Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The influence of snoring, mouth breathing and apnoea on facial morphology in late childhood: a three-dimensional study

Objective To explore the relationship between the prevalence of sleep disordered breathing (SDB) and face shape morphology in a large cohort of 15-year-old children. Design Observational longitudinal cohort study Setting Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC), South West of England. Participants Three-dimensional surface laser scans were taken for 4784 white British children from the ALSPAC during a follow-up clinic. A total of 1724 children with sleep disordered breathing (SDB) and 1862 healthy children were identified via parents’ report of sleep disordered symptoms for their children. We excluded from the original cohort all children identified as having congenital abnormalities, diagnoses associated with poor growth and children with adenoidectomy and/or tonsillectomy. Main outcome measures Parents in the ALSPAC reported sleep disordered symptoms (snoring, mouth breathing and apnoea) for their children at 6, 18, 30, 42, 57, 69 and 81 months. Average facial shells were created for children with and without SDB in order to explore surface differences. Results Differences in facial measurements were found between the children with and without SDB throughout early childhood. The mean differences included an increase in face height in SDB children of 0.3 mm (95% CI −0.52 to −0.05); a decrease in mandibular prominence of 0.9° (95% CI −1.30 to −0.42) in SDB children; and a decrease in nose prominence and width of 0.12 mm (95% CI 0.00 to 0.24) and 0.72 mm (95% CI −0.10 to −0.25), respectively, in SDB children. The odds of children exhibiting symptoms of SDB increased significantly with respect to increased face height and mandible angle, but reduced with increased nose width and prominence. Conclusions The combination of a long face, reduced nose prominence and width, and a retrognathic mandible may be diagnostic facial features of SBD that may warrant a referral to specialists for the evaluation of other clinical symptoms of SDB.
Current Trends and Innovations in Bioanalytical Techniques of Metabolomics

ABSTRACT The advancement of omics technology has vigorously promoted the development of the life sciences; metabolomics in particular has emerged as a powerful tool that has a promising future in scientific research and clinical practice. As terminal products of complex biochemical networks, endogenous low-molecular-weight metabolites contain rich information about the physiological status of an individual or group of people. Also, this information has more practical significance in that we know “what happened” instead of “what might happen” to some degree. Rapid and accurate screening of metabolites on a large scale was beyond imagining in the past; however, benefiting from high-throughput technical means, the overall disturbance of metabolites induced by environmental stimulus or treatments can now be well analyzed. After appropriate bioinformatic analysis, clinically relevant biomarkers of a disease can be found, and an accurate and dynamic picture of metabolic disturbance that contributes to a phenotype of a certain organism can be constructed. Biomarkers can also reveal the general metabolic condition by pathways that correlate with disease progression, or even with the risk of certain diseases. Thus, as an indispensable part of the framework of systems biology, metabolomics has been widely used in, but not limited to, the fields of medical science, pharmaceuticals, botany, and microbiology. In this article, we focus on metabolomics' mainstream research content and technical innovations such as determination methods for biologically active compounds; further, we pay more attention to the future trends and various possibilities for metabolomics study.
Multidrug resistance transporter profile reveals MDR3 as a marker for stratification of blastemal Wilms tumour patients

Wilms tumour (WT) is the most common renal tumour in children. Most WT patients respond to chemotherapy, but subsets of tumours develop resistance to chemotherapeutic agents, which is a major obstacle in their successful treatment. Multidrug resistance transporters play a crucial role in the development of resistance in cancer due to the efflux of anticancer agents out of cells. The aim of this study was to explore several human multidrug resistance transporters in 46 WT and 40 non-neoplastic control tissues (normal kidney) from patients selected after chemotherapy treatment SIOP 93–01, SIOP 2001. Our data showed that the majority of the studied multidrug resistance transporters were downregulated or unchanged between tumours and control tissues. However, BCRP1, MDR3 and MRP1 were upregulated in tumours versus control tissues. MDR3 and MRP1 overexpression correlated with high-risk tumours (SIOP classification) (p = 0.0022 and p < 0.0001, respectively) and the time of disease-free survival was significantly shorter in patients with high transcript levels of MDR3 (p = 0.0359). MDR3 and MRP1 play a role in drug resistance in WT treatment, probably by alteration of an unspecific drug excretion system. Besides, within the blastemal subtype, we observed patients with low MDR3 expression were significantly associated with a better outcome than patients with high MDR3 expression. We could define two types of blastemal WT associated with different disease outcomes, enabling the stratification of blastemal WT patients based on the expression levels of the multidrug resistance transporter MDR3.
Interdisciplinary communication in the intensive care unit.

BACKGROUND Patient safety research has shown poor communication among intensive care unit (ICU) nurses and doctors to be a common causal factor underlying critical incidents in intensive care. This study examines whether ICU doctors and nurses have a shared perception of interdisciplinary communication in the UK ICU. METHODS Cross-sectional survey of ICU nurses and doctors in four UK hospitals using a previously established measure of ICU interdisciplinary collaboration. RESULTS A sample of 48 doctors and 136 nurses (47% response rate) from four ICUs responded to the survey. Nurses and doctors were found to have differing perceptions of interdisciplinary communication, with nurses reporting lower levels of communication openness between nurses and doctors. Compared with senior doctors, trainee doctors also reported lower levels of communication openness between doctors. A regression path analysis revealed that communication openness among ICU team members predicted the degree to which individuals reported understanding their patient care goals ((adj)R(2) = 0.17). It also showed that perceptions of the quality of unit leadership predicted open communication. CONCLUSIONS Members of ICU teams have divergent perceptions of their communication with one another. Communication openness among team members is also associated with the degree to which they understand patient care goals. It is necessary to create an atmosphere where team members feel they can communicate openly without fear of reprisal or embarrassment.
Radiosensitization by the Histone Deacetylase Inhibitor PCI-24781

Purpose: PCI-24781 is a novel broad spectrum histone deacetylase inhibitor that is currently in phase I clinical trials. The ability of PCI-24781 to act as a radiation sensitizer and the mechanisms of radiosensitization were examined. Experimental Design: Exponentially growing human SiHa cervical and WiDr colon carcinoma cells were exposed to 0.1 to 10 μmol/L PCI-24781 in vitro for 2 to 20 h before irradiation and 0 to 4 h after irradiation. Single cells and sorted populations were analyzed for histone acetylation, H2AX phosphorylation, cell cycle distribution, apoptotic fraction, and clonogenic survival. Results: PCI-24781 treatment for 4 h increased histone H3 acetylation and produced a modest increase in γH2AX but negligible cell killing or radiosensitization. Treatment for 24 h resulted in up to 80% cell kill and depletion of cells in S phase. Toxicity reached maximum levels at a drug concentration of ∼1 μmol/L, and cells in G1 phase at the end of treatment were preferentially spared. A similar dose-modifying factor (DMF0.1 = 1.5) was observed for SiHa cells exposed for 24 h at 0.1 to 3 μmol/L, and more radioresistant WiDr cells showed less sensitization (DMF0.1 = 1.2). Limited radiosensitization and less killing were observed in noncycling human fibroblasts. Cell sorting experiments confirmed that depletion of S-phase cells was not a major mechanism of radiosensitization and that inner noncycling cells of SiHa spheroids could be sensitized by nontoxic doses. PCI-24781 pretreatment increased the fraction of cells with γH2AX foci 24 h after irradation but did not affect the initial rate of loss of radiation-induced γH2AX or the rate of rejoining of DNA double-strand breaks. Conclusions: PCI-24781 shows promise as a radiosensitizing agent that may compromise the accuracy of repair of radiation damage.
Sequential and Parallel Cellular Automata-Based Scheduling Algorithms

We present an approach to designing cellular automata-based multiprocessor scheduling algorithms in which extracting knowledge about the scheduling process occurs. We consider the simplest case when a multiprocessor system is limited to two-processors. To design cellular automata corresponding to a given program graph, we propose a generic definition of program graph neighborhood, transparent to the various kinds, sizes, and shapes of program graphs. The cellular automata-based scheduler works in two modes: learning mode and operation mode. Discovered rules are typically suitable for sequential cellular automata working as a scheduler, while the most interesting and promising feature of cellular automata are their massive parallelism. To overcome difficulties in evolving parallel cellular automata rules, we propose using coevolutionary genetic algorithm. Discovered this way, rules enable us to design effective parallel schedulers. We present a number of experimental results for both sequential and parallel scheduling algorithms discovered in the context of a cellular automata-based scheduling system.
Trends of Mortality and Cause of Death among HIV-Infected Patients in Korea, 1990-2011

Although a decrease in acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)-related mortality has been documented in highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) era, there are no published data comparing specific causes of death between pre-HAART and HAART era in Korea. Mortality and cause of death were analyzed in three treatment periods; pre-HAART (1990-1997), early-HAART (1998-2001), and late-HAART period (2002-2011). The patients were retrospectively classified according to the treatment period in which they were recruited. Although mortality rate per 100 person-year declined from 8.7 in pre-HAART to 4.9 in late-HAART period, the proportion of deaths within 3 months of initial visit to study hospital significantly increased from 15.9% in pre-HAART to 55.1% in late-HAART period (P < 0.001). Overall, 59% of deaths were attributable to AIDS-related conditions, and Pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP) was the most common cause of death (20.3%). The proportion of PCP as cause of death significantly increased from 8.7% in pre-HAART to 31.8% in late-HAART period (P < 0.001). Despite of significant improvement of survival, there was still a high risk of early death in patients presenting in HAART era, mainly due to late human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) diagnosis and late presentation to care.
Microfluidic fiber fabrication and its application in neural tissue engineering

Microfibers are becoming increasingly important for biomedical applications such as tissue engineering, drug delivery, and cell encapsulation. In this study, a microfluidic approach was used to fabricate biocompatible and biodegradable polymeric fibers. Chapter one gives an overview of the common microfiber fabrication methods followed by their advantages and disadvantages. Then, it focuses on the microfluidic platform and provides more information about different solidification strategies applied to fabricate fibers in this method. This chapter reviews some studies, which were recently published in this area as well. Chapter two discusses using the microfluidic approach to fabricate continuous Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) microfibers. It was shown that the size and cross-section of the PVA fibers can be controlled by changing the PVA concentration and flow rate ratio between the core and sheath fluids. The PVA concentration was varied from 6% to 12%, and the sheath-to-core flow rate ratio used for this study was in the range of 500:5 μL/min to 500:20 μL/min, respectively. The ribbonshaped PVA fibers were fabricated using our microfluidic approach. Additionally, we simulated the microfluidic fiber fabrication process and the results consisted well with the experimental results. The dissolution and mechanical properties of the PVA fibers fabricated with different characteristics were also studied. Chapter three focuses on fabricating polycaprolactone (PCL) microfibers using the microfluidic approach. It was shown that through variations of the sheath fluid flow rate and PCL concentration in the core solution, the morphology of the fibers and their cross sections can be tuned. The fibers were made using PCL concentrations of 2%, 5%, and 8% in the core fluid with a wide range of sheath-to-core flow rate ratios from 120:5 μL/min to 10:5 μL/min, respectively. The results revealed that the mechanical properties of the PCL fibers made using microfluidic approach were significantly improved compared to the PCL fibers made by other fiber fabrication
Endogenous Aminopeptidase N Decreases the Potency of Peptide Agonists and Antagonists of the Kinin B1 Receptors in the Rabbit Aorta

The B1 receptor for kinins is selectively stimulated by bradykinin-related fragments lacking the C-terminal arginine, des-arginine9-bradykinin (des-Arg9-BK), and Lys-des-Arg9-BK. The latter peptide is the optimal agonist at the human and rabbit receptor. The B1 receptor is inducible as a function of inflammatory conditions in the vasculature. We studied the effect of endogenously expressed peptidases on the potency of ligands of this receptor in an established bioassay, the rabbit aorta contractility. The potency measured for agonists (EC50) or antagonists (pA2 scale) in this assay was compared with the affinity of each agent determined using [3H]Lys-des-Arg9-BK binding competition in cultured aortic smooth muscle cells and with the competition Ki for the hydrolysis of the aminopeptidase chromogenic substrate l-Ala-p-nitroanilide by smooth muscle cell membranes. The contractile potency of the agonist Lys-des-Arg9-BK is decreased by in situ metabolism, and aminopeptidase N mediates most of the distortion (inhibited by amastatin but not efficiently by puromycin). At the other end of the spectrum, the fully protected agonist Sar-[d-Phe8]des-Arg9-BK is not significantly potentiated by peptidase inhibitors. A similar distortion of apparent potency was observed for some peptide antagonists used in the contractility assay, B-10350 (Lys-Lys-[Hyp3, Igl5, d-Tic7, CpG8]des-Arg9-BK) and Lys-[Leu8]des-Arg9-BK being intensely potentiated by amastatin treatment and effective l-Ala-p-nitroanilide competitors. N-Protected peptide antagonists or a nonpeptide antagonist of the B1 receptor were not potentiated by amastatin. The coexpression of aminopeptidase N and the kinin B1 receptor in rabbit arterial tissue is of interest for the inactivation of the high-affinity agonist Lys-des-Arg9-BK and for the design of hydrosoluble antagonist drugs.
Ethnoracial differences in the clinical characteristics of Alzheimer's disease at initial presentation at an urban Alzheimer's disease center.

OBJECTIVE To compare presentation of Alzheimer disease (AD) at the time of initial evaluation at a university specialty clinic across three ethnoracial groups in order to understand similarities and differences in the demographic, clinical, cognitive, psychiatric, and biologic features. DESIGN Cross-sectional study. PARTICIPANTS A total of 1,341 self-identified African American, Latino (primarily of Caribbean origin), and white non-Hispanic ("WNH") subjects were recruited from primary care sites or by referral by primary care physicians. MEASUREMENTS Demographic variables and age of onset of AD, as well as cognitive, functional, and mood impairments at the time of initial presentation and frequencies of apolipoprotein E genotypes, were compared across groups. RESULTS Differences among ethnoracial groups were found for nearly all variables of interest. In particular, the largely immigrant Puerto Rican Latino group had an earlier age of onset of AD, more cognitive impairment, and greater severity of cognitive impairment at the time of initial evaluation in the setting of low average education and socioeconomic status. There was more depression in the Latinos compared with African Americans and WNHs. Greater severity of symptoms was not accounted for by a difference in lag time between onset of symptoms and initial evaluation. The apolipoprotein E-4 genotype was not associated with AD in the Latino cohort. CONCLUSIONS Minority groups in Philadelphia, especially Latinos, exhibit a more severe profile of AD at the time of presentation than WNHs. Important potential confounds need to be considered and future research comparing immigrant and nonimmigrant Latino groups will be necessary to elucidate the highly significant differences reported.
Frankenstein's PSO: A Composite Particle Swarm Optimization Algorithm

During the last decade, many variants of the original particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm have been proposed. In many cases, the difference between two variants can be seen as an algorithmic component being present in one variant but not in the other. In the first part of the paper, we present the results and insights obtained from a detailed empirical study of several PSO variants from a component difference point of view. In the second part of the paper, we propose a new PSO algorithm that combines a number of algorithmic components that showed distinct advantages in the experimental study concerning optimization speed and reliability. We call this composite algorithm Frankenstein's PSO in an analogy to the popular character of Mary Shelley's novel. Frankenstein's PSO performance evaluation shows that by integrating components in novel ways effective optimizers can be designed.
Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology the Selective Impairment of Semantic Memory the Selective Impairment of Semantic Memory

The selective impairment of semantic memory is described in three patients with diffuse cerebrallesions. Thesepatients, selected on the basis of a failure to recognize or identify common objects (agnosia for objects), were investigated in detail. In particular, their perceptual, language and memory functions were assessed, and the limits and properties of their recognition difficulties explored. It was found that knowledge of pictorial representations of objects, and of words, was impaired or impoverished, and in both instances knowledge of subordinate categories was more vulnerable than superordinate categories. Evidence is presented that this impairment of semantic memory cannot be accounted for by intellectual impairment, sensory or perceptual deficits, or expressive language disorder. The implications of damage to the semantic memory system for the operation of other cognitive systems, in particular short and long-term memory functions, are considered. Some tentative evidence for the structural basis for a hierarchically organized modality-specific semantic memory system is discussed.
Bilateral adaptive deep brain stimulation is effective in Parkinson's disease

Introduction & objectives Adaptive deep brain stimulation (aDBS) uses feedback from brain signals to guide stimulation. A recent acute trial of unilateral aDBS showed that aDBS can lead to substantial improvements in contralateral hemibody Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) motor scores and may be superior to conventional continuous DBS in Parkinson’s disease (PD). We test whether potential benefits are retained with bilateral aDBS and in the face of concurrent medication. Methods We applied bilateral aDBS in 4 patients with PD undergoing DBS of the subthalamic nucleus. aDBS was delivered bilaterally with independent triggering of stimulation according to the amplitude of β activity at the corresponding electrode. Mean stimulation voltage was 3.0±0.1 volts. Motor assessments consisted of double-blinded video-taped motor UPDRS scores that included both limb and axial features. Results UPDRS scores were 43% (p=0.04; Cohen’s d=1.62) better with aDBS than without stimulation. Motor improvement with aDBS occurred despite an average time on stimulation (ToS) of only 45%. Levodopa was well tolerated during aDBS and led to further reductions in ToS. Conclusion Bilateral aDBS can improve both axial and limb symptoms and can track the need for stimulation across drug states.
Retrofitting of bridge abutment timber piles using fiber-reinforced polymer composites

Abstract Fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites offer a versatile and effective retrofitting option for deteriorated bridge timber piles. Although full confinement using FRP is not feasible for abutment piles, reinforcing the tension side of the pile can effectively improve the stiffness and strength of abutment piles. In this study, three full-scale timber piles are tested. Nondestructive stress wave timing methods are used to assess the initial condition of the piles and two inferior specimens are retrofitted with Glass-FRP (GFRP) composites in different configurations. To simulate typical loading on abutment piles, a unique test set-up is developed to apply a bending moment through eccentric loading. Test results show that a reliable estimate of the existing timber pile material properties is in order to design effective FRP retrofits. Using timber pile material models calibrated using the experimental results, a finite element (FE) model of the test set-up is developed to investigate FRP retrofit design requirements. Finite element analysis shows that the retrofit methods used in the experimental study are highly effective especially under high-bending moments. However, the FRP configuration and amount of FRP required must be determined based on the timber pile condition.
The Use of Parallel and Comparable Data for Analysis of Abstract Anaphora in German and English

Parallel corpora ― original texts aligned with their translations ― are a widely used resource in computational linguistics. Translation studies have shown that translated texts often differ systematically from comparable original texts. Translators tend to be faithful to structures of the original texts, resulting in a """"shining through"""" of the original language preferences in the translated text. Translators also tend to make their translations most comprehensible with the effect that translated texts can be more explicit than their source texts. Motivated by the need to use a parallel resource for cross-linguistic feature induction in abstract anaphora resolution, this paper investigates properties of English and German texts in the Europarl corpus, taking into account both general features such as sentence length as well as task-dependent features such as the distribution of demonstrative noun phrases. The investigation is based on the entire Europarl corpus as well as on a small subset thereof, which has been manually annotated. The results indicate English translated texts are sufficiently """"authentic"""" to be used as training data for anaphora resolution; results for German texts are less conclusive, though.