Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Changes in nutrient intakes of elementary school children following a school-based intervention: results from the CATCH Study.

BACKGROUND Twenty-four-hour recalls were used to assess the change in nutrient intake among elementary-age school children exposed to the Child and Adolescent Trial for Cardiovascular Health (CATCH). The purpose of this paper is to compare changes in nutrient intakes between treatment groups, sexes, ethnic groups, and the four CATCH sites. METHODS Twenty-four-hour recalls were administered to a subsample of the CATCH cohort at baseline in third grade and following the intervention in fifth grade (n = 1,182). Changes in nutrient levels for total energy, dietary cholesterol, and dietary fiber and changes in the proportion of energy from fat, protein, carbohydrate, and fatty acids were studied looking at differences by treatment group, sex, ethnicity, and site. Mixed-model analysis of variance was used to examine the change in nutrient intake, defined as intake at follow-up minus intake at baseline. RESULTS Students in the intervention schools showed statistically significant differences in the changes in total energy and proportion of energy from total fat, saturated fat, protein, and monounsaturated fat compared with students in the control group. Students in the intervention group decreased their total fat intake from 32.7% of energy to 30.3% of energy and saturated fat from 12.8% of energy to 11.4% of energy. There were no significant differences in intervention effects by ethnic group, sex, or site. Differences in nutrient change between the school-only and the school-plus-family intervention groups were nonsignificant. CONCLUSION The results show that a school-based intervention can positively influence children's intakes of total fat and saturated fat, suggesting that population-based approaches for reducing cardiovascular risk factors in children are feasible and effective. The results are also important in showing that the intervention was effective in Caucasian, African-American, and Hispanic students, in boys and girls, and across four regions of the United States.
Optimal distance bounds for fast search on compressed time-series query logs

Consider a database of time-series, where each datapoint in the series records the total number of users who asked for a specific query at an internet search engine. Storage and analysis of such logs can be very beneficial for a search company from multiple perspectives. First, from a data organization perspective, because query Weblogs capture important trends and statistics, they can help enhance and optimize the search experience (keyword recommendation, discovery of news events). Second, Weblog data can provide an important polling mechanism for the microeconomic aspects of a search engine, since they can facilitate and promote the advertising facet of the search engine (understand what users request and when they request it). Due to the sheer amount of time-series Weblogs, manipulation of the logs in a compressed form is an impeding necessity for fast data processing and compact storage requirements. Here, we explicate how to compute the lower and upper distance bounds on the time-series logs when working directly on their compressed form. Optimal distance estimation means tighter bounds, leading to better candidate selection/elimination and ultimately faster search performance. Our derivation of the optimal distance bounds is based on the careful analysis of the problem using optimization principles. The experimental evaluation suggests a clear performance advantage of the proposed method, compared to previous compression/search techniques. The presented method results in a 10--30% improvement on distance estimations, which in turn leads to 25--80% improvement on the search performance.
Social organisation, behaviour and population parameters of Bottlenose Dolphins in Doubtful Sound, Fiordland

Bottlenose dolphins in Doubtful Sound represent a unique opportunity for a relatively longterm study of wild, known individuals near the southern extent of their worldwide range, and unaffected by incidental mortality. In order to gain a detailed picture of their society, I studied their association patterns with each other, their behaviour and their population parameters. Association data shows that their social structure is broadly similar to that of populations in tropical environments. The closest associations are primarily between those of the same sex. Male pairs and triplets form very stable relationships that may last several years. A core group of males exists, the members of which form highly associated pairs and triplets which interchange partners on a scale of months. In contrast, females are related to each other more loosely through a series of "chain" links. Associations between males and females depend partly on female reproductive condition, represented by the age of her calf, and partly on seasonal breeding cycles. There is evidence of allomaternal care-giving and of "learning by parenting" by female subadults. Group behaviour states were measured via scan sampling. Dolphins were found to long-dive (behaviour which probably represents feeding at depth) in the early morning and late afternoon and to rest for a defined period between 1000 h and 1400 h. Socialising was observed most often in summer, corresponding to a peak in breeding. Continuous focal animal follows, analysed via sequence analysis, were used to examine the relationships among objectively-defined behavioural events. Sequence analysis does not neatly categorise behavioural events into distinct behaviour states. This indicates that behavioural events, at least in Doubtful Sound, have several meanings depending on context. Continuous focal animal follows were used to describe behaviour of young-of-the-year calves. Calves play most in the mornings while their mothers feed, and are accompanied by other calves and female subadults during this time. They join their mothers to rest for several hours in the middle of the day. Average birth rate over the past seven years was 0.066 ± 0.039, approximately equalising average maximum mortality rate (0.079 ± SD 0.055). Calving is highly seasonal and was observed only during five months centred on summer. Average calving interval is three years (SD ± 1.15). Mortality rates of calves (approximately 20% mortality by year one, 43.8% mortality by year three) are similar to those observed in other populations.
Shape Interaction Matrix Revisited and Robustified: Efficient Subspace Clustering with Corrupted and Incomplete Data

The Shape Interaction Matrix (SIM) is one of the earliest approaches to performing subspace clustering (i.e., separating points drawn from a union of subspaces). In this paper, we revisit the SIM and reveal its connections to several recent subspace clustering methods. Our analysis lets us derive a simple, yet effective algorithm to robustify the SIM and make it applicable to realistic scenarios where the data is corrupted by noise. We justify our method by intuitive examples and the matrix perturbation theory. We then show how this approach can be extended to handle missing data, thus yielding an efficient and general subspace clustering algorithm. We demonstrate the benefits of our approach over state-of-the-art subspace clustering methods on several challenging motion segmentation and face clustering problems, where the data includes corruptions and missing measurements.
Dynamically survivable WDM network design with p-cycle-based PWCE

The concept of a protected working capacity envelope (PWCE) is very attractive for designing a dynamically survivable WDM network. We consider a p-cycle-based PWCE approach for designing survivable WDM networks where the traffic demand is dynamically changing. We develop an integer linear programming formulation to determine the protected working capacity envelope and use simulations to evaluate the blocking performance for different network models.
Concentrations of unconjugated oestradiol and progesterone in blood plasma and prostaglandins F-2 alpha and E-2 in oviducts of hamsters during the oestrous cycle and in early pregnancy.

Summary. Blood and tissue samples were obtained from hamsters during the oestrous cycle and for the first 4 days of pregnancy. Maximum steroid and PG concentrations occurred around ovulation with continuously declining levels afterwards, indicating that ovarian steroids, at least in part, may be responsible for oviducal PG synthesis.
Noise Trauma Induced Neural Plasticity Throughout the Auditory System of Mongolian Gerbils: Differences between Tinnitus Developing and Non-Developing Animals

In this study, we describe differences between neural plasticity in auditory cortex (AC) of animals that developed subjective tinnitus (group T) after noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) compared to those that did not [group non-tinnitus (NT)]. To this end, our analysis focuses on the input activity of cortical neurons based on the temporal and spectral analysis of local field potential (LFP) recordings and an in-depth analysis of auditory brainstem responses (ABR) in the same animals. In response to NIHL in NT animals we find a significant general reduction in overall cortical activity and spectral power as well as changes in all ABR wave amplitudes as a function of loudness. In contrast, T-animals show no significant change in overall cortical activity as assessed by root mean square analysis of LFP amplitudes, but a specific increase in LFP spectral power and in the amplitude of ABR wave V reflecting activity in the inferior colliculus (IC). Based on these results, we put forward a refined model of tinnitus prevention after NIHL that acts via a top-down global (i.e., frequency-unspecific) inhibition reducing overall neuronal activity in AC and IC, thereby counteracting NIHL-induced bottom-up frequency-specific neuroplasticity suggested in current models of tinnitus development.
Spatial resolution effect of precipitation data on SWAT calibration and performance: implications for CEAP.

Precipitation data sets representing four spatial resolutions were used to evaluate the performance of the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) on the basis of reproducing measured streamflow, and to show differences in model parameters when different precipitation data sets are used to calibrate the model. The experiment was conducted on the 786 km 2 Ft. Cobb Reservoir experimental watershed (FCREW) in southwestern Oklahoma. Precipitation data sets included the National Weather Service (NWS) cooperative weather network (Co-op), NWS next-generation radar precipitation estimates (NEXRAD), the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University's joint state-wide weather station network (Mesonet), and the USDA-ARS weather station network (Micronet) deployed in the FCREW. The FCREW was divided into three main subwatersheds (Cobb, Lake, and Willow Creeks), with SWAT calibrated for each subwatershed using each precipitation data set. Model simulations were generally "good" to "very good" at both the daily and monthly time steps for all precipitation data sets, except in the Willow Creek subwatershed, which scored "satisfactory" at the monthly time step and "unsatisfactory" at the daily time step when the Co-op data were used. Calibrated parameter values within the Cobb Creek subwatershed changed little across precipitation data sets. In the Lake Creek and Willow Creek subwatersheds, the deep recharge calibration parameter values varied greatly with respect to precipitation data source. Such variation could inappropriately affect, for example, model assessments of conservation practices designed to ameliorate the movement of agro-chemicals from the surface to lower positions in the soil profile and eventually into the groundwater.
Service-oriented data denormalization for scalable web applications

Many techniques have been proposed to scale web applications. However, the data interdependencies between the database queries and transactions issued by the applications limit their efficiency. We claim that major scalability improvements can be gained by restructuring the web application data into multiple independent data services with exclusive access to their private data store. While this restructuring does not provide performance gains by itself, the implied simplification of each database workload allows a much more efficient use of classical techniques. We illustrate the data denormalization process on three benchmark applications: TPC-W, RUBiS and RUBBoS. We deploy the resulting service-oriented implementation of TPC-W across an 85-node cluster and show that restructuring its data can provide at least an order of magnitude improvement in the maximum sustainable throughput compared to master-slave database replication, while preserving strong consistency and transactional properties.
Post‐infectious irritable bowel syndrome in patients with Shigella infection

Background and Aims: Bacterial gastroenteritis has been known as a risk factor of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Several risk factors of post‐infectious IBS (PI‐IBS) have been documented. The aims of this study were to verify the role of bacterial gastroenteritis in the development of IBS and the risk factors for the development of PI‐IBS. The clinical course of PI‐IBS was also investigated.
Detection of androgen receptor mutations in circulating tumor cells in castration-resistant prostate cancer.

BACKGROUND Coding mutations in the AR (androgen receptor) gene have been identified in tissue samples from patients with advanced prostate cancer and represent a possible mechanism underlying the development of castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). There is a paucity of tumor-derived tissue available for molecular studies of CRPC patients. Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in the blood of CRPC patients represent a possible avenue for interrogating the disease of such patients. METHODS Circulating tumor cells were captured with the CellSearch Circulating Tumor Cell (CTC) Kit and with the CellSearch Profile Kit plus Qiagen's AllPrep DNA/RNA Micro Kit for the measurement of the CTC count per 7.5 mL of blood and for the isolation of nucleic acids, respectively. The AR gene was amplified by the PCR, and mutation status and relative abundance were analyzed by applying Transgenomic's WAVE denaturing HPLC technology followed by direct sequencing. RESULTS AR mutations were detected in 20 of 35 CRPC patients; 19 missense mutations, 2 silent mutations, 5 deletions, and 1 insertion were observed. The relative abundance of the mutants in the amplified products ranged from 5% to 50%. Many of the AR mutations were identified in surgical biopsies or at autopsy and were associated with resistance to androgen-directed therapies. CONCLUSIONS AR mutations can be identified in CTC-enriched peripheral blood samples from CRPC patients. This approach has the potential to open new perspectives in understanding CTCs and the mechanisms for tumor progression and metastasis in CRPC.
UIP diagnosed at surgical lung biopsy, 2000-2009: HRCT patterns and proposed classification system.

OBJECTIVE High resolution CT (HRCT) is diagnostic of usual interstitial pneumonia (UIP) if honeycombing is present. However, biopsy-proven UIP also occurs in patients without honeycombing. Identification of specific HRCT patterns may enable specific diagnosis and allow more patients to enter clinical trials. Pattern may also predict prognosis. We sought to identify specific HRCT patterns in patients with biopsy-proven UIP (2000-2009) and to assess outcomes and serial change in pattern. MATERIALS AND METHODS We reviewed the HRCT findings in 44 patients with biopsy-proven UIP and identified four distinct patterns: classic UIP (cUIP) with honeycombing, fibrosis without honeycombing (FnoH), minimal fibrosis (Fmin), and ground-glass present (GGOp). We reviewed electronic medical records for outcome information and serial HRCT examinations when available. RESULTS The extent of fibrosis varied between patterns; findings were always heterogeneous in the cUIP and FnoH patterns. Some Fmin patients had a more homogeneous appearance. The lower lobes were predominantly affected, but upper lobe abnormalities were always present. Mortality from respiratory failure and acute exacerbations occurred regardless of pattern. Serial progression from Fmin to FnoH to cUIP occurred, although in a variable manner. Some individuals had an acute illness (GGOp) as the initial manifestation of UIP. CONCLUSION The FnoH pattern may be diagnostic of UIP in the proper clinical setting; heterogeneity of HRCT appearance is critical and has not been previously emphasized. Grouping of patients on the basis of pattern may allow more accurate assessment of treatment effects. Further validation and study of these HRCT patterns is warranted. Histologic UIP predicts clinical course.
Assaults by patients on psychiatric residents at three training sites.

OBJECTIVE This study attempted to determine how often psychiatric residents are exposed to violence, the types of violence they encounter, and what institutional changes might increase their safety. METHODS Safety conditions at two private general hospitals and one state hospital that served as training sites for a psychiatric residency program were assessed through a survey of psychiatric residents and site visits to the hospitals. The survey asked residents to quantify violent incidents occurring in the emergency rooms, wards, and clinics at each site. The site visits focused on safety issues related to staff training, physical layout, staffing patterns, current policies, and compliance with policies. RESULTS All 47 residents in the training program responded to the survey. None reported serious injury, although as many as 56 percent had been physically assaulted on the wards of one hospital, and 54 percent of residents had encountered a weapon in one emergency room. Almost all residents had been verbally threatened or had witnessed violence to others. A paradoxical finding of the survey was that the residents felt safest in the hospital that had the highest rate of violence. The site visits revealed that deficiencies in the safety procedures were allowing weapons to be brought into patient care areas. CONCLUSIONS Psychiatric residents are often exposed to dangerous situations, although serious injury is rare. Residents' beliefs about their level of safety seem to be influenced more by how competent they perceive the staff to be than by the frequency of violence. The findings from the site visits pointed to two steps to increase safety: creating a weapon-free environment by searching all patients and finding ways to improve compliance with existing safety measures.
THE EFFECT OF 6-AZAURIDINE ADMINISTRATION ON DE NOVO PYRIMIDINE PRODUCTION IN CHRONIC MYELOGENOUS LEUKEMIA.

6Azauridine [2-ribofuranosyl-astriazine3,5 (21H, 4H)-dione] (AzUR) is a pyrimidine nucleoside analog that has been employed in the experimental therapy of neoplastic disease (1). AzUR is converted by uridine kinase to 6-azauridylic acid (AzUMP), which competitively inhibits the decarboxylation of orotidylic acid (OMP), an essential step in the biosynthesis of pyrimidines (2, 3). During therapy of chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) with AzUR, urinary excretion of orotic acid (OA), orotidine (OR) (4), and carbamylaspartic acid (CAA)l occurs. Because the sum of these urinary metabolites is in the range of 15 to 20 mmoles per day, it has been proposed that the inhibition of orotidylic acid decarboxylase by 6-azauridylic acid (3) mediates an overproduction of pyrimidine precursors, perhaps as a result of a decrease in the rate of production of decarboxylated pyrimidines. A diagram of relevant metabolic paths is presented in Figure 1. An attempt was made to measure the effect of AzUR on the rate of pyrimidine production. The incorporation of ring-labeled C14-orotic acid (OA6-C14) into urinary pseudouridine has been used to estimate the rate of de novo pyrimidine production in subjects with carcinoma (5). This estimate involves the assumption of a steady state. The method requires only the determination of total isotope incorporated into an inert end product and involves an expression of integrated specific activities that will be presented in the Methods. WVith this technique the rateof de novo
New Bayesian Discriminator for Detection of Atrial Tachyarrhythmias

Background—Accurate, rapid detection of atrial tachyarrhythmias has important implications in the use of implantable devices for treatment of cardiac arrhythmia. Currently available detection algorithms for atrial tachyarrhythmias, which use the single-index method, have limited sensitivity and specificity. Methods and Results—In this study, we evaluated the performance of a new Bayesian discriminator algorithm in the detection of atrial fibrillation (AF), atrial flutter (AFL), and sinus rhythm (SR). Bipolar recording of 364 rhythms (AF=156, AFL=88, SR=120) at the high right atrium were collected from 20 patients who underwent electrophysiological procedures. After initial signal processing, a column vector of 5 features for each rhythm were established, based on the regularity, rate, energy distribution, percent time of quiet interval, and baseline reaching of the rectified autocorrelation coefficient functions. Rhythm identification was obtained by use of Bayes decision rule and assumption of Gaussian distribution. For the new Bayesian discriminator, the overall sensitivity for detection of SR, AF, and AFL was 97%, 97%, and 94%, respectively; and the overall specificity for detection of SR, AF, and AFL was 98%, 98%, and 99%, respectively. The overall accuracy of detection of SR, AF, and AFL was 98%, 97% and 98%, respectively. Furthermore, sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of this algorithm were not affected by a range of white Gaussian noises with different intensities. Conclusions—This new Bayesian discriminator algorithm, based on Bayes decision of multiple features of atrial electrograms, allows rapid on-line and accurate (98%) detection of AF with robust anti-noise performance.
Feeding frenzy: selectively materializing users' event feeds

Near real-time event streams are becoming a key feature of many popular web applications. Many web sites allow users to create a personalized feed by selecting one or more event streams they wish to follow. Examples include Twitter and Facebook, which a user to follow other users' activity, and iGoogle and My Yahoo, which allow users to follow selected RSS streams. How can we efficiently construct a web page showing the latest events from a user's feed? Constructing such a feed must be fast so the page loads quickly, yet reflects recent updates to the underlying event streams. The wide fanout of popular streams (those with many followers) and high skew (fanout and update rates vary widely) make it difficult to scale such applications. We associate feeds with consumers and event streams with producers. We demonstrate that the best performance results from selectively materializing each consumer's feed: events from high-rate producers are retrieved at query time, while events from lower-rate producers are materialized in advance. A formal analysis of the problem shows the surprising result that we can minimize global cost by making local decisions about each producer/consumer pair, based on the ratio between a given producer's update rate (how often an event is added to the stream) and a given consumer's view rate (how often the feed is viewed). Our experimental results, using Yahoo! 's web-scale database PNUTS, shows that this hybrid strategy results in the lowest system load (and hence improves scalability) under a variety of workloads.