Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
No long-term psychological morbidity living with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator under advisory: the Medtronic Marquis experience.

AIMS It is unclear whether there is important psychological morbidity associated with living with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) under advisory and whether this should be factored into decision-making. METHODS AND RESULTS Our study focused on patients living with advisory Medtronic Marquis ICDs. Patient adjustment to the ICD was evaluated using a validated device-specific metric of patient acceptance, the Florida Patient Acceptance Survey (FPAS). A comparison group of patients with other models of ICDs that were not under an advisory also completed the study measure. The questionnaire return rate was 86/122 (70.5%) in the advisory group and 94/134 (70.1%) in the non-advisory group. Only one patient in our clinic elected for generator change due to severe anxiety. There were no differences in demographic or clinical variables between the groups. There were no differences in the mean total FPAS score between the two patient groups (advisory patients 85.97 +/- 14.95 and 86.23 +/- 15.76 for non-advisory, P=0.340). Also there were no differences in any of the subscores. Correlates of poor device acceptance were younger age and a history of electrical storm. CONCLUSION We found no evidence of increased long-term psychological morbidity in patients living with an ICD under advisory compared with patients with an ICD not under advisory. Our data suggest that patients and physicians should avoid hasty decisions about ICD replacement for psychological reasons.
Multi-task learning for text-dependent speaker verification

Text-dependent speaker veriﬁcation uses short utterances and veriﬁes both speaker identity and text contents. Due to this nature, traditional state-of-the-art speaker veriﬁcation approaches, such as i-vector, may not work well. Recently, there has been interest of applying deep learning to speaker veriﬁcation, however in previous works, standalone deep learning systems have not achieved state-of-the-art performance and they have to be used in system combination or as tandem features to obtain gains. In this paper, a novel multi-task deep learning framework is proposed for text-dependent speaker veriﬁcation. First, multi-task deep learning is employed to learn both speaker identity and text information. With the learned network, utterance level average of the outputs of the last hidden layer, referred to as j-vector , means joint-vector, is extracted. Discriminant function, with classes deﬁned as multi-task labels on both speaker and text, is then applied to the j-vectors as the decision function for the closed-set recognition , and Probabilistic Linear Discriminant Analysis (PLDA), with classes deﬁned as on the multi-task labels, is applied to the j-vectors for the veriﬁcation . Experiments on the RSR2015 corpus showed that the j-vector approach leads to good result on the evaluation data. The proposed multi-task deep learning system achieved 0.54% EER, 0.14% EER for the closed-set condition.
Isolation and Development

This paper exploits cross-country variation in the degree of geographical isolation, prior to the advent of sea-faring and airborne transportation technologies, to examine its impact on the course of economic development across the globe. The empirical investigation establishes that prehistoric geographical isolation has generated a persistent beneficial effect on the process of development and contributed to the contemporary variation in the standard of living across countries.
Tight bounds for parameterized complexity of Cluster Editing with a small number of clusters

In the Correlation Clustering problem, also known as Cluster Editing, we are given an undirected graph G and a positive integer k; the task is to decide whether G can be transformed into a cluster graph, i.e., a disjoint union of cliques, by changing at most k adjacencies, that is, by adding or deleting at most k edges. The motivation of the problem stems from various tasks in computational biology (Ben-Dor et al., Journal of Computational Biology 1999) and machine learning (Bansal et al., Machine Learning 2004). Although in general Correlation Clustering is APX-hard (Charikar et al., FOCS 2003), the version of the problem where the number of cliques may not exceed a prescribed constant p admits a PTAS (Giotis and Guruswami, SODA 2006). We study the parameterized complexity of Correlation Clustering with this restriction on the number of cliques to be created. We give an algorithm that - in time O(2^{O(sqrt{pk})} + n+m) decides whether a graph G on n vertices and m edges can be transformed into a cluster graph with exactly p cliques by changing at most k adjacencies. We complement these algorithmic findings by the following, surprisingly tight lower bound on the asymptotic behavior of our algorithm. We show that unless the Exponential Time Hypothesis (ETH) fails - for any constant 0 <= sigma <= 1, there is p = Theta(k^sigma) such that there is no algorithm deciding in time 2^{o(sqrt{pk})} n^{O(1)} whether an n-vertex graph G can be transformed into a cluster graph with at most p cliques by changing at most k adjacencies. Thus, our upper and lower bounds provide an asymptotically tight analysis of the multivariate parameterized complexity of the problem for the whole range of values of p from constant to a linear function of k.
Sedimentology of New Fluvial Deposits on the Elwha River, Washington, USA, Formed During Large‐Scale Dam Removal

Removal of two dams 32 m and 64 m high on the Elwha River, Washington, USA, provided the first opportunity to examine river response to a dam removal and controlled sediment influx on such a large scale. Although many recent river‐restoration efforts have included dam removal, large dam removals have been rare enough that their physical and ecological effects remain poorly understood.
Prolonged exposure to high glucose impaired cellular behavior of normal human corneal epithelial cells

Purpose. To determine the effect of prolonged exposure to high glucose on cellular behavior of normal human corneal epithelial cells (HCEC). Methods. HCEC were cultured in medium under normal or high glucose conditions for 14 days. Proliferation was evaluated by direct cell counting and [ 3 H]thymidine incorporation. Cell cycle analysis was performed using flow cytometry. The ability of HCEC to attach to type I collagen was evaluated using a short-term colorimetric adhesion assay. The effect of high glucose on the expression of integrin a 3 ß 1 was also evaluated using flow cytometry. Results. Cell number and [ 3 H]thymidine incorporation under high glucose conditions decreased compared with those under normal glucose conditions. The cells exposed to high glucose were G 0 /G 1 than untreated cells. The adhesion ability of HCEC under high glucose conditions decreased compared to normal glucose conditions. Expression of integrin a 3 ß 1 was down-regulated under high glucose conditions. Conclusions. High glucose had deleterious effects on cellular behavior of HCEC, which might cause delayed corneal epithelial wound healing in diabetic keratopathy.
Phase I/II, Open-Label Trial of Safety and Immunogenicity of Meningococcal (Groups A, C, Y, and W-135) Polysaccharide Diphtheria Toxoid Conjugate Vaccine in Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Infected Adolescents

Background: Quadrivalent meningococcal polysaccharide conjugate vaccine (MCV4) is routinely recommended for healthy youth in the United States, but there are no data about its use in HIV-infected people. Methods: P1065 is a Phase I/II trial of MCV4 safety and immunogenicity in HIV-infected children and youth performed at 27 US sites of the IMPAACT network. All youth (11–24 years old) received 1 dose of open-label MCV4 at entry. Standardized questionnaires were used to evaluate safety. Baseline protective immunity was defined as rabbit serum bactericidal antibody (rSBA) titer ≥1:128. Immunogenic response was defined as a ≥4-fold rise in rSBA against each meningococcal serogroup. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the association of demographic and clinical characteristics on immunogenic response to serogroup C. Results: Among 319 subjects who received MCV4, 10 (3.1%) reported immediate adverse events which were local and mild, and 7 (2.2%) experienced Grade ≥3 adverse events, unrelated to vaccine. The 305 subjects with serologic data had a median age of 17 years and were 59% male, 50% Black, and 38% Latino. Subjects were stratified by entry CD4%: 12%, CD4 <15%; 40%, 15% to 24%; and 48%, ≥25%. Baseline protective immunity varied by serogroup: A, 41%; C, 11%; W-135, 15%; Y, 35% The immunogenic response rates to serogroups A, C, W-135, and Y were 68%, 52%, 73%, and 63%, respectively. In multivariable logistic regression models, lower entry CD4%, higher entry viral load, and CDC Class B/C diagnosis were associated with significantly lower odds of response to serogroup C. Conclusion: Many HIV-infected youth naturally acquire meningococcal immunity. MCV4 is safe and immunogenic in HIV-infected youth, but response rates are lower than in healthy youth, particularly for those with more advanced HIV clinical, immunologic, and virologic status.
Hematological and plasma biochemical values for captive tufted capuchin monkeys (Cebus apella)

Hematological and blood biochemical parameters are of great importance in medical and veterinary practice. Unfortunately, normal reference range intervals for hematological and serum biochemical values in the tufted capuchin monkey (Cebus apella) have seldom been reported. The study reported here is based on data from blood samples collected from 44 monkeys over an 8‐year period. Male and female data are displayed separately within two age categories: juveniles and adults, and effects for sex and age are examined. Significant differences between males and females are found for erythrocytes, hemoglobin, hematocrit, and α1 globulin. Significant differences between juveniles and adults are found for neutrophils, calcium, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase, inorganic phosphorus, glucose, total protein, serum iron, and some serum protein parameters and albumin/globulin ratio. These values are compared with values we previously reported, and their importance in care and well‐being of captive tufted capuchin monkeys is discussed. Am. J. Primatol. 70:463–472, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Randomized controlled trial of expressive writing for psychological and physical health: the moderating role of emotional expressivity

The current study assessed main effects and moderators (including emotional expressiveness, emotional processing, and ambivalence over emotional expression) of the effects of expressive writing in a sample of healthy adults. Young adult participants (N=116) were randomly assigned to write for 20 minutes on four occasions about deepest thoughts and feelings regarding their most stressful/traumatic event in the past five years (expressive writing) or about a control topic (control). Dependent variables were indicators of anxiety, depression, and physical symptoms. No significant effects of writing condition were evident on anxiety, depressive symptoms, or physical symptoms. Emotional expressiveness emerged as a significant moderator of anxiety outcomes, however. Within the expressive writing group, participants high in expressiveness evidenced a significant reduction in anxiety at three-month follow-up, and participants low in expressiveness showed a significant increase in anxiety. Expressiveness did not predict change in anxiety in the control group. These findings on anxiety are consistent with the matching hypothesis, which suggests that matching a person's naturally elected coping approach with an assigned intervention is beneficial. These findings also suggest that expressive writing about a stressful event may be contraindicated for individuals who do not typically express emotions.
Solar Variability and Climate - UTLS amplification of Solar Signal

The solar signal in atmospheric interannual variability is well tracked till the stratosphere. However, it is still not clear how this signal propagates into the troposphere and does it affect Earth’s climate. The mechanism suggesting downward propagation of solar effect from the stratopause levels could account for stratotropospheric teleconnections at middle to high latitudes, but is not applicable for very low latitudes, where the atmospheric angular momentum is almost constant. Some model experiments concerning tropical upwelling, point out the limitations of the concept of extratropical pump and downward control and contribution of stratospheric tropospheric heating to the net tropical upwelling [13, 14]. Meanwhile, different sources of measurements show that at high solar activity the Upper Troposphere and Lower Stratosphere (UTLS) are warmer than at low solar activity. Based on this result and taking into account above-mentioned modelling, we propose an additional amplifying mechanism of the solar influence on climate. In brief: 1) the warmer tropical UTLS at solar maximum affects vertical propagation of equatorial waves, altering the duration of westerly QBO phase; 2) the equatorial upwelling (enhanced in solar max), on its turn is modulated by QBO. This means that westerly phase of QBO will decrease the equatorial upwelling and respectively Brewer-Dobson circulation, but easterly phase of QBO will force additionally Brewer-Dobson cell.
Measurement of entropy production in living cells under an alternating electric field

Entropy is a thermodynamic property toward equilibrium based on the dissipation of energy. Cells constitute such a thermodynamic system, in which entropy production is both inevitable and highly significant. Although the experimental measurement of entropy production in a cell is very difficult, a new method to accomplish this in living cells is reported herein. Through heating the sample by alternating electric fields and recording the heat flow from cells, the entropy production in two normal cell lines, MCF10A and HL‐7702, and two cancerous cell lines, MDA‐MB‐231 and SMMC‐7721, was measured and compared. The scaled electroinduced entropy production rate (SEEP) of cancer cells monotonically increases with electric field strength at 5–40 V/cm, while that of normal cells changes nonmonotonically with electric field strength, reaching a peak at 5–30 V/cm. For all cell lines, the cancerous‐to‐normal ratio of field‐induced entropy production is clearly <1 in a large range of field strength from 5 to 25 V/cm. Therefore, this work presents an easy and effective strategy for experimentally investigating the thermodynamic properties of the cell, and gives deeper insight into the physical differences between normal and cancerous cells exposed to electric fields.
Bmc Complementary and Alternative Medicine Ameliorating Effect of Microdoses of a Potentized Homeopathic Drug, Arsenicum Album, on Arsenic-induced Toxicity in Mice

Background: Arsenic in groundwater and its accumulation in plants and animals have assumed a menacing proportion in a large part of West Bengal, India and adjoining areas of Bangladesh. Because of the tremendous magnitude of the problem, there seems to be no way to tackle the problem overnight. Efforts to provide arsenic free water to the millions of people living in these dreaded zones are being made, but are awfully inadequate. In our quest for finding out an easy, safe and affordable means to combat this problem, a homeopathic drug, Arsenicum Album-30, appears to yield promising results in mice. The relative efficacies of two micro doses of this drug, namely, Arsenicum Album-30 and Arsenicum Album-200, in combating arsenic toxicity have been determined in the present study on the basis of some accepted biochemical protocols.
Single-Step Purification of Monomeric l-Selectin via Aptamer Affinity Chromatography

l-selectin is a transmembrane receptor expressed on the surface of white blood cells and responsible for the tethering of leukocytes to vascular endothelial cells. This initial intercellular contact is the first step of the complex leukocyte adhesion cascade that ultimately permits extravasation of leukocytes into the surrounding tissue in case of inflammation. Here we show the binding of a soluble histidine tagged l-selectin to a recently described shortened variant of an l-selectin specific DNA aptamer with surface plasmon resonance. The high specificity of this aptamer in combination with its high binding affinity of ~12 nM, allows for a single-step protein purification from cell culture supernatants. In comparison to the well-established Ni-NTA based technology, aptamer affinity chromatography (AAC) was easier to establish, resulted in a 3.6-fold higher protein yield, and increased protein purity. Moreover, due to target specificity, the DNA aptamer facilitated binding studies directly from cell culture supernatant, a helpful characteristic to quickly monitor successful expression of biological active l-selectin.
The Long‐Term Effects of Physical Loading and Exercise Lifestyles on Back‐Related Symptoms, Disability, and Spinal Pathology Among Men

Study Design Historical cohort, including selected subgroups. Objectives To understand the long-term effects of exercise on back-related outcomes, back pain, sciatica, back-related hospitalizations, pensions, and magnetic resonance imaging findings were studied among former elite athletes. Summary of Background Data Exercise and sports participation have become increasingly popular, as have recommendations of exercises for back problems, but little is known about their long-term effects. Methods Questionnaires were returned by 937 former elite athletes and 620 control subjects (83% response rate). Identification codes allowed record linkage to hospital discharge and pension registers. Magnetic resonance images were obtained of selected subgroups with contrasting physical loading patterns. Results Odds ratios for back pain were lower among athletes than among control subjects, with significant differences in endurance, sprinting and game sports, and wrestling and boxing. No differences in the occurrence of sciatica or in back-related pensions and hospitalizations were seen. When comparing lumbar magnetic resonance images of 24 runners, 26 soccer players, 19 weight lifters, and 25 shooters, disc degeneration and bulging were most common among weight lifters; soccer players had similar changes in the L4-S1 discs. No significant differences were seen in the magnetic resonance images of runners and shooters. Conclusions Maximal weight lifting was associated with greater degeneration throughout the entire lumbar spine, and soccer with degeneration in the lower lumbar region. No signs of accelerated disc degeneration were found in competitive runners. However, back pain was less common among athletes than control subjects and there were no significant differences in hospitalizations or pensions. No benefits were shown for vigorous exercise compared with lighter exercise with respect to back findings.
Accurate Solubility Prediction with Error Bars for Electrolytes: A Machine Learning Approach

Accurate in silico models for predicting aqueous solubility are needed in drug design and discovery and many other areas of chemical research. We present a statistical modeling of aqueous solubility based on measured data, using a Gaussian Process nonlinear regression model (GPsol). We compare our results with those of 14 scientific studies and 6 commercial tools. This shows that the developed model achieves much higher accuracy than available commercial tools for the prediction of solubility of electrolytes. On top of the high accuracy, the proposed machine learning model also provides error bars for each individual prediction.
Functional properties of granule cells with hilar basal dendrites in the epileptic dentate gyrus

The maturation of adult‐born granule cells and their functional integration into the network is thought to play a key role in the proper functioning of the dentate gyrus. In temporal lobe epilepsy, adult‐born granule cells in the dentate gyrus develop abnormally and possess a hilar basal dendrite (HBD). Although morphological studies have shown that these HBDs have synapses, little is known about the functional properties of these HBDs or the intrinsic and network properties of the granule cells that possess these aberrant dendrites.
Palpation Device for the Identification of Kidney and Bladder Cancer: A Pilot Study

Purpose To determine the ability of a novel palpation device to differentiate between benign and malignant tissues of the kidney and bladder by measuring tissue elasticity. Materials and Methods A novel palpation device was developed, mainly composed of a micromotor, a linear position sensor, a force transducer, and a hemisphere tip and cylindrical body probe. Motion calibration as well as performance validation was done. The tissue elasticity of both benign and malignant tissues of the kidney and bladder was measured using this device. A single investigator performed the ex-vivo palpation experiment in twelve kidneys and four bladder specimens. Malignant tissues were made available from partial nephrectomy specimens and radical cystectomy specimens. Palpations for benign renal parenchyma tissue were carried out on nephroureterectomy specimens while non-involved areas in the radical cystectomy specimens were used for benign bladder samples. Elastic modulus (Young's modulus) of tissues was estimated using the Hertz-Sneddon equation from the experimental results. These were then compared using a t-test for independent samples. Results Renal cell carcinoma tissues appear to be softer than normal kidney tissues, whereas tissues from urothelial carcinoma of the bladder appear to be harder than normal bladder tissues. The results from renal cell carcinoma differed significantly from those of normal kidney tissues (p=0.002), as did urothelial carcinoma of the bladder from normal bladder tissues (p=0.003). Conclusion Our novel palpation device can potentially differentiate between malignant and benign kidney and bladder tissues. Further studies are necessary to verify our results and define its true clinical utility.