Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Markers of Focal and Diffuse Nonischemic Myocardial Fibrosis Are Associated With Adverse Cardiac Remodeling and Prognosis in Patients With Hypertension: The REMODEL Study

Background: The prognostic significance of focal and diffuse myocardial fibrosis in patients with cardiovascular risk factors is unclear. Methods: REMODEL (Response of the Myocardium to Hypertrophic Conditions in the Adult Population) is an observational cohort of asymptomatic patients with essential hypertension. All participants underwent cardiovascular magnetic resonance to assess for myocardial fibrosis: nonischemic late gadolinium enhancement (LGE), native myocardial T1, postcontrast myocardial T1, extracellular volume fraction including/excluding LGE regions, interstitial volume (extracellular volume×myocardial volume), and interstitial/myocyte ratio. Primary outcome was a composite of first occurrence acute coronary syndrome, heart failure hospitalization, strokes, and cardiovascular mortality. Patients were recruited from February 2016 and followed until June 2021. Results: Of the 786 patients with hypertension (58±11 years; 39% women; systolic blood pressure, 130±14 mm Hg), 145 (18%) had nonischemic LGE. Patients with nonischemic LGE were more likely to be men, have diabetes, be current smokers, and have higher blood pressure (P<0.05 for all). Compared with those without LGE, patients with nonischemic LGE had greater left ventricular mass (66±22 versus 49±9 g/m2; P<0.001), worse multidirectional strain (P<0.001 for all measures), and elevated circulating markers of myocardial wall stress and myocardial injury, adjusted for potential confounders. Twenty-four patients had primary outcome over 39 (30–50) months of follow-up. Of all the cardiovascular magnetic resonance markers of myocardial fibrosis assessed, only nonischemic LGE (hazard ratio, 6.69 [95% CI, 2.54–17.60]; P<0.001) and indexed interstitial volume (hazard ratio, 1.11 [95% CI, 1.04–1.19]; P=0.002) demonstrated independent association with primary outcome. Conclusions: In patients with hypertension, myocardial fibrosis on cardiovascular magnetic resonance is associated with adverse cardiac remodeling and outcomes.
Effect of deep brain stimulation on freezing of gait in patients with Parkinson’s disease: a systematic review

Abstract Background and objectives Freezing of gait (FOG) is a disabling gait disorder in patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD), characterized by recurrent episodes of halting steps. Dopaminergic drugs are common treatments for PD and FOG; however, these drugs may worsen FOG. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is another option used to treat selected patients. The device needs to be programmed at a specific frequency, amplitude, and pulse width to achieve optimum effects for each patient. This systematic review aimed to evaluate the efficacy of DBS for FOG and its correlation with programmed parameters and the location of the electrodes in the brain. Materials and methods Data for this systematic review were gathered from five online databases: Medline (via PubMed), Scopus, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library (including both Cochrane Reviews and Cochrane Trials) with a broad search strategy. We included those articles that reported clinical trials and a specific measurement for FOG. Results This review included 13 studies of DBS that targeted the subthalamic nucleus (STN), substantia nigra (SNr), or pedunculopontine nucleus (PPN). Our analysis showed that low-frequency stimulation (LFS) was superior to high-frequency stimulation (HFS) for improving FOG. In the long term, the efficacy of both LFS and HFS decreased. The effect of amplitude was variable, and this parameter needed to be adjusted for each patient. Bilateral stimulation was better than unilateral stimulation. Conclusion DBS is a promising choice for the treatment of severe FOG in patients with PD. Bilateral, low-frequency stimulation combined with medical therapy is associated with better responses, especially in the first 2 years of treatment. However, individualizing the DBS parameters should be considered to optimize treatment response.
Evaluating Pelvis Rotation Style at Foot Contact: A Propensity Scored Biomechanical Analysis in High School and Professional Pitchers

Background: Early pelvis rotation has been associated with decreased throwing arm kinetics and conventionally was considered a component of proper pitching form in baseball throwers. However, previous assessments of pelvis rotation style have not accounted for confounders such as playing level, anthropometric characteristics, or ball velocity and have not evaluated sufficient sample sizes. Purpose: To compare kinetic and kinematic parameters based on pelvis rotation style in high school and professional pitchers. Study Design: Descriptive laboratory study. Methods: High school and professional baseball pitchers threw 8 to 12 fastball pitches while being evaluated using 3-dimensional motion capture (480 Hz). These pitchers were 1:1 propensity score matched by age, height, weight, handedness, and ball velocity based on early (<60°) versus late (≥60°) pelvis rotation style at foot contact. A total of 26 kinematic and 10 kinetic parameters were compared between groups. The kinematic parameters were used to conduct a linear regression between early and late pelvis rotation at foot contact. Results: Pelvis rotation at foot contact was not significantly associated with ball velocity for either high school (P = .243) or professional pitchers (P = .075). No difference was found in elbow varus torque between high school early rotators (57.5 ± 14.9 N·m) and late rotators (51.3 ± 14.7 N·m; P = .036) and between professional early rotators (80.1 ± 11.8 N·m) and late rotators (79.0 ± 11.2 N·m; P = .663). At foot contact in high school pitchers, stride length increased by 2.1% of body height (B = −0.205; β = −0.470; P < .001), trunk rotation increased by 4.2° (B = −0.417; β = −0.488; P < .001), and trunk flexion at foot contact decreased by 4.4° (B = 0.442; β = 0.476; P < .001) with every 10° increase in pelvis rotation. At foot contact in professional pitchers, stride length increased by 2.3% of body height (B = –0.229; β = –0.478; P < .001), trunk rotation increased by 4.3° (B = –0.431; β = –0.515; P < .001), and trunk flexion decreased by 4.0° (B = 0.404; β = 0.373; P < .001) with every 10° increase in pelvis rotation. Conclusion: Pelvis rotation at foot contact was associated with several kinematic parameters in both groups and may influence mechanics further along the kinetic chain. Landing open or closed was not significantly associated with throwing arm kinetics or ball velocity for both high school and professional baseball pitchers, contrary to previous thought. Clinical Relevance: Coaches and players may better focus their efforts on refining other kinematic parameters for enhanced performance outcomes and safe pitching mechanics.
Implementation of infection prevention and control practices in an upcoming COVID-19 hospital in India: An opportunity not missed

Infection prevention and control (IPC) program is obligatory for delivering quality services in any healthcare setup. Lack of administrative support and resource-constraints (under-staffing, inadequate funds) were primary barriers to successful implementation of IPC practices in majority of the hospitals in the developing countries. The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) brought a unique opportunity to improve the IPC program in these hospitals. A PDSA (Plan—Do—Study- Act) model was adopted for this study in a tertiary care hospital which was converted into a dedicated COVID-19 treatment facility in Varanasi, India. The initial focus was to identify the deficiencies in existing IPC practices and perceive the opportunities for improvement. Repeated IPC training (induction and reinforce) was conducted for the healthcare personnel (HCP) and practices were monitored by direct observation and closed-circuit television. Cleaning audits were performed by visual inspection, review of the checklists and qualitative assessment of the viewpoints of the HCP was carried out by the feedbacks received at the end of the training sessions. A total of 2552 HCP and 548 medical students were trained in IPC through multiple offline/onsite sessions over a period of 15 months during the ongoing pandemic. Although the overall compliance to surface disinfection and cleaning increased from 50% to >80% with repeated training, compliance decreased whenever newly recruited HCP were posted. Fear psychosis in the pandemic was the greatest facilitator for adopting the IPC practices. Continuous wearing of personal protective equipment for long duration, dissatisfaction with the duty rosters as well as continuous posting in high-risk areas were the major obstacles to the implementation of IPC norms. Recognising the role of an infection control team, repeated training, monitoring and improvisation of the existing resources are keys for successful implementation of IPC practices in hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic.
A road map for in vivo evolution experiments with blood‐borne parasitic microbes

Laboratory experiments in which blood‐borne parasitic microbes evolve in their animal hosts offer an opportunity to study parasite evolution and adaptation in real time and under natural settings. The main challenge of these experiments is to establish a protocol that is both practical over multiple passages and accurately reflects natural transmission scenarios and mechanisms. We provide a guide to the steps that should be considered when designing such a protocol, and we demonstrate its use via a case study. We highlight the importance of choosing suitable ancestral genotypes, treatments, number of replicates per treatment, types of negative controls, dependent variables, covariates, and the timing of checkpoints for the experimental design. We also recommend specific preliminary experiments to determine effective methods for parasite quantification, transmission, and preservation. Although these methodological considerations are technical, they also often have conceptual implications. To this end, we encourage other researchers to design and conduct in vivo evolution experiments with blood‐borne parasitic microbes, despite the challenges that the work entails.
Characterization and role of collagen gene expressing hepatic cells following partial hepatectomy in mice

Background and Aims: The mechanism underlying liver regeneration following partial hepatectomy (PH) is not fully elucidated. We aimed to characterize collagen gene expressing hepatic cells following PH and examine their contribution to liver regeneration. Approach and Results: Col‐GFP mice, which express GFP under the control of the collagen gene promoter, were used to detect collagen gene expressing cells following PH. The GFP‐expressing cells were analyzed via single‐cell RNA sequencing (scRNA‐seq). Additionally, Col‐ER Cre/RFP and Col‐ER Cre/DTA mice were utilized to examine the cell fates and functional roles of collagen gene expressing cells in liver regeneration, respectively. The number of collagen gene expressing cells was found to be increased on day 3 and subsequently decreased on day 7 following PH. ScRNA‐seq analysis of sorted collagen gene expressing cells showed that the regenerating liver was characterized by three distinct hepatic stellate cell (HSC) clusters, including one representing classic myofibroblasts. The other HSC clusters included an intermediately activated HSC cluster and a proliferating HSC cluster. Of these, the latter cluster was absent in the CCl4‐induced liver fibrosis model. Cell fate tracing analysis using Col‐ER Cre/RFP mice demonstrated that the collagen gene expressing cells escaped death during regeneration and remained in an inactivated state in the liver. Further, depletion of these cells using Col‐ER Cre/DTA mice resulted in impaired liver regeneration. Conclusions: Heterogeneous HSC clusters, one of which was a unique proliferating cluster, were found to appear in the liver following PH. Collagen gene expressing cells, including HSCs, were found to promote liver regeneration.
Analysis, Modeling and Simulation of Dynamic Voltage Restorer (DVR) for Compensation of Voltage-Quality Disturbances

Dynamic voltage restorer (DVR) can provide the most commercial solution to mitigate voltage sag by injecting voltage as well as power into the system. This paper describes the effectiveness of using dynamic voltage restorers (DVRs) in order to mitigate voltage sags in power distribution systems at critical loads. The DVR is a power electronic based device that provides three-phase controllable voltage source, whose voltage vector (magnitude and angle) adds to the source voltage during sag event, to restore the load voltage to pre-sag conditions. The DVR can restore the load voltage within few milliseconds. A control technique based on a proportional-integral (PI) controller and a selective controller is used. The controller is designed in a synchronously-rotating reference frame. In fact, three independent controllers (homopolar component, d-axis component and q-axis component) have been used to tackle balanced and unbalanced voltage supplies. Simulation results using Simulink' SimPowerSystem Toolbox is presented to illustrate the principle and performance of a DVR operation in load voltage compensation.
Does theory work in practice? Two case studies

ABSTRACT Case studies offer an opportunity to review what worked and what didn't and to draw conclusions about what changes to make in future projects. This article presents two different studies. Each study explored the properties of a production process and each had a number of issues to be resolved before experimental runs could be performed. In the first case, the process was a continuous rubber extrusion line, producing windscreen wiper blades. Planning involved people on three different continents, so issues of building trust were paramount. Only a narrow time window was available for experimentation, so flexibility and a quick response to problems as they arose were needed. The second study was an off-line batch process aimed at producing polymers suitable for artificial corneas. There were two competing variables of interest. Previous attempts to improve the product had been piecemeal and unsuccessful, but a fractional factorial experiment provided guidance on a way forward. Subsequent runs then aimed to optimize the primary variable whilst holding the second variable constant. By comparing and contrasting these studies, many valuable lessons can be learned.
Non-intrusive voltage measurement of ac power lines for smart grid system based on electric field energy harvesting

A new non-intrusive ac voltage measurement technique based on stray electric filed energy harvesting is presented whereby the voltage of ac power lines can be measured without removing insulation and therefore without direct contact with conductors of the power lines. The energy of electric field around the power lines is picked up and stored in a capacitor by a wire wound around insulated 3-wire household power lines or by a conductor plate placed in the vicinity of overhead high-voltage power lines. Autonomous switches are used to monitor the stored electric field energy in a storage capacitor and to generate pulse train. Experimental results show that the repetition rate of the output pulse is a linear function of the line voltage. Since the voltage of insulated 3-wire household power line can be measured without removing insulation and the voltage of high-voltage power transmission line can be measured without any contact to the conductor of the power line, the proposed technique can be widely applied to smart grid system.
Abrogates Transplantation Tolerance Innate and Adaptive Immunity That Type 1 IFN Mediates Cross-Talk between

TLR activation of innate immunity prevents the induction of transplantation tolerance and shortens skin allograft survival in mice treated with costimulation blockade. The mechanism by which TLR signaling mediates this effect has not been clear. We now report that administration of the TLR agonists LPS (TLR4) or polyinosinic:polycytidylic acid (TLR3) to mice treated with costimulation blockade prevents alloreactive CD8 (cid:1) T cell deletion, primes alloreactive CTLs, and shortens allograft survival. The TLR4- and MyD88-dependent pathways are required for LPS to shorten allograft survival, whereas polyinosinic:polycytidylic acid mediates its effects through a TLR3-independent pathway. These effects are all mediated by signaling through the type 1 IFN (IFN- (cid:2)(cid:3) ) receptor. Administration of IFN- (cid:3) recapitulates the detrimental effects of TLR agonists on transplantation tolerance. We conclude that the type 1 IFN generated as part of an innate immune response to TLR activation can in turn activate adaptive immune responses that abrogate transplantation tolerance. Blocking of type 1 IFN-dependent pathways in patients may improve allograft survival in the presence of exogenous TLR ligands. The Journal of Immunology, 2007, 179: 6620–6629. the interaction between and We that we We observed that These results suggest that
Application examples for gas-assisted injection molded parts

The gas-assisted injection molding process is a relatively new injection molding processing technique that can offer a number of advantages relative to conventional injection molding for thermoplastic parts. This unique process does have its own specific part design and processing requirements, many of which are significantly different than those associated with the conventional injection molding process. The first part of this paper provides a review of the gas-assisted injection molding process, along with strategies for gas-assisted part and tool design. The paper also summarizes the results of several gas-assisted injection molding case studies that have been conducted for various commercial part geometries.
Flexible application-aware approximation for modern distributed graph processing frameworks

The interest in the ability of processing data that has an underlying graph structure has grown in the recent past. This has led to the development of many distributed graph processing systems. However, due to rapidly growing amount of data, e.g., web graphs and social graphs, even such distributed graph processing frameworks end up requiring several minutes or even several hours to execute popular graph algorithms. This leads to the question: do we always need to know the exact answer for a large graph? The aforementioned modern distributed graph processing frameworks execute graph algorithms by exchanging messages between vertices. This paper introduces a novel message-dropping approach for approximation in these frameworks. As dropping messages would result in degradation of quality of result, our objective is to drop messages that have least adverse impact on quality. More specifically, we propose an application-aware approach that dynamically drops messages at runtime. We evaluate the effects of our approach for the PageRank algorithm on several representative real-world web graphs and compare its performance to that of existing approximation techniques for modern frameworks.
Profane Words on Twitter: an analysis of the use of swear words in different countries

Decreasing the usage of profanity terms can reduce a toxic environment, create a clean language culture towards the z-generation who is now exploring the online world. To understand how intensive is profanity usage in social media platforms, we collected a sample of tweets for the year 2020, from Jan 2020 to Dec 2020. A total of 4,175,516 tweets that contained the reference list of various profanity words is collected, with its geographical country compiled. Each of the tweets included at least a profanity term from the categories set of profanity. This study intends to visualise the profanity classes in text communication among users from different countries. This idea is to create awareness of language usage and suggest a possible mechanism to assist or investigate a potential crime, such as racism or cyberbully detection.
Data provenance for recursive SQL queries

The adoption of recursion in SQL---framed either in terms of recursive common table expressions (CTEs) or recursive user-defined functions (UDFs)---marked a jump in the expressivity of the query language. The resulting queries can perform complex computation close to database-resident data but, at the same time, often prove challenging to understand and debug. We build on earlier work on the derivation of where- and why-provenance for complex (yet non-recursive) SQL queries to also embrace recursive SQL CTEs and UDFs. Fine-grained data provenance for recursive SQL is derived through language-level query rewriting and a two-phase evaluation strategy that does not invade the underlying RDBMS.
SoK: The Evolution of Trusted UI on Mobile

In mobile security research, one of the many challenges is the lack of trusted user interfaces (TUI). Currently, users are not able to reliably identify which screen content is genuine and which is potentially manipulated. The concepts of trusted displays and user interfaces, which offer a high confidence in the trustworthiness of screen contents, are not universally implemented on current consumer devices. In this paper, we systematically analyze the developments in the field of TUIs on mobile devices over seven years. We present a new taxonomy to define and categorize challenges and issues in current UI designs, with a focus on issues that negatively affect the security of the whole OS. In addition, we suggest directions where contributions in research could solve these issues.
RCNN-GAN: An Enhanced Deep Learning Approach Towards Detection of Road Cracks

Automatic detection of road cracks is one of the significant aspects of road maintenance systems. However, it involves a lot of complexities to accurately identify the cracks because of various reasons such as heterogeneity of traffic conditions, dynamic environmental conditions and variabilities in multiple parameters. With the advancements in Deep Learning (DL) techniques, this research proposes a DL-based road crack detection model which combines two effective techniques namely RCNN and GAN. A novel RCNN-GAN deep architecture is proposed with reduced layers to improve the detection accuracy. The performance of the proposed approach was verified with respect to different performance metrics such as accuracy, precision, recall, and f1-score. The experimental results of the proposed approach were also compared to various state-of-the art deep learning algorithms. It can be inferred from results that the proposed approach achieves superior performance in terms of detection accuracy and other performance indicators.
Autonomous Network Defence using Reinforcement Learning

In the network security arms race, the defender is significantly disadvantaged as they need to successfully detect and counter every malicious attack. In contrast, the attacker needs to succeed only once. To level the playing field, we investigate the effectiveness of autonomous agents in a realistic network defence scenario. We first outline the problem, provide the background on reinforcement learning and detail our proposed agent design. Using a network environment simulation, with 13 hosts spanning 3 subnets, we train a novel reinforcement learning agent and show that it can reliably defend continual attacks by two advanced persistent threat (APT) red agents: one with complete knowledge of the network layout and another which must discover resources through exploration but is more general.