Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Semantic subtyping

Usually subtyping relations are defined either syntactically by a formal system or semantically by an interpretation of types in an untyped denotational model. In this paper we show how to define a subtyping relation semantically, for a language whose operational semantics is driven by types; we consider a rich type algebra, with product, arrow, recursive, intersection, union and complement types. Our approach is to "bootstrap" the subtyping relation through a notion of set-theoretic model of the type algebra. The advantages of the semantic approach are manifold. Foremost we get "for free" many properties (e.g., the transitivity of subtyping) that, with axiomatized subtyping, would require tedious and error prone proofs. Equally important is that the semantic approach allows one to derive complete algorithms for the subtyping relation or the propagation of types through patterns. As the subtyping relation has a natural (inasmuch as semantic) interpretation, the type system can give informative error messages when static type-checking fails. Last but not least the approach has an immediate impact in the definition and the implementation of languages manipulating XML documents, as this was our original motivation.
Pathological Video Game Use Among Youths: A Two-Year Longitudinal Study

OBJECTIVES: We aimed to measure the prevalence and length of the problem of pathological video gaming or Internet use, to identify risk and protective factors, to determine whether pathological gaming is a primary or secondary problem, and to identify outcomes for individuals who become or stop being pathological gamers. METHODS: A 2-year, longitudinal, panel study was performed with a general elementary and secondary school population in Singapore, including 3034 children in grades 3 (N = 743), 4 (N = 711), 7 (N = 916), and 8 (N = 664). Several hypothesized risk and protective factors for developing or overcoming pathological gaming were measured, including weekly amount of game play, impulsivity, social competence, depression, social phobia, anxiety, and school performance. RESULTS: The prevalence of pathological gaming was similar to that in other countries (∼9%). Greater amounts of gaming, lower social competence, and greater impulsivity seemed to act as risk factors for becoming pathological gamers, whereas depression, anxiety, social phobias, and lower school performance seemed to act as outcomes of pathological gaming. CONCLUSION: This study adds important information to the discussion about whether video game “addiction” is similar to other addictive behaviors, demonstrating that it can last for years and is not solely a symptom of comorbid disorders.
Uncertainty and Variability in Point Cloud Surface Data

We present a framework for analyzing shape uncertainty and variability in point-sampled geometry. Our representation is mainly targeted towards discrete surface data stemming from 3D acquisition devices, where a finite number of possibly noisy samples provides only incomplete information about the underlying surface. We capture this uncertainty by introducing a statistical representation that quantifies for each point in space the likelihood that a surface fitting the data passes through that point. This likelihood map is constructed by aggregating local linear extrapolators computed from weighted least squares fits. The quality of fit of these extrapolators is combined into a corresponding confidence map that measures the quality of local tangent estimates. We present an analysis of the effect of noise on these maps, show how to efficiently compute them, and extend the basic definition to a scale-space formulation. Various applications of our framework are discussed, including an adaptive re-sampling method, an algorithm for reconstructing surfaces in the presence of noise, and a technique for robustly merging a set of scans into a single point-based representation.
Oral Glucose Tolerance Test: A Reliable Tool for Early Detection of Glucose Abnormalities in Patients With Acute Myocardial Infarction in Clinical Practice

OBJECTIVE—Previously undetected glucose abnormalities are common in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). We evaluated long-term reliability of early glucometabolic classification of patients with AMI by repeated oral glucose tolerance tests (OGTTs). RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS—A glucometabolic OGTT-based classification was obtained in 122 patients by measuring capillary whole-blood glucose. The classification was performed on three occasions, before hospital discharge and 3 and 12 months thereafter. RESULTS—At discharge, 34, 31, and 34% were classified as having normal glucose tolerance, impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), or type 2 diabetes, respectively, and 93% of all patients with type 2 diabetes were still classified with type 2 diabetes (n = 27) or IGT (n = 12) after 12 months. The agreements between the OGTTs at discharge and 3 and 12 months were κ = 0.35, P < 0.001, and κ = 0.43, P < 0.001, respectively. CONCLUSIONS—The outcome of an OGTT performed in AMI patients at hospital discharge reliably informs on long-term glucometabolic state.
Sensory Perception in Cetaceans: Part I—Current Knowledge about Dolphin Senses As a Representative Species

A large part of the literature on sensory perception and behavior in dolphins is devoted to its well-developed vocal and echolocation abilities. In this review, we aim to augment current knowledge by examining the literature on dolphins’ entire “Merkwelt” (which refers to everything a subject perceives, creating a crucial part of the subject’s Umwelt). We will show that despite extensive knowledge on audition, aspects such as context relatedness, the social function of vocalizations or socio-sexual recognition, remain poorly understood. Therefore, we propose areas for further lines of investigation. Recent studies have shown that the sensory world of dolphins might well be much more diverse than initially thought. Indeed, although underwater and aerial visual systems differ in dolphins, they have both been shown to be important. Much debated electro- and magnetoreception appear to be functional senses according to recent studies. Finally, another neglected area is chemoreception. We will summarize neuroanatomical and physiological data on olfaction and taste, as well as corresponding behavioral evidence. Taken together, we will identify a number of technical and conceptual reasons for why chemosensory data appear contradictory, which is much debated in the literature. In summary, this article aims to provide both an overview of the current knowledge on dolphin perception, but also offer a basis for further discussion and potential new lines of research.
Gene expression in the forebrain of dexamethasone-treated pigs: effects on stress neuropeptides in the hypothalamus and hippocampus and glutamate receptor subunits in the hippocampus.

Gene expression studies advance our understanding of the effects of stress and glucocorticoids on brain function and give a new direction to animal welfare research. In this context, the presence of messenger RNA s (m RNA s) for corticotrophin releasing hormone (CRH) and vasopressin (VP) in the porcine hypothalamus has recently been documented. This study investigated the expression of CRH, VP and ionotropic glutamate receptor (iGluR) subunit m RNA s in the brains of pigs treated with the synthetic glucocorticoid dexamethasone (Dex; 5 mg kg(-1)i.v. ). In the hypothalamus, VP, but not CRH, m RNA was reduced 3 hours after Dex. In the hippocampus, expression of m RNA s for some iGluR subunits appeared to be differentially regulated 6 hours after Dex. In addition, CRH message was detected in the hippocampus and significantly upregulated in the CA1 region 3 hours after Dex. The relevance of these findings to stress neurobiology of the growing pig is discussed.
Factors associated with emergency department utilization for nonurgent pediatric problems.

OBJECTIVE To identify specific caretaker and utilization characteristics predictive of the use of the emergency departments (EDs) for nonurgent reasons. Each year more than 20 million children in the United States seek medical care in EDs. Between one third and one half of these visits are for nonurgent reasons. DESIGN A descriptive study conducted during a 6-month period. SETTING Two urban hospital EDs. MEASURE A questionnaire was designed to elicit information about specific caretaker characteristics and their reasons for using the ED for their child's nonurgent medical care. SUBJECTS Two hundred caretakers and children brought to the ED for nonacute medical care. Caretakers in this study included mothers (82%) with a mean age of 30 years, single caretakers (70%), and unemployed caretakers (60%). The average age of the children was 6.2 years. RESULTS Most caretakers (92%) reported having a continuity physician for their children. Caretakers who reported being taken to the ED when they were children (P<.002) and those with Medicaid insurance (P<.001) were more likely to view the ED as the usual site of care. Being a single parent was a predictor for nonurgent visits (P<.05). CONCLUSIONS Predicting which caretakers are at risk for using the ED for nonurgent care when their children are sick provides the primary care physician a means of identifying specific patients who may benefit from interventions designed to promote a more cost-effective approach to using medical resources. Arch Fam Med. 2000;9:1086-1092
Dispersal of Biofilms by Secreted, Matrix Degrading, Bacterial DNase

Microbial biofilms are composed of a hydrated matrix of biopolymers including polypeptides, polysaccharides and nucleic acids and act as a protective barrier and microenvironment for the inhabiting microbes. While studying marine biofilms, we observed that supernatant produced by a marine isolate of Bacillus licheniformis was capable of dispersing bacterial biofilms. We investigated the source of this activity and identified the active compound as an extracellular DNase (NucB). We have shown that this enzyme rapidly breaks up the biofilms of both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. We demonstrate that bacteria can use secreted nucleases as an elegant strategy to disperse established biofilms and to prevent de novo formation of biofilms of competitors. DNA therefore plays an important dynamic role as a reversible structural adhesin within the biofilm.
A Metric for Rainfall Asymmetry in Recurving Tropical Cyclones

Using a data set of 138 recurving tropical cyclones (TCs) from 2004 to 2015 in the western North Pacific, a new metric, Brain, is proposed, which quantifies the asymmetry in the rainfall within the TC circulation relative to its track. When Brain is positive (negative), the rainfall has a right of track (left of track) preference. Using the new metric, the rainfall asymmetry is found to be closely related to thermal structure asymmetry (B) in TCs. A well‐defined anticorrelated relationship is found between Brain and B for all recurving TCs. Prior to recurvature, Brain decreases linearly as B increases. After recurvature, the linear relationship weakens, and TC rainfall is almost entirely concentrated left of track as B increases. A phase‐space composed of Brain and B provides substantial insight into cyclone structural and rainfall asymmetric evolution.
Perfectionistic Self-Presentation and Suicide in a Young Woman with Major Depression and Psychotic Features

A woman in her midtwenties with a history of major depressive disorder and a recent major depressive episode with mood-congruent psychotic features died by suicide. Two weeks before her death, she demonstrated exceptional elevations on the nondisplay of imperfection factor of Hewitt and Flett's Perfectionistic Self-Presentation Scale. Perfectionism and especially perfectionistic self-presentation have been strongly associated with suicide across several populations, accounting for unique variance in suicidality beyond depression and hopelessness. Yet interpersonal facets of perfectionism are not recognized as clinical risk factors for suicide. There is also a paucity of research on perfectionism in relation to psychotic symptoms. This case account illustrates the role of perfectionistic self-presentation in suicides that occur seemingly without warning and, to our knowledge, this is the first examination of perfectionistic self-presentation and suicide in a case where psychotic features occurred. This study, though single case-based, draws attention to perfectionism and perfectionistic self-presentation and their potential roles in suicide, especially when accompanied by other risk factors. Future research in this area may elucidate the role of perfectionism in suicide, singularly and in the context of a comprehensive clinical risk assessment, demonstrating whether perfectionism confers information about suicide risk beyond known clinical risk factors.
Obstructive sleep apnoea in adults: body postures and weight changes interactions

The aim of this work was to study the relationship between changes of body posture dominance and changes of body weight overtime in adults with obstructive sleep apnoea. The participants were 112 non‐treated adults with obstructive sleep apnoea who underwent two polysomnographic evaluations at our Sleep Disorders Unit during an average of 6.2 years interval. Positional patients – having most of their breathing abnormalities in the supine posture and who became non‐positional patients – had a significant gain in weight and a significant increase in apnoea–hypopnoea index, mainly in lateral apnoea–hypopnoea index. On the contrary, non‐positional patients who became positional patients had a significant decrease in weight (but less than the increase in weight of positional patients who became non‐positional patients) and showed a significant improvement in apnoea–hypopnoea index, again mainly in lateral apnoea–hypopnoea index. These non‐positional patients who became positional patients initially had a less severe disease, as judged by apnoea–hypopnoea index, lateral apnoea–hypopnoea index and minimum SaO2 during non‐rapid eye movement sleep, and were less obese than non‐positional patients who remained non‐positional patients. The later were the patients who showed initially the worst disease and were more obese than the rest of the patients, and their condition did not change significantly over time. Non‐positional patients who converted to positional patients showed a decrease in body weight and improvement of obstructive sleep apnoea, while positional patients who converted to non‐positional patients showed an increase in body weight and worsening of obstructive sleep apnoea. It appears that weight changes have a modulatory effect on positional dominance, and lateral apnoea–hypopnoea index appears to be a sensitive parameter of these changes.
Physical contact with endothelial cells through β1- and β2- integrins rescues chronic lymphocytic leukemia cells from spontaneous and drug-induced apoptosis and induces a peculiar gene expression profile in leukemic cells

Background Chronic lymphocytic leukemia B cells display prolonged survival in vivo, but when cultured in vitro rapidly undergo spontaneous apoptosis. We hypothesize that interactions with endothelial cells in infiltrated tissues and during recirculation may have a pathogenic role in chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Design and Methods We evaluated apoptosis of leukemic cells after co-culture on a monolayer of human umbilical vein endothelial cells with addition of fludarabine and antibodies that block adhesion. Then, we compared microarray-based gene expression profiles between leukemic cells at baseline and after co-culture. Results We found that the endothelial layer protected leukemic cells from apoptosis inducing a 2-fold mean decrement in apoptotic cells after 2 days of co-culture. Moreover, the endothelial layer decreased the sensitivity of chronic lymphocytic leukemia B cells to fludarabine-induced apoptosis. Physical contact with endothelium mediated by both β1- and β2- integrins is essential for the survival advantage of leukemic cells. In particular, blocking CD106 on endothelial cells or CD18 on leukemic B cells led to the almost complete abrogation of the survival advantage (>70% inhibition of viability). However, a reduction of apoptosis was also measured in leukemic cells cultured in conditioned medium collected after 2 days of co-culture, implying that survival is partially mediated by soluble factors. Overall, the contact with endothelial cells modulated 1,944 genes in chronic lymphocytic leukemia B cells, establishing a peculiar gene expression profile: up-regulation of angiogenesis-related genes, an increase of genes involved in TGFβ and Wnt signaling pathways, secretion of cytokines recruiting stromal cells and macrophages and up-regulation of anti-apoptotic molecules such as Bcl2 and Survivin. Conclusions Our study supports the notion that endothelial cells are major players in the chronic lymphocytic leukemia microenvironment. Adhesion to endothelium strongly supports survival, protects from drug-induced apoptosis and extensively modifies the gene expression profile of leukemic cells.
RNA-Dependent RNA Polymerases of Picornaviruses: From the Structure to Regulatory Mechanisms

RNA viruses typically encode their own RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRP) to ensure genome replication within the infected cells. RdRP function is critical not only for the virus life cycle but also for its adaptive potential. The combination of low fidelity of replication and the absence of proofreading and excision activities within the RdRPs result in high mutation frequencies that allow these viruses a rapid adaptation to changing environments. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge about structural and functional aspects on RdRP catalytic complexes, focused mainly in the Picornaviridae family. The structural data currently available from these viruses provided high-resolution snapshots for a range of conformational states associated to RNA template-primer binding, rNTP recognition, catalysis and chain translocation. As these enzymes are major targets for the development of antiviral compounds, such structural information is essential for the design of new therapies.
Endovascular stents in the management of coarctation of the aorta in the adolescent and adult: one year follow up

OBJECTIVES To test the hypothesis that endovascular stents used with dilation of coarctation of the aorta (CoA) improve late outcomes. Balloon dilation for CoA has been limited by concerns over the risk for acute dissection, late restenosis, or aneurysm formation. DESIGN All patients seen with CoA between November 1994 and September 1997 underwent attempted stent implantation. Follow up was obtained for all patients and a subgroup (n = 18) had repeat catheterisation at a mean (SD) of 1.3 (0.5) years to assess residual gradient and stent-CoA morphology. RESULTS Stents were placed in 27 patients (15 male and 12 female patients, mean age 30.1 (13.1) years), of whom seven had prior surgical coarctectomy and one had a prior balloon dilation. Hypertension was present in 26 patients (mean pressure 164 (26)/86 (13) mm Hg), of whom 16 were on antihypertension drugs. CoA gradients were 46 (20) mm Hg (range 18–106 mm Hg) at baseline and 3 (5) mm Hg after the procedure. One patient had a stroke following the procedure; another patient had incomplete dilation and underwent a second procedure. At 1.8 (1) years after the procedure the mean pressure was 130 (14)/74 (11) mm Hg with seven patients on antihypertension treatment. The clinical gradient was 4 (8) mm Hg (range 0–32 mm Hg). At follow up angiography, the mean gradient was 4(6) mm Hg, and two patients had a gradient over 10 mm Hg. Aneurysms formed in three patients at the dilation site; one patient was referred for surgery. CONCLUSION In this age group stent management for CoA appears to be an effective technique and results in sustained reduction in CoA gradients at early term follow up, but aortic aneurysm was detected in 17% of patients who had repeat angiography.
Impairment of macrophage functions after ingestion of Plasmodium falciparum-infected erythrocytes or isolated malarial pigment [published erratum appears in J Exp Med 1993 Mar 1;177(3):following 873]

Human monocyte-derived macrophages ingest diamide-treated red blood cells (RBC), anti-D immunoglobulin (Ig)G-opsonized RBC, or Plasmodium falciparum ring-stage parasitized RBC (RPRBC), degrade ingested hemoglobin rapidly, and can repeat the phagocytic cycle. Monocytes fed with trophozoite-parasitized RBC (TPRBC), which contain malarial pigment, or fed with isolated pigment are virtually unable to degrade the ingested material and to repeat the phagocytic cycle. Monocytes fed with pigment display a long-lasting oxidative burst that does not occur when they phagocytose diamide-treated RBC or RPRBC. The phorbol myristate acetate-elicited oxidative burst is irreversibly suppressed in monocytes fed with TPRBC or pigment, but not in monocytes fed with diamide-treated or IgG-opsonized RBC. This pattern of inhibition of phagocytosis and oxidative burst suggests that malarial pigment is responsible for the toxic effects. Pigment iron released in the monocyte phagolysosome may be the responsible element. 3% of total pigment iron is labile and easily detached under conditions simulating the internal environment of the phagolysosome, i.e., pH 5.5 and 10 microM H2O2. Iron liberated from pigment could account for the lipid peroxidation and increased production of malondialdehyde observed in monocytes fed with pigment or in RBC ghosts and liposomes incubated at pH 6.5 in presence of pigment and low amounts of H2O2. Removal of the labile iron fraction from pigment by repeated treatments with 0.1 mM H2O2 at pH 5.5 reduces pigment toxicity. It is suggested that iron released from ingested pigment is responsible for the intoxication of monocytes. In acute and chronic falciparum infections, circulating and tissue-resident phagocytes are seen filled with TPRBC and pigment particles over long periods of time. Moreover, human monocytes previously fed with TPRBC are unable to neutralize pathogenic bacteria, fungi, and tumor cells, and macrophage responses decline during the course of human and animal malaria. The present results may offer a mechanistic explanation for depression of cellular immunity in malaria.