Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Elevated Levels of α-Synuclein Oligomer in the Cerebrospinal Fluid of Drug-Naïve Patients with Parkinson's Disease

Background and Purpose The detection of α-synuclein in the body fluids of patients with synucleinopathy has yielded promising but inconclusive results, in part because of conformational changes of α-synuclein in response to environmental conditions. The aim of this study was to determine the feasibility of using α-synuclein as a biological marker for Parkinson's disease (PD). Methods Twenty-three drug-naïve patients with PD (age 62.4±12.7 years, mean±SD; 11 males) and 29 age- and sex-matched neurologic control subjects (age 60.1±16.2 years; 16 males) were recruited. The levels of oligomeric and total α-synuclein in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and plasma were measured using two simultaneous enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Results The level of α-synuclein oligomer in the CSF of PD patients was significantly higher in PD patients than in neurological controls, but other findings (plasma α-synuclein oligomer and total α-synuclein in CSF and plasma) did not differ significantly between the two groups. When the control subjects were divided into a symptomatic control group (11 patients who complained of parkinsonian symptoms and were diagnosed with hydrocephalus and drug-induced or vascular parkinsonism) and a neurologic control group (10 normal subjects and 8 patients with diabetic ophthalmoplegia), the level of α-synuclein oligomer in the CSF was still significantly higher in PD patients than in both of the control subgroups. Conclusions These findings provide further evidence for a pathogenic role of the α-synuclein oligomer and suggest that CSF levels of α-synuclein oligomer can be a reliable marker for PD.
Sterculic Oil, a natural inhibitor of SCD1, improves the metabolic state of obese OLETF rats

Abnormal lipid metabolism and excess accumulation of lipid in non‐adipose tissues are defining characteristics of obesity and its comorbidities. Expression and/or activity of stearoyl‐CoA desaturase‐1 (SCD1), a major regulator of lipid metabolism, is increased with obesity and the reduction/ablation of this enzyme is associated with an improved metabolic profile. Sterculic oil (SO), obtained from the seeds of the Sterculia feotida tree, contains a high concentration of cyclopropenoic fatty acids which are known inhibitors of SCD1. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of SO supplementation on the development of obesity and insulin resistance in hyperphagic, obese Otsuka Long‐Evans Tokushima Fatty (OLETF) rats.
Liver Abscess With a Markedly High Level of Carbohydrate Antigen 19-9

Serological tumor markers are useful for detection of malignancies and evaluation of disease progression. However, some markers are rarely elevated in patients with benign diseases and without malignancies. We herein present a case of a liver abscess with a highly elevated carbohydrate antigen (CA 19-9) level in both the serum and abscess fluid. The serological level of CA 19-9 decreased with treatment. Although CA 19-9 is known to be a specific tumor marker, high serum levels of CA 19-9 can be observed in patients with pyogenic liver abscesses. CA 19-9 may also be a marker for treatment response in patients with liver abscesses.
Fraction-free computation of matrix Padé systems

tire present a fraction-free approach to the computation of matrix Pad& systems. The method relies on determining a modified Schur complement for the coefficient matrices of the linear systems of equations that are associated to matrix Pad&approximation problems. By using this modified Schur complement for these matrices we are able to obtain a fast hybrid fraction-free algorithm for their computation. The algorithm is genera] and requires no extra assumptions on its input.
Random distributed detection with an application to Cognitive Radio Byzantine attack

In this paper, a distributed detection model is introduced for m-ary hypotheses testing where the local sensors quantize their decisions to messages with alphabet size of D and the number of local sensors is random following a Poisson distribution. This model can be applied to a wide variety of distributed detection problems including homogenous and heterogeneous networks, robust detection under security attacks, and sensor failure mode analysis. As an illustrative example, the proposed model is applied to a Cognitive Radio network where the performance and strategies regarding Byzantine attacks are investigated under a game theoretical setting. Performance tradeoff between the detection efficiency and robustness of the sensor network is evaluated under the independent Byzantine attack model, where the malicious nodes attack based solely on their own observations. It is shown that, when the system is designed for maximum efficiency versus optimal robustness, then the malicious users may completely blind the fusion center, with less than one half of the total number of sensors.
Eculizumab in Pregnant Patients with Paroxysmal Nocturnal Hemoglobinuria.

BACKGROUND Eculizumab, a humanized monoclonal antibody against complement protein C5 that inhibits terminal complement activation, has been shown to prevent complications of paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) and improve quality of life and overall survival, but data on the use of eculizumab in women during pregnancy are scarce. METHODS We designed a questionnaire to solicit data on pregnancies in women with PNH and sent it to the members of the International PNH Interest Group and to the physicians participating in the International PNH Registry. We assessed the safety and efficacy of eculizumab in pregnant patients with PNH by examining the birth and developmental records of the children born and adverse events in the mothers. RESULTS Of the 94 questionnaires that were sent out, 75 were returned, representing a response rate of 80%. Data on 75 pregnancies in 61 women with PNH were evaluated. There were no maternal deaths and three fetal deaths (4%). Six miscarriages (8%) occurred during the first trimester. Requirements for transfusion of red cells increased during pregnancy, from a mean of 0.14 units per month in the 6 months before pregnancy to 0.92 units per month during pregnancy. Platelet transfusions were given in 16 pregnancies. In 54% of pregnancies that progressed past the first trimester, the dose or the frequency of use of eculizumab had to be increased. Low-molecular-weight heparin was used in 88% of the pregnancies. Ten hemorrhagic events and 2 thrombotic events were documented; both thrombotic events occurred during the postpartum period. A total of 22 births (29%) were premature. Twenty cord-blood samples were examined for the presence of eculizumab; the drug was detected in 7 of the samples. A total of 25 babies were breast-fed, and in 10 of these cases, breast milk was examined for the presence of eculizumab; the drug was not detected in any of the 10 breast-milk samples. CONCLUSIONS Eculizumab provided benefit for women with PNH during pregnancy, as evidenced by a high rate of fetal survival and a low rate of maternal complications. (ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01374360.).
Dysfunction of the Pancreas in Healthy Smoking Persons and Patients With Chronic Pancreatitis

Objectives: The aim of the study was to assess the effect of cigarette smoking on the endocrine pancreatic function by determining the levels of serum glucose and plasma insulin as well as by defining immunohistochemical localization of insulin and glucagon in tissue specimens of the pancreata derived from healthy persons and smoking and nonsmoking patients with diagnosed chronic pancreatitis (CP). Methods: The oxidative method was used to measure fasting glycemia in blood plasma and the method enzyme-linked immunoassay to determine the level of insulin in plasma. Immunohistochemical localization of hormones in paraffin tissue specimens of the pancreas was performed using the LSAB2-HRP visual test with polyclonal insulin and glucagon antibodies. The intensity of immunohistochemical reaction was calculated with digital imaging methodology. Results: The study revealed a substantially higher level of serum glucose in smoking CP patients and in healthy persons compared with nonsmoking patients and healthy persons, whereas insulin concentration in smoking patients was statistically lower than in nonsmokers. Smoking patients showed significantly lower expression of insulin and glucagon in the pancreas compared with nonsmoking patients and healthy persons. Conclusions: Impairment of the endocrine function of &bgr; and &agr; cells in the pancreatic islets is frequently manifested by complications in pancreatitis resulting among others from long-term smoking.
Randomized Simulation of Hybrid Systems For Circuit Validation

The paper proposes a simulation-based method for validating analog and mixed-signal circuits, using the hybrid systems methodology. This method builds upon RRT (Rapidly-exploring Random Trees), a probabilistic path/motion planning technique in robotics with a special property that allows to guarantee a good coverage quality. We focus on investigating conditions for preserving this coverage property and develop a variant of the classic RRTs which is more time-efficient. These results enabled us to implement a prototype tool that can handle high dimensional hybrid models.
Black Hole and Neutron Star Transients in Quiescence

We consider the X-ray luminosity difference between neutron star and black hole soft X-ray transients (NS and BH SXTs) in quiescence. The current observational data suggest that BH SXTs are significantly fainter than NS SXTs. The luminosities of quiescent BH SXTs are consistent with the predictions of binary-evolution models for the mass transfer rate if (1) accretion occurs via an advection-dominated accretion flow (ADAF) in these systems and (2) the accreting compact objects have event horizons. The luminosities of quiescent NS SXTs are not consistent with the predictions of ADAF models when combined with binary-evolution models, unless most of the mass accreted in the ADAF is prevented from reaching the neutron star surface. We consider the possibility that mass accretion is reduced in quiescent NS SXTs because of an efficient propeller and develop a model of the propeller effect that accounts for the observed luminosities. We argue that modest winds from ADAFs are consistent with the observations, while strong winds are probably not.
A collaborative convergence on studying reasoning processes: a case study in Statistics

□「統計推論」 • データの要約・予測・結論付けのために統計ツール・概念を使用すること • 例題 1:ある町には 2つの病院がある. 大きいほうの病院では一日あたり約 45人,小さいほうの病 院では一日あたり約 15人新生児が誕生している. 新生児の 50%は男の子であるが,毎日このパーセ ンテージは変わる. ある年のある期間,どちらの病院でも 60%前後男の子が生まれた日の記録が何日分かある. 大きい 病院と小さい病院,どちらのほうがこのような日が多いだろうか. あるいはこのような日の数はど ちらも同じであろうか. [Kahneman,Tversky 1972, pp.443] 解:サンプル数が少ないことから,小さい病院のほうが男の子が 60%となった日が多いことが期待 される. 観察される分布もより分散するはず. 統計推論の定義に適合 (a)統計概念(サンプル数,ばらつき),(b)与えられたデータからの予測
T–786C Polymorphism in the Endothelial Nitric Oxide Synthase Gene Is Associated with Increased Risk of Coronary Artery Disease in a Chinese Population

Background/Aims: Many investigations have revealed that genetic influences can have an important impact on the incidence and progression of coronary artery disease (CAD). The aim of this research was to discover whether the T–786C polymorphism in the promoter 5′-flanking region of the gene for endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) is associated with CAD. Methods: 622 Chinese Han subjects were enrolled in this case-control study. 312 had CAD confirmed by coronary angiography and 310 were healthy controls. Total genomic DNA was extracted from whole blood and genotype at position –786 of the eNOS gene determined by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism. Results: The allelic frequencies were in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. The minor allele frequency of the T–786C polymorphism was higher in the CAD group than in controls: after adjustment for age, sex, body mass index, smoking status, plasma glucose and presence of hypertension, the odds ratio for the risk of CAD in T–786C allele carriers was 1.739 (1.215–2.490) in comparison to individuals without the minor allele. In a stratified analysis, the association between T–786C genotype and CAD risk was greater in men, individuals ≧60 years of age, smokers, hypertensives and subjects with a body mass index ≧25. The T–786C polymorphism was associated with higher total and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels in control but not in CAD subjects. Conclusions: The T–786C polymorphism of the eNOS gene appears to be an independent risk factor for CAD in Chinese Hans. This finding requires confirmation in prospective studies and in studies of other populations.
Quality in use of domain-specific languages: a case study

Domain-Specific Languages (DSLs) are claimed to increment productivity, while reducing the required maintenance and programming expertise. In this context, DSLs usability is a key factor for its successful adoption. In this paper, we propose a systematic approach based on User Interfaces Experimental validation techniques to assess the impact of the introduction of DSLs on the productivity of domain experts. To illustrate this evaluation approach we present a case study of a DSL for High Energy Physics (HEP). The DSL on this case study, called Pheasant (PHysicist's EAsy Analysis Tool), is assessed in contrast with a pre-existing baseline, using General Purpose Languages (GPLs) such as C++. The comparison combines quantitative and qualitative data, collected with users from a real-world setting. Our assessment includes Physicists with programming experience with two profiles; ones with no experience with the previous framework used in the project and other experienced. This work's contribution highlights the problem of the absence of systematic approaches for experimental validation of DSLs. It also illustrates how an experimental approach can be used in the context of a DSL evaluation during the Software Languages Engineering activity, with respect to its impact on effectiveness and efficiency.
An Effective Strategy for Sentiment Analysis Based on Complex-Valued Embedding and Quantum Long Short-Term Memory Neural Network

Sentiment analysis aims to study, analyse and identify the sentiment polarity contained in subjective documents. In the realm of natural language processing (NLP), the study of sentiment analysis and its subtask research is a hot topic, which has very important significance. The existing sentiment analysis methods based on sentiment lexicon and machine learning take into account contextual semantic information, but these methods still lack the ability to utilize context information, so they cannot effectively encode context information. Inspired by the concept of density matrix in quantum mechanics, we propose a sentiment analysis method, named Complex-valued Quantum-enhanced Long Short-term Memory Neural Network (CQLSTM). It leverages complex-valued embedding to incorporate more semantic information and utilizes the Complex-valued Quantum-enhanced Long Short-term Memory Neural Network for feature extraction. Specifically, a complex-valued neural network based on density matrix is used to capture interactions between words (i.e., the correlation between words). Additionally, the Complex-valued Quantum-enhanced Long Short-term Memory Neural Network, which is inspired by the quantum measurement theory and quantum long short-term memory neural network, is developed to learn interactions between sentences (i.e., contextual semantic information). This approach effectively encodes semantic dependencies, which reflects the dispersion of words in the embedded space of sentences and comprehensively captures interactive information and long-term dependencies among the emotional features between words. Comparative experiments were performed on four sentiment analysis datasets using five traditional models, showcasing the effectiveness of the CQLSTM model.
Gamma Processes, Stick-Breaking, and Variational Inference

While most Bayesian nonparametric models in machine learning have focused on the Dirichlet process, the beta process, or their variants, the gamma process has recently emerged as a useful nonparametric prior in its own right. Current inference schemes for models involving the gamma process are restricted to MCMC-based methods, which limits their scalability. In this paper, we present a variational inference framework for models involving gamma process priors. Our approach is based on a novel stick-breaking constructive definition of the gamma process. We prove correctness of this stick-breaking process by using the characterization of the gamma process as a completely random measure (CRM), and we explicitly derive the rate measure of our construction using Poisson process machinery. We also derive error bounds on the truncation of the infinite process required for variational inference, similar to the truncation analyses for other nonparametric models based on the Dirichlet and beta processes. Our representation is then used to derive a variational inference algorithm for a particular Bayesian nonparametric latent structure formulation known as the infinite Gamma-Poisson model, where the latent variables are drawn from a gamma process prior with Poisson likelihoods. Finally, we present results for our algorithms on nonnegative matrix factorization tasks on document corpora, and show that we compare favorably to both sampling-based techniques and variational approaches based on beta-Bernoulli priors.
Objective measures of physical capability and subsequent health: a systematic review

Background: measures of physical capability may be predictive of subsequent health, but existing published studies have not been systematically reviewed. We hypothesised that weaker grip strength, slower walking speed and chair rising and shorter standing balance time, in community-dwelling populations, would be associated with higher subsequent risk of fracture, cognitive outcomes, cardiovascular disease, hospitalisation and institutionalisation. Methods: studies were identified through systematic searches of the electronic databases MEDLINE and EMBASE (to May 2009). Reference lists of eligible papers were also manually searched. Results: twenty-four papers had examined the associations between at least one physical capability measure and one of the outcomes. As the physical capability measures and outcomes had been assessed and categorised in different ways in different studies, and there were differences in the potential confounding factors taken into account, this made it impossible to pool results. There were more studies examining fractures than other outcomes, and grip strength and walking speed were the most commonly examined capability measures. Most studies found that weaker grip strength and slower walking speed were associated with increased risk of future fractures and cognitive decline, but residual confounding may explain results in some studies. Associations between physical capability levels and the other specified outcomes have not been tested widely. Conclusions: there is some evidence to suggest that objective measures of physical capability may be predictors of subsequent health in older community-dwelling populations. Most hypothesised associations have not been studied sufficiently to draw definitive conclusions suggesting the need for further research.
A tyrosine kinase created by fusion of the PDGFRA and FIP1L1 genes as a therapeutic target of imatinib in idiopathic hypereosinophilic syndrome.

BACKGROUND Idiopathic hypereosinophilic syndrome involves a prolonged state of eosinophilia associated with organ dysfunction. It is of unknown cause. Recent reports of responses to imatinib in patients with the syndrome suggested that an activated kinase such as ABL, platelet-derived growth factor receptor (PDGFR), or KIT, all of which are inhibited by imatinib, might be the cause. METHODS We treated 11 patients with the hypereosinophilic syndrome with imatinib and identified the molecular basis for the response. RESULTS Nine of the 11 patients treated with imatinib had responses lasting more than three months in which the eosinophil count returned to normal. One such patient had a complex chromosomal abnormality, leading to the identification of a fusion of the Fip1-like 1 (FIP1L1) gene to the PDGFRalpha (PDGFRA) gene generated by an interstitial deletion on chromosome 4q12. FIP1L1-PDGFRalpha is a constitutively activated tyrosine kinase that transforms hematopoietic cells and is inhibited by imatinib (50 percent inhibitory concentration, 3.2 nM). The FIP1L1-PDGFRA fusion gene was subsequently detected in 9 of 16 patients with the syndrome and in 5 of the 9 patients with responses to imatinib that lasted more than three months. Relapse in one patient correlated with the appearance of a T674I mutation in PDGFRA that confers resistance to imatinib. CONCLUSIONS The hypereosinophilic syndrome may result from a novel fusion tyrosine kinase - FIP1L1-PDGFRalpha - that is a consequence of an interstitial chromosomal deletion. The acquisition of a T674I resistance mutation at the time of relapse demonstrates that FIP1L1-PDGFRalpha is the target of imatinib. Our data indicate that the deletion of genetic material may result in gain-of-function fusion proteins.
Dominant lethal studies with the halogenated olefins vinyl chloride and vinylidene dichloride in male CD-1 mice

The mutagenic activity of vinyl chloride (VC) and vinylidene dichloride (VDC) at three exposure levels was assessed in fertile male CD-1 mice with the dominant lethal test. Each compound was assessed in a separate study. Male mice were exposed by inhalation to VC at 3000, 10,000, and 30,000 ppm and to VDC at 10, 30, and 50 ppm for 6 hr/day for 5 days. By comparison with control males exposed to air, no mutagenic effects on any maturation stage of spermatogenesis in treated males were detected. There was no significant increase in the number of postimplantational early fetal deaths as shown by the number of females with one or more early deaths or the number of early deaths/pregnancy or the number of early deaths/total implants/pregnancy. There was no evidence of pre-implantational egg losses as indicated by the total implants/pregnant female. There was also no reduction in fertility. (The reduction in fertility at 50 ppm VDC was unproven). The lack of effect was not due to the insensitivity of the system used, since both the VC and VDC study a mutagenic effect was clearly demonstrated in male mice dosed IP with the positive control compounds cyclophosphamide (CTX) and/or ethylmethane sulfonate (EMS). During dosing these animals were housed under similar exposure conditions to those animals exposed to the test substances but with a flow of air through the exposure chambers. Thus, neither VC nor VDC is mutagenic in the mouse at the stated exposure levels as measured by the dominant lethal test.