Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Timing of hypertonic saline and airway clearance techniques in adults with cystic fibrosis during pulmonary exacerbation: pilot data from a randomised crossover study

Background Streamlining the timing of treatments in cystic fibrosis (CF) is important to optimise adherence while ensuring efficacy. The optimal timing of treatment with hypertonic saline (HTS) and airway clearance techniques (ACT) is unknown. Objectives This study hypothesised that HTS before ACT would be more effective than HTS during ACT as measured by Lung Clearance Index (LCI). Methods Adults with CF providing written informed consent were randomised to a crossover trial of HTS before ACT or HTS during ACT on consecutive days. ACT treatment consisted of Acapella Duet. Patients completed LCI and spirometry at baseline and 90 min post treatment. Mean difference (MD) and 95% CIs were reported. Results 13 subjects completed the study (mean (SD) age 33 (12) years, forced expiratory volume in 1second % (FEV1%) predicted 51% (22), LCI (no. turnovers) 14 (4)). Comparing the two treatments (HTS before ACT vs HTS during ACT), the change from baseline to 90 min post treatment in LCI (MD (95% CI) −0.02 (−0.63 to 0.59)) and FEV1% predicted (MD (95% CI) −0.25 (−2.50 to 1.99)) was not significant. There was no difference in sputum weight (MD (95% CI) −3.0 (−14.9 to 8.9)), patient perceived ease of clearance (MD (95% CI) 0.4 (−0.6 to 1.3) or satisfaction (MD (95% CI) 0.4 (−0.6 to 1.5)). The time taken for HTS during ACT was significantly shorter (MD (95% CI) 14.7 (9.8 to 19.6)). Conclusions In this pilot study, HTS before ACT was no more effective than HTS during ACT as measured by LCI. Trial registration number NCT01753869; Pre-results.
A New Rheometer for Soft-to-Fluid Fresh Concrete

This article describes the development of apparatus designed to characterize the rheological behaviour of fresh concrete , both in the lab and on site, in the range of consistency from soft to fluid. The principles that governed the design of the rheometer are first recalled. It is a torsional rheometer, in which a sample shaped like a hollow cylinder is sheared between two horizontal planes. The conduct of the tests is then described, followed by their processing, which yields, in particular, two physical quantities to characterize a concrete, the shear yield stress and the plastic viscosity. These parameters may be measured with or without vibration, giving different values in each case. Later, the results of experiments are described. They deal with the detection, with the detection, with only one sample, of the phenomenon of loss of workability, and with the pumpability of the concrete on site, respectively. The article concludes with a look at the prospects for industrial use of the BT RHEOM rheometer.
Damage Tolerance Analysis of Cracked Stiffened Composite Panels

An approach based on a displacement compatibility model is developed for stiffened composite panels with a crack. Some important improvements on the damage tolerance analysis of the stiffened composite panels have been made in comparison with previous work. Some new results are obtained regarding the effects of adhesive nonlinearity, stringer stiffness and bending, and stringer spacing on strengths and crack growth behaviours of bonded skin/stringer panels. The study indicates that the adhesive nonlinearity benefits the load bearing capacity of the panels. When the stringer is quite thick in comparison to the skin thickness, its out-of-plane bending will lower panel failure strains. Increasing stringer stiffness can not often guarantee the high failure strains of bonded skin/stringer composite panels. As the stringer stiffness exceeds some value, its increase has a negative effect on the load bearing capacity of the panels. For a given ratio of stringer stiffness to panel stiffness, the failure strains of the panels increase as stringer spacing, Wa, decreases. Predictions for failure strains and crack arrest capability agree well with experimental results for several composite panel configurations.
Incidence, presenting features and outcome of extramedullary disease in multiple myeloma: a longitudinal study on 1003 consecutive patients.

BACKGROUND There are few data on the incidence and prognosis of extramedullary (EM) multiple myeloma (MM). There are concerns about a possible increase of EM relapses with the expanding use of high-dose therapy (HDT) and biological agents. PATIENTS AND METHODS The incidence of EM disease, its relationship with prior exposure to HDT or novel agents, and its prognostic impact were analyzed in 1003 MM patients. Based on the different therapies available, three periods were considered: 1971-1993, conventional-dose chemotherapy; 1994-1999, HDT for younger patients; and 2000-2007, introduction of novel agents. RESULTS Overall, 13% of patients had EM disease, 7% at diagnosis and 6% later. In the 2000-2007 period, there was a significant increase of EM involvement, at diagnosis (P = 0.02) and during follow-up (P = 0.03). The risk of EM spread was not significantly increased after HDT [hazard ratio (HR 0.6)], bortezomib (HR 1.62), or thalidomide/lenalidomide (HR 1.07). EM disease was associated with shorter overall (HR 3.26, P < 0.0001) and progression-free (HR 1.46, P = 0.04) survival. CONCLUSIONS The incidence of EM disease has increased, probably due to the availability of more sensitive imaging techniques and the prolongation of patients' survival. HDT or novel agents seem not to increase the risk of EM disease. EM involvement confers a poor prognosis.
Sitting Time and Body Mass Index, in a Portuguese Sample of Men: Results from the Azorean Physical Activity and Health Study (APAHS)

The aim of this study was to verify the relation between body mass index (BMI) and sitting time in a sample of 4,091 Azorean men. BMI was calculated from self-reported weight and height. Total physical activity (PA) time and total sitting time were assessed with the IPAQ (short version). Linear Regression analysis showed that total sitting time (hours/day) was positively associated with BMI (B = 0.078; p < 0.001) after adjustments for age, meal frequency, alcohol and tobacco consumptions, island of residence, education level and total PA time. Although the cross sectional design precludes us from establishing causality, our findings emphasize the importance of reducing sedentary behavior to decrease the risk of obesity.
Metabolic Suppression of a Drug‐Resistant Subpopulation in Cancer Spheroid Cells

Inhibition of metabolic features which distinguish cancer cells from their non‐malignant counterparts is a promising approach to cancer treatment. Energy support for drug extrusion in multidrug resistance (MDR) is a potential target for metabolic inhibition. Two major sources of ATP‐based metabolic energy are partial (glycolysis) and complete (mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation) oxidation of metabolic fuels. In cancer cells, the balance between them tends to be shifted toward glycolysis; this shift is considered to be characteristic of the cancer metabolic phenotype. Numerous earlier studies, conducted with cells cultured in a monolayer (2‐D model), suggested inhibition of glycolytic ATP production as an efficient tool to suppress MDR in cancer cells. Yet, more recent work challenged the appropriateness of the 2‐D model for such studies and suggested that a more clinically relevant approach would utilize a more advanced cellular model such as a 3‐D model. Here, we show that the transition from the 2‐D model (cultured monolayer) to a 3‐D model (cultured spheroids) introduces essential changes into the concept of energetic suppression of MDR. The 3‐D cell organization leads to the formation of a discrete cell subpopulation (not formed in the 2‐D model) with elevated MDR transport capacity. This subpopulation has a specific metabolic phenotype (mixed glycolytic/oxidative MDR support) different from that of cells cultured in the 2‐D model. Finally, the shift to the oxidative phenotype becomes greater when the spheroids are grown under conditions of lactic acidosis that are typical for solid tumors. The potential clinical significance of these findings is discussed. J. Cell. Biochem. 117: 59–65, 2016. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Finding the k shortest paths

We give algorithms for finding the k shortest paths (not required to be simple) connecting a pair of vertices in a digraph. Our algorithms output an implicit representation of these paths in a digraph with n vertices and m edges, in time O(m+n log n+k). We can also find the k shortest paths from a given source s to each vertex in the graph, in total time O(m+n log n+kn). We describe applications to dynamic programming problems including the knapsack problem, sequence alignment, and maximum inscribed polygons. <<ETX>>
Lifting objects with a power assist system: Effects of friction between human's hand and object on perceived weight and load force

This paper presents the design of a 1 DOF power assist system for lifting objects. The load force (vertical lifting force applied by human) consisting of inertial and gravitational forces was considered as the desired dynamics for the system. We hypothesized that human's perception of object weight due to inertial force might be different from the perceived weight due to gravitational force. We simulated the system using Matlab/Simulink for different sizes of objects. We then changed the friction between human's hand and object and studied its effects on perceived weight and load force for lifting objects with the system. The results show that increase in friction reduces perceived weight and load force. Finally, we proposed using the findings to design human-friendly power assist systems for lifting heavy objects in various industries.
Optimization of Growth Conditions for Acidic Protease Production from Rhizopus oligosporus through Solid State Fermentation of Sunflower Meal

— Rhizopus oligosporus was used in the present study for the production of protease enzyme under SSF. Sunflower meal was used as by-product of oil industry incorporated with organic salts was employed for the production of protease enzyme. The main purpose of the present was to study different parameters of protease productivity, its yields and to optimize basal fermentation conditions. The optimal conditions found for protease production using sunflower meal as a substrate in the present study were inoculum size (1%), substrate (Sunflower meal), substrate concentration (20 g), pH (3), cultivation period (72 h), incubation temperature (35 o C), substrate to diluent’s ratio (1:2) and tween 81 (1 mL). The maximum production of protease in the presence of cheaper substrate at low concentration and stability at acidic pH, these characteristics make the strain and its enzymes useful in different industry.
The Optical and Thermal Properties of Asian Dust over Ocean

Asian dust storms, which can long range transport and pass through the China Sea, often occur on spring. During this process, dust storm makes some impact on marine ecology and region climate, and the present of Asian dust aerosols over ocean takes some difficult for cloud detection, atmosphere correction of ocean color and sea surface temperature retrieval. Study on Asian dust aerosol properties over ocean is the basis of satellite remote sensing, which is a powerful tool to study dust over ocean. In this paper, the optical and thermal properties of Asian dust aerosol are presented by combining the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) observations and Streamer model simulations. By compare, the reflectance of dust aerosol over ocean at the visible band2, band3 and the near-infrared band6 of MODIS have some significant features, which are different from others, it satisfies Rb3<Rb6<Rb2 for strong dust aerosol over ocean, the weak dust aerosol meets Rb6<Rb2<Rb3, and the dust reflectance is from 0.1 to 0.3. At the thermal atmospheric windows bands which include band29, 31 and 32, for cloud and clear water region, the brightness temperature at band32 is highest and the temperature at band31 is close to band32. However, for dust aerosols, the brightness temperature at band32 is much greater than those at band29, band31, and the brightness temperature difference between band29 and band31 is small and the lower is the difference, the stronger is the dust aerosol. Those Asian dust aerosol characteristics are nice and useful for dust detection, dust retrieval over ocean, and deep study for marine environment and ecology.
Psychological distress and type 2 diabetes mellitus: a 4-year policemen cohort study in China

Objectives This study investigated whether psychological distress predicts the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and if the association differs between populations at a high or low diabetes risk level among Chinese police officers. Design Prospective cohort study. Setting Single centre. Participants 6559 participants underwent clinical measurements at the hospital in April 2007. 5811 police officers participated in the follow-up consisting of new-onset diabetes (NOD) events occurring annually between 2008 and 2011. Primary outcome measures Baseline data were collected from policemen who completed the Symptom Checklist 90-Revised (SCL-90-R) questionnaire and a self-designed questionnaire. Psychological distress was measured by the SCL-90-R questionnaire. Hong Kong Chinese Diabetes Risk Score (HKCDRS) was used to evaluate the risk of T2DM, and the participants were divided into low-risk group and high-risk group based on the HKCDRS. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to calculate the HRs of the incidence of T2DM related to psychological distress and further stratified the analysis based on HKCDRS. Results Among 5811 participants, 179 subjects developed NOD during the 4-year follow-up. 54 subjects (1.63%) with a HKCDRS 0–7 vs 125 subjects (4.98%) with a HKCDRS>7 developed NOD (p<0.05). There was a significant association between psychological distress and T2DM (HR=1.46; 95% CI 1.05 to 2.02). Among the participants with a high-risk score (HKCDRS>7), 7.07% of those with psychological distress developed T2DM compared with 4.43% of participants without psychological distress (p<0.05). The corresponding adjusted HR for psychological distress was 1.61 (95% CI 1.10 to 2.37). Conclusions Psychological distress is an independent risk factor for T2DM in this prospective cohort study. Stratification analysis indicated that psychological distress was associated with T2DM in a high-risk level population.
Extractors and Lower Bounds for Locally Samplable Sources

We consider the problem of extracting randomness from sources that are efficiently samplable, in the sense that each output bit of the sampler only depends on some small number <i>d</i> of the random input bits. As our main result, we construct a deterministic extractor that, given any <i>d</i>-local source with min-entropy <i>k</i> on <i>n</i> bits, extracts <i>Ω</i>(<i>k</i><sup>2</sup>/<i>nd</i>) bits that are 2<sup>−nΩ(1)</sup>-close to uniform, provided <i>d</i> ≤ <i>o</i>(log <i>n</i>) and <i>k</i> ≥ <i>n</i><sup>2/3+γ</sup> (for arbitrarily small constants <i>γ</i> > 0). Using our result, we also improve a result of Viola [2010] who proved a 1/2 − <i>O</i>(1/log <i>n</i>) statistical distance lower bound for <i>o</i>(log <i>n</i>)-local samplers trying to sample input-output pairs of an explicit boolean function, assuming the samplers use at most <i>n</i> + <i>n</i><sup>1−Δ</sup> random bits for some constant <i>Δ</i> > 0. Using a different function, we simultaneously improve the lower bound to 1/2 − 2<sup>−nΩ(1)</sup> and eliminate the restriction on the number of random bits.
Alcohol consumption and risk of glioblastoma; evidence from the Melbourne collaborative cohort study

Despite the brain being highly susceptible to the action of alcohol and, therefore, potentially susceptible to its carcinogenic effects, it is not clear whether alcohol consumption is associated with risk of glioblastoma. We analyzed data from 39,766 participants of the Melbourne Collaborative Cohort Study recruited in 1990–1994 and followed to the end of 2008 for an average of 15 years. Incidence of glioblastoma of the brain was ascertained via linkage to the Victorian and other State cancer registries in Australia. During a structured face‐to‐face interview at baseline we elicited each participant's history of alcoholic beverage consumption during the current decade at baseline. We used Cox regression models with age as the time metric, adjusted for country of birth, sex, total energy intake, educational attainment and coffee consumption to estimate hazard ratios (HR) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CI). A total of 67 glioblastomas was diagnosed in the cohort during follow‐up. The HRs associated with each additional 10 grams per day of alcohol intake was 1.16 (95% CI, 1.05 to 1.29; p for linear trend = 0.007). Compared to lifetime abstainer, the HR for glioblastoma associated with alcohol consumption were 1.07 (0.55 to 2.10) for 1 to 19 g/day, 1.79 (0.81 to 3.95) for 20 to 39 g/day, 3.07 (1.26 to 7.47) for 40 to 59 g/day and 2.54 (0.92 to 7.00) for 60 or more g/day. Alcohol consumption at baseline was associated with the risk of glioblastoma in a dose‐response relationship.
Glycemic control and diabetes-related health care costs in type 2 diabetes; retrospective analysis based on clinical and administrative databases

Background Diabetes is one of the most prevalent chronic diseases, and its prevalence is predicted to increase in the next two decades. Diabetes imposes a staggering financial burden on the health care system, so information about the costs and experiences of collecting and reporting quality measures of data is vital for practices deciding whether to adopt quality improvements or monitor existing initiatives. The aim of this study was to quantify the association between health care costs and level of glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes using clinical and administrative databases. Methods A retrospective analysis using a large administrative database and a clinical registry containing laboratory results was performed. Patients were subdivided according to their glycated hemoglobin level. Multivariate analyses were used to control for differences in potential confounding factors, including age, gender, Charlson comorbidity index, presence of dyslipidemia, hypertension, or cardiovascular disease, and degree of adherence with antidiabetic drugs among the study groups. Results Of the total population of 700,000 subjects, 31,022 were identified as being diabetic (4.4% of the entire population). Of these, 21,586 met the study inclusion criteria. In total, 31.5% of patients had very poor glycemic control and 25.7% had excellent control. Over 2 years, the mean diabetes-related cost per person was: €1291.56 in patients with excellent control; €1545.99 in those with good control; €1584.07 in those with fair control; €1839.42 in those with poor control; and €1894.80 in those with very poor control. After adjustment, compared with the group having excellent control, the estimated excess cost per person associated with the groups with good control, fair control, poor control, and very poor control was €219.28, €264.65, €513.18, and €564.79, respectively. Conclusion Many patients showed suboptimal glycemic control. Lower levels of glycated hemoglobin were associated with lower diabetes-related health care costs. Integration of administrative databases and a laboratory database appears to be suitable for showing that appropriate management of diabetes can help to achieve better resource allocation.
Impact of Random Interface Traps and Random Dopants in High-$k$ /Metal Gate Junctionless FETs

In this paper, the fluctuation of random interface traps (RITs) and its interaction with random dopants of 22-nm junctionless FETs (JL-FET) with high- k/metal gate (HKMG) are investigated with 3-D statistical TCAD simulations. The impacts of RIT and random dopant fluctuation (RDF) on the performances of JL-FET are evaluated separately and together. The results show that acceptor-like interface traps mainly affect the drive current, while donor-like interface traps have a significant impact on the subthreshold region. RIT and RDF have different impacts on device performance. Although the influence of RDF is larger than RIT, the impact of RIT cannot be neglected due to their strong correlation. The variation induced by RIT and RDF should be taken into account simultaneously for HKMG JL-FETs.
NetMHCpan, a Method for Quantitative Predictions of Peptide Binding to Any HLA-A and -B Locus Protein of Known Sequence

Background Binding of peptides to Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) molecules is the single most selective step in the recognition of pathogens by the cellular immune system. The human MHC class I system (HLA-I) is extremely polymorphic. The number of registered HLA-I molecules has now surpassed 1500. Characterizing the specificity of each separately would be a major undertaking. Principal Findings Here, we have drawn on a large database of known peptide-HLA-I interactions to develop a bioinformatics method, which takes both peptide and HLA sequence information into account, and generates quantitative predictions of the affinity of any peptide-HLA-I interaction. Prospective experimental validation of peptides predicted to bind to previously untested HLA-I molecules, cross-validation, and retrospective prediction of known HIV immune epitopes and endogenous presented peptides, all successfully validate this method. We further demonstrate that the method can be applied to perform a clustering analysis of MHC specificities and suggest using this clustering to select particularly informative novel MHC molecules for future biochemical and functional analysis. Conclusions Encompassing all HLA molecules, this high-throughput computational method lends itself to epitope searches that are not only genome- and pathogen-wide, but also HLA-wide. Thus, it offers a truly global analysis of immune responses supporting rational development of vaccines and immunotherapy. It also promises to provide new basic insights into HLA structure-function relationships. The method is available at http://www.cbs. dtu.dk/services/NetMHCpan.
Rickettsial infection in capybaras (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) from São Paulo, Brazil: serological evidence for infection by Rickettsia bellii and Rickettsia parkeri.

INTRODUCTION In Brazil, capybaras (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) are important hosts for Amblyomma ticks, which in turn can transmit rickettsiae to humans and animals. Therefore, capybaras are potential sentinels for rickettsial infection. OBJECTIVE The present study evaluated rickettsial infection in capybaras in different areas of the state of São Paulo, where rickettsiosis has never been reported. Materials and methods. Blood sera from 73 capybaras from six localities in São Paulo were tested by indirect immunofluorescence assay using Rickettsia rickettsii, Rickettsia parkeri, and Rickettsia bellii antigens. Capybara spleens were tested by PCR, targeting a fragment of the rickettsial gltA gene. Ticks were collected from each capybara sample and taxonomically identified to species. RESULTS A total of 94 positively reacting capybara samples, 19 (26.0%), 25 (34.2%), and 50 (68.5%) capybara sera reacted to R. rickettsii, R. parkeri, and R. bellii, respectively. Twenty-five capybara sera showed titers to R. bellii at least four-fold higher than to any of the other two antigens. These sera were considered homologous to R. bellii. Using the same criteria, 3 capybara sera were considered homologous to R. parkeri. No sera were be considered homologous to R. rickettsii. No rickettsial DNA was detected in capybara spleen samples. Ticks collected on capybaras were Amblyomma dubitatum and Amblyomma cajennense. CONCLUSIONS The first evidence is reported of R. bellii natural infection in vertebrate hosts, and the first evidence of R. parkeri infection in capybaras. While R. parkeri is known to infect and cause disease in humans, no similar evidence for human infection has been indicated by R. bellii.