Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Helicobacter pylori Eradication: A Randomized Prospective Study of Triple Therapy Versus Triple Therapy Plus Lactoferrin and Probiotics

OBJECTIVES:Helicobacter pylori is causally associated with gastritis and peptic ulcer diseases. Recent data (meta-analysis) have demonstrated that triple therapy with amoxicillin, clarithromycin, and a proton pump inhibitor has an eradication rate of only 74–76% and new therapeutic protocols may be necessary. The aim of this study was to examine whether adding bovine lactoferrin (bLf) and probiotics (Pbs) to the standard triple therapy for H. pylori infection could improve the eradication rate and reduce side effects.METHODS:H. pylori infection was diagnosed in 206 patients: in 107 based on an upper endoscopy exam and a rapid urease test, and in 99 by means of the H. pylori stool antigen-test and the C13 urea breath test (C13 UBT). The patients were randomized into two groups: 101 patients (group A) underwent standard triple eradication therapy (esomeprazole, clarithromycin, amoxicillin), while 105 patients (group B) underwent a modified eradication therapy (standard triple eradication therapy plus bLf and Pb). Successful eradication therapy was defined as a negative C13 UBT 8 wk after completion of the treatment. Results were evaluated by intention-to-treat (ITT) and per-protocol (PP) analysis. Data were evaluated and considered positive when P < 0.05. RESULTS:At the end of the study 175/206 patients showed negative C13 UBT results. According to intention-to-treat analysis, the infection was eradicated in 73/101 patients from Group A and in 93/105 from Group B. PP analysis showed 73/96 patients from Group A and 93/101 from Group B to have been successfully treated. More patients from group A than from group B reported side effects from their treatment (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS:The results of our study suggest that the addition of bLf and Pbs could improve the standard eradication therapy for H. pylori infection—bLf serving to increase the eradication rate and Pbs to reduce the side effects of antibiotic therapy.
Sarcopenic Indices in Community-Dwelling Older Adults

Background:Sarcopenic (SP) indices are used to estimate loss of skeletal lean mass and function and to determine the prevalence of SP in older adults. It is believed that older women and men with lower skeletal lean mass will be weaker and have more functional limitations. Purpose:(1) To classify community-dwelling older adults using 2 common SP indices: appendicular lean mass/height2 (ALM/ht2) and skeletal muscle index (SMI), and (2) to determine each indices value as indicators of lower extremity strength and physical function. Methods:The sample consisted of 154 community-dwelling older adults (111 women and 43 men; mean age = 82.4, SD = 3.6 years; mean body mass index = 25.8, SD = 4.4 kg/m2). Each underwent whole-body dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry to assess lean mass. The 9-item modified Physical Performance Test and self-selected walking speed were used to evaluate function. Lower extremity strength was measured bilaterally using isokinetic dynamometry. Results:The ALM/ht2 index classified 75 participants (49%) as SP and 79 (51%) as nonsarcopenic (NSP). The SMI classified 129 participants (84%) as SP and 25 (16%) as NSP. There were no differences in functional measures between groups by gender using either index after classification. The ALM/ht2 index was more strongly correlated with peak torque of all lower extremity muscle groups (r = 0.276–0.487) compared with the SMI (r = 0.103–0.344). There was no relationship between SP index and physical function. Discussion:There were marked differences in how 2 SP indices classified community-dwelling older adults. Lower extremity strength was lower in older women classified as SP than NSP using the ALM/ht2 index, but LE strength was not different in older men. However, no lower extremity strength differences were observed between SP and NSP men or women using the SMI classification. None of the SP index uniformly identified community-dwelling older adults with functional or strength deficits. Conclusions:Detection of strength deficits using SP indices alone may be gender-specific and may not reflect strength or functional decline in community-dwelling men aged 80 years or older. Given associations between lower extremity strength and physical function, strength measures remain a better predictor of physical performance than SP indices for community-dwelling older men and women.
Design of Integrated Light Guide Plate With Functional Structure of Enhanced Diffusion Length for Ultra-slim LED Backlight Unit

An integrated light guide plate (LGP) with a functional structure for a longer diffusion length to decrease the thickness was proposed and designed for the large area direct-type LED backlight unit (BLU). The integrated LGP is composed of a concave cone structure on the top surface and a rugged bottom surface. The light emitted from the LED sources can be reflected on the top surface and diffuse effectively inside the LGP and in the bottom air-gap, which is placed below the LGP to realize sufficient diffusion length even in the ultra-slim structure. After comparing the optical simulation results with the measured data from the fabricated hexagonal unit cell of an LGP, we verified our design concept and realized the integrated LGP. The final LGP for a 55-inch LED display shows a brightness uniformity of 90.5% with a reduced number of 81 LEDs and a thickness of 6 mm, a remarkably reduced value compared with previous direct-type large area LED backlight units.
Examining the Impact of Smoke on Frontal Clouds and Precipitation During the 2002 Yakutsk Wildfires Using the WRF‐Chem‐SMOKE Model and Satellite Data

In 2002, an enormous amount of smoke has been emitted from Yakutsk wildfires. In this study, we examine the impact of smoke on cloud properties and precipitation associated with frontal systems using the WRF‐Chem‐SMOKE model and satellite data. The smoke emissions are computed using the fire radiative power technique. Smoke particles are represented as an internal mixture of organic matter (OM), black carbon (BC), and other inorganic matter, and their microphysical and radiative effects are explicitly modeled. After examining the fire activities, we identified two fire periods (FP1 and FP2). During FP1, in the cloud deck with the high cloud droplet number concentration (CDNC), but the relatively small amount of ice nuclei (IN), the rain and snow water contents (RWC and SWC) were strongly reduced, because of suppressed collision‐coalescence and riming processes. The cloud cells acquired the longer lifetime and traveled farther downwind. During FP2, in the cloud deck with relatively high CDNC and IN, RWC was reduced; however, the large amounts of IN triggered the glaciation indirect effect and leaded to increased SWC. Due to the competing effects of CDNC and IN, changes in the cloud lifetime were small. Consequently, smoke‐induced changes in the total cloudiness cause a dipole feature. After the smoke was nearly consumed during FP1, the large‐scale dynamics of the frontal system was altered by smoke. The onset of the precipitation was delayed by 1 day. In FP2, the onset of the precipitation was not delayed but occurred at different locations, and the area‐averaged precipitation was slightly reduced (~0.5 mm/day).
Policy 2.0 Platform for Mobile Sensing and Incentivized Targeted Shifts in Mobility Behavior

Sustainable mobility and smart mobility management play important roles in achieving smart cities’ goals. In this context we investigate the role of smartphones as mobility behavior sensors and evaluate the responsivity of different attitudinal profiles towards personalized route suggestion incentives delivered via mobile phones. The empirical results are based on mobile sensed data collected from more than 3400 people’s real life over a period of six months. The findings show which user profiles are most likely to accept such incentives and how likely they are to result in more sustainable mode choices. In addition we provide insights into tendencies towards accepting more sustainable route options for different trip purposes and illustrate smart city platform potential (for collection of mobility behavior data and delivery of incentives) as a tool for development of personalized mobility management campaigns and policies.
Rheumatic chorea in northern Australia: a clinical and epidemiological study

To describe the epidemiology and clinical features of Sydenham’s chorea in the Aboriginal population of northern Australia a review was conducted of 158 episodes in 108 people: 106 were Aborigines, 79 were female, and the mean age was 10.9 years at first episode. Chorea occurred in 28% of cases of acute rheumatic fever, carditis occurred in 25% of episodes of chorea, and arthritis in 8%. Patients with carditis or arthritis tended to have raised acute phase reactants and streptococcal serology. Two episodes lasted at least 30 months. Mean time to first recurrence of chorea was 2.1 years compared with 1.2 years to second recurrence. Established rheumatic heart disease developed in 58% of cases and was more likely in those presenting with acute carditis, although most people who developed rheumatic heart disease did not have evidence of acute carditis with chorea. Differences in the patterns of chorea and other manifestations of acute rheumatic fever in different populations may hold clues to its pathogenesis. Long term adherence to secondary prophylaxis is crucial following all episodes of acute rheumatic fever, including chorea, to prevent recurrence.
Activity-Dependent Neuronal Model on Complex Networks

Neuronal avalanches are a novel mode of activity in neuronal networks, experimentally found in vitro and in vivo, and exhibit a robust critical behavior: these avalanches are characterized by a power law distribution for the size and duration, features found in other problems in the context of the physics of complex systems. We present a recent model inspired in self-organized criticality, which consists of an electrical network with threshold firing, refractory period, and activity-dependent synaptic plasticity. The model reproduces the critical behavior of the distribution of avalanche sizes and durations measured experimentally. Moreover, the power spectra of the electrical signal reproduce very robustly the power law behavior found in human electroencephalogram (EEG) spectra. We implement this model on a variety of complex networks, i.e., regular, small-world, and scale-free and verify the robustness of the critical behavior.
Serodiagnosis of Syphilis: Antibodies to Recombinant Tp0453, Tp92, and Gpd Proteins Are Sensitive and Specific Indicators of Infection by Treponema pallidum

ABSTRACT Syphilis serodiagnosis relies on a combination of nonspecific screening tests (antilipoidal antibodies) and Treponema pallidum-specific tests (anti-T. pallidum antibodies). We studied a group of six recombinant T. pallidum antigens for their sensitivities and specificities with sera from individuals with syphilis (n = 43), relapsing fever (n = 8), Lyme disease (n = 8), and leptospirosis (n = 9) and from uninfected individuals (n = 15). Three recombinant proteins, Tp0155, Tp0483, and Tp0751, demonstrated sensitivity values that ranged from 28 to 42%. In contrast, three other recombinant proteins exhibited the following sensitivity and specificity values: Tp0453, 100% sensitivity and 100% specificity; Tp92 (Tp0326), 98% sensitivity and 97% specificity; and Gpd (Tp0257), 91% sensitivity and 93% specificity. Tp0453, Tp92, and Gpd also were recognized by sera from individuals with early primary syphilis that were nonreactive with the antilipoidal Venereal Disease Research Laboratory test. The reactivities of syphilis patient sera with Tp0453, Tp92, and Gpd were proportional to the titers of these sera with the treponemal test MHA-TP (microhemagglutination assay for T. pallidum). Thus, the recombinant T. pallidum antigens Tp0453, Tp92, and Gpd show promise as diagnostic antigens in the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay-based assay.
Does Trust Beget Trustworthiness? Trust and Trustworthiness in Two Games and Two Cultures: A Research Note

An important unanswered question in the empirical literature on trust is whether trusting begets trustworthiness. In two experimental games, with Japanese and American participants, respectively, we compared trust and trustworthiness to provide an answer to this question. The trustee in the standard Trust Game knows that he or she is trusted, whereas the trustee in the Faith Game does not know whether or not this is the case. Except for this fact, the trustee faces the same choice in both situations. If the simple fact that one is trusted by someone else makes a person more trustworthy to the truster, then the trustee in the Trust Game should behave in a more trustworthy manner. Our results indicate that trust does not beget trustworthiness, at least in one-shot games. The results also indicate that trust and trustworthiness are two sides of the same coin but are quite distinct, partially replicating the recent findings of Buchan, Croson, and Dawes. American trusters were more trusting than their Japanese counterparts in the Trust Game, whereas American trustees were less trustworthy. The nationality difference in trust and trustworthiness is less pronounced in the Faith Game. We conclude that trust researchers should consider the limitations of one-shot games in studying the determinants of trust and trustworthiness.
Pacing in elderly recurrent fallers with carotid sinus hypersensitivity: a randomised, double-blind, placebo controlled crossover trial

Objectives: While carotid sinus syndrome (CSS) is traditionally defined by the association of carotid sinus hypersensitivity (CSH) with syncope, uncertainty remains over the role, if any, of complex pacing in patients with CSH and unexplained or recurrent falls. We sought to clarify the role of dual chamber pacing in this patient group in the first placebo-controlled study in CSH. Design: Randomised, double-blind, crossover, placebo-controlled trial. Setting: Specialist falls and syncope facility. Patients: Consecutive subjects aged over 55 years with CSH as the sole attributable cause of three or more unexplained falls in the 6 months preceding enrolment. Intervention: Dual-chamber permanent pacing with rate-drop response programming. The pacemaker was switched on (DDD/RDR) or off (ODO (placebo)) for 6 months, then crossed over to the alternate mode for a further 6 months, in randomised, double-blind fashion. Main outcome measure: The primary outcome measure was number of falls in paced and non-paced modes. Results: Twenty-five of 34 subjects (mean 76.8 years (SD 9.0), 27 (79%) female) recruited completed the study. Pacing intervention had no effect on number of falls (4.04 (9.54) in DDD/RDR mode, 3.48 (7.22) in ODO; relative risk of falling in ODO mode 0.82, 95% CI 0.62 to 1.10). Conclusion: Permanent pacing intervention had no effect on fall rates in older patients with CSH. Further work is urgently needed to clarify the role, if any, of complex pacing in this patient group.
Clinical and genetic heterogeneity in peroneal muscular atrophy associated with vocal cord weakness

Background: The peroneal muscular atrophy syndrome is the most common inherited disorder of the peripheral nervous system and has extensive clinical and genetic heterogeneity. Cranial nerve involvement is rare, though there are distinct peroneal muscular atrophy syndromes in which vocal cord paralysis is a characteristic feature. Among these dHMN-VII and HMSN-IIC are clinically similar but are differentiated by sensory involvement in HMSN-IIC. The gene for dHMN-VII, designated DHMNVP, has been localised to chromosome 2q14, but the location of the gene for HMSN-IIC is currently unknown. It has been suggested that dHMN-VII and HMSN II-C are allelic disorders. Objective: To assess the contribution of the dHMN-VII predisposition gene to peroneal muscular atrophy syndromes associated with vocal cord weakness. Methods: Linkage analysis of microsatellite markers at chromosome 2q14 was undertaken on two families, one affected by HMSN-IIC and a second manifesting vocal cord paralysis and sensorineural deafness in addition to distal muscular atrophy. Results: Two-point LOD scores at chromosome 2q14 markers encompassing the DHMNVP gene were negative in both families. Conclusions: These results suggest that at least one further gene predisposing to distal muscular weakness in association with vocal cord paralysis is likely to exist, and that dHMN-VII and HMSN-IIC are unlikely to be allelic disorders. Analyses of further HMSN-IIC families are required to confirm this.
Optimization of conditional value-at risk

In an intensifying international competition banks are forced to place increased emphasis on enterprise wide risk-/return management. Financial risks have to be limited and managed from a bank wide portfolio perspective. Risk management requirements have to be met from an internal as well as from a regulatory point of view. Banks need to maximize their expected returns under these constraints. This leads to a generalized portfolio optimization problem under different capital restrictions. We pursue a two-step Risk-/Return Management Approach (“RRM-Approach”) [3]. At first we formulate an optimization model that maximizes the expected returns of the bank portfolio to the planning horizon under internal and regulatory loss risk limitations. The restriction on the internal economic capital is based on the risk measure of Conditional Value at Risk (CVaR), that has been proved to be appropriate for measuring bank wide loss risk [1]. The regulatory capital restrictions represent the actual Basle Rules of risk limitation. The optimization model of step 1 of the RRM-Approach is solved by an application of the CVaR-optimization approach by Rockafellar/Uryasev [1]. In the second step, we derive a consistent risk-/return key ratio system from the optimum portfolio of step 1. We estimate the risk and return contributions of each single asset in the portfolio and achieve additive, linear representations of the expected returns and the regulatory and internal risk contributions. The latter we obtain by an application of Euler’s Formula on CVaR [2]. We sum up the risk and return contributions of the single assets on the business line level. In this way we deduce consistent return targets and capital limits of the economic and the internal capital for each business line. These quantities represent basic planning information ensuring maximum return targets and an efficient capital allocation of the economic and the regulatory capital. The impact of the RRM-Approach is shown by a brief application example.
Assignment of sugar arrangement in branched steviol glycosides using electrospray ionization quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry.

RATIONALE Steviol glycosides with an ent-kaurene core are being used in the Food Industry as non-caloric sweeteners. These compounds are chemically similar in terms of sugar types and sugar arrangements. In order to assign sugar positions, we describe herein the dissociation pattern for steviol glycosides under varying collision energies. METHODS Steviol glycosides (1 mg/mL, 2 μL) were automatically injected into the mass spectrometer by direct infusion using a 100-well tray autosampler. The mass spectrometric analysis was performed using a quadrupole time-of-flight (QTOF) tandem mass spectrometer (model #G6530A; Agilent Technologies, Palo Alto, CA, USA) equipped with an electrospray ionization (ESI) source with Jet Stream technology. RESULTS Dissociation of several natural and prepared steviol glycosides was carefully studied by ESI-QTOF-MS/MS using a range of collision energies: 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70 and 80 eV. This procedure allowed us to establish the dissociation pattern for steviol glycosides, and thus the sugar arrangement in the branched oligosaccharide portion linked at position C-13 of steviol, and also infer the sugar arrangement at C-19. CONCLUSIONS Those steviol glycosides with a monosaccharide or less hindered disaccharides at position C-19 are cleaved at low collision energy (10 eV) while highly hindered disaccharides and trisaccharides are cleaved at 40 eV. However, sugars attached at C-13 cleave at highest collision energies in the following order: the C-3 sugar, followed by the C-2 sugar and finally the sugar directly linked at C-13. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Approximation algorithms for low-distortion embeddings into low-dimensional spaces

We present several approximation algorithms for the problem of embedding metric spaces into a line, and into the two-dimensional plane. Among other results, we give an O(√n)-approximation algorithm for the problem of finding a line embedding of a metric induced by a given unweighted graph, that minimizes the (standard) multiplicative distortion. We give an improved Õ(n1/3) approximation for the case of metrics generated by unweighted trees. This is the first result of this type.
Prophylactic Antiemetics for Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy: Ondansetron Versus Droperidol Plus Metoclopramide

Two hundred adults undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy were enrolled in a prospectively randomized, double-blind investigation comparing ondansetron, 4 mg (Group O) with the combination of droperidol, 0.625 mg, and metoclopramide, 10 mg (Group DM). Antiemetic drugs were administered intravenously (IV) after induction of general anesthesia (propofol, desflurane). Moderate or severe nausea in the postanesthesia care unit was treated with the crossover drug, i.e., ondansetron for patients in Group DM or droperidol plus metoclopramide for patients in Group O. Data were analyzed using t-tests and chi squared analyses, with P < 0.05 considered statistically significant. The groups were similar with respect to gender, age, weight, duration of surgery, number receiving intraoperative atropine or ephedrine, number admitted overnight, and time to discharge home. Of 102 patients in Group O, 44 required antiemetics in the postanesthesia care unit, compared with 24 of 98 patients in Group DM (P < 0.01). One patient (in Group DM) was admitted for persistent nausea. In conclusion, droperidol 0.625 mg IV in combination with metoclopramide 10 mg IV was more effective in preventing postoperative nausea than was ondansetron 4 mg IV in patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy, with no difference in the time to discharge. (Anesth Analg 1996;83:1081-3)
Personalized Federated Search at LinkedIn

LinkedIn has grown to become a platform hosting diverse sources of information ranging from member profiles, jobs, professional groups, slideshows etc. Given the existence of multiple sources, when a member issues a query like "software engineer", the member could look for software engineer profiles, jobs or professional groups. To tackle this problem, we exploit a data-driven approach that extracts searcher intents from their profile data and recent activities at a large scale. The intents such as job seeking, hiring, content consuming are used to construct features to personalize federated search experience. We tested the approach on the LinkedIn homepage and A/B tests show significant improvements in member engagement. As of writing this paper, the approach powers all of federated search on LinkedIn homepage.