Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Patient with Heart Failure and Sleep-disordered Breathing Who Presented with Marked Reverse Remodeling by Continuous Positive Airway Pressure Therapy

A 49-year-old Japanese man with worsening dyspnea was admitted with the diagnosis of new-onset heart failure (HF). His HF symptoms improved with standard treatment, but his left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) 21% remained unchanged. After he was discharged, he was diagnosed with severe sleep-disordered breathing (SDB). Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy was introduced. Seven months later, his cardiac function had greatly improved (LVEF 50%). We report this case of a HF patient with SDB whose cardiac function greatly improved by CPAP therapy, and we discuss the pathophysiologic mechanisms of successful cardiac “reverse remodeling” in this case.
Spatial and temporal variability of the dimethylsulfide to chlorophyll ratio in the surface ocean: an assessment based on phytoplankton group dominance determined from space

Dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) is produced in surface seawater by phytoplankton. Phytoplankton culture experiments have shown that nanoeucaryotes (NANO) display much higher mean DMSP-to-Carbon or DMSP-to-Chlorophyll (Chl) ratios than Prochlorococcus (PRO), Synechococcus (SYN) or diatoms (DIAT). Moreover, the DMSP-lyase activity of algae which cleaves DMSP into dimethylsulfide (DMS) is even more group specific than DMSP itself. Ship-based observations have shown at limited spatial scales, that sea surface DMS-to-Chl ratios (DMS:Chl) are dependent on the composition of phytoplankton groups. Here we use satellite remote sensing of Chl (from SeaWiFS) and of Phytoplankton Group Dominance (PGD from PHYSAT) with ship-based sea surface DMS concentrations (8 cruises in total) to assess this dependence on an unprecedented spatial scale. PHYSAT provides PGD (either NANO, PRO, SYN, DIAT, Phaeocystis (PHAEO) or coccolithophores (COC)) in each satellite pixel (1/4° horizontal resolution). While there are identification errors in the PHYSAT method, it is important to note that these errors are lowest for NANO PGD which we typify by high DMSP:Chl. In summer, in the Indian sector of the Southern Ocean, we find that mean DMS:Chl associated with NANO + PHAEO and PRO + SYN + DIAT are 13.6±8.4 mmol g−1 (n=34) and 7.3±4.8 mmol g−1 (n=24), respectively. That is a statistically significant difference (P<0.001) that is consistent with NANO and PHAEO being relatively high DMSP producers. However, in the western North Atlantic between 40° N and 60° N, we find no significant difference between the same PGD. This is most likely because coccolithophores account for the non-dominant part of the summer phytoplankton assemblages. Meridional distributions at 22° W in the Atlantic, and 95° W and 110° W in the Pacific, both show a marked drop in DMS:Chl near the equator, down to few mmol g−1, yet the basins exhibit different PGD (NANO in the Atlantic, PRO and SYN in the Pacific). In tropical and subtropical Atlantic and Pacific waters away from the equatorial and coastal upwelling, mean DMS:Chl associated with high and low DMSP producers are statistically significantly different, but the difference is opposite of that expected from culture experiments. Hence, in a majority of cases PGD is not of primary importance in controlling DMS:Chl variations. We therefore conclude that water-leaving radiance spectra obtained simultaneously from ocean color sensor measurements of Chl concentrations and dominant phytoplankton groups can not be used to predict global fields of DMS.
Socioeconomic, religious, spiritual and health factors associated with symptoms of common mental disorders: a cross-sectional secondary analysis of data from Bhutan’s Gross National Happiness Study, 2015

Objective Common mental disorders (CMDs) are a major cause of the global burden of disease. Bhutan was the first country in the world to focus on happiness as a state policy; however, little is known about the prevalence and risk factors of CMDs in this setting. We aim to identify socioeconomic, religious, spiritual and health factors associated with symptoms of CMDs. Design and setting We used data from Bhutan’s 2015 Gross National Happiness (GNH) Survey, a multistage, cross-sectional nationwide household survey. Data were analysed using a hierarchical analytical framework and generalised estimating equations. Participants The GNH Survey included 7041 male and female respondents aged 15 years and above. Measures The 12-item General Health Questionnaire was used to measure symptoms of CMDs. We estimated the prevalence of CMDs using a threshold score of ≥12. Results The prevalence of CMDs was 29.3% (95% CI 26.8% to 31.8%). Factors associated with symptoms of CMDs were: older age (65+) (β=1.29, 95% CI 0.57 to 2.00), being female (β=0.70, 95% CI 0.45 to 0.95), being divorced or widowed (β=1.55, 95% CI 1.08 to 2.02), illiteracy (β=0.48, 95% CI 0.21 to 0.74), low income (β=0.37, 95% CI 0.15 to 0.59), being moderately spiritual (β=0.61, 95% CI 0.34 to 0.88) or somewhat or not spiritual (β=0.76, 95% CI 0.28 to 1.23), occasionally considering karma in daily life (β=0.53, 95% CI 0.29 to 0.77) or never considering karma (β=0.80, 95% CI 0.26 to 1.34), having poor self-reported health (β=2.59, 95% CI 2.13 to 3.06) and having a disability (β=1.01, 95% CI 0.63 to 1.40). Conclusions CMDs affect a substantial proportion of the Bhutanese population. Our findings confirm the importance of established socioeconomic risk factors for CMDs, and suggest a potential link between spiritualism and mental health in this setting.
The International Journal of Biostatistics Estimation of the Mean Frequency Function for Recurrent Events when Ascertainment of Events Is Delayed

In many large clinical trials there are delays between the time at which events occur and the time at which they are reported. Estimators of the mean frequency function for recurrent events that are currently used are inconsistent in these circumstances. We propose two new estimators to be used when events are reported with delay. One method is a basic inverse probability of censoring weighting approach, while the other explicitly estimates the distribution of the reporting delays. The asymptotic properties of these estimators are discussed and variance estimators are given. We examine the results of simulations comparing the new estimators to each other and to existing estimators that do not properly account for the delays. We also calculate some of these quantities using data from TNT, a clinical trial in which there were delays and events of interest were recurrent.
The relation between children's and mothers' mental state language and theory-of-mind understanding.

This study investigated the relation between mothers' utterances and theory of mind in a longitudinal study involving three time points over 1 year. Mothers were asked to describe some pictures to 82 children at all three time points. Mothers' use of mental state utterances in these descriptions at early time points was consistently correlated with later theory-of-mind understanding. This was true even when a number of potential mediators were accounted for, including children's own use of mental state language, their earlier theory-of-mind understanding, their language ability, their age, mothers' education, and other types of mother utterances. Mothers' mental state utterances seemed genuinely causal because early theory-of-mind ability was not related to later mother mental state utterances (i.e., it was not a reciprocal relation). Results also showed that children's desire talk preceded their talk about beliefs.
Gating of social reward by oxytocin in the ventral tegmental area

Brain circuits that modulate sociability Understanding the neural mechanisms that mediate social reward has important societal and clinical implications. Hung et al. found that release of the neuropeptide oxytocin in the ventral tegmental area of the brain increased prosocial behaviors in mice (see the Perspective by Preston). Optogenetic manipulation of oxytocin release influenced sociability in a context-dependent manner. Oxytocin increased activity in dopamine cells that project to the nucleus accumbens, another key node of reward circuitry in the brain. Science, this issue p. 1406; see also p. 1353 The projection from paraventricular nucleus oxytocin neurons to ventral tegmental area modulates social behavior in mice. The reward generated by social interactions is critical for promoting prosocial behaviors. Here we present evidence that oxytocin (OXT) release in the ventral tegmental area (VTA), a key node of the brain’s reward circuitry, is necessary to elicit social reward. During social interactions, activity in paraventricular nucleus (PVN) OXT neurons increased. Direct activation of these neurons in the PVN or their terminals in the VTA enhanced prosocial behaviors. Conversely, inhibition of PVN OXT axon terminals in the VTA decreased social interactions. OXT increased excitatory drive onto reward-specific VTA dopamine (DA) neurons. These results demonstrate that OXT promotes prosocial behavior through direct effects on VTA DA neurons, thus providing mechanistic insight into how social interactions can generate rewarding experiences.
Structured Decentralized Control of Positive Systems With Applications to Combination Drug Therapy and Leader Selection in Directed Networks

We study a class of structured optimal control problems in which the main diagonal of the dynamic matrix is a linear function of the design variable. While such problems are in general challenging and nonconvex, for positive systems we prove convexity of the <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\mathcal H_2$</tex-math></inline-formula> and <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\mathcal H_\infty$</tex-math></inline-formula> optimal control formulations that allow for arbitrary convex constraints and regularization of the control input. Moreover, we establish differentiability of the <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\mathcal {H}_{\infty }$</tex-math></inline-formula> norm when the graph associated with the dynamical generator is weakly connected and develop a customized algorithm for computing the optimal solution even in the absence of differentiability. We apply our results to the problems of leader selection in directed consensus networks and combination drug therapy for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) treatment. In the context of leader selection, we address the combinatorial challenge by deriving upper and lower bounds on optimal performance. For combination drug therapy, we develop a customized subgradient method for efficient treatment of diseases whose mutation patterns are not connected.
Confocal laser scanning microscopy to estimate nanoparticles’ human skin penetration in vitro

Objective With rapid development of nanotechnology, there is increasing interest in nanoparticle (NP) application and its safety and efficacy on human skin. In this study, we utilized confocal laser scanning microscopy to estimate NP skin penetration. Methods Three different-sized polystyrene NPs marked with red fluorescence were applied to human skin, and Calcium Green 5N was used as a counterstain. Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and ethanol were used as alternative vehicles for NPs. Tape stripping was utilized as a barrier-damaged skin model. Skin biopsies dosed with NPs were incubated at 4°C or 37°C for 24 hours and imaged using confocal laser scanning microscopy. Results NPs were localized in the stratum corneum (SC) and hair follicles without penetrating the epidermis/dermis. Barrier alteration with tape stripping and change in incubation temperature did not induce deeper penetration. DMSO enhanced NP SC penetration but ethanol did not. Conclusion Except with DMSO vehicle, these hydrolyzed polystyrene NPs did not penetrate intact or barrier-damaged human “viable” epidermis. For further clinical relevance, in vivo human skin studies and more sensitive analytic chemical methodology are suggested.
The prevalence and distribution of hypodontia in a sample of Qatari patients

Objective: The aims of this study were to determine the prevalence of hypodontia in the permanent dentition in a sample of Qatari patients attending a dental center and to compare the results with the reported findings of other populations. Materials and Methods: Orthodontic files including orthopantomographs of 1000 patients (655 females and 345 males, 11-36-year-old) were examined and inspected for evidence of hypodontia. Results: The prevalence of hypodontia in the present Qatari sample was 7.8%; 6.9% was in males and 8.2% in females. Hypodontia was found more frequently in the maxilla than in the mandible. The distribution of missing teeth was noticed in the left side more than the right side. The most frequently missing teeth were the maxillary lateral incisors followed by the mandibular second premolars, maxillary second premolars, and mandibular left lateral incisor. The majority of patients with hypodontia had one or two teeth missing, but rarely more than four teeth were missing in the same patient. Bilateral missing teeth in the current study was commonly seen in the maxillary lateral incisor (14.1%) followed by mandibular second premolar (12.8%) and maxillary second premolar (6.4%). Conclusions: The prevalence of hypodontia in a sample of Qatari individuals was within the range reported in the literature for other populations. The incidence of hypodontia in the anterior segment requires multidisciplinary team approach (orthodontic and prosthodontic) to restore the esthetic and function and improve patient self-esteem.
Do Clinicians Understand Quality Metric Data? An Evaluation in a Twitter‐Derived Sample

OBJECTIVE: Despite significant efforts and cost, quality metrics do not consistently influence practice. While research has focused on improving data through statistical risk‐adjustment, whether clinicians understand these data is unknown. Therefore, we assessed clinician comprehension of central line‐associated blood stream infection (CLABSI) quality metric data. DESIGN: Cross‐sectional survey with an 11‐item test of CLABSI data comprehension. Each question assessed 1 of 3 concepts concerning CLABSI understanding: basic numeracy, risk‐adjustment numeracy, and risk‐adjustment interpretation. Hypothetical data were used and presented in a validated format. PARTICIPANTS: Clinicians were recruited from 6 nations via Twitter to take an online survey. Clinician eligibility was confirmed by assessing responses to a question regarding CLABSI. MAIN MEASURES: The primary outcome was percent correct of attempted questions pertaining to the presented CLABSI data. RESULTS: Ninety‐seven clinicians answered at least 1 item, providing 939 responses; 72 answered all 11 items. The mean percentage of correct answers was 61% (95% confidence interval [CI], 57%‐65%). Overall, doctor performance was better than performance by nurses and other respondents (68% [95% CI, 63%‐73%] vs. 57% [95% CI, 52%‐62%], P = 0.003). In basic numeracy, mean percent correct was 82% (95% CI, 77%‐87%). For risk‐adjustment numeracy, the mean percent correct was 70% (95% CI, 64%‐76%). Risk‐adjustment interpretation had the lowest average percent correct, 43% (95% CI, 37%‐49%). All pairwise differences between concepts were statistically significant at P <0.05. CONCLUSIONS: CLABSI quality metric comprehension appears low and varies substantially among clinicians. These findings may contribute to the limited impact of quality metric reporting programs, and further research is needed.
Unique Regulation of the DosR Regulon in the Beijing Lineage of Mycobacterium tuberculosis

ABSTRACT The DosR regulon, a set of 48 genes normally expressed in Mycobacterium tuberculosis under conditions that inhibit aerobic respiration, is controlled via the DosR-DosS/DosT two-component system. While the regulon requires induction in most M. tuberculosis isolates, for members of the Beijing lineage, its expression is uncoupled from the need for signaling. In our attempts to understand the mechanistic basis for this uncoupling in the Beijing background, we previously reported the identification of two synonymous single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within the adjacent Rv3134c gene. In the present study, we have interrogated the impact of these SNPs on dosR expression in wild-type strains, as well as a range of dosR-dosS-dosT mutants, for both Beijing and non-Beijing M. tuberculosis backgrounds. In this manner, we have unequivocally determined that the C601T dosR promoter SNP is the sole requirement for the dramatic shift in the pattern of DosR regulon expression seen in this globally important lineage. Interestingly, we also show that DosT is completely nonfunctional within these strains. Thus, a complex series of evolutionary steps has led to the present-day Beijing DosR phenotype that, in turn, potentially confers a fitness advantage in the face of some form of host-associated selective pressure. IMPORTANCE Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains of the Beijing lineage have been described as being of enhanced virulence compared to other lineages, and in certain regions, they are associated with the dramatic spread of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (TB). In terms of trying to understand the functional basis for these broad epidemiological phenomena, it is interesting that, in contrast to the other major lineages, the Beijing strains all constitutively overexpress members of the DosR regulon. Here, we identify the mutational events that led to the evolution of this unique phenotype. In addition, our work highlights the fact that important phenotypic differences exist between distinct M. tuberculosis lineages, with the potential to impact the efficacy of diagnosis, vaccination, and treatment programs.
Water Deficit and Salinity Stress Reveal Many Specific QTL for Plant Growth and Fruit Quality Traits in Tomato

Quality is a key trait in plant breeding, especially for fruit and vegetables. Quality involves several polygenic components, often influenced by environmental conditions with variable levels of genotype × environment interaction that must be considered in breeding strategies aiming to improve quality. In order to assess the impact of water deficit and salinity on tomato fruit quality, we evaluated a multi-parent advanced generation intercross (MAGIC) tomato population in contrasted environmental conditions over 2 years, one year in control vs. drought condition and the other in control vs. salt condition. Overall 250 individual lines from the MAGIC population—derived from eight parental lines covering a large diversity in cultivated tomato—were used to identify QTL in both experiments for fruit quality and yield component traits (fruit weight, number of fruit, Soluble Solid Content, firmness), phenology traits (time to flower and ripe) and a vegetative trait, leaf length. All the traits showed a large genotype variation (33–86% of total phenotypic variation) in both experiments and high heritability whatever the year or treatment. Significant genotype × treatment interactions were detected for five of the seven traits over the 2 years of experiments. QTL were mapped using 1,345 SNP markers. A total of 54 QTL were found among which 15 revealed genotype × environment interactions and 65% (35 QTL) were treatment specific. Confidence intervals of the QTL were projected on the genome physical map and allowed identifying regions carrying QTL co-localizations, suggesting pleiotropic regulation. We then applied a strategy for candidate gene detection based on the high resolution mapping offered by the MAGIC population, the allelic effect of each parental line at the QTL and the sequence information of the eight parental lines.
Comparison of ensemble learning methods applied to network intrusion detection

This paper investigates the possibility of using ensemble learning methods to improve the performance of intrusion detection systems. We compare an ensemble of three ensemble learning methods, boosting, bagging and stacking in order to improve the detection rate and to reduce the false alarm rate. These ensemble methods use well-known and different base classification algorithms, J48 (decision tree), NB (Naïve Bayes), MLP (Neural Network) and REPTree. The comparison experiments are applied on UNSW-NB15 data set a recent public data set for network intrusion detection systems. Results show that using boosting, bagging can achieve higher accuracy than single classifier but stacking performs better than other ensemble learning methods.
Submillimeter ionoacoustic range determination for protons in water at a clinical synchrocyclotron

Proton ranges in water between 145 MeV to 227 MeV initial energy have been measured at a clinical superconducting synchrocyclotron using the acoustic signal induced by the ion dose deposition (ionoacoustic effect). Detection of ultrasound waves was performed by a very sensitive hydrophone and signals were stored in a digital oscilloscope triggered by secondary prompt gammas. The ionoacoustic range measurements were compared to existing range data from a calibrated range detector setup on-site and agreement of better than 1 mm was found at a Bragg peak dose of about 10 Gy for 220 MeV initial proton energy, compatible with the experimental errors. Ionoacoustics has thus the potential to measure the Bragg peak position with submillimeter accuracy during proton therapy, possibly correlated with ultrasound tissue imaging.
Inclusion Formation in Self-Shielded Flux Cored Arc Welds An investigation was made to see whether the same analytical models used to predict oxide inclusion in weld metal can also be used to predict nitride formations

Nonmetallic inclusions in two weld metals were characterized with respect to variations in weld aluminum concentration. Two self-shielded flux cored arc welding (FCAW-S) electrodes were used to produce welds for optical, scanning and transmission electron mi- croscopy. The inclusions in the weld with high-aluminum concentration were pre- dominantly aluminum nitride. In con- trast, the inclusions in welds with low- aluminum and high-titanium concentrations were mostly aluminum oxide and titanium carbonitrides. The measurements were compared with predictions from multi- phase, multicomponent thermodynamic equilibrium calculations. The calcula- tions agreed with the experimental mea- surements and predicted the formation of aluminum nitride in high-aluminum welds and also simultaneous formation of aluminum oxide and titanium car- bonitrides. However, the predicted vol- ume fractions were lower than experi- mental values.