for inducing portal hypertension in the canines were used: low-flow using Gelfoam and high-flow using an arteriovenous shunt. A 5F micro-tip pressure catheter (Millar Instruments, Houston, TX) inserted in the portal vein provided the gold standard. The radiofrequency (RF) data were acquired in synchrony with the pressure transducer for 5 s segments (n = 3) for different transmit parameters, before and after inducing portal hypertension. The RF data were processed to extract the subharmonic components and correlated with the gold standard. A significant decrease (p < 0.001) in subharmonic amplitude with an increase in portal vein pressures was seen for both models. The overall reduction in absolute subharmonic amplitude showed an r2 value of 0.92 with an increase in portal vein pressures averaged over canines per treatment for 3 transmit cycles, whereas for 4 transmit cycles this r2 value was 0.90 at 40 % acoustic output from the scanner. A new technique to quantify absolute pressures in the portal vein and to detect portal hypertension using subharmonic ultrasound has been implemented.
The micturition switch and its forebrain influences

Dr DeGroat and Wickens has reviewed the central neural mechanisms controlling the lower urinary tract with a major focus on the brain stem circuitry that mediates the switch‐like characteristics of micturition, in particular the periaqueductal grey and the pontine micturition centre (de 2012). The review culminates in a computer model of how the brainstem switch operates in animals in which forebrain influences on micturition have been removed by decerebration. In this complementary paper, we review the mechanisms of forebrain involvement in the voluntary control of human micturition and the maintenance of continence with evidence based heavily on the results of functional brain imaging experiments.
Prognostic role of Fuhrman grade and vascular endothelial growth factor in pT1a clear cell carcinoma in partial nephrectomy specimens.

PURPOSE Conventional renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is characterized by rich neovascularization and shows a fine vascular network around tumor cells. Nephron sparing surgery has been established as a method of choice or necessity for localized tumors. We investigated the importance of microvessel density (MVD), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (Flk-1) immunohistochemical expression in a large series of small conventional clear cell renal carcinomas treated with partial nephrectomy and assessed the prognostic value of their expression in terms of patients survival at long-term followup. MATERIALS AND METHODS A total of 48 patients with a mean age +/- SD of 58.2 +/- 9.5 years who had conventional single RCC were considered. Median tumor diameter was 2.92 +/- 0.82 cm (range 1.3 to 5). Disease was grades 1 to 4 in 15, 29, 2 and 2 patients, respectively. Median followup was 92.9 months (range 17 to 186). RESULTS Four patients (3.9%) had died of metastatic renal cancer at a median followup of 23.5 months, of whom 1 had a grade 2, 1 had a grade 3 and 2 had grade 4 RCC. Patients with MVD expression higher than the median (44.4 vessels per mm) did not show a significant difference in survival compared to patients with MVD expression lower than the median. Patients with VEGF expression higher than 25% in the histological specimen showed worse survival than patients with VEGF expression lower than 25%. Different Flk-1 expression did not determine a significant difference in survival. On univariate analysis of patient survival in relation to the different considered factors Fuhrman grading was the most important factor for survival. CONCLUSIONS Our study shows that recurrence and death are possible even in patients with small renal tumors. MVD, VEGF and Flk-1 expression do not depend on tumor size in pT1a RCC. Therefore, to date Fuhrman grading appears to be the only factor predictive of survival even in small RCC. Thus, Fuhrman grading is predictive of mortality. While VEGF is not predictive of survival as a single parameter, based on its percent of expression (lower or higher than 25%) it can determine 2 groups that are different from the prognostic point of view.
Who owns human genes?: Is DNA patentable?

Angelina Jolie’s recent disclosure that she had undergone a prophylactic double mastectomy following a positive test for a BRCA1 mutation (which increases lifetime breast cancer risk by 60%-87%) prompted a national conversation about genetic testing and preventive surgery.1 Tests for BRCA1 and BRCA2 cost more than $3000, placing them beyond the reach of many women. The high cost is partly a consequence of intellectual property protection afforded to Myriad Genetics Inc, which sequenced the genes and developed the testing capability. The Patent Act permits exclusive control for a limited time (currently 20 years) of any “process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter. ” Following a US Supreme Court ruling upholding the patentability of a microbe that dissolves oil,2 the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) began routinely granting gene patents. On June 13, 2013, the US Supreme Court unanimously held that extracted and isolated DNA is a product of nature and not eligible for patent, but that complementary DNA (cDNA), which is synthetic DNA created in the laboratory, is patentable because it is not naturally occurring.3
Development of Micro Wireless Sensor Platforms for Collecting Data on Passenger-Freight Interactions

In this report, the authors propose an in-node microprocessor-based vehicle classification approach to analyze and determine the types of vehicles passing over a 3-axis magnetometer sensor. Their approach for vehicle classification utilizes J48 classification algorithm implemented in Weka (a machine learning software suite). J48 is a Quinlan's C4.5 algorithm, an extension of decision tree machine learning based on ID3 algorithm. The decision tree model is generated from a set of features extracted from vehicles passing over the 3-axis sensor. The features are attributes provided with correct classifications to the J48 training algorithm to generate a decision tree model with varying degrees of classification rates based on cross-validation. Ideally, using fewer attributes to generate the model allows for the highest computational efficiency due to fewer features needed to be calculated while minimalizing the tree with fewer branches. The generated tree model can then be easily implemented using nested if-loops in any language on a multitude of microprocessors. In addition, setting an adaptive baseline to negate the effects of the background magnetic field allows reuse of the same tree model in multiple environments. The result of their experiment shows that the vehicle classification system is effective and efficient with the accuracy at nearly 100%.
Prevention of hepatitis C in Italy: lessons from surveillance of type‐specific acute viral hepatitis

Using data from the surveillance system for type‐specific acute viral hepatitis, the temporal incidence trend of non‐A, non‐B acute hepatitis and risk factors for acute hepatitis C have been evaluated in Italy. The association between hepatitis C and the potential risk factors (odds ratios, OR) was estimated using hepatitis A patients as controls. The independent roles of the different risk factors were estimated by multiple logistic regression analysis. The incidence of non‐A, non‐B acute hepatitis declined from 5 per 100 000 to 1 per 100 000 between 1985 and 1996. Anti‐HCV data collected by SEIEVA since 1991 showed that 60% of patients with non‐A, non‐B acute hepatitis were positive for antibodies to the hepatitis C virus (anti‐HCV) at the time of hospitalization. During the 6 months prior to the disease onset, the most frequently reported risk factors were multiple sexual partners, other parenteral exposure and intravenous drug use; transmission by blood transfusion declined from 20% in 1985 to 2% in 1996. On multivariate analysis, intravenous drug use (OR=35.5; 95% CI=23.1–54.4), surgical intervention (OR=4.6; 95% CI=3.3–6.5), dental treatment (OR=1.5; 95% CI=1.1–1.9) and two or more sexual partners (OR=2.2; 95% CI=1.6–3.0) were all independent predictors of hepatitis C. These findings indicate that HCV infection is decreasing in Italy. Intravenous drug use, multiple sexual partners, surgical intervention and dental therapy are the main modes of transmission.
HLA CLASS I AND CLASS II ANTIGEN ASSOCIATIONS IN ACUTE LEUKAEMIAS

HLA‐A,B,C and DR antigen frequencies were determined in a group of 188 patients suffering from acute myeloid (AML) and acute lymphoid leukaemia (ALL). These antigen frequencies were compared with those obtained on a panel of normal individuals (n= 109) of the same ethnic origin. The significance of the differences in the antigen distribution and the strength of the associations between particular HLA antigens and the disease were then calculated. The resuks obtained show a decreased frequency of HLA‐Awl9 in the overall group of patients and the group of patients with ALL. In addition, the antigen frequency of the HLA‐B18 and DRS(DRw11) antigens was also decreased in the overall group of patients and in those patients with AML but not in the patients with ALL. The results suggest that the antigen Aw l9 may confer some degree of resistance to the development of ALL and that the HLA‐B18 and/or DR5 antigens may be resistance factors for the development of AML.
Influence of repetitive peripheral magnetic stimulation on neural plasticity in the motor cortex related to swallowing

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of repetitive peripheral magnetic stimulation at two different frequencies (20 and 30 Hz) on cortical excitability in motor areas related to swallowing in healthy individuals. The study participants were 10 healthy normal volunteers (two women and eight men, age range 25–36 years). Repetitive peripheral magnetic stimulation was applied to the submandibular muscle using a parabolic coil at the site where contraction of the suprahyoid muscles was elicited. Stimulation was continued for 10 min (total 1200 pulses) at 20 Hz on 1 day and at 30 Hz on another day, with the stimulation strength set at 90% of the intensity that elicited pain. The motor-evoked potential amplitude of suprahyoid muscles was assessed before, immediately after, and 30 min after stimulation. Stimulations at both 20 and 30 Hz significantly increased motor-evoked potential amplitude (P<0.05), with the increase maintained until 30 min after stimulation. The motor-evoked potential amplitude immediately after stimulation was not significantly different between the 20 and 30 Hz frequencies. The results indicated that repetitive magnetic stimulation increased motor-evoked potential amplitude of swallowing muscles, suggesting facilitation of the motor cortex related to swallowing in healthy individuals.
On the Action of Muscarin upon the Heart, and on the Electrical Changes in the non‐beating Cardiac Muscle brought about by Stimulation of the Inhibitory and Augmentor Nerves

IN Ludwig's Festschrift' I have described how an electrical variation of a distinct character accompanies the action of the inhibitory nerve of the heart of the tortoise when the auricle is quiescent. For the sake of the readers of the Journal of Physiology I reproduce (Pl. XII.) the plate which accompanied my paper and will briefly describe the nature of the experiment and the meaning of the curves figured there. The whole object of that investigation was to find out whether any electrical change could be demonstrated in the muscular tissue of the auricle of the tortoise as the effect of the stimulation of the vagus nerve when that auricle was not beating. The possibility of such an experiment was afforded by the presence of the coronary nerve, for I knew from previous experience' that, when the auricle was cut away from the sinus and the coronary nerve left intact (as depicted in Fig. 1, P1. XII.), the isolated auricle-and-ventriclepreparation would after a timne beat with its own rhythm and then stimulation of the right vagus nerve in the neck would diminish the size of the beats of the auricle; I knew also that after the separation from the sinus a variable length of time elapses during which the auricle and ventricle remaini quiescent, and during this period of quiescence stimulation of the vagus produces no visible effect. It was self-evident that the vagus must be active during this period of quiescence, for the result of its activity was clear enough in the shape of diminution of the contractions as soon as the auricle began to beat; and the nonmanifestation of that activity was clearly due simply to the want of suitable means of making it visible. Of the various means at
Hydrodynamic Models for GaN-Based HEMTs

For the development of next-generation GaN-based high electron mobility transistors, reliable software tools for DC and AC simulation are required. A hydrodynamic approach must be used, as the drift diffusion models fail to deliver accurate results for such structures. We propose two different hydrodynamic mobility models which account for the peculiarities of the GaN material system. The models are implemented in our simulator Minimos-NT and carefully calibrated. A device from a recent transistor generation is measured and simulated using the calibrated setup. A good accuracy for all relevant characteristics is achieved.
Leptin, IL‐10 and Inflammatory Markers (TNF‐α, IL‐6 and IL‐8) in Pre‐Eclamptic, Normotensive Pregnant and Healthy Non‐Pregnant Women

Despite progress in immunobiology, pre‐eclampsia (PE) remains one of the most common reasons for women to die during pregnancy. The widespread pathophysiological mechanisms are endothelial dysfunction, oxidative stress and inflammation. The aim of this study was to assess the alteration in the levels of leptin, interleukin (IL)‐10 and inflammatory cytokines [tumour necrosis factor (TNF)‐α, IL‐6 & IL‐8] in pre‐eclamptic (severe and mild), healthy pregnant and non‐pregnant women and correlate these parameters with disease severity.
Retention Time and Depolarization in Organic Nonvolatile Memories Based on Ferroelectric Semiconductor Phase-Separated Blends

Resistive switches have been fabricated using a phase-separated blend film of ferroelectric random copolymer poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-trifluoroethylene) with the organic semiconductor regio-irregular poly(3-hexylthiophene) (rir-P3HT). Spin-coated blend films have been contacted with symmetrical Ag top and Ag bottom electrodes, yielding switching diodes. The ferroelectric polarization modulates the injection barrier, yielding an injection-limited off-state and a space-charge-limited on -state. To study the effect of depolarization, an additional polyphenylenevinylene-type semiconductor layer with the highest occupied molecular orbital energy that is comparable to that of rir-P3HT has been inserted in the diode stack. When the ad-layer is the injecting contact, the current modulation ratio goes to unity. The origin is a decrease in the effective band bending at the contact with increasing ad-layer thickness. When the counter electrode at the blend interface is the injecting contact, the diode can be switched, but the on-state is only stable when an electric field that is larger than the coercive field is applied. Upon field removal, the ferroelectric depolarizes, and the current drops to that of an unpoled pristine diode. The depolarization is confirmed by capacitance-voltage and retention time measurements. To realize bistable diodes with excellent retention times, the thickness of the semiconducting wetting layer may not be at most 10 nm.
Environmental sound event detection in wireless acoustic sensor networks for home telemonitoring

In this paper, we present an approach to improve the accuracy of environmental sound event detection in a wireless acoustic sensor network for home monitoring. Wireless acoustic sensor nodes can capture sounds in the home and simultaneously deliver them to a sink node for sound event detection. The proposed approach is mainly composed of three modules, including signal estimation, reliable sensor channel selection, and sound event detection. During signal estimation, lost packets are recovered to improve the signal quality. Next, reliable channels are selected using a multi-channel cross-correlation coefficient to improve the computational efficiency for distant sound event detection without sacrificing performance. Finally, the signals of the selected two channels are used for environmental sound event detection based on bidirectional gated recurrent neural networks using two-channel audio features. Experiments show that the proposed approach achieves superior performances compared to the baseline.
Fully monolithic single-sideband upconverter mixer with sideband selection

A single-sideband upconverter mixer with sideband selection capability is presented. Sideband selection is accomplished by inverting the polarity of either the I or Q differential IF signals into the upconverter by means of a switch network. The mixer operates at an LO frequency of 5 GHz and an IF of 100 MHz, and thus it produces an upper sideband at 5.1 GHz and a lower sideband at 4.9 GHz. Experimental results show that the mixer has a conversion gain of over 12 dB and that its IP1dB is −12 dBm and its IIP3 is −5 dBm. The OP1dB and OIP3 of the upconverter are 0 dBm and +6.5 dBm, respectively. The chip was fabricated using a standard 130 nm CMOS process, it consumes a total of 26 mW of dc power and the circuit core occupies an area of 0.49 mm2.
P2Y1 and Cysteinyl Leukotriene Receptors Mediate Purine and Cysteinyl Leukotriene Co-Release in Primary Cultures of Rat Microglia

Inflammation is widely recognized as contributing to the pathology of acute and chronic neurodegenerative conditions. Microglial cells are pathologic sensors in the brain and activated microglia have been viewed as detrimental. Leukotriene, including cysteinyl leukotrienes (CysLTs) are suggested to be involved in brain inflammation and neurological diseases and ATP, by its receptors is a candidate for microglia activation. A23187 (10μM) stimulated microglia to co-release CysLTs and [3H]adenine based purines ([3H]ABPs), mainly ATP. The biosynthetic production of CysLTs was abolished by 10μM MK-886, an inhibitor of 5-lipoxygenase-activating protein activity. RT-PCR analysis showed that microglia expressed both CysLT1 / CysLT2 receptors, P2Y1 ATP-receptors and several members of the ATP binding cassette (ABC) transporters including MRP1, MRP4 and Pgp. The increase in [Ca2+]i elicited by LTD4 (0.1 μM) and 2MeSATP (100μM), agonists for CysLT- and P2Y1-receptors, was abolished by the respective antagonists, BAYu9773 (0.5 μM) and suramin (50 μM). The stimulation of both receptor subtypes, induced a concomitant increase in the release of both [3H]ABPs and CysLTs that was blocked by the antagonists and significantly reduced by a cocktail of ABC transporter inhibitors, BAPTA/AM (intracellular Ca2+ chelator) and staurosporine (0.1 μM, PKC blocker). P2Y antagonist was unable to antagonise the effects of LTD4 and BAYu9773 did not reduce the effects of 2MeSATP. These data suggest that: i) the efflux of purines and cysteinyl-leukotrienes is specifically and independently controlled by the two receptor types, ii) calcium, PKC and the ABC transporter system can reasonably be considered common mechanisms underlying the release of ABPs and CysLTs from microglia. The blockade of P2Y1 or CysLT1/CysLT2 receptors by specific antagonists that abolished the raise in [Ca2+]i and drastically reduced the concomitant efflux of both compounds, as well as the effects of BAPTA and staurosporine support this hypothesis. In conclusion, the data of the present study suggest a cross talk between the purine and leukotriene systems in a possible autocrine/paracrine control of the microglia-mediated initiation and progression of an inflammatory response.