Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
New insights into the use of currently available non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), which act via inhibition of the cyclooxygenase (COX) isozymes, were discovered more than 100 years ago. They remain a key component of the pharmacological management of acute and chronic pain. The COX-1 and COX-2 isozymes have different biological functions; analgesic activity is primarily (although not exclusively) associated with inhibition of COX-2, while different side effects result from the inhibition of COX-1 and COX-2. All available NSAIDs, including acetaminophen and aspirin, are associated with potential side effects, particularly gastrointestinal and cardiovascular effects, related to their relative selectivity for COX-1 and COX-2. Since all NSAIDs exert their therapeutic activity through inhibition of the COX isozymes, strategies are needed to reduce the risks associated with NSAIDs while achieving sufficient pain relief. A better understanding of the inhibitory activity and COX-1/COX-2 selectivity of an NSAID at therapeutic doses, based on pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties (eg, inhibitory dose, absorption, plasma versus tissue distribution, and elimination), and the impact on drug tolerability and safety can guide the selection of appropriate NSAIDs for pain management. For example, many NSAIDs with moderate to high selectivity for COX-2 versus COX-1 can be administered at doses that maximize efficacy (~80% inhibition of COX-2) while minimizing COX-1 inhibition and associated side effects, such as gastrointestinal toxicity. Acidic NSAIDs with favorable tissue distribution and short plasma half-lives can additionally be dosed to provide near-constant analgesia while minimizing plasma concentrations to permit recovery of COX-mediated prostaglandin production in the vascular wall and other organs. Each patient’s clinical background, including gastrointestinal and cardiovascular risk factors, should be taken into account when selecting appropriate NSAIDs. New methods are emerging to assist clinicians in the selection of appropriate NSAIDs and their doses/schedules, such as biomarkers that may predict the response to NSAID treatment in individual patients.
Dandelion: Cooperative Content Distribution with Robust Incentives

Content distribution via the Internet is becoming increasingly popular. To be cost-effective, commercial content providers are considering the use of peer-to-peer (P2P) protocols such as BitTorrent to save on bandwidth costs and to handle peak demands. However, when an online content provider uses a P2P protocol, it faces a crucial issue: how to incentivize its clients to upload to their peers. This paper presents Dandelion, a system designed to address this issue in the case of paid content distribution. Unlike previous solutions, most notably BitTorrent, Dandelion provides robust (provably non-manipulable) incentives for clients to upload to others. In addition, unlike systems with tit-for-tat-based incentives, a client is motivated to upload to its peers even if the peers do not have content that interests the client. A client that honestly uploads to its peers is rewarded with credit, which can be redeemed for various types of rewards, such as discounts on paid content. In designing Dandelion, we trade scalability for the ability to provide robust incentives. The evaluation of our prototype system on PlanetLab demonstrates the viability of our approach. A Dandelion server that runs on commodity hardware with a moderate access link is capable of supporting up to a few thousand clients. These clients can download content at rates comparable to those of BitTorrent clients.
Electrophysiological Correlates of Phonological Processing: A Cross-linguistic Study

It is well known that speech perception is deeply affected by the phoneme categories of the native language. Recent studies have found that phonotactics, i.e., constraints on the cooccurrence of phonemes within words, also have a considerable impact on speech perception routines. For example, Japanese does not allow (nonasal) coda consonants. When presented with stimuli that violate this constraint, as in / ebzo/, Japanese adults report that they hear a /u/ between consonants, i.e., /ebuzo/. We examine this phenomenon using event-related potentials (ERPs) on French and Japanese participants in order to study how and when the phonotactic properties of the native language affect speech perception routines. Trials using four similar precursor stimuli were presented followed by a test stimulus that was either identical or different depending on the presence or absence of an epenthetic vowel /u/ between two consonants (e.g., ebuzo ebuzo ebuzoebzo). Behavioral results confirm that Japanese, unlike French participants, are not able to discriminate between identical and deviant trials. In ERPs, three mismatch responses were recorded in French participants. These responses were either absent or significantly weaker for Japanese. In particular, a component similar in latency and topography to the mismatch negativity (MMN) was recorded for French, but not for Japanese participants. Our results suggest that the impact of phonotactics takes place early in speech processing and support models of speech perception, which postulate that the input signal is directly parsed into the native language phonological format. We speculate that such a fast computation of a phonological representation should facilitate lexical access, especially in degraded conditions.
The epidemiology of the primary systemic vasculitides in northwest Spain: implications of the Chapel Hill Consensus Conference definitions.

OBJECTIVE To assess the epidemiology of the primary systemic vasculitides (PSV) in a well-defined population of southern Europe over a 14-year period using the Chapel Hill Consensus Conference (CHCC) definitions. METHODS The case records of all patients 15 years or older with vasculitis diagnosed between January 1988 and December 2001 at a single reference hospital in the Lugo region of northwest Spain were reviewed. Incidence rates were age- and sex-adjusted to the European standard population. Patients were classified as having PSV according to the CHCC definitions. RESULTS Fifty-four Lugo residents (29 men) fulfilled the CHCC definitions for PSV. The mean age was 60.7 +/- 13.5 years (men: 61.0 +/- 13.4; women: 60.4 +/- 13.8 years). The overall annual incidence of PSV was 13.07/million (95% confidence interval [95% CI] 8.89-19.22). PSV were slightly more common in men. The age-specific incidence showed a clear increase with age. A peak in the 55-64 year age group for the whole group of patients with PSV was observed (34.9/million; 95% CI 28.6-42.6). Nonrandom periodical peaks of incidence every 3 years were only observed when the group of PSV was considered as a whole (P = 0.040). The annual incidence was 2.95/million (95% CI 1.44-6.05) for Wegener's granulomatosis (WG) and 7.91/million (95% CI 4.74-13.20) for microscopic polyangiitis (MPA) (P = 0.035). None of the patients with Churg Strauss syndrome (n = 4) lived in a rural area. CONCLUSION Our observations support an increasing incidence of PSV with age. In patients from northwest Spain defined by the CHCC definitions, MPA is more common than WG.
Compositional reasoning and decidable checking for dependent contract types

Simple type systems perform compositional reasoning in that the type of a term depends only on the types of its subterms, and not on their semantics. Contracts offer more expressive abstractions, but static contract checking systems typically violate those abstractions and base their reasoning directly upon the semantics of terms. Pragmatically, this noncompositionality makes the decidability of static checking unpredictable. We first show how compositional reasoning may be restored using standard type-theoretic techniques, namely existential types and subtyping. Despite its compositional nature, our type system is exact, in that the type of a term can completely capture its semantics, hence demonstrating that precision and compositionality are compatible. We then address predictability of static checking for contract types by giving a type-checking algorithm for an important class of programs with contract predicates drawn from a decidable theory. Our algorithm relies crucially on the fact that the type of a term depends only the types of its subterms (which fall into the decidable theory) and not their semantics (which will not, in general).
Endothelial depletion of murine SRF/MRTF provokes intracerebral hemorrhagic stroke

Significance Human cerebral small vessel disease (SVD) comprises age-associated intracerebral hemorrhages and global cognitive impairment, including vascular dementia. Human SVD presents in either familial or sporadic manifestation, involving either monogenic Mendelian defects or multitrait genetic variants. To better characterize the genetic and molecular mechanisms underlying SVD, appropriate animal models are needed. The SrfiECKO mouse model presented here resembles human SVD pathology with regard to intracerebral hemorrhage formation and vascular dementia, including variability in onset and progression of cerebral symptoms. The Serum Response Factor (SRF)/Myocardin Related Transcription Factor (MRTF) are shown to regulate the expression of genes, which are essential for the maintenance of blood–brain barrier function and cerebral microvessel integrity. These findings suggest impairment of SRF/MRTF-mediated gene control as a molecular mechanism contributing to human SVD. Intracerebral hemorrhagic stroke and vascular dementia are age- and hypertension-associated manifestations of human cerebral small vessel disease (SVD). Cerebral microvessels are formed by endothelial cells (ECs), which are connected through tight junctions, adherens junctions, and stabilizing basement membrane structures. These endothelial connections ensure both vessel stability and blood–brain barrier (BBB) functions, the latter enabling selective exchange of ions, bioactive molecules, and cells between the bloodstream and brain tissue. SrfiECKO mice, permitting conditional EC-specific depletion of the transcription factor Serum Response Factor (SRF), suffer from loss of BBB integrity and intracerebral hemorrhaging. Cerebral microbleeds and larger hemorrhages developed upon postnatal and adult depletion of either SRF or its cofactors Myocardin Related Transcription Factor (MRTF-A/-B), revealing essential requirements of ongoing SRF/MRTF activity for maintenance of cerebral small vessel integrity. In vivo magnetic resonance imaging allowed detection, localization, and time-resolved quantification of BBB permeability and hemorrhage formation in SrfiECKO brains. At the molecular level, direct and indirect SRF/MRTF target genes, encoding structural components of tight junctions (Claudins and ZO proteins), adherens junctions (VE-cadherin, α-Actinin), and the basement membrane (Collagen IV), were down-regulated upon SRF depletion. These results identify SRF and its MRTF cofactors as major transcriptional regulators of EC junctional stability, guaranteeing physiological functions of the cerebral microvasculature. We hypothesize that impairments in SRF/MRTF activity contribute to human SVD pathology.
Motor Schema-Based Formation Control for Multiagent Robot Teams

New reactive behaviors that implement formations in multi-robot teams are presented and evaluated. These motor schemas, or primitive behaviors, for relative positional maintenance are integrated with existing navigational behaviors to help robots complete navigational tasks while in formation. Four formations, based on existing military doctrine (Army 1986), and three methods for determining correct vehicle position are investigated. The performance of a group of four simulated robots using this technique is evaluated quantitatively for both turning and for navigation across an obstacle field. These team behaviors will ultimately be fielded on four military vehicles a. ~ part of ARPA’s UGV Demo II program.
Leader-following consensus of nonlinear fractional-order multi-agent systems via event-triggered control

ABSTRACT This paper investigates the consensus problem of leader-following multi-agent systems with fractional-order nonlinear dynamics. A typical event is defined as some error signals exceeding a given threshold. By applying Lyapunov functional approach and skills of computing function limit, consensus of the controlled multi-agent systems can be reached asymptotically. Meanwhile, the event-triggered algorithm can exclude Zeno behaviours. Finally, a numerical simulation is exploited to verify the effectiveness of the theoretical result.
Identifying an Early Leaf Removal Threshold for Grüner Veltliner, a High-Yielding, High-Vigor Cultivar

Background and goals Early leaf removal (ELR) is a canopy management practice that can reduce bunch rot and improve fruit maturity by modifying cluster architecture and fruit zone microclimate. The goal of this study was to identify an ELR threshold that balances improvements to fruit quality and reductions in yield for a highly vegetative and high-yielding Vitis vinifera cultivar grown in the eastern United States, Grüner Veltliner.
Spatial and temporal heterogeneity in life history and productivity trends of Atlantic Weakfish (Cynoscion regalis) and implications to fisheries management

Stock assessment scientists largely ignore the spatial and temporal heterogeneity inherent in fish populations when they assess stock status. This thesis addresses the effects of spatial and temporal heterogeneity on stock assessment models using Atlantic Weakfish (Cynoscion regalis) as a case study. First, spatial and temporal variation were incorporated into length-, weight-, and maturity-at-age estimates using mixed-effects models (Chapter Two). The resulting heterogeneous weight and maturity parameters then were applied to per-recruit analyses to examine the sensitivity of biological reference points to spatial and temporal variation in lifehistory attributes (Chapter Three). Mixed-effects life-history models incorporating spatial and temporal variation revealed distinct regional and annual trends. In several instances, the homogeneous modelling approach produced life-history parameter estimates that varied significantly from means produced by the heterogeneous models. In some cases, this difference was so great that the homogeneous means were much higher or lower than the heterogeneous means for all regions or years. Minimized AIC statistics revealed that spatially and temporally integrated mixed-effects models were more robust and descriptive of Atlantic Weakfish life history than the standard homogeneous models. Per-recruit and biological reference points derived from these life-history estimates in Chapter Three were highly sensitive to spatial and temporal variations in weight parameters. Ignoring this spatial and temporal heterogeneity in Atlantic Weakfish life history could cause overfishing or underfishing of Weakfish in certain
Making Sense of Sensemaking 2: A Macrocognitive Model

For pt.1 see ibid., vol.21, no.4, p. 70-73 (2006). In this paper, we have laid out a theory of sensemaking that might be useful for intelligent systems applications. It's a general, empirically grounded account of sensemaking that goes significantly beyond the myths and puts forward some nonobvious, testable hypotheses about the process. When people try to make sense of events, they begin with some perspective, viewpoint, or framework - however minimal. For now, let's use a metaphor and call this a frame. We can express frames in various meaningful forms, including stories, maps, organizational diagrams, or scripts, and can use them in subsequent and parallel processes. Even though frames define what count as data, they themselves actually shape the data Furthermore, frames change as we acquire data. In other words, this is a two-way street: Frames shape and define the relevant data, and data mandate that frames change in nontrivial ways. We examine five areas of empirical findings: causal reasoning, commitment to hypotheses, feedback and learning, sense-making as a skill, and confirmation bias. In each area the Data/Frame model, and the research it's based on, doesn't align with common beliefs. For that reason, the Data/Frame model cannot be considered a depiction of commonsense views
The Slab Allocator: An Object-Caching Kernel Memory Allocator

This paper presents a comprehensive design overview of the SunOS 5.4 kernel memory allocator. This allocator is based on a set of object-caching primitives that reduce the cost of allocating complex objects by retaining their state between uses. These same primitives prove equally effective for managing stateless memory (e.g. data pages and temporary buffers) because they are space-efficient and fast. The allocator's object caches respond dynamically to global memory pressure, and employ an object-coloring scheme that improves the system's overall cache utilization and bus balance. The allocator also has several statistical and debugging features that can detect a wide range of problems throughout the system.
Combination Approaches to Estimating Optimal Portfolios

This paper considers the potential to improve portfolio performance by combining multiple estimators of the unknown optimal asset allocation. When portfolio estimators are evaluated from an economic perspective, I show that the statistical problem of optimally combining estimators is equivalent to a standard asset allocation problem. Using this equivalence, I state numerous general results regarding optimal combinations of portfolio estimators. As an application, I consider combining the nonparametric estimator proposed by Brandt (1999) with an ultra-conservative portfolio strategy. Simulation results illustrate that this form of ‘shrinkage’ can deliver economically signicant performance improvements at empirically relevant sample sizes.
Developmental patterns in the adult L2 acquisition of new contrasts: the acoustic cue weighting in the perception of Scottish tense/lax vowels by Spanish speakers

Part of the phonology of a language consists of sound distinctions that the speakers perceive and produce. These sound distinctions, in turn, are signalled by a number of sub-properties that integrate to constitute phonological contrasts. There is a many-to-one relation between the properties that signal a contrast and the contrast itself (Repp 1984). The information or sub-properties that signal contrasts are called phonetic cues. The speakers of every language have to learn what aspects of the phonetic signal function as cues and how to use each cue (Scobbie 1998). Furthermore, the L1 speakers of a language assign relative amounts of perceptual attention to the different acoustic cues that signal a contrast. That is to say they have a particular weighting to such cues: some of them are primary and other secondary (Nittrouer 2000, Scobbie 1998). For instance, not only do L1 Scottish English speakers know that the principal cues to the tense/lax vowel contrast /i/-/‫/گ‬ are spectral and durational cues but also that spectral information is primary. This is manifested in their performance in identification tests that contained stimuli with a single acoustic cue (Escudero 2000a). The main purpose of the present study is to investigate the adult L2 perception of new vowel contrasts as well as the way in which such perception may develop. For example, can L2 speakers learn to perceive a new contrast? If so, do they weight the acoustic information in the same way that L1 speakers do? And if not, could we think of the different patterns in their performance as being part of a sequential development? The studies that have compared the adult L2 perception of the vowel contrast /i/-/‫/گ‬ (Fox et al 1995, Bohn 1995 and Flege 1997) have arrived at different conclusions regarding the cue weighting and general perception of this contrast by native Spanish speakers. Furthermore, they do not suggest any mechanism for the development in the L2 perception of this group of subjects. Consequently, I carried out a study that aimed to find answers to the L2 perception questions put forward in this paragraph as well as to provide more evidence that could avoid the contradictory nature of the claims made in previous studies. This new study tested the perception of the Scottish English /i/-/‫/گ‬ contrast by Spanish speakers. The motivation, findings and conclusions will be reported here. The present paper consists of three chapters. Chapter 1 presents the relevant …
Higher Urinary Sodium, a Proxy for Intake, Is Associated with Increased Calcium Excretion and Lower Hip Bone Density in Healthy Young Women with Lower Calcium Intakes

We assessed 24-h urinary sodium (Na) and its relationship with urinary calcium (Ca) and areal bone mineral density (aBMD) at the whole body, lumbar spine and total hip in a cross-sectional study. 102 healthy non-obese women completed timed 24-h urine collections which were analyzed for Na and Ca. Dietary intakes were estimated using a validated food frequency questionnaire. Participants were grouped as those with lower vs. higher calcium intake by median split (506 mg/1000 kcal). Dietary Na intake correlated with 24-h urinary loss. Urinary Na correlated positively with urinary Ca for all participants (r = 0.29, p < 0.01) and among those with lower (r = 0.37, p < 0.01) but not higher calcium intakes (r = 0.19, p = 0.19). Urinary Na was inversely associated with hip aBMD for all participants (r = −0.21, p = 0.04) and among women with lower (r = −0.36, p < 0.01) but not higher (r = −0.05, p = 0.71) calcium intakes. Urinary Na also entered a regression equation for hip aBMD in women with lower Ca intakes, contributing 5.9% to explained variance. In conclusion, 24-h urinary Na (a proxy for intake) is associated with higher urinary Ca loss in young women and may affect aBMD, particularly in those with lower calcium intakes.
On the Maximal Diversity Order of Spatial Multiplexing With Transmit Antenna Selection

Zhang recently derived upper and lower bounds on the achievable diversity of an NR timesNT i.i. d. Rayleigh fading multiple antenna system using transmit antenna selection, spatial multiplexing and a linear receiver structure. For the case of L = 2 transmitting (out of NT available) antennas the bounds are tight and therefore specify the maximal diversity order. For the general case with L les min(NR ldrNT) transmitting antennas it was conjectured that the maximal diversity is (NT-L+1)(NR-L+1) which coincides with the lower bound. Herein, we prove this conjecture for the zero forcing and zero forcing decision feedback (with optimal detection ordering) receiver structures.