Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The effects of transcutaneous electrical stimulation during wakefulness and sleep in patients with obstructive sleep apnea.

Upper airway (UA) collapse in obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is considered in part to result from the decrease in UA dilator muscle tone that occurs during sleep. We hypothesized that augmentation of UA muscle function by transcutaneous electrical stimulation (TES) might function to enlarge UA size during wakefulness and/or prevent UA collapse during sleep in patients with OSA. Eight male patients with OSA were studied both awake and asleep, with TES administered to the submental region in two patients and to both the submental and subhyoid regions in six patients. Fast-CT scans obtained at FRC and end-inspiration (VTei) demonstrated increased UA size with tidal breathing, p less than or equal to 0.05. The active generation of -10 cm H2O pressure at FRC substantially decreased UA size, p less than or equal to 0.001. However, no changes in UA size were detected at either FRC or VTei with TES applied at 50 and 100% of the maximal tolerated intensity. The collapsibility of the UA in response to the generation of -10 cm H2O pressure was also unchanged by TES. In contrast to the lack of effect of TES on UA size, voluntary protrusion of the tongue increased cross-sectional area (CSA) of the orohypopharyngeal (OHP) segment of the UA, p less than 0.05, and to a lesser extent the CSA of the distal velopharyngeal segment, p = 0.06. When applied during sleep, TES failed to prevent or improve either sleep-disordered breathing or sleep architecture. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Herpes simplex encephalitis in a domestic rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus).

An adult domestic rabbit showing neurological signs was subjected to euthanasia. At necropsy, macroscopical lesions were absent. Histopathologically, extensive lesions were seen, particularly in the cerebral cortex. Non-suppurative meningitis was present and there was lymphocytic and plasmacytic perivascular cuffing in the neuropil. The cerebral cortex showed extensive segmental neuronal and glial necrosis. Within the necrotic areas, large amphophilic intranuclear inclusion bodies were present in neurons and glial cells. Immunohistochemically, neurons and glial cells in the affected areas were labelled by polyclonal antibodies against both herpes simplex virus-1 (HSV-1) and HSV-2. The agent was classified as HSV-1 by polymerase chain reaction analysis. This is only the second reported natural case of herpes simplex infection in a rabbit.
Bimodal Bidding in Experimental All-Pay Auctions 1

We report results from experimental first-price, sealed-bid, all-pay auctions for a good with a common and known value. We observe bidding strategies in groups of two and three bidders and under two extreme information conditions. As predicted by the Nash equilibrium, subjects use mixed strategies. In contrast to the prediction under standard assumptions bids are drawn from a bimodal distribution: very high and very low bids are much more frequent than intermediate bids. Standard risk preferences cannot account for our results. However, bidding behavior is consistent with the predictions of a model with reference dependent preferences as proposed by the prospect theory.
HDL Size is More Accurate than HDL Cholesterol to Predict Carotid Subclinical Atherosclerosis in Individuals Classified as Low Cardiovascular Risk

Background Misclassification of patients as low cardiovascular risk (LCR) remains a major concern and challenges the efficacy of traditional risk markers. Due to its strong association with cholesterol acceptor capacity, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) size has been appointed as a potential risk marker. Hence, we investigate whether HDL size improves the predictive value of HDL-cholesterol in the identification of carotid atherosclerotic burden in individuals stratified to be at LCR. Methods and Findings 284 individuals (40–75 years) classified as LCR by the current US guidelines were selected in a three-step procedure from primary care centers of the cities of Campinas and Americana, SP, Brazil. Apolipoprotein B-containing lipoproteins were precipitated by polyethylene glycol and HDL size was measured by dynamic light scattering (DLS) technique. Participants were classified in tertiles of HDL size (<7.57; 7.57–8.22; >8.22 nm). Carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) <0.90 mm (80th percentile) was determined by high resolution ultrasonography and multivariate ordinal regression models were used to assess the association between cIMT across HDL size and levels of lipid parameters. HDL-cholesterol was not associated with cIMT. In contrast, HDL size >8.22 nm was independently associated with low cIMT in either unadjusted and adjusted models for age, gender and Homeostasis Model Assessment 2 index for insulin sensitivity, ethnicity and body mass index (Odds ratio 0.23; 95% confidence interval 0.07–0.74, p = 0.013). Conclusion The mean HDL size estimated with DLS constitutes a better predictor for subclinical carotid atherosclerosis than the conventional measurements of plasma HDL-cholesterol in individuals classified as LCR.
Clinical Outcome of Doublet and Triplet Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy for Locally Advanced Gastric Cancer.

Background/Aims In gastric cancer, the rate of recurrence and metastasis following radical resection is high, necessitating improvement in survival and cure rates. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) has potential benefits for locally advanced gastric cancer; however, the surgical benefits and effects on survival are unclear. This study evaluates the effectiveness of NAC in locally advanced gastric cancer and compares clinical outcomes of doublet and triplet regimens. Methods We reviewed patient medical records of 383 patients who underwent NAC (n=41) or surgery only (n=342) for treatment of locally advanced gastric cancer. The baseline characteristics and clinical outcomes were compared between the groups. Chemotherapy patients were classified according to regimen, doublet (n=28) and triplet (n=13), and NAC-related clinical response, safety, and toxicity were analyzed. Results The baseline characteristics did not differ significantly between groups. After NAC, the tumor downstage rate was 51.2% (21/41); however, overall survival (p=0.205) and disease-free survival (p=0.415) were not significantly different between the groups. On subgroup analysis, no significant differences in drug toxicity (p=0.604) or clinical response (p=0.374) were found between outcomes of doublet and triplet chemotherapy regimens. Conclusions In patients with locally advanced gastric cancer, NAC showed tolerable drug toxicity and increased tumor downstage, but NAC failed to increase the survival rate, which may be caused by a high D2-lymphadenectomy rate. Therefore, NAC was found to be a therapeutic option for select gastric cancer patients.
Replication and Data Placement in Distributed Key-Value Stores

MapReduce is a programming model widely used to process large amounts of data. Its its known for good scalability, ease of use, and fault-tolerance. However, it still exhibits some performance limitations when accessing the data to be processed, being far from reaching the performance of a well-conﬁgured parallel Database Management Systems (DBMSs). In this report we survey the most relevant optimisations that have been proposed for MapReduce, including indexing, data layouts, and co-location. We propose a novel system that, combining these three techniques, aims at boosting the execution time of MapReduce jobs by providing more eﬃcient access to input data. Finally, we brieﬂy describe how we plan to conduct the experimental evaluation of our system using a Twitter dataset.
Joint channel assignment and link scheduling for wireless mesh networks: Revisiting the Partially Overlapped Channels

Despite all the encouraging reports on the benefit of Partially Overlapped Channels (POCs), the relative simple interference models and rather arbitrary network settings considered in the literature make those reports questionable. In order to gain proper engineering insights, we look into the problem of improving network throughput by making use of POCs in this paper. Our perspectives are novel in that we 1) adopt a more realistic model to capture the additive nature of interference, 2) apply efficient solution techniques to obtain the optimal solutions of the hard optimization problems, and 3) focus on a typical mesh networking scenario. The outcome of our investigations, though revealing interesting aspects of using multiple channels, contradicts the previous statements by exhibiting that only a marginal gain can be obtained if POCs are used.
Machine Learning on Human Connectome Data from MRI

Functional MRI (fMRI) and diffusion MRI (dMRI) are non-invasive imaging modalities that allow in-vivo analysis of a patient's brain network (known as a connectome). Use of these technologies has enabled faster and better diagnoses and treatments of neurological disorders and a deeper understanding of the human brain. Recently, researchers have been exploring the application of machine learning models to connectome data in order to predict clinical outcomes and analyze the importance of subnetworks in the brain. Connectome data has unique properties, which present both special challenges and opportunities when used for machine learning. The purpose of this work is to review the literature on the topic of applying machine learning models to MRI-based connectome data. This field is growing rapidly and now encompasses a large body of research. To summarize the research done to date, we provide a comparative, structured summary of 77 relevant works, tabulated according to different criteria, that represent the majority of the literature on this topic. (We also published a living version of this table online at this http URL that the community can continue to contribute to.) After giving an overview of how connectomes are constructed from dMRI and fMRI data, we discuss the variety of machine learning tasks that have been explored with connectome data. We then compare the advantages and drawbacks of different machine learning approaches that have been employed, discussing different feature selection and feature extraction schemes, as well as the learning models and regularization penalties themselves. Throughout this discussion, we focus particularly on how the methods are adapted to the unique nature of graphical connectome data. Finally, we conclude by summarizing the current state of the art and by outlining what we believe are strategic directions for future research.
Evaluation of different measurement methods to determine stray load losses in induction machines

Five different test methods for the determination of stray load losses of line-operated induction machines are compared and the results obtained are discussed. The five experimental measurement procedures are: input-output tests acc. to IEC 61972 (A) and IEEE 112-method B (B), reverse rotation test (RRT) (C) acc. to the standard IEEE 112, eh-star-circuit (D) and equivalent no-load method (E). The advantages and disadvantages of these measurement methods are shown. Nineteen cage induction motors (2-, 4- and 6-pole) with current design of six European manufacturers with rated power 1.1 kW, 5.5 kW and 11 kW are investigated. RRT method yields higher stray load losses, whereas results of IEC 61972, IEEE 112-method B and eh-star-circuit results correlate quite well. The results of equivalent no-load method are either greater or less than values of IEEE 112-method B, and only in some cases are fitting quite well. The eh-star method seems to be a good, lower cost alternative for determination of stray load losses of induction machines
Social inequalities in the impact of flexible employment on different domains of psychosocial health

Study objectives: (1) To analyse the impact of flexible employment on mental health and job dissatisfaction; and (2) to examine the constraints imposed by flexible employment on men’s and women’s partnership formation and people’s decision to become parents. For the two objectives the potentially different patterns by sex and social class are explored. Design: Cross sectional health survey. Multiple logistic regression models separated for sex and social class (manual and non-manual workers) and controlling for age were fitted. Four types of contractual arrangements have been considered: permanent, fixed term temporary contract, non-fixed term temporary contract, and no contract. Setting: Catalonia (a region in the north east of Spain). Participants: Salaried workers interviewed in the 2002 Catalonian health survey with no longstanding limiting illness, aged 16–64 (1474 men and 998 women). Main results: Fixed term temporary contracts were not associated with poor mental health status. The impact of other forms of flexible employment on mental health depended on the type of contractual arrangement, sex, and social class and it was restricted to less privileged workers, women, and manual male workers. The impact of flexible employment on living arrangements was higher in men. Among both manual and non-manual male workers, those with fixed term temporary contracts were less likely to have children when married or cohabiting and, additionally, among non-manual male workers they also were more likely to remain single (aOR = 2.35; 95%CI = 1.13 to 4.90). Conclusion: Some forms of temporary contracts are related to adverse health and psychosocial outcomes with different patterns depending on the outcome analysed and on sex and social class. Future research should incorporate variables to capture situations of precariousness associated with flexible employment.
Recent trends and predictors of multimodality treatment for oesophageal, oesophagogastric junction, and gastric cancer: A Dutch cohort-study

Background. In recent years, evidence supporting multimodality treatment for oesophageal, oesophagogastric junction (OGJ), and gastric cancer has accumulated. This population-based cohort-study investigates trends and predictors of utilisation of multimodality treatment for oesophagogastric cancer in the Netherlands. Patients and methods. Data were obtained from the Netherlands Cancer Registry regarding patients with oesophageal (n = 5450), OGJ (n = 2168) and gastric cancer (n = 6683) without distant metastases who had undergone R0 or R1 surgery diagnosed between 2000 and 2012. Follow-up was completed until February 2014. Preoperative/postoperative chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy combined with surgery were considered multimodality treatment. Logistic regression analysis was performed to analyse the association of age, gender, socioeconomic status, clinical T and N classification, hospital type, comprehensive cancer centre network region, and year of diagnosis, with multimodality treatment receipt. Additional analyses were performed to explore differences in trends of utilisation of multimodality treatment between academic and non-academic hospitals. Results. Multimodality treatment utilisation for oesophageal, OGJ and gastric cancer increased significantly to 90%, 85% and 56% in 2012, respectively. In oesophageal and OGJ cancer patients, preoperative chemoradiotherapy was most frequently administered (85% and 47% in 2012, respectively), and in gastric cancer patients preoperative chemotherapy (47% in 2012). Lower age, higher clinical T and N classification, and diagnosis in more recent years were significantly associated with more frequent multimodality treatment receipt. The adoption of most types of multimodality treatment in academic hospitals preceded non-academic hospitals by a year. Conclusion. In the Netherlands, the utilisation of multimodality treatment for oesophagogastric cancer has significantly increased during the past decade, especially in oesophageal and OGJ cancer. Multimodality treatment utilisation was especially dependent on patient and tumour characteristics and year of diagnosis, but multimodality treatment trends seem to be related to the publication of landmark studies, participation in nationally running clinical trials, and hospital type, preceding national guidelines.
Comparison of perceived value structural models

Perceived value has been considered an important determinant of consumer shopping behavior and studied as such for a long period of time. According to one research stream, perceived value is a variable determined by perceived quality and perceived sacrifice. Another research stream suggests that the perception of value is a result of the consumer risk perception. This implies the presence of two somewhat independent research streams that are integrated by a third research stream – the one suggesting that perceived value is a result of perceived quality and perceived sacrifices while perceived (performance and financial) risk mediates the relationship between perceived quality and perceived sacrifices on the one hand, and perceived value on the other. This paper describes the three approaches (models) that have been mentioned. The aim of the paper is to determine which of the observed models show the most acceptable level of fit to the empirical data. Using the survey method, research involving three product categories has been conducted on a sample of Croatian consumers. Collected data was analyzed by the structural equation modeling (SEM) method. Research has shown an appropriate level of fit of each observed model to the empirical data. However, the model measuring the effect of perceived risk on perceived value indicates the best level of fit, which implies that perceived performance risk and perceived financial risk are the best predictors of perceived value.
Explaining the geographical origins of seasonal influenza A (H3N2)

Most antigenically novel and evolutionarily successful strains of seasonal influenza A (H3N2) originate in East, South and Southeast Asia. To understand this pattern, we simulated the ecological and evolutionary dynamics of influenza in a host metapopulation representing the temperate north, tropics and temperate south. Although seasonality and air traffic are frequently used to explain global migratory patterns of influenza, we find that other factors may have a comparable or greater impact. Notably, a region's basic reproductive number (R0) strongly affects the antigenic evolution of its viral population and the probability that its strains will spread and fix globally: a 17–28% higher R0 in one region can explain the observed patterns. Seasonality, in contrast, increases the probability that a tropical (less seasonal) population will export evolutionarily successful strains but alone does not predict that these strains will be antigenically advanced. The relative sizes of different host populations, their birth and death rates, and the region in which H3N2 first appears affect influenza's phylogeography in different but relatively minor ways. These results suggest general principles that dictate the spatial dynamics of antigenically evolving pathogens and offer predictions for how changes in human ecology might affect influenza evolution.
Iterative implementation of dialogue system modules

This paper presents an approach to the implementation of modules for dialogue systems. The implementation method is divided into two distinct, but correlated, steps; Conceptual design and Framework customisation. Conceptual design and framework customisation are two mutually dependent sides of the same phenomena, where the former is an on-paper activity that results in a design document and the latter results in the actual implementation. The method is iterative and applicable in various phases of dialogue system development and also for different dialogue system modules. We also present the development of the dialogue management module in more detail. The development space for such modules involves issues on modularisation, knowledge representation and interface functionality internally, and between modules. Orthogonal to this are the various types of re-use for framework customisation; tools, framework template and code patterns. Taken together they form a scheme which is explored during the implementation process.
ACC2 Is Expressed at High Levels Human White Adipose and Has an Isoform with a Novel N-Terminus

Acetyl-CoA carboxylases ACC1 and ACC2 catalyze the carboxylation of acetyl-CoA to malonyl-CoA, regulating fatty-acid synthesis and oxidation, and are potential targets for treatment of metabolic syndrome. Expression of ACC1 in rodent lipogenic tissues and ACC2 in rodent oxidative tissues, coupled with the predicted localization of ACC2 to the mitochondrial membrane, have suggested separate functional roles for ACC1 in lipogenesis and ACC2 in fatty acid oxidation. We find, however, that human adipose tissue, unlike rodent adipose, expresses more ACC2 mRNA relative to the oxidative tissues muscle and heart. Human adipose, along with human liver, expresses more ACC2 than ACC1. Using RT-PCR, real-time PCR, and immunoprecipitation we report a novel isoform of ACC2 (ACC2.v2) that is expressed at significant levels in human adipose. The protein generated by this isoform has enzymatic activity, is endogenously expressed in adipose, and lacks the N-terminal sequence. Both ACC2 isoforms are capable of de novo lipogenesis, suggesting that ACC2, in addition to ACC1, may play a role in lipogenesis. The results demonstrate a significant difference in ACC expression between human and rodents, which may introduce difficulties for the use of rodent models for development of ACC inhibitors.
Effects of cross-sex hormonetreatment on emotionality in transsexuals

The aim of the study was to investigate whether cross-sex hormone treatment in transsexuals affected the intensity of negative and positive emotions in general, and aggressive and sexual feelings in particular. With respect to emotional behavior, changes in non-verbal expressiveness and anger readiness were examined in 47 female-to-male transsexuals (FtMs) and 54 male-to-female transsexuals (MtFs). We were also interested in finding out whether, in FtMs, the rapidly changing testosterone levels in the two-week cycle testosterone treatment had predictable effects on moods, the development of male physical characteristics and sexuality.
Evidence for phosphorylation of serine 753 in CFTR using a novel metal‐ion affinity resin and matrix‐assisted laser desorption mass spectrometry

The cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene encodes an apical membrane C1− channel regulated by protein phosphorylation. To identify cAMP‐dependent protein kinase (PKA)‐phosphorylated residues in full‐length CFTR, immobilized metal‐ion affinity chromatography (IMAC) was used to selectively purify phosphopeptides. The greater specificity of iron‐loaded (Fe3+) nitrilotriacetic (NTA) Sepharose compared to iminodiacetic acid (IDA) metal‐chelating matrices was demonstrated using a PKA‐phosphorylated recombinant NBD1‐R protein from CFTR. Fe3+‐loaded NTA Sepharose preferentially bound phosphopeptides, whereas acidic and poly‐His‐containing peptides were co‐purified using the conventional IDA matrices. IMAC using NTA Sepharose enabled the selective recovery of phosphopeptides and identification of phosphorylated residues from a complex proteolytic digest. Phosphopeptides from PKA‐phosphorylated full‐length CFTR, generated in Hi5 insect cells using a baculovirus expression system, were purified using NTA Sepharose. Phosphopeptides were identified using matrix‐assisted laser desorption mass spectrometry (MALDI/MS) with post‐source decay (PSD) analysis and collision‐induced dissociation (CID) experiments. Phosphorylated peptides were identified by mass and by the metastable loss of HPO3 and H3PO4 from the parent ions. Peptide sequence and phosphorylation at CFTR residues 660Ser, 737Ser, and 795Ser were confirmed using MALDI/PSD analysis. Peptide sequences and phosphorylation at CFTR residues 700Ser, 712Ser, 768Ser, and 813Ser were deduced from peptide mass, metastable fragment ion formation, and PKA consensus sequences. Peptide sequence and phosphorylation at residue 753Ser was confirmed using MALDI/CID analysis. This is the first report of phosphorylation of 753Ser in full‐length CFTR.