Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Characteristics of Retinal Reflectance Changes Induced by Transcorneal Electrical Stimulation in Cat Eyes

Transcorneal electrical stimulation (TES) activates retinal neurons leading to visual sensations. How the retinal cells are activated by TES has not been definitively determined. Investigating the reflectance changes of the retina is an established technique and has been used to determine the mechanism of retinal activation. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the reflectance changes elicited by TES in cat eyes. Eight eyes of Eight cats were studied under general anesthesia. Biphasic electrical pulses were delivered transcornealy. The fundus images observed with near-infrared light (800–880 nm) were recorded every 25 ms for 26 s. To improve the signal-to-noise ratio, the images of 10 consecutive recordings were averaged. Two-dimensional topographic maps of the reflective changes were constructed by subtracting images before from those after the TES. The effects of different stimulus parameters, e.g., current intensity, pulse duration, frequency, and stimulus duration, on the reflective changes were studied. Our results showed that after TES, the reflective changes appeared on the retinal vessels and optic disc. The intensity of reflectance changes increased as the current intensity, pulse duration, and stimulation duration increased (P<0.05 for all). The maximum intensity of the reflective change was obtained when the stimulus frequency was 20 Hz. The time course of the reflectance changes was also altered by the stimulation parameters. The response started earlier and returned to the baseline later with higher current intensities, longer pulse durations, but the time of the peak of the response was not changed. These results showed that the reflective changes were due to the activation of retinal neurons by TES and might involve the vascular changes induced by an activation of the retinal neurons.
A Change in a Single Midgut Receptor in the Diamondback Moth (Plutella xylostella) Is Only in Part Responsible for Field Resistance to Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki and B. thuringiensis subsp. aizawai

A population (SERD3) of the diamondback moth (Plutella xylostella L.) with field-evolved resistance to Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki HD-1 (Dipel) and B. thuringiensis subsp. aizawai (Florbac) was collected. Laboratory-based selection of two subpopulations of SERD3 with B. thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki (Btk-Sel) or B. thuringiensis subsp. aizawai (Bta-Sel) increased resistance to the selecting agent with little apparent cross-resistance. This result suggested the presence of independent resistance mechanisms. Reversal of resistance to B. thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki and B. thuringiensis subsp. aizawai was observed in the unselected SERD3 subpopulation. Binding to midgut brush border membrane vesicles was examined for insecticidal crystal proteins specific to B. thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki (Cry1Ac), B. thuringiensis subsp. aizawai (Cry1Ca), or both (Cry1Aa and Cry1Ab). In the unselected SERD3 subpopulation (ca. 50- and 30-fold resistance to B. thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki and B. thuringiensis subsp. aizawai), specific binding of Cry1Aa, Cry1Ac, and Cry1Ca was similar to that for a susceptible population (ROTH), but binding of Cry1Ab was minimal. The Btk-Sel (ca. 600-and 60-fold resistance to B. thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki and B. thuringiensis subsp. aizawai) and Bta-Sel (ca. 80-and 300-fold resistance to B. thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki and B. thuringiensis subsp. aizawai) subpopulations also showed reduced binding to Cry1Ab. Binding of Cry1Ca was not affected in the Bta-Sel subpopulation. The results suggest that reduced binding of Cry1Ab can partly explain resistance to B. thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki and B. thuringiensis subsp. aizawai. However, the binding of Cry1Aa, Cry1Ac, and Cry1Ca and the lack of cross-resistance between the Btk-Sel and Bta-Sel subpopulations also suggest that additional resistance mechanisms are present.
Learning classification models with soft-label information

OBJECTIVE Learning of classification models in medicine often relies on data labeled by a human expert. Since labeling of clinical data may be time-consuming, finding ways of alleviating the labeling costs is critical for our ability to automatically learn such models. In this paper we propose a new machine learning approach that is able to learn improved binary classification models more efficiently by refining the binary class information in the training phase with soft labels that reflect how strongly the human expert feels about the original class labels. MATERIALS AND METHODS Two types of methods that can learn improved binary classification models from soft labels are proposed. The first relies on probabilistic/numeric labels, the other on ordinal categorical labels. We study and demonstrate the benefits of these methods for learning an alerting model for heparin induced thrombocytopenia. The experiments are conducted on the data of 377 patient instances labeled by three different human experts. The methods are compared using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) score. RESULTS Our AUC results show that the new approach is capable of learning classification models more efficiently compared to traditional learning methods. The improvement in AUC is most remarkable when the number of examples we learn from is small. CONCLUSIONS A new classification learning framework that lets us learn from auxiliary soft-label information provided by a human expert is a promising new direction for learning classification models from expert labels, reducing the time and cost needed to label data.
Prevalence of Chronic Kidney Disease and Its Related Risk Factors in Elderly of Southern Iran: A Population-Based Study

Aim. The prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) as a serious public health problem is growing in the elderly. This study aimed to assess CKD prevalence and its related risk factors in elderly population of Fars province. Methods. In this cross sectional study a total of 1190 elderly people are enrolled, and demographic and medical data were obtained. Data were analyzed by SPSS, and P of less than 0.05 was considered as statistically significant. Results. Prevalence of CKD stages III–V was 27.5% in the 60–69 years age group, 36.5% in the 70–79 years age group, and 40% in the ≥80 years age group. The prevalence of CKD increased with ageing in both men and women. Female gender was the strongest risk factor for CKD. Conclusions. Prevalence of CKD in elderly is high in Southern Iran, which has become an important health problem while it can be prevented or delayed in progression.
The effect of warfarin on mortality and reinfarction after myocardial infarction.

BACKGROUND AND METHODS The use of oral anticoagulation in the long-term treatment of survivors of acute myocardial infarction has been highly controversial. We therefore randomly assigned 1214 patients who had recovered from acute myocardial infarction (mean interval from the onset of symptoms to randomization, 27 days) to treatment with warfarin (607 patients) or placebo (607 patients) for an average of 37 months (range, 24 to 63). RESULTS At the end of the treatment period, there had been 123 deaths in the placebo group and 94 in the warfarin group--a reduction in risk of 24 percent (95 percent confidence interval, 4 to 44 percent; P = 0.027). A total of 124 patients in the placebo group had reinfarctions, as compared with 82 in the warfarin group--a reduction of 34 percent (95 percent confidence interval, 19 to 54 percent; P = 0.0007). Furthermore, we observed a reduction of 55 percent (95 percent confidence interval, 30 to 77 percent) in the number of total cerebrovascular accidents in the warfarin group as compared with the placebo group (44 vs. 20; P = 0.0015). Serious bleeding was noted in 0.6 percent of the warfarin-treated patients per year. CONCLUSIONS Long-term therapy with warfarin has an important beneficial effect after myocardial infarction and can be recommended in the treatment of patients who survive the acute phase.
Protective Role of Dietary Berries in Cancer

Dietary patterns, including regular consumption of particular foods such as berries as well as bioactive compounds, may confer specific molecular and cellular protection in addition to the overall epidemiologically observed benefits of plant food consumption (lower rates of obesity and chronic disease risk), further enhancing health. Mounting evidence reports a variety of health benefits of berry fruits that are usually attributed to their non-nutritive bioactive compounds, mainly phenolic substances such as flavonoids or anthocyanins. Although it is still unclear which particular constituents are responsible for the extended health benefits, it appears that whole berry consumption generally confers some anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory protection to humans and animals. With regards to cancer, studies have reported beneficial effects of berries or their constituents including attenuation of inflammation, inhibition of angiogenesis, protection from DNA damage, as well as effects on apoptosis or proliferation rates of malignant cells. Berries extend effects on the proliferation rates of both premalignant and malignant cells. Their effect on premalignant cells is important for their ability to cause premalignant lesions to regress both in animals and in humans. The present review focuses primarily on in vivo and human dietary studies of various berry fruits and discusses whether regular dietary intake of berries can prevent cancer initiation and delay progression in humans or ameliorate patients’ cancer status.
Improving hatchability in white egg layer strains through breeding

Hatchability is of considerable economic importance for all hatcheries and therefore must be given appropriate attention in breeding programs for commercial layers. The variability between and within strains will tell us whether reproductive performance can be improved by selection within specific lines. The aim of this study was to analyse the genetic variation of hatchability and correlations with production traits. Data collected from two pure-bred female lines (LSL) at 45-46 weeks of age were used. Estimated heritabilities were low (h² = 0.13 and 0.15) for fertility, but moderately high (h² = 0.27 and 0.30) for hatch of ‘fertile’ eggs (eggs transferred at 18 days). Hatchability was negatively correlated with egg weight (r g = -0.43 to -0.52) and albumen height (r g = -0.25 to -0.42). Favourable correlations were found with egg production (rg = -0.01 to +0.28), percentage yolk (r g = +0.08 to +0.39) and some shell quality traits like shape index and breaking strength (r g = +0.14 to +0.32), but not with dynamic stiffness (r g = -0.08 to -0.17). Hatch of fertile eggs has sufficient genetic variation in these White Leghorn lines to expect improvement by within-line selection, especially if supported by a reduction in total egg weight and selection for higher egg production, yolk percentage and shell breaking strength.
The CONSORT statement: will it lead to improved reporting of clinical trials in ophthalmology? Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials.

JAMA Beyond CONSORT: Need for Improved Reporting Standards for Clinical Trials Curtis L. Meinert, PhD. The increasing use of trials as vehicles for choosing among treatments has fueled drives for standardizing the way trials are reported. These drives have been propelled by editors, frustrated readers, and meta-analysts desiring the same basic information and counts. There is no doubt that all of these groups would benefit from better reporting of trials and by analyses subsumed under the headinganalysis by treatment assignmentoranalysis by intention to treat. To that end, there are reasons to applaud the efforts of biomedical journals to support the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) statement. Content suggestions and checklists are useful in preparing reports of trials. Hence, the CONSORT checklist is useful. A worthwhile addition to the list would be an item on treatment effects monitoring, since monitoring is part and parcel of most randomized trials. Reprints:Curtis L. Meinert, PhD, Johns Hopkins University Center for Clinical Trials, 615 N Wolfe St, Room 5010, Baltimore, MD 21305 (e-mail:cmeinert@jhoph.edu). Arch Ophthalmol 1999;117:677-680
Multidrug resistance among persons with tuberculosis in California, 1994-2003.

CONTEXT Between 1994 and 2003, tuberculosis (TB) cases in California declined 33% (4834 to 3224). However, in 2003 California reported the largest number of cases in the nation, and over the past decade the proportion of cases with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) has not decreased. OBJECTIVE To describe the magnitude, trends, geographic distribution, clinical characteristics, risk factors, and outcomes of MDR-TB cases reported to the California registry of Reports of Verified Cases of TB. DESIGN, SETTING, AND CASES: Analysis of 38,291 TB cases reported from all 61 local health jurisdictions in California during 1994-2003. Multidrug-resistant TB was defined as resistance to at least isoniazid and rifampin. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Results of univariate and multivariable analyses of MDR-TB magnitude, trends, geographic distribution, clinical characteristics, associated factors, and outcomes. RESULTS Of 38,291 reported TB cases, 28,712 (75%) were tested for resistance to at least isoniazid and rifampin; of these, 407 MDR-TB cases (1.4%) were reported from 38 of 61 California health jurisdictions (62%); the proportion of MDR-TB cases did not significantly change over the study period (P = .87). Cases of MDR-TB were twice as likely to have cavitary lesions compared with non-MDR-TB cases (P<.001) and were 7 times more likely to have reported previous treatment for TB (P<.001). Of MDR-TB cases with outcomes, 231 (67%) completed therapy, and those with MDR-TB were significantly less likely to complete therapy than those without MDR-TB (P<.001). Multivariate analysis identified previous TB diagnosis, positive acid-fast bacilli sputum smear results, Asian/Pacific Islander ethnicity, time in the United States less than 5 years at the time of diagnosis, and outcomes of "died" and "moved" as factors associated with MDR-TB. CONCLUSIONS Multidrug-resistant TB, an airborne disease with limited, costly treatment options, persists in 1% to 2% of all cases despite California's control efforts. Local and global TB control efforts are needed to prevent the further development and spread of MDR-TB.
Information Quality for Mobile Internet Services: A Theoretical Model with Empirical Validation

Providing customers with high-quality information is a key determinant for the success of mobile Internet. This study identifies the important dimensions of information quality in increasing user satisfaction and customer loyalty for mobile Internet services. In order to achieve this goal, we propose a general model of information quality with four dimensions, which we constructed by expanding prior research in information quality in order to reflect the characteristics of mobile Internet. We hypothesize that the four dimensions are positively related to user satisfaction and customer loyalty, and that their relative importance varies according to user goals. To validate the hypothesized model, we conducted a large-scale online survey with mobile Internet users. The results indicate that some dimensions are more important than others in increasing user satisfaction and loyalty, and the relative importance of the dimensions varies according to the intended goals of mobile Internet services.
Average channel capacity for generalized fading scenarios

Novel expressions for the average channel capacity (ACC) of single-branch receivers operating in generalized fading channels, namely eta-mu and kappa-mu, are derived. The expressions are written in terms of the well-known Meijer's G-functions, which are easily implemented in the most popular computing softwares. In addition, it is shown that, for any given fading condition, the Nakagami-m ACC defines regions of capacity: it lowerbounds the eta-mu ACC and it upperbounds the kappa-mu ACC. In the same way, it lowerbounds the alpha-mu ACC for alpha < 2 and mu > m, and it upperbounds the alpha-mu ACC for alpha > 2 and mu < m.
The Problem of Causal Ordering: a Preliminary Examination into the Stability of Perceptual Deterrence for a Group of Recidivist Drink Drivers

This paper reports on an examination into the stability of a group of repeat offenders’ (N = 103) perceptions of legal sanctions and their corresponding drink driving behaviours over time. The analysis indicated that perceptions of arrest certainty and swiftness of penalties appear to diminish, but perceptual severity remains stable while offenders were on a probation order. Although perceptions of deterrence appear to fluctuate, examination of offenders’ drink driving behaviours remain much more stable over longer periods of time. The findings of the study provide support for the assertion that perceptions of risk apprehension change over time and may be found to be influenced by offending behaviours e.g., "experiential effect". The findings have direct implications for the development of effective drink driving countermeasures that attempt to combat habitual and/or resistant behaviour(s).
M2MC: Middleware for Many to Many Communication over broadcast networks

M2MC is a new distributed computing middleware designed to support collaborative applications running on devices connected by broadcast networks. Examples of such networks are wireless ad hoc networks of mobile computing devices or wired devices connected by a local area network. M2MC is useful for building a broad range of multiuser applications like multiplayer games, conversations, group ware systems. Unlike existing middleware architectures that rely on central servers, M2MC is truly distributed protocol. Applications developed using M2MC do not require central servers for message ordering, member synchronization and group management. Being broadcast oriented, M2MC do not require any resource consuming routing protocols. M2MC architecture comprises of message ordering protocol, member synchronization protocol and protocols for processes to join and leave the groups. In this paper we describe key components of M2MC and their implementation in Java
Outcome of patients with scleroderma admitted to intensive care unit. A report of nine cases.

OBJECTIVE Patients with systemic rheumatic disease constitute a small percentage of admissions to the medical intensive care units (ICUs). Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is one of the rheumatic diseases that together with secondary complications may lead to a critical illness requiring hospitalization in the ICU. We present the features, clinical course and outcome of critically ill patients with scleroderma that were admitted to the ICU. METHODS The medical records of nine patients with diagnosis of scleroderma (8 female, 1 male), admitted to the intensive care unit of Sheba Medical Center during the 11-year interval between 1991 and 2002, were reviewed. RESULTS The mean age of the patients at the time of admission to the ICU was 48 +/- 13 [SD] years. The mean duration of SSc from diagnosis to the ICU admission was 8 +/- 8 years. Six patients had diffuse SSc, two patients had limited SSc and one patient had juvenile diffuse morphea. The main reasons for admission to the ICU were: infection/ septic syndrome (n = 4), scleroderma renal crisis (SRC) with pulmonary congestion (n = 2), acute renal failure associated with diffuse alveolar hemorrhage namely scleroderma- pulmonary - renal syndrome (SPRS) (n = 1), iatrogenic pericardial tamponade (n = 1), mesenteric ischemia (n = 1). The patients had high severity illness score (mean APACHE II 25 +/- 3). Eight out of nine patients (89%) that were admitted to the ICU died during the hospitalization, six (66.6%) of them died in the ICU. Septic complications as the main cause of death were determined in five patients (62.5%), while four of them had pneumonia and acute respiratory failure along with underlying severe pulmonary fibrosis. Lungs and kidneys were the most common severely affected organs by SSc in our patients. CONCLUSION The outcome of scleroderma patients admitted to the ICU was extremely poor. Infectious complication was the most common cause of death in our patients. Although infections are treatable, the high mortality rate for this group of patients was dependent on the severity of the underlying visceral organ involvement, particularly severe pulmonary fibrosis. The severity of this involvement is a poor outcome predictor. An early diagnosis and an appropriate treatment of such complications may help to reduce the mortality in scleroderma patients.
Variance normalizing transform for performance improvement in radio-over-fiber systems

Radio-over-fiber (ROF) will be an indispensable part of future wireless communication networks to support backhaul connectivity. The performance of ROF communication system is impaired with signal-dependent distortions in the optical fiber link such as shot noise and relative intensity noise. In this paper, these signal-dependent distortions of the ROF channel are analyzed in more details and a variance normalizing technique is proposed to normalize the noise power. In effect, the signal-dependent noisy ROF channel is converted to a signal-independent additive white Gaussian noise channel for which the conventional signaling techniques are efficient. The results show significant performance improvements for the proposed technique in terms of signal-to-noise ratio.
Left Atrial Enlargement and Stroke Recurrence: The Northern Manhattan Stroke Study

Background and Purpose— Although left atrial enlargement (LAE) increases incident stroke risk, the association with recurrent stroke is less clear. Our aim was to determine the association of LAE with recurrent stroke most likely related to embolism (cryptogenic and cardioembolic) and all ischemic stroke recurrences. Methods— We followed 655 first ischemic stroke patients in the Northern Manhattan Stroke Study for ⩽5 years. LA size from 2D echocardiography was categorized as normal LAE (52.7%), mild LAE (31.6%), and moderate–severe LAE (15.7%). We used Cox proportional hazard models to calculate the hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals for the association of LA size and LAE with recurrent cryptogenic/cardioembolic and total recurrent ischemic stroke. Results— LA size was available in 529 (81%) patients. Mean age at enrollment was 69±13 years; 45.8% were male, 54.0% Hispanic, and 18.5% had atrial fibrillation. Over a median of 4 years, there were 65 recurrent ischemic strokes (29 were cardioembolic or cryptogenic). In multivariable models adjusted for confounders, including atrial fibrillation and heart failure, moderate–severe LAE compared with normal LA size was associated with greater risk of recurrent cardioembolic/cryptogenic stroke (adjusted hazard ratio 2.83, 95% confidence interval 1.03–7.81), but not total ischemic stroke (adjusted hazard ratio 1.06, 95% confidence interval, 0.48–2.30). Mild LAE was not associated with recurrent stroke. Conclusion— Moderate to severe LAE was an independent marker of recurrent cardioembolic or cryptogenic stroke in a multiethnic cohort of ischemic stroke patients. Further research is needed to determine whether anticoagulant use may reduce risk of recurrence in ischemic stroke patients with moderate to severe LAE.