Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Acute mastoiditis: The role of imaging for identifying intracranial complications

Brain CT is performed in patients presenting with acute mastoiditis (AM) to identify intracranial complications (ICC). Recently, however, the need for CT scans in such patients has been questioned owing to concerns regarding long‐term effects of brain irradiation, with some clinicians claiming that the decision to scan should be based on a patient's clinical presentation. This study was aimed at characterizing the typical clinical presentation of patients who already have ICCs when diagnosed with AM, and to compare it to that of AM patients presenting without ICCs.
Training of a ML neural network for classification via recursive reduction of the class separation

A method for recursive training of a ML network for classification is proposed. It searches for the nonlinear discriminant functions corresponding to several small local minima of the objective function. The novelty of the proposed method lies in the transformation of the training data into new data with a deflated minimum of the objective function followed by iteration to obtain the next solution. It succeeded in finding solutions with lower misclassification errors than the solutions found after conventional training with random initialization of the weights for an OCR application.
Molecular Systems Biology Peer Review Process File Interactome Disassembly during Apoptosis Occurs Independent of Caspase Cleavage Editor: Maria Polychronidou Transaction Report

(Note: With the exception of the correction of typographical or spelling errors that could be a source of ambiguity, letters and reports are not edited. The original formatting of letters and referee reports may not be reflected in this compilation.) Thank you again for submitting your work to Molecular Systems Biology. We have now heard back from two of the three referees who agreed to evaluate your study. As you will see below, the reviewers acknowledge the extensive and high-quality datasets. However, they raise a number of concerns, which should be carefully addressed in a revision of the manuscript. Without repeating all the points listed below, one of the more fundamental issues raised by both referees is that further analyses providing some level of functional insight into the role of protein complex remodeling in apoptosis would significantly enhance the overall impact of the study. Summary This paper presents a proteomic look at Fas-mediated apoptosis. Specifically, the authors investigated protein correlation networks and their TAILS technology to look into the relationship between apoptotic proteolysis and dissolution of protein complexes. They generated a large dataset of complexes using a new method to isolate both membrane bound and cytosolic proteins. This was then compared to N-termini generated from untreated, fas-mediated apoptotic samples and caspase inhibited samples. They discovered a lot of interactions, and correlated many of them with known complexes while adding some new interactions. The major finding of their paper comes with their connection of these complexes during apoptosis, indicating that there is protein complex dissolution occurring before caspase cleavage, potentially allowing for caspase cleavage. General remarks The study is well-designed and rigorously performed. The design and data analysis is done carefully and all the reasoning is well-explained. While multiple studies have investigated protein complexes and apoptosis, this current study is a much larger and provides an unbiased dataset. Additionally, while the study was primarily focused on apoptotic proteolysis, the datasets will be a useful reference for protein interactions and N-termini. They also demonstrated an improved technique for membrane interaction methods. Their data and logic do support their main conclusion that many apoptotic interactions are altered independently of caspase cleavages. I recommend publication after addressing the points below. Major points However, while their paper presents a very strong case, they need to address some issues. First, a key observation is that there are changes in the interactome that preceed the bulk of …
Dendritic Arborization Patterns of Small Juxtaglomerular Cell Subtypes within the Rodent Olfactory Bulb

Within the glomerular layer of the rodent olfactory bulb, numerous subtypes of local interneurons contribute to early processing of incoming sensory information. Here we have investigated dopaminergic and other small local juxtaglomerular cells in rats and mice and characterized their dendritic arborization pattern with respect to individual glomeruli by fluorescent labeling via patching and reconstruction of dendrites and glomerular contours from two-photon imaging data. Dopaminergic neurons were identified in a transgenic mouse line where the expression of dopamine transporter (DAT) was labeled with GFP. Among the DAT+ cells we found a small short-axon cell (SAC) subtype featuring hitherto undescribed dendritic specializations. These densely ramifying structures clasped mostly around somata of other juxtaglomerular neurons, which were also small, non-dopaminergic and to a large extent non-GABAergic. Clasping SACs were observed also in wild-type mice and juvenile rats. In DAT+ SAC dendrites, single backpropagating action potentials evoked robust calcium entry throughout both clasping and non-clasping compartments. Besides clasping SACs, most other small neurons either corresponded to the classical periglomerular cell type (PGCs), which was never DAT+, or were undersized cells with a small dendritic tree and low excitability. Aside from the presence of clasps in SAC dendrites, many descriptors of dendritic morphology such as the number of dendrites and the extent of branching were not significantly different between clasping SACs and PGCs. However, a detailed morphometric analysis in relation to glomerular contours revealed that the dendrites of clasping SACs arborized mostly in the juxtaglomerular space and never entered more than one glomerulus (if at all), whereas most PGC dendrites were restricted to their parent glomerulus, similar to the apical tufts of mitral cells. These complementary arborization patterns might underlie a highly complementary functional connectivity. The morphometric approach may serve to differentiate also other subtypes of juxtaglomerular neurons, help to identify putative synaptic partners and thus to establish a more refined picture of glomerular network interactions during odor sensing.
Production , Manufacturing and Logistics An inventory control system for spare parts at a refinery : An empirical comparison of different re-order point methods

Inventory control of spare parts is essential to many organizations, since excess inventory leads to high holding costs and stock outs can have a great impact on operations performance. This paper compares different re-order point methods for effective spare parts inventory control, motivated by a case study at a large oil refinery. Different demand modeling techniques and inventory policies are evaluated using real data. 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Regulation of malic enzyme gene expression by nutrients, hormones, and growth factors in fetal hepatocyte primary cultures

The culture of fetal hepatocytes for 64 h in medium supplemented with 5 mM glucose, T3, insulin, and dexamethasone resulted in the coordinate precocious expression of malic enzyme mRNA, protein, and specific activity. T3 was the main inducer; meanwhile, insulin exerted a small synergistic effect when added with T3. Dexamethasone had a potentiation effect on the T3 response of malic enzyme mRNA expression regardless of the presence of insulin. This effect of dexamethasone on T3 response of malic enzyme mRNA expression was time (64 h) and glucose dependent. Glucagon, and to a greater degree dibutyryl‐cAMP, repressed malic enzyme mRNA as well as protein expression by T3 and dexamethasone, in the absence of insulin. Glucose and other carbon sources such as lactate‐pyruvate or dihydroxyacetone induced the abundance of malic enzyme mRNA in the absence of hormones. Insulin and T3 produced a high accumulation of malic enzyme mRNA in lactate‐pyruvate medium, this effect being decreased by dexamethasone. EGF supressed the induction produced by T3 and dexamethasone on malic enzyme mRNA, while the expression of β‐actin mRNA remained essentially unmodified. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Valproate-Associated Coagulopathies in Children During Short-Term Treatment

Valproic acid is one of the most frequently prescribed antiepileptic drugs for the therapy of generalized and focal epilepsies. Valproate induces a variety of hemostatic disorders such as thrombocytopenia, abnormal platelet function, hypofibrinogenemia, and decreased concentrations of von Willebrand factor, and it rarely causes serious bleeding complications. It may also lead to atherosclerosis and thrombosis. However, there is still lack of knowledge about the incidence and occurrence of these particular side effects. In this prospective systematic study, we assessed the early effects of sodium valproate on both pro- and anticoagulatory factors, homocysteine, and lipoprotein (a) in 24 newly diagnosed epileptic children treated with valproate. Valproate causes decreased factor VII levels, platelet count, factor VIII, Protein C, fibrinogen, and increased lipoprotein (a) levels. To the best of our knowledge, our report is the first in the medical literature, which describes that valproate significantly reduces factor VII levels even during short-term therapy.
Electronic Health Record Identification of Nephrotoxin Exposure and Associated Acute Kidney Injury

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Nephrotoxic medication exposure represents a common cause of acute kidney injury (nephrotoxin-AKI) in hospitalized children. Systematic serum creatinine (SCr) screening has not been routinely performed in children receiving nephrotoxins, potentially leading to underestimating nephrotoxin-AKI rates. We aimed to accurately determine nephrotoxin exposure and nephrotoxin-AKI rates to drive appropriate interventions in non–critically ill hospitalized children. METHODS: We conducted a prospective quality improvement project implementing a systematic electronic health record (EHR) screening and decision support process (trigger) at a single quaternary pediatric hospital. Patients were all noncritically ill hospitalized children receiving an intravenous aminoglycoside for ≥3 days or ≥3 nephrotoxins simultaneously (exposure). Pharmacists recommended daily SCr monitoring in exposed patients. AKI was defined by the modified pediatric Risk, Injury, Failure, Loss and End-stage Renal Disease criteria (≥25% decrease in estimated creatinine clearance). We developed 4 novel metrics: exposure rate per 1000 patient-days, AKI rate per 1000 patient-days, AKI rate (%) per high nephrotoxin admission, and AKI days per 100 exposure days (AKI intensity). RESULTS: This study included 21 807 patients accounting for 27 711 admissions. A total of 726 (3.3%) unique exposed patients accounted for 945 hospital admissions (6713 patient-days). AKI occurred in 25% of unique exposed patients and 31% of exposure admissions (1974 patient-days). Our EHR-driven SCr nephrotoxin-AKI surveillance process was associated with a 42% reduction in AKI intensity. CONCLUSIONS: Nephrotoxin-AKI rates are high in noncritically ill children; systematic screening for nephrotoxic medication exposure and AKI detection was accomplished reliably through an EHR based trigger tool.
Activation of Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription 5 in Human Prostate Cancer Is Associated with High Histological Grade

We have recently identified signal transducer and activator of transcription 5 (Stat5) as a critical survival factor for prostate cancer cells. We now report that activation of Stat5 is associated with high histological grade of human prostate cancer. Specifically, immunohistochemical analysis demonstrated a strong positive correlation with activation of Stat5 and high Gleason score in 114 human prostate cancers. To investigate the mechanisms underlying constitutive activation of Stat5 in prostate cancer, a dominant-negative mutant of Janus kinase 2 (Jak2) was delivered by adenovirus to CWR22Rv cells. Dominant-negative-Jak2 effectively blocked the activation of Stat5 whereas wild-type Jak2 enhanced activation, indicating that Jak2 is the main kinase that phosphorylates Stat5 in human prostate cancer cells. A ligand-induced mechanism for activation of Stat5 in prostate cancer was suggested by the ability of prolactin (Prl) to stimulate activation of both Jak2 and Stat5 in CWR22Rv human prostate cancer cells and in CWR22Rv xenograft tumors. In addition, Prl restored constitutive activation of Stat5 in five of six human prostate cancer specimens in ex vivo long-term organ cultures. Finally, Prl protein was locally expressed in the epithelium of 54% of 80 human prostate cancer specimens with positive correlation with high Gleason scores and activation of Stat5. In conclusion, our data indicate that increased activation of Stat5 was associated with more biologically aggressive behavior of prostate cancer. The results further suggest that Jak2 is the principal Stat5 tyrosine kinase in human prostate cancer, possibly activated by autocrine/paracrine Prl.
Safety and Outcome of Thrombolysis in Mild Stroke: A Meta-Analysis

Background Whether patients presenting with mild stroke should or should not be treated with intravenous rtPA is still controversial. This systematic review aims to assess the safety and outcome of thrombolysis in these patients. Material/Methods We systematically searched PubMed and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials for studies evaluating intravenous rtPA in patients with mild or rapidly improving symptoms except case reports. Excellent outcome (author reported, mainly mRS 0-1), symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (sICH) and mortality were analyzed. Results Fourteen studies were included (n=1906 patients). Of these, 4 studies were comparative (2 randomized and 2 non-randomized). The remaining were single-arm studies. On the basis of 4 comparative studies with a total of 1006 patients, the meta-analysis did not identify a significant difference in the odds of excellent outcome (OR=0.86; 95% CI: 0.64–1.15; I2=0) between IV rtPA-treated minor stroke and those without rtPA treatment. Eleven studies involving 1083 patients showed the pooled rate of excellent outcome was 76.1% (95% CI: 69.8–81.5%, I2=42.5). Seven studies involving 378 patients showed the mortality rate was 4.5% (95% CI: 2.6–7.5%, I2=1.4). Twelve studies involving 831 patients showed the pooled rate of sICH was 2.4% (95% CI: 1.5–3.8, I2=0). Conclusions Although efficacy is not clearly established, this study reveals the adverse event rates related to thrombolysis are low in mild stroke. Intravenous rtPA should be considered in these patients until more RCT evidence is available.
Japanese encephalitis vaccines: Immunogenicity, protective efficacy, effectiveness, and impact on the burden of disease

ABSTRACT Japanese encephalitis (JE) is a serious public health concern in most of Asia. The disease is caused by JE virus (JEV), a flavivirus transmitted by Culex mosquitoes. Several vaccines have been developed to control JE in endemic areas as well as to protect travelers and military personnel who visit or are commissioned from non-endemic to endemic areas. The vaccines include inactivated vaccines produced in mouse brain or cell cultures, live attenuated vaccines, and a chimeric vaccine based on the live attenuated yellow fever virus 17D vaccine strain. All the marketed vaccines belong to the JEV genotype III, but have been shown to be efficacious against other genotypes and strains, with varying degrees of cross-neutralization, albeit at levels deemed to be protective. The protective responses have been shown to last three or more years, depending on the type of vaccine and the number of doses. This review presents a brief account of the different JE vaccines, their immunogenicity and protective ability, and the impact of JE vaccines in reducing the burden of disease in endemic countries.
An analysis of positivity and negativity attributes of users in twitter

Effect of mood and emotion on a person's behavior and his/her interactions with other people has been studied for a long time. Positivity and negativity of a person are two important attributes of emotion and mood. Social media is a very important platform from which we can glean the positivity and negativity attributes of a user based on his/her message postings and interactions with other users. In this paper, we study and analyze a Twitter dataset of more than 130,000 users to understand the nature of their positivity and negativity attributes. We measure behavioral attributes by sentiment analysis relating to social personal concern and psychological process. We observe that social media contains useful behavioral cues to classify users into positive and negative groups based on network density and degree of social activity either in information sharing or emotional interaction and social awareness. We believe that our findings will be useful in developing tools for predicting positive and negative users and help provide the best recommendation towards helping negative users through online social media.
A p-adic analogue of the conjecture of Birch and Swinnerton-Dyer for modular abelian varieties

Mazur, Tate, and Teitelbaum gave a p-adic analogue of the Birch and Swinnerton-Dyer conjecture for elliptic curves. We provide a generalization of their conjecture in the good ordinary case to higher dimensional modular abelian varieties over the rationals by constructing the p- adic L-function of a modular abelian variety and showing it satises the appropriate interpolation property. We describe the techniques used to formulate the conjecture and give evidence supporting the conjecture in the case when the modular abelian variety is of dimension 2.
Neural Correlates of Auditory Perceptual Awareness under Informational Masking

Our ability to detect target sounds in complex acoustic backgrounds is often limited not by the ear's resolution, but by the brain's information-processing capacity. The neural mechanisms and loci of this “informational masking” are unknown. We combined magnetoencephalography with simultaneous behavioral measures in humans to investigate neural correlates of informational masking and auditory perceptual awareness in the auditory cortex. Cortical responses were sorted according to whether or not target sounds were detected by the listener in a complex, randomly varying multi-tone background known to produce informational masking. Detected target sounds elicited a prominent, long-latency response (50–250 ms), whereas undetected targets did not. In contrast, both detected and undetected targets produced equally robust auditory middle-latency, steady-state responses, presumably from the primary auditory cortex. These findings indicate that neural correlates of auditory awareness in informational masking emerge between early and late stages of processing within the auditory cortex.
Home Accidents among Children and Teenagers in a Swedish Rural Municipality

The aim of this study was to investigate home accidents among children and teenagers with regard to incidence and severity and to compare the accident rate at home with that of nursing homes/day-care centres. All accidents in the age group 0–19 years, in a defined population, were, during a period of one year, registered at public care centres. Our findings show that home accidents contributed to 26% of all accidents in the age group 0–19 and about 10% of all health care consumption. The accident rate decreased with age. The severity was about the same as in other accidents. 10% were hospitalized. When time of exposure had been taken into consideration there was no difference as to incidence between the accident rate at home as compared with the rate in nursing homes/day-care centres. When comparing with studies in the past there seems to be a lower rate of home accidents which can be explained by secular changes and local preventive measures.
Challenges in information retrieval and language modeling: report of a workshop held at the center for intelligent information retrieval, University of Massachusetts Amherst, September 2002

Information retrieval (IR) research has reached a point where it is appropriate to assess progress and to define a research agenda for the next five to ten years. This report summarizes a discussion of IR research challenges that took place at a recent workshop. The attendees of the workshop considered information retrieval research in a range of areas chosen to give broad coverage of topic areas that engage information retrieval researchers. Those areas are retrieval models, cross-lingual retrieval, Web search, user modeling, filtering, topic detection and tracking, classification, summarization, question answering, metasearch, distributed retrieval, multimedia retrieval, information extraction, as well as testbed requirements for future work. The potential use of language modeling techniques in these areas was also discussed. The workshop identified major challenges within each of those areas. The following are recurring themes that ran throughout: • User and context sensitive retrieval • Multi-lingual and multi-media issues • Better target tasks • Improved objective evaluations • Substantially more labeled data • Greater variety of data sources • Improved formal models Contextual retrieval and global information access were identified as particularly important long-term challenges.
Optimal coil size ratios for wireless power transfer applications

Optimization of coil sizes for wireless power transfer applications has a significant impact on the range and efficiency of the wireless power system. Often it is difficult to accurately analyze how a set of coils will perform before they are constructed due to the complexity of approximating the parasitic components and coupling coefficients associated with the coils. Also, for certain wireless power applications such as consumer electronic devices, implanted medical devices and industrial equipment that have physical constraints on the size and shape of the coils, it can be a difficult and time-consuming process to design and evaluate several different coil configurations for optimal range and efficiency. This paper provides simplified design equations to accurately calculate the self inductance, capacitance, resistance, quality factor and coupling coefficient in terms of coil geometries for flat, spiral coils. Experimental results validate the analysis and a design example is provided to optimize the size of a transmit coil for maximum range and wireless power efficiency to a 5.8cm receive coil used in a four-element wireless power transfer system.