Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
High-Resolution Mapping of Scar-Related Atrial Arrhythmias Using Smaller Electrodes With Closer Interelectrode Spacing

Background—The resolution of mapping is influenced by electrode size and interelectrode spacing. Smaller electrodes with closer interelectrode spacing may improve mapping resolution, particularly in scar. The aims of this study were to establish normal electrogram criteria in the atria for both 3.5-mm electrode tip linear catheters (Thermocool) and 1-mm multielectrode-mapping catheters (Pentaray) and to compare their mapping resolution in scar-related atrial arrhythmias. Methods and Results—Normal voltage amplitude cutoffs for both catheters were validated in 10 patients with structurally normal atria. In 20 additional patients with scar-related atrial arrhythmias, similar sequential mapping with both catheters was performed. Normal bipolar voltage amplitude was similar between 3.5- and 1-mm electrode catheters with a fifth percentile of 0.48 and 0.52 mV, respectively (P=0.65). In patients with scar-related atrial arrhythmias, the total area of bipolar voltage <0.5 mV measured using 1-mm electrode catheters was smaller than that measured using 3.5-mm catheter (14.7 versus 20.4 cm2; P=0.02). The mean bipolar voltage amplitude in this area of low voltage was significantly higher with 1-mm electrode catheters (0.28 and 0.17 mV; P=0.01). Importantly, 54.4% of all low voltage data points recorded with 1-mm electrode catheter had distinct electrograms that allowed annotation of local activation time compared with only 21.4% with 3.5-mm electrode tip catheters (P=0.01). Overdrive pacing with capture of the tachycardia from within the area of low voltage was more frequent with 1-mm electrode catheters (66.7 versus 33.4; P=0.01). Conclusions—Mapping with small closely spaced electrode catheters can improve mapping resolution within areas of low voltage.
Robust control via concave minimization local and global algorithms

This paper deals with the robust control problem of linear fractional representation uncertain systems depending on a time-varying parameter uncertainty. Our main result exploits a linear matrix inequality (LMI) characterization involving scalings and Lyapunov variables subject to an additional essentially non-convex algebraic constraint. The non-convexity enters the problem in the form of a rank deficiency condition or matrix inverse relation on the scalings only. It is shown that such problems and many others can be formulated as the concave minimization of a nonlinear functional subject to LMI constraints. The local Frank and Wolfe feasible direction algorithm is introduced. Several efficient global concave minimization programming methods are also introduced and combined with the local feasible direction method to secure and certify global optimality of the solutions. The implementation details of the algorithms are covered.
Institutional theory: a new perspective for research into IS/IT security in organisations

The aim of this position paper is to argue for the suitability of an institutional perspective in IS/IT (information systems/information technology) security research. Institutional theory, including some of its central concepts, is presented, along with examples of how it has been used in information systems research. A discussion of how the theory could benefit managerial IS/IT research concludes the paper.
Regular Meaning Shifts in German Particle Verbs: A Case Study

This paper provides a corpus-based study on German particle verbs. We hypothesize that there are regular mechanisms in meaning shifts of a base verb in combination with a particle that do not only apply to the individual verb, but across a semantically coherent set of verbs. For example, the syntactically similar base verbs brummen ‘hum’ and donnern ‘rumble’ both describe an irritating, displeasing loud sound. Combined with the particle auf, they result in near-synonyms roughly meaning ‘forcefully assigning a task’ (in one of their senses). Covering 6 base verb groups and 3 particles with 4 particle meanings, we demonstrate that corpus-based information on the verbs’ subcategorization frames plus conceptual properties of the nominal complements is a sufficient basis for defining such meaning shifts. While the paper is considerably more extensive than earlier related work, we view it as a case study toward a more automatic approach to identify and formalize meaning shifts in German particle verbs.
Score-matching estimators for continuous-time point-process regression models

We introduce a new class of efficient estimators based on score matching for probabilistic point process models. Unlike discretised likelihood-based estimators, score matching estimators operate on continuous-time data, with computational demands that grow with the number of events rather than with total observation time. Furthermore, estimators for many common regression models can be obtained in closed form, rather than by iteration. This new approach to estimation may thus expand the range of tractable models available for event-based data.
Left ventricular systolic function in Nigerian children infected with HIV/AIDS: a cross-sectional study

Summary Background Cardiac complications contribute significantly to morbidity and mortality in children with HIV/AIDS. These rates have been under-reported in sub-Saharan African children. Methods This was an observational, cross-sectional Doppler echocardiographic study of ventricular systolic function, performed at a tertiary clinic on children with HIV/AIDS. Results Left ventricular systolic dysfunction was present in 27.0% of the children with HIV infection and 81.2% of those with AIDS. The mean fractional shortening in the AIDS group (31.6 ± 9.5%) was significantly lower than in the HIV-infected group (35.3 ± 10.5%, p = 0.001). A significant correlation was found with CD4+ cell count and age, and these were the best predictors of left ventricular systolic dysfunction in the stepwise multiple regression analysis (r = 0.396, p = 0.038; r = –0.212, p = 0.025, respectively). Conclusion Left ventricular systolic dysfunction is common in Nigerian children with HIV/AIDS.
Identification of small inhomogeneities: Asymptotic factorization

We consider the boundary value problem of calculating the electrostatic potential for a homogeneous conductor containing finitely many small insulating inclusions. We give a new proof of the asymptotic expansion of the electrostatic potential in terms of the background potential, the location of the inhomogeneities and their geometry, as the size of the inhomogeneities tends to zero. Such asymptotic expansions have already been used to design direct (i.e. noniterative) reconstruction algorithms for the determination of the location of the small inclusions from electrostatic measurements on the boundary, e.g. MUSIC-type methods. Our derivation of the asymptotic formulas is based on integral equation methods. It demonstrates the strong relation between factorization methods and MUSIC-type methods for the solution of this inverse problem.
Predicting Polarities of Tweets by Composing Word Embeddings with Long Short-Term Memory

In this paper, we introduce Long ShortTerm Memory (LSTM) recurrent network for twitter sentiment prediction. With the help of gates and constant error carousels in the memory block structure, the model could handle interactions between words through a flexible compositional function. Experiments on a public noisy labelled data show that our model outperforms several feature-engineering approaches, with the result comparable to the current best data-driven technique. According to the evaluation on a generated negation phrase test set, the proposed architecture doubles the performance of non-neural model based on bag-of-word features. Furthermore, words with special functions (such as negation and transition) are distinguished and the dissimilarities of words with opposite sentiment are magnified. An interesting case study on negation expression processing shows a promising potential of the architecture dealing with complex sentiment phrases.
Analytical and Experimental Studies of Flexoelectric Beam Control

Flexoelectricity includes two effects: the direct flexoelectric effect and the converse flexoelectric effect, which can be respectively applied to flexoelectric sensors and actuators to monitor structural dynamic behaviors or to control structural vibrations. This study focuses on the converse flexoelectric effect and its application to dynamic control of cantilever beams analytically and experimentally. In the mathematical model, a conductive atomic force microscope (AFM) probe with an external voltage is used to generate an inhomogeneous electric field driving the flexoelectric beam. The electric field gradient leads to an actuation stress in the longitudinal direction due to the converse flexoelectric effect. The actuation stress results in a bending control moment to the flexoelectric beam since the stress in the thickness is inhomogeneous. In order to evaluate the actuation effect of the flexoelectric actuator, the flexoelectric induced tip displacement is evaluated when the mechanical force is assumed zero. With the induced control moment, vibration control of the cantilever beam is discussed and the control effect is evaluated. Flexoelectric control effects with different design parameters, such as AFM probe location, AFM probe radius and flexoelectric beam thickness, are evaluated. Analytical results show that the optimal AFM probe location for all beam modes is close to the fixed end. Besides, thinner AFM probe radius and thinner flexoelectric beam enhance the control effects. Laboratory experiments are also conducted with different probe locations to validate the analytical predictions. Experimental results show that the induced tip displacement decreases when the input location moves away from the fixed end, which is consistent with the analytical prediction. The studies provide design guidelines of flexoelectric actuations in engineering applications.Copyright © 2016 by ASME
Proliferating Potential and Apoptosis in the Development of Secondary Hyperparathyroidism: A Study Based on Ki‐67 Immunohistochemical Staining and the Terminal dUTP Nick‐End Labeling Assay

Abstract: Secondary hyperparathyroidism (SHPT) is a common complication in hemodialysis (HD) patients. SHPT progresses from initial diffuse hyperplasia (diffuse) to early nodularity (early), then to multinodular hyperplasia (nodular), and finally to a single nodule (single) consisting of uniform parenchymal cells. We analyzed the roles of proliferation and apoptosis in SHPT progression. Seventy‐four parathyroid glands from 36 HD patients with SHPT, and 10 parathyroid glands from 10 non‐HD patients without SHPT were used for analysis. The former were classified as diffuse (N = 17), early (N = 22), nodular (N = 20), and single (N = 15); the latter were classified as normal (N = 10). To analyze proliferating cells we used Ki‐67, and to detect apoptotic cells, we used the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (Tdt)‐mediated dUTP nick‐end labeling (TUNEL) assay. Concerning the Ki‐67 labeling index (LI), the incremental order was single, nodular, early, diffuse, and normal. Oxyphilic cells and around the central portion of each lesion were distinctly stained by Ki‐67. Concerning the TUNEL LI, the incremental order was early, diffuse, nodular, single, and normal. Chief cells and around the peripheral portion of each lesion were distinctly stained by TUNEL. In the progression from early to nodular, for oxyphilic cells, the Ki‐67 LI increased and the TUNEL LI decreased; for chief cells, the Ki‐67 LI decreased and the TUNEL LI showed no significant change. We considered that proliferative activity increases and that the apoptosis rate decreases as SHPT progresses from diffuse to single. Moreover, the specific differences in the rate of proliferation and apoptosis between oxyphilic and chief cells might be associated with SHPT progression.
Nonconvulsive seizures are common in critically ill children

Background: Retrospective studies have reported the occurrence of nonconvulsive seizures in critically ill children. We aimed to prospectively determine the incidence and risk factors of nonconvulsive seizures in critically ill children using predetermined EEG monitoring indications and EEG interpretation terminology. Methods: Critically ill children (non-neonates) with acute encephalopathy underwent continuous EEG monitoring if they met institutional clinical practice criteria. Study enrollment and data collection were prospective. Logistic regression analysis was utilized to identify risk factors for seizure occurrence. Results: One hundred children were evaluated. Electrographic seizures occurred in 46 and electrographic status epilepticus occurred in 19. Seizures were exclusively nonconvulsive in 32. The only clinical risk factor for seizure occurrence was younger age (p = 0.03). Of patients with seizures, only 52% had seizures detected in the first hour of monitoring, while 87% were detected within 24 hours. Conclusions: Seizures were common in critically ill children with acute encephalopathy. Most were nonconvulsive. Clinical features had little predictive value for seizure occurrence. Further study is needed to confirm these data in independent high-risk populations, to clarify which children are at highest risk for seizures so limited monitoring resources can be allocated optimally, and to determine whether seizure detection and management improves outcome.
Engineering of bacteriochlorophyll pigments and quantum dots for the production of novel photonic materials

Due to their small size, and consequent quantum confinement, quantum dots (QDs) exhibit electronic properties intermediate between those of bulk semiconductors and individual molecules. The electronic and optical properties of these semiconductor nanocrystals are tuneable by nanocrystal size and composition. Consequently, they offer a range of attractive photophysical properties with a wide range of possible applications. Copper indium sulphide (CIS) QDs are attracting increasing attention due to lower toxicity, significant quantum confinement, and a bulk direct band-gap of ~1.5eV making them ideal for solar energy applications. Bacteriochlorophylls (BChls) c/d and e are photosynthetic pigments found in green photosynthetic bacteria. Due to their structure, they are able to self-assemble into densely packed aggregates exhibiting strong excitonic coupling between individual pigments as well as optical spectra substantially different to those of monomeric BChls. The self-aggregating nature of these molecules and the resulting strong coupling results in impressive light harvesting ability and rapid energy transfer, thus providing exciting opportunities for use in nanomaterials. Coupling BChl aggregates with QDs should lead to strong interaction between energy levels and efficient energy transfer, yielding new hybrid nanostructures with novel electronic and optical properties. In this thesis, BChl pigments and QDs are investigated with a focus on how they might be combined to produce novel photonic materials. This thesis outlines a new method for the production of zinc containing BChl analogues as well as presenting the first molecular dynamics simulations on BChl c pigment assemblies investigating the origin of intrinsic curvature. In addition, a new method for the direct synthesis of hydrophilic CIS QD is presented, along with the first quantitative data on size dependent photoluminescent quantum yield for CIS QDs. Furthermore photoluminescent decay studies presented in this thesis shed new light on the role of size and composition on the relative contribution of key recombination pathways within CIS quantum dots.
The Rab6-regulated KIF1C kinesin motor domain contributes to Golgi organization

Most kinesins transport cargoes bound to their C-termini and use N-terminal motor domains to move along microtubules. We report here a novel function for KIF1C: it transports Rab6A-vesicles and can influence Golgi complex organization. These activities correlate with KIF1C's capacity to bind the Golgi protein Rab6A directly, both via its motor domain and C-terminus. Rab6A binding to the motor domain inhibits microtubule interaction in vitro and in cells, decreasing the amount of motile KIF1C. KIF1C depletion slows protein delivery to the cell surface, interferes with vesicle motility, and triggers Golgi fragmentation. KIF1C can protect Golgi membranes from fragmentation in cells lacking an intact microtubule network. Rescue of fragmentation requires sequences that enable KIF1C to bind Rab6A at both ends, but not KIF1C motor function. Rab6A binding to KIF1C's motor domain represents an entirely new mode of regulation for a kinesin motor, and likely has important consequences for KIF1C's cellular functions. DOI: http://dx.doi. org/10.7554/eLife.06029. 001
Effects on patients with asthma of eradicating visible indoor mould: a randomised controlled trial

Background: It is not clear whether associations between respiratory symptoms and indoor mould are causal. A randomised controlled trial was conducted to see whether asthma improves when indoor mould is removed. Methods: Houses of patients with asthma were randomly allocated into two groups. In one group, indoor mould was removed, fungicide was applied and a fan was installed in the loft. In the control group, intervention was delayed for 12 months. Questionnaires were administered and peak expiratory flow rate was measured at baseline, 6 months and 12 months. Results: Eighty-one houses were allocated to the intervention group and 83 to the control group; 95 participants in 68 intervention houses and 87 in 63 control houses supplied follow-up information. Peak expiratory flow rate variability declined in both groups, with no significant differences between them. At 6 months, significantly more of the intervention group showed a net improvement in wheeze affecting activities (difference between groups 25%, 95% CI 3% to 47%; p = 0.028), perceived improvement of breathing (52%, 95% CI 30% to 74%; p<0.0001) and perceived reduction in medication (59%, 95% CI 35% to 81%; p<0.0001). By 12 months the intervention group showed significantly greater reductions than the controls in preventer and reliever use, and more improvement in rhinitis (24%, 95% CI 9% to 39%; p = 0.001) and rhinoconjunctivitis (20%, 95% CI 5% to 36%; p = 0.009). Conclusions: Although there was no objective evidence of benefit, symptoms of asthma and rhinitis improved and medication use declined following removal of indoor mould. It is unlikely that this was entirely a placebo effect.
Microarray expression profile of circular RNAs in chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension

Background: Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) is a rare but debilitating and life-threatening complication of acute pulmonary embolism. Circular RNAs (circRNAs), presenting as covalently closed continuous loops, are RNA molecules with covalently joined 3′- and 5′-ends formed by back-splicing events. circRNAs may be significant biological molecules to understand disease mechanisms and to identify biomarkers for disease diagnosis and therapy. The aim of this study was to investigate the potential roles of circRNAs in CTEPH. Methods: Ten human blood samples (5 each from CTEPH and control groups) were included in the Agilent circRNA chip. The differentially expressed circRNAs were evaluated using t test, with significance set at a P value of < . 05. A functional enrichment analysis for differentially expressed circRNAs was performed using DAVID online tools, and a Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway enrichment analysis for target genes of miRNAs was performed using the R package clusterProfiler. Furthermore, miRNAs that interacted with differentially expressed circRNAs were predicted using the miRanda package. mRNAs that had clear biological functions and were regulated by miRNAs were predicted using miRWalk2.0 and then combined into a circRNA–miRNA–mRNA network. Results: In total, 351 differentially expressed circRNAs (122 upregulated and 229 downregulated) between CTEPH and control groups were obtained; among these circRNAs, hsa_circ_0002062 and hsa_circ_0022342 might be important because they can regulate 761 (e.g., hsa-miR-942–5p) and 453 (e.g., hsa-miR-940) miRNAs, respectively. Target genes (e.g., cyclin-dependent kinase 6) of hsa-miR-942–5p were mainly enriched in cancer-related pathways, whereas target genes (e.g., CRK-Like Proto-Oncogene, Adaptor Protein) of hsa-miR-940 were enriched in the ErbB signaling pathway. Therefore, these pathways are potentially important in CTEPH. Conclusions: Our findings suggested that hsa_circ_0002062 and hsa_circ_0022342 may be key circRNAs for CTEPH development and that their targeted regulation may be an effective approach for treating CTEPH.
Results on Parity-Check Matrices With Optimal Stopping And/Or Dead-End Set Enumerators

The performance of iterative decoding techniques for linear block codes correcting erasures depends very much on the sizes of the stopping sets associated with the underlying Tanner graph, or, equivalently, the parity-check matrix representing the code. In this correspondence, we introduce the notion of dead-end sets to explicitly demonstrate this dependency. The choice of the parity-check matrix entails a tradeoff between performance and complexity. We give bounds on the complexity of iterative decoders achieving optimal performance in terms of the sizes of the underlying parity-check matrices. Further, we fully characterize codes for which the optimal stopping set enumerator equals the weight enumerator.
The size of knots in polymers

Circular DNA in viruses and bacteria is often knotted. While mathematically problematic, the determination of the knot size is crucial for the study of the physical and biological behaviour of long macromolecules. Here, we review work on the size distribution of these knots under equilibrium conditions. We discuss knot localization in good and poor solvents, or in polymers that are adsorbed on a surface. We also discuss recent evidence that knot size is a crucial quantity in relaxation processes of knotted polymers.
Monetary cost optimizations for MPI-based HPC applications on Amazon clouds: checkpoints and replicated execution

In this paper, we propose monetary cost optimizations for MPI-based applications with deadline constraints on Amazon EC2. Particularly, we consider to utilize two kinds of Amazon EC2 instances (on-demand and spot instances). As a spot instance can fail at any time due to out-of-bid events, fault tolerant executions are necessary. Through detailed studies, we have found that two common fault tolerant mechanisms, i.e., checkpoints and replicated executions, are complementary for cost-effective MPI executions on spot instances. We formulate the optimization problem and propose a novel cost model to minimize the expected monetary cost. The experimental results with NPB benchmarks on Amazon EC2 demonstrate that 1) it is feasible to run MPI applications with performance constraints on spot instances, 2) our proposal achieves significant monetary cost reduction compared to the state-of-the-art algorithm and 3) it is necessary to adaptively choose checkpoint and replication techniques for cost-effective and reliable MPI executions on Amazon EC2.