Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Mathematical Equations to Predict Positive Airway Pressures for Obstructive Sleep Apnea: A Systematic Review

Objective. To systematically review the international literature for mathematical equations used to predict effective pressures for positive airway pressure (PAP) devices. Methods. Google Scholar, PubMed, Scopus, Embase, Web of Science, CINAHL, and The Cochrane Library were searched through June 27, 2015. The PRISMA statement was followed. There was no language limitation. Results. 709 articles were screened, fifty were downloaded, and twenty-six studies presented equations that met the inclusion and exclusion criteria. In total, there were 4,436 patients in the development phases and 3,489 patients in the validation phases. Studies performed multiple linear regressions analyses as part of the equation(s) development and included the following variables: physical characteristics, polysomnography data, behavioral characteristics, and miscellaneous characteristics, which were all predictive to a variable extent. Of the published variables, body mass index (BMI) and mean oxygen saturation are the most heavily weighted, while BMI (eighteen studies), apnea-hypopnea index (seventeen studies), and neck circumference (eleven studies) were the variables most frequently used in the mathematical equations. Ten studies were from Asian countries and sixteen were from non-Asian countries. Conclusion. This systematic review identified twenty-six unique studies reporting mathematical equations which are summarized. Overall, BMI and mean oxygen saturation are the most heavily weighted.
A Comprehensive Prescription for Plant miRNA Identification

microRNAs (miRNAs) are tiny ribo-regulatory molecules involved in various essential pathways for persistence of cellular life, such as development, environmental adaptation, and stress response. In recent years, miRNAs have become a major focus in molecular biology because of their functional and diagnostic importance. This interest in miRNA research has resulted in the development of many specific software and pipelines for the identification of miRNAs and their specific targets, which is the key for the elucidation of miRNA-modulated gene expression. While the well-recognized importance of miRNAs in clinical research pushed the emergence of many useful computational identification approaches in animals, available software and pipelines are fewer for plants. Additionally, existing approaches suffers from mis-identification and annotation of plant miRNAs since the miRNA mining process for plants is highly prone to false-positives, particularly in cereals which have a highly repetitive genome. Our group developed a homology-based in silico miRNA identification approach for plants, which utilizes two Perl scripts “SUmirFind” and “SUmirFold” and since then, this method helped identify many miRNAs particularly from crop species such as Triticum or Aegliops. Herein, we describe a comprehensive updated guideline by the implementation of two new scripts, “SUmirPredictor” and “SUmirLocator,” and refinements to our previous method in order to identify genuine miRNAs with increased sensitivity in consideration of miRNA identification problems in plants. Recent updates enable our method to provide more reliable and precise results in an automated fashion in addition to solutions for elimination of most false-positive predictions, miRNA naming and miRNA mis-annotation. It also provides a comprehensive view to genome/transcriptome-wide location of miRNA precursors as well as their association with transposable elements. The “SUmirPredictor” and “SUmirLocator” scripts are freely available together with a reference high-confidence plant miRNA list.
Extraction, Simulation and Test Generation for Interconnect Open Defects Based on Enhanced Aggressor-Victim Model

We present a flow to extract, simulate and generate test patterns for interconnect open defects. In contrast to previous work, the accuracy of defect modeling is improved by taking the thresholds of logic gates as well as noise margins into account. Efficient fault simulation is enabled by employing an aggressive fault collapsing strategy and an optimized fault list ordering heuristic which allows to combine the advantages of event-driven simulation with bit parallelism. Test generation complexity is kept in check by generating patterns for technology-independent segment-stuck-at faults first, thus reducing (though not completely eliminating) the need for sophisticated technology-aware test generation. Moreover, a comprehensive untestability analysis identifies new classes of untestable faults. Experimental results demonstrate high efficiency of the new flow, outperforming earlier work by two orders of magnitude.
Passive laser pulse intensity stabilization through a balance of self-phase modulation (SPM) and dispersion

A passive peak intensity stabilization method based on optimal combination of Kerr nonlinearity and linear dispersion is presented. By analyzing the Kerr nonlinearity with a 3D numerical model it was found that if a Gaussian laser pulse acquires a certain amount of nonlinear phase and is consequently over-compressed to have sight negative chirp, the uctuations in peak intensity caused by energy uctuations are reduced. Thus, even if the energy of laser pulses uctuates the peak intensity can be stabilized. The simulations for realistic pulse parameters show an increase in peak intensity stability by well-over an order of magnitude. We demonstrate this process experimentally using a thin disk pump laser at ELI{Beamlines
Genomic Instability in Newborn with Short Telomeres

Telomere length is considered to be a risk factor in adults due to its proved association with cancer incidence and mortality. Since newborn present a wide interindividual variation in mean telomere length, it is relevant to demonstrate if these differences in length can act also as an early risk indicator. To answer this question, we have measured the mean telomere length of 74 samples of cord blood from newborns and studied its association with the basal genetic damage, measured as the frequency of binucleated cells carrying micronuclei. In addition, we have challenged the cells of a subgroup of individuals (N = 35) against mitomycin-C (MMC) to establish their sensitivity to induced genomic instability. Results indicate that newborn with shorter telomeres present significantly higher levels of genetic damage when compared to those with longer telomeres. In addition, the cellular response to MMC was also significantly higher among those samples from subjects with shorter telomeres. Independently of the causal mechanisms involved, our results show for the first time that telomere length at delivery influence both the basal and induced genetic damage of the individual. Impact Individuals born with shorter telomeres may be at increased risk, especially for those biological processes triggered by genomic instability as is the case of cancer and other age-related diseases.
X-RAY SPECTROSCOPY OF THE CORE OF THE PERSEUS CLUSTER WITH SUZAKU: ELEMENTAL ABUNDANCES IN THE INTRACLUSTER MEDIUM

The results from Suzaku observations of the central region of the Perseus cluster are presented. Deep exposures with the X-ray Imaging Spectrometer provide high-quality X-ray spectra from the intracluster medium. X-ray lines from helium-like Cr and Mn have been detected significantly for the first time in clusters. In addition, elemental abundances of Ne, Mg, Si, S, Ar, Ca, Fe, and Ni are accurately measured within 10′ (or 220 kpc) from the cluster center. The relative abundance ratios are found to be within a range of 0.8–1.5 times the solar value. These abundance ratios are compared with previous measurements, those in extremely metal-poor stars in the Galaxy, and theoretical models.
An Essay on the Emergence, Organization and Performance of Financial Markets: the case of the Alternative Investment Market

This work provides an overview of the historical evolution, the organizational forms, and the performances of the stock exchanges and market segments catering to small and growing companies, set up in Europe in the last thirty years. We mainly focus on the Alternative Investment Market (AIM), created by the London Stock Exchange in 1995. This case study yields useful insights about the role of public and private interests in market emergence and in shaping market architectures, the costs and benefits of light stock market regulation, and the use of stock markets to support technology-based small firms. A review of the existing empirical evidence shows that dimensional growth of the AIM has been fueled by companies characterized by low values of long-term returns, growth rates, R&D productivity and solvency.
Luteolin Reduced the Traumatic Brain Injury-Induced Memory Impairments in Rats: Attenuating Oxidative Stress and Dark Neurons of Hippocampus

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is generally recognized as a major risk factor for memory impairments and Alzheimer’s disease (AD). In this experimental study, our aim was to investigate the ameliorating effects of luteolin (LUT) on the memory impairments, oxidative stress, and histopathological changes induced by TBI in rats. The adult male Wistar rats were randomly divided into six groups including: Control (Co), sham, TBI, TBI+LUT (10 mg/kg), TBI +LUT (25 mg/kg), TBI +LUT (50 mg/kg). To evaluate the protective effects of LUT on the memory of the rats, passive avoidance test using shuttle box was performed. Finally, the animals were anesthetized, and the brain tissues were removed and analyzed for oxidative stress parameters. Using histological methods, dark neuron production was also evaluated. There was a significant decrease in the latency time to enter the dark compartment in passive avoidance test in TBI animals. This latency time was significantly increased in TBI+LUT (25 mg/kg) and TBI+LUT (50 mg/kg) groups along with significant increases in superoxide dismutase and catalase activity in the hippocampal zone and a decrease in malondialdehyde (MDA). The number of dark neurons in the hippocampus decreased with all three doses of LUT. In the present study, LUT showed neuroprotective effects, improvement in learning and reduction in memory impairment induced by TBI in rats. Protection against oxidative stress might be a possible mechanism behind these effects. Further works are necessary to work out if LUT is potentially a suitable therapeutic candidate for neural disorders. © 2018 Tehran University of Medical Sciences. All rights reserved.
Relevance and lexical pragmatics

A common problem for linguists, philosophers and psychologists is that linguistically specified ('literal') word meanings are often modified in use. The literal meaning may be narrowed (e.g. drink used to mean 'alcoholic drink'), approximated (e.g. square used to mean 'squarish') or undergo metaphorical extension (e.g. rose or diamond applied to a person). Typically, narrowing, approximation and metaphorical extension are seen as distinct pragmatic processes with no common explanation: thus, narrowing has been analysed in terms of default rules (e.g. Levinson 2000), approximation has been treated as a type of pragmatic vagueness (e.g. Lewis 1983; Lasersohn 1999) and metaphorical extension is standardly seen as a case of maxim violation with resulting implicature (Grice 1989). I will propose a unified account on which narrowing, approximation and metaphorical extension are special cases of a more general pragmatic adjustment process which applies spontaneously, automatically and unconsciously to fine-tune the interpretation of virtually every word, and show how the notion of an ad hoc concept introduced by Barsalou (1987, 1992) might interact with a pragmatic comprehension procedure developed in relevance theory (Sperber & Wilson 1998; Carston 2002; Wilson & Sperber 2002) to account for a wide range of examples.
Homoclinic trajectories and chaotic behaviour in a piecewise linear oscillator

In this paper we consider the equation $\ddot x+x=\sin(\sqrt{2}t)+s(x)\,$ where $s(x)$ is a piece-wise linear map given by min$\{5x,1\}$ if $x\ge0$ and by max$\{-1, 5x\}$ if $x<0$. The existence of chaotic behaviour in the Smale sense inside the instability area is proven. In particular transversal homoclinic fixed point is found. The results follow from the application of topological degree theory the computer-assisted verification of a set of inequalities. Usually such proofs can not be verified by hands due to vast amount of computations, but the simplicity of our system leads to a small set of inequalities that can be verified by hand.
Blocking Fibroblast Growth Factor Receptor Signaling Inhibits Tumor Growth, Lymphangiogenesis, and Metastasis

Fibroblast Growth Factor receptor (FGFR) activity plays crucial roles in tumor growth and patient survival. However, FGF (Fibroblast Growth Factor) signaling as a target for cancer therapy has been under-investigated compared to other receptor tyrosine kinases. Here, we studied the effect of FGFR signaling inhibition on tumor growth, metastasis and lymphangiogenesis by expressing a dominant negative FGFR (FGFR-2DN) in an orthotopic mouse mammary 66c14 carcinoma model. We show that FGFR-2DN-expressing 66c14 cells proliferate in vitro slower than controls. 66c14 tumor outgrowth and lung metastatic foci are reduced in mice implanted with FGFR-2DN-expressing cells, which also exhibited better overall survival. We found 66c14 cells in the lumen of tumor lymphatic vessels and in lymph nodes. FGFR-2DN-expressing tumors exhibited a decrease in VEGFR-3 (Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-3) or podoplanin-positive lymphatic vessels, an increase in isolated intratumoral lymphatic endothelial cells and a reduction in VEGF-C (Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor-C) mRNA expression. FGFs may act in an autocrine manner as the inhibition of FGFR signaling in tumor cells suppresses VEGF-C expression in a COX-2 (cyclooxygenase-2) or HIF1-α (hypoxia-inducible factor-1 α) independent manner. FGFs may also act in a paracrine manner on tumor lymphatics by inducing expression of pro-lymphangiogenic molecules such as VEGFR-3, integrin α9, prox1 and netrin-1. Finally, in vitro lymphangiogenesis is impeded in the presence of FGFR-2DN 66c14 cells. These data confirm that both FGF and VEGF signaling are necessary for the maintenance of vascular morphogenesis and provide evidence that targeting FGFR signaling may be an interesting approach to inhibit tumor lymphangiogenesis and metastatic spread.
Advection-Dominated Models of Luminous Accreting Black Holes

It has been found that a class of optically-thin two-temperature advection-dominated accretion solutions explains many observations of low-luminosity accreting black holes. Here it is shown that these models give a satisfactory description also of higher luminosity systems, provided the viscosity parameter $\alpha$ is large. The models reproduce the spectra of black hole X-ray binaries in the Low State, and explain the transition from the Low State to the High State at a critical mass accretion rate. The models also show that the X-ray/$\gamma$-ray spectra of X-ray binaries and active galactic nuclei should be similar, as confirmed by observations.
A Large Cohort Study Reveals the Association of Elevated Peripheral Blood Lymphocyte-to-Monocyte Ratio with Favorable Prognosis in Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma

Background Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is an endemic neoplasm in southern China. Although NPC sufferers are sensitive to radiotherapy, 20–30% of patients finally progress with recurrence and metastases. Elevated lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR) has been reported to be associated with favorable prognosis in some hematology malignancies, but has not been studied in NPC. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether LMR could predict the prognosis of NPC patients. Methods A retrospective cohort of 1,547 non-metastatic NPC patients was recruited between January 2005 and June 2008. The counts for peripheral lymphocyte and monocyte were retrieved, and the LMR was calculated. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, univariate and multivariate COX proportional hazards analyses were applied to evaluate the associations of LMR with overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS), distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS) and loco-regional recurrence-free survival (LRRFS), respectively. Results Univariate analysis revealed that higher LMR level (≥5.220) was significantly associated with superior OS, DFS and DMFS (P values <0.001). The higher lymphocyte count (≥2.145×109/L) was significantly associated with better OS (P = 0.002) and DMFS (P = 0.031), respectively, while the lower monocyte count (<0.475×109/L) was associated with better OS (P = 0.012), DFS (P = 0.011) and DMFS (P = 0.003), respectively. Multivariate Cox proportional hazard analysis showed that higher LMR level was a significantly independent predictor for superior OS (hazard ratio or HR = 0.558, 95% confidence interval or 95% CI = 0.417–0.748; P<0.001), DFS (HR = 0.669, 95% CI = 0.535–0.838; P<0.001) and DMFS (HR = 0.543, 95% CI = 0.403–0.732; P<0.001), respectively. The advanced T and N stages were also independent indicators for worse OS, DFS, and DMFS, except that T stage showed borderline statistical significance for DFS (P = 0.053) and DMFS (P = 0.080). Conclusions The elevated pretreatment peripheral LMR level was a significant favorable factor for NPC prognosis and this easily accessed variable may serve as a potent marker to predict the outcomes of NPC patients.
Sorting in Parallel External-Memory Multicores

In this paper, we introduce a model for multicore architectures, which takes into explicit consideration the cache-oriented nature of inputs and outputs in modern CPUs. In addition, we study the fundamental problem of sorting comparable items using this model. We provide algorithms that are efficient in terms of the number of parallel I/O’s. We also provide lower bounds that show that our algorithms are within a constant factor of optimal, for reasonable values of parameters characterizing the number of processors, the size of each processors memory, the size of cache blocks, and the number of items to be sorted.
Selecting of the Loss Function for Robust Linear Regression

A method and apparatus for preparing a plurality of separate weft yarns each to be inserted into its individual separate sheds of arrayed warp yarns in a shuttleless loom. The method is carried out by inserting a plurality of different weft yarns, each in two consecutive steps, into the individual separate sheds of warp yarns whereby different or differently colored weft yarns may be picked. The apparatus includes a plurality of storage means for storing loops of weft yarns to be inserted into the shed of warp yarns, and a plurality of engaging means associated with the plurality of storage means for engaging the loops of the weft yarns at timed intervals to cause each of the weft yarns to be successively picked into the sheds of the warp yarns in two consecutive insertions.
Interventions for Transitioning Adolescents with ADHD to Emerging Adulthood: Developmental Context and Empirically-Supported Treatment Principles

ABSTRACT The developmental transition between adolescence to emerging adulthood (ages 18–25) is a critical juncture—particularly for individuals with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). However, there are no known published studies on treatments for ADHD that aim to improve the transition from adolescence to emerging adulthood. We sought to facilitate future transition intervention research and provide empirically-supported treatment principles and corresponding targets for clinicians with this manuscript. We review two key areas of research to inform transition planning interventions for adolescents with ADHD: (a) domains of impairment (e.g., occupational, social) within the developmental context of the transition to emerging adulthood and (b) existing treatment research on interventions for adolescents and adults with ADHD. After evaluating and synthesizing these areas of research, we highlight and discuss targets for treatment that are promising for addressing the unique needs of adolescents with ADHD transitioning to emerging adulthood. We also discuss treatment modalities which may be particularly suited for ADHD within this developmental context. Many treatment elements were indicated, ranging from empirically-supported focuses on compensatory skills (e.g., organization, time management, planning [OTMP]) to more theoretically relevant techniques, such as health and lifestyle behaviors (e.g., physical exercise). Further, certain treatment modalities, such as parent-teen collaborative models and group-based approaches, seemed particularly suited for adolescents with ADHD transitioning to emerging adulthood. Limitations of existing research on the transition to emerging adulthood for those diagnosed with ADHD and areas for future research are discussed in greater detail.
Effect of Methylsulfonylmethane Pretreatment on Aceta-minophen Induced Hepatotoxicity in Rats

Objective(s): Methylsulfonylmethane (MSM) is a sulfur-containing compound found in a wide range of human foods including fruits, vegetables, grains and beverages. In this study the effect of MSM pretreatment on acetaminophen induced liver damage was investigated. Materials and Methods: Male Sprague Dawley rats were pretreated with 100 mg/kg MSM for one week. On day seven rats were received acetaminophen (850 mg/kg, intraperitoneal). Twenty-four hours later, blood samples were taken to determine serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT). Tissue samples of liver were also taken for the determination of the levels of malondialdehyde (MDA); total glutathione (GSH), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity together with histopathological observations. Results: High dose of acetaminophen administration caused a significant decrease in the GSH level of the liver tissue, which was accompanied with a decrease in SOD activity and increases in tissue MDA level and MPO activity. Serum ALT, AST levels were also found elevated in the acetaminophen-treated group. Pretreatment with MSM for one week was significantly attenuated all of these biochemical indices. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that MSM pretreatment could alleviate hepatic injury induced by acetaminophen intoxication, may be through its sulfur donating and antioxidant effects.
Hepatic carnitine palmitoyltransferase I deficiency: acylcarnitine profiles in blood spots are highly specific.

BACKGROUND In carnitine palmitoyltransferase I (CPT-I) deficiency (MIM 255120), free carnitine can be increased with no pathologic acylcarnitine species detectable. As inclusion of CPT-I deficiency in high-risk and newborn screening could prevent potentially life-threatening complications, we tested whether CPT-I deficiency might be diagnosed by electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry (ESI-MS/MS). METHODS A 3.2-mm spot of whole blood dried on filter paper was extracted with 150 microL of methanol. After derivatization of carnitine and acylcarnitines to their butyl esters, the samples were analyzed by ESI-MS/MS with 37.5 pmol of L-[(2)H(3)]carnitine and 7.5 pmol of L-[(2)H(3)]palmitoylcarnitine as internal standards. RESULTS In all dried-blood specimens from each of three patients with CPT-I deficiency, we found an invariably increased ratio of free carnitine to the sum of palmitoylcarnitine and stearoylcarnitine [C0/(C16 + C18)]. The ratio in patients was between 175 and 2000, or 5- to 60-fold higher than the ratio for the 99.9th centile of the normal newborn population in Bavaria (n = 177 842). No overlap with the values of children that were known to be supplemented with carnitine was detected [C0/(C16 + C18), 34 +/- 30; mean +/- SD; n = 27]. CONCLUSIONS ESI-MS/MS provides a highly specific acylcarnitine profile from dried-blood samples. The ratio of free carnitine to the sum of palmitoylcarnitine and stearoylcarnitine [C0/(C16 + C18)] is highly specific for CPT-I deficiency and may allow presymptomatic diagnosis.