Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Pharyngeal airway dimensions in skeletal class II: A cephalometric growth study

Purpose This retrospective study aimed to evaluate the nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal dimensions of individuals with skeletal class II, division 1 and division 2 patterns during the pre-peak, peak, and post-peak growth periods for comparison with a skeletal class I control group. Materials and Methods Totally 124 lateral cephalograms (47 for skeletal class I; 45 for skeletal class II, division 1; and 32 for skeletal class II, division 2) in pre-peak, peak, and post-peak growth periods were selected from the department archives. Thirteen landmarks, 4 angular and 4 linear measurements, and 4 proportional calculations were obtained. The ANOVA and Duncan test were applied to compare the differences among the study groups during the growth periods. Results Statistically significant differences were found between the skeletal class II, division 2 group and other groups for the gonion-gnathion/sella-nasion angle. The sella-nasion-B-point angle was different among the groups, while the A-point-nasion-B-point angle was significantly different for all 3 groups. The nasopharyngeal airway space showed a statistically significant difference among the groups throughout the growth periods. The interaction among the growth periods and study groups was statistically significant regarding the upper oropharyngeal airway space measurement. The lower oropharyngeal airway space measurement showed a statistically significant difference among the groups, with the smallest dimension observed in the skeletal class II, division 2 group. Conclusion The naso-oropharyngeal airway dimensions showed a statistically significant difference among the class II, division 1; class II, division 2; and class I groups during different growth periods.
Efficient On-Trip Timetable Information in the Presence of Delays

The search for train connections in state-of-the-art commercial timetable information systems is based on a static schedule. Unfortunately, public transportation systems suffer from delays for various reasons. Thus, dynamic changes of the planned schedule have to be taken into account. A system that has access to delay information of trains (and uses this information within search queries) can provide valid alternatives in case a train change breaks. Additionally, it can be used to actively guide passengers as these alternatives may be presented before the passenger is already stranded at a station due to a broken transfer. In this work we present an approach which takes a stream of delay information and schedule changes on short notice (partial train cancellations, extra trains) into account. Primary delays of trains may cause a cascade of so-called secondary delays of other trains which have to wait according to certain waiting policies between connecting trains. We introduce the concept of a dependency graph to efficiently calculate and update all primary and secondary delays. This delay information is then incorporated into a time-expanded search graph which has to be updated dynamically. These update operations are quite complex, but turn out to be not time-critical in a fully realistic scenario. We finally present a case study with data provided by Deutsche Bahn AG showing that this approach has been successfully integrated into our multi-criteria timetable information system MOTIS and can handle massive delay data streams instantly.
Incorporating Known Genetic Variants Does Not Improve the Accuracy of PSA Testing to Identify High Risk Prostate Cancer on Biopsy

Introduction Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing is a widely accepted screening method for prostate cancer, but with low specificity at thresholds giving good sensitivity. Previous research identified four single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) principally associated with circulating PSA levels rather than with prostate cancer risk (TERT rs2736098, FGFR2 rs10788160, TBX3 rs11067228, KLK3 rs17632542). Removing the genetic contribution to PSA levels may improve the ability of the remaining biologically-determined variation in PSA to discriminate between high and low risk of progression within men with identified prostate cancer. We investigate whether incorporating information on the PSA-SNPs improves the discrimination achieved by a single PSA threshold in men with raised PSA levels. Materials and Methods Men with PSA between 3-10ng/mL and histologically-confirmed prostate cancer were categorised as high or low risk of progression (Low risk: Gleason score≤6 and stage T1-T2a; High risk: Gleason score 7–10 or stage T2C). We used the combined genetic effect of the four PSA-SNPs to calculate a genetically corrected PSA risk score. We calculated the Area under the Curve (AUC) to determine how well genetically corrected PSA risk scores distinguished men at high risk of progression from low risk men. Results The analysis includes 868 men with prostate cancer (Low risk: 684 (78.8%); High risk: 184 (21.2%)). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves indicate that including the 4 PSA-SNPs does not improve the performance of measured PSA as a screening tool for high/low risk prostate cancer (measured PSA level AU C = 59.5% (95% CI: 54.7,64.2) vs additionally including information from the 4 PSA-SNPs AUC = 59.8% (95% CI: 55.2,64.5) (p-value = 0.40)). Conclusion We demonstrate that genetically correcting PSA for the combined genetic effect of four PSA-SNPs, did not improve discrimination between high and low risk prostate cancer in men with raised PSA levels (3-10ng/mL). Replication and gaining more accurate estimates of the effects of the 4 PSA-SNPs and additional variants associated with PSA levels and not prostate cancer could be obtained from subsequent GWAS from larger prospective studies.
Rheumatoid Arthritis Risk Associated with Periodontitis Exposure: A Nationwide, Population-Based Cohort Study

Background The risk of periodontitis (PD) is increased in the patient group of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). RA and PD also shared some pathological mechanism. The aim of this study is to investigate the risk of RA associated with PD exposure. Methods and Findings This study identified 3 mutually exclusive cohorts using the 1999–2010 Taiwanese National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD) to investigate the association between PD and the risk of incident RA. All patients with PD in 2000 were identified from the database of all enrollees as the PD cohort. From the representative database of 1,000,000 enrollees randomly selected in 2010 (LHID2010), individuals without any periodontal disease (PO) during 1999–2010 were selected as the non-PO cohort. Individuals who were not included in the non-PO cohort and received dental scaling (DS) no more than two times per year during 1999–2010 were selected as the DS cohort from LHID2010. Using cox proportional regression analysis, hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (Cis) were calculated to quantify the association between PD exposure and RA development. In the three-group comparison using the non-PO cohort as reference, we found that the risk of RA was higher in the PD and DS cohorts (HRs, 1.89 and 1.43; 95% CIs, 1.56–2.29 and 1.09–1.87, respectively). For comparisons between two cohorts, the PD cohort had a higher risk of RA than the non-PO and DS cohorts (HRs, 1.91 and 1.35; 95% CIs, 1.57–2.30 and 1.09–1.67, respectively). Conclusion PD was associated with an increased risk of RA development.
Effect of recent antigen priming on adoptive immune responses. III. Antigen-induced selective recruitment of subsets of recirculating lymphocytes reactive to H-2 determinants

Information was sought on the reactivity of thoracic duct lymphocytes (TDL) from parental strain mice injected intravenously with large numbers of irradiated semiallogeneic spleen cells. TDL collected at 1 day after spleen cell injection were almost totally depleted of lymphocytes able to produce cell-mediated lympholysis (CML), a graft- versus-host (GVH) reaction, and skin allograft rejection against the H- 2 determinants on the injected spleen cells. Normal or near normal responses were observed against third-party determinants. In the case of CML, there was no evidence that the unresponsiveness was due to suppressor cells. In marked contrast, the capacity of TDL to exert a specific mixed lymphocyte reaction (MLR) against the injected determinants was reduced by no more than two to fourfold; this applied whether MLR were measured in vivo or in vitro. Injection of normal rather than irradiated semiallogeneic spleen cells gave similar results. Complete and specific removal of MLR-producing lymphocytes was achieved, however, in a different system in which parental strain T cells were filtered from blood to lymph through irradiated F1 hybrid mice. Since this system presumably provided a much higher concentration of H-2 determinants to the responding lymphocytes, it is suggested that the differing results obtained with these two systems may indicate that certain cells reactive to H-2 determinants are of low affinity, their reactivity being detected in the MLR, but not by other parameters. With both systems, MLR-producing lymphocytes reappeared in the lymph after 2- 3 days; the cells collected at this stage gave an MLR of altered kinetics. The present data, in toto, suggest that under certain conditions of antigen presentation, virtually all recirculating lymphocytes reactive to a given set of H-2 determinants can be induced to leave the circulation for a period of 1-2 days. After responding to the injected determinants (presumably in organs such as the spleen), the cells re-enter the circulation in an activated state after 2-3 days.
ZOE: Fast cardinality estimation for large-scale RFID systems

Estimating the RFID cardinality with accuracy guarantee is an important task in large-scale RFID systems. This paper proposes a fast RFID cardinality estimation scheme. The proposed Zero-One Estimator (ZOE) protocol rapidly converges to optimal parameter settings and achieves high estimation efficiency. ZOE significantly improves the cardinality estimation efficiency, achieving 3x performance gain compared with existing protocols. Meanwhile, ZOE guarantees arbitrary accuracy requirement without imposing computation and memory overhead at RFID tags. Due to the simplicity and robustness, the ZOE protocol provides reliable cardinality estimation even over noisy channel. We implement a prototype system using the USRP software defined radio and Intel WISP RFID tags. We also evaluate the performance of ZOE with extensive simulations. The evaluation of ZOE shows encouraging results in terms of estimation accuracy, time efficiency, as well as robustness.
A review of behavioural measures and research methodology in sport and exercise psychology

ABSTRACT This study examined the development of methodologies and measures used in sport and exercise psychology (SEP) publications between 1979 and 2013. A systematic coding process was conducted on a total of 1377 manuscripts sampled from four long-standing SEP publications, namely Journal of Applied Sports Psychology, Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, Psychology of Sport and Exercise, and The Sport Psychologist. Analyses compared the type of behavioural or non-behavioural measures used, and the research design employed. Findings suggested that overall SEP has included more behavioural measures in comparison to other psychology domains, and there has been substantial sampling of sport and exercise behaviours using direct rather than indirect behavioural measures. Nevertheless, proportions of dependent behavioural measures in SEP were significantly less than non-behavioural measures. Questionnaires have remained a dominant non-behavioural measure over time, and higher proportions of SEP studies were conducted within a semi-natural social setting. Findings are discussed in line with SEP practice, and the potential implications for future works.
A MusD Retrotransposon Insertion in the Mouse Slc6a5 Gene Causes Alterations in Neuromuscular Junction Maturation and Behavioral Phenotypes

Glycine is the major inhibitory neurotransmitter in the spinal cord and some brain regions. The presynaptic glycine transporter, GlyT2, is required for sustained glycinergic transmission through presynaptic reuptake and recycling of glycine. Mutations in SLC6A5, encoding GlyT2, cause hereditary hyperekplexia in humans, and similar phenotypes in knock-out mice, and variants are associated with schizophrenia. We identified a spontaneous mutation in mouse Slc6a5, caused by a MusD retrotransposon insertion. The GlyT2 protein is undetectable in homozygous mutants, indicating a null allele. Homozygous mutant mice are normal at birth, but develop handling-induced spasms at five days of age, and only survive for two weeks, but allow the study of early activity-regulated developmental processes. At the neuromuscular junction, synapse elimination and the switch from embryonic to adult acetylcholine receptor subunits are hastened, consistent with a presumed increase in motor neuron activity, and transcription of acetylcholine receptors is elevated. Heterozygous mice, which show no reduction in lifespan but nonetheless have reduced levels of GlyT2, have a normal thermal sensitivity with the hot-plate test, but differences in repetitive grooming and decreased sleep time with home-cage monitoring. Open-field and elevated plus-maze tests did not detect anxiety-like behaviors; however, the latter showed a hyperactivity phenotype. Importantly, grooming and hyperactivity are observed in mouse schizophrenia models. Thus, mutations in Slc6a5 show changes in neuromuscular junction development as homozygotes, and behavioral phenotypes as heterozygotes, indicating their usefulness for studies related to glycinergic dysfunction.
Switching Retinogeniculate Axon Laterality Leads to Normal Targeting but Abnormal Eye-Specific Segregation That Is Activity Dependent

Partial decussation of sensory pathways allows neural inputs from both sides of the body to project to the same target region where these signals will be integrated. Here, to better understand mechanisms of eye-specific targeting, we studied how retinal ganglion cell (RGC) axons terminate in their thalamic target, the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus (dLGN), when crossing at the optic chiasm midline is altered. In models with gain- and loss-of-function of EphB1, the receptor that directs the ipsilateral projection at the optic chiasm, misrouted RGCs target the appropriate retinotopic zone in the opposite dLGN. However, in EphB1−/− mice, the misrouted axons do not intermingle with normally projecting RGC axons and segregate instead into a distinct patch. We also revisited the role of retinal activity on eye-specific targeting by blocking correlated waves of activity with epibatidine into both eyes. We show that, in wild-type mice, retinal waves are necessary during the first postnatal week for both proper distribution and eye-specific segregation of ipsilateral axons in the mature dLGN. Moreover, in EphB1−/− mice, refinement of ipsilateral axons is perturbed in control conditions and is further impaired after epibatidine treatment. Finally, retinal waves are required for the formation of the segregated patch of misrouted axons in EphB1−/− mice. These findings implicate molecular determinants for targeting of eye-specific zones that are independent of midline guidance cues and that function in concert with correlated retinal activity to sculpt retinogeniculate projections.
Toward A Quantitative Understanding of Gas Exchange in the Lung

In this work we present a mathematical framework that quantifies the gas-exchange processes in the lung. The theory is based on the solution of the one-dimensional diffusion equation on a simplified model of lung septum. Gases dissolved into different compartments of the lung are all treated separately with physiologically important parameters. The model can be applied in magnetic resonance of hyperpolarized xenon for quantification of lung parameters such as surface-to-volume ratio and the air-blood barrier thickness. In general this model provides a description of a broad range of biological exchange processes that are driven by diffusion.
Multiple Phospholipid N-Methyltransferases with Distinct Substrate Specificities Are Encoded in Bradyrhizobium japonicum

ABSTRACT Phosphatidylcholine (PC) is the major phospholipid in eukaryotic membranes. In contrast, it is found in only a few prokaryotes including members of the family Rhizobiaceae. In these bacteria, PC is required for pathogenic and symbiotic plant-microbe interactions, as shown for Agrobacterium tumefaciens and Bradyrhizobium japonicum. At least two different phospholipid N-methyltransferases (PmtA and PmtX) have been postulated to convert phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) to PC in B. japonicum by three consecutive methylation reactions. However, apart from the known PmtA enzyme, we identified and characterized three additional pmt genes (pmtX1, pmtX3, and pmtX4), which can be functionally expressed in Escherichia coli, showing different substrate specificities. B. japonicum expressed only two of these pmt genes (pmtA and pmtX1) under all conditions tested. PmtA predominantly converts PE to monomethyl PE, whereas PmtX1 carries out both subsequent methylation steps. B. japonicum is the first bacterium known to use two functionally different Pmts. It also expresses a PC synthase, which produces PC via condensation of CDP-diacylglycerol and choline. Our study shows that PC biosynthesis in bacteria can be much more complex than previously anticipated.
Scale construction and effects of brand authenticity

This dissertation investigates consumer’s perceptions of brand authenticity, genuineness in a brand’s product and principles. Prior qualitative research on brand authenticity has not identified key dimensions using a systematic and quantitative approach. This dissertation contributes to the branding literature by (1) identifying the key dimensions of brand authenticity through the development of a Brand Authenticity Scale, (2) quantifying the effects of brand authenticity on attitudes towards the brand and behavioral intentions, (3) separating brand authenticity from other key brand constructs, (4) investigating the interaction between brand authenticity and brand self-connection, (5) identifying the underlying process driving the effects of brand authenticity, and finally (6) examining the different effects and process of brand authenticity depending on the product type, either functional or experiential. Eight studies were conducted to identify the dimension of brand authenticity and investigate its effects and process. Four of these studies, one qualitative and three empirical, identify the three key dimensions of brand authenticity (being the category pioneer, adhering to principles and maintaining the original product) and develop a Brand Authenticity Scale. Using the three dimensions of brand authenticity, four experiments (two for functional products and two for experiential products) demonstrate the significant positive effects of brand authenticity on brand attitudes and behavioral intentions. These effects, moderating variables and the process driving these effects vary depending on the type of product. Unlike experiential products, the effects of brand authenticity are moderated by the relationship the consumer has with the brand (brand selfconnection) for functional products, with only those consumers who are high in brand self-
Open Access Research Article Comparison of Different Comorbidity Measures for Use with Administrative Data in Predicting Short- and Long-term Mortality

article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons At-tribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Abstract Background: It is important to find a comorbidity measure with better performance for use with administrative data. The new method proposed by Elixhauser et al. has never been validated and compared to the widely used Charlson method in the Asia region. The objective of this study was to compare the performance of three comorbidity measures using information from different data periods in predicting short-and long-term mortality among patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study using National Health Insurance claims data (2001-2002) in Taiwan. We constructed the Elixhauser, the Charlson/Deyo, and the Charlson/Romano methods based on the International Classification of Disease, 9th Revision, Clinical Modification codes in the claims data. Two data periods, including the index hospitalization as well as the index and prior 1-year hospitalizations, were used in the analysis. The performances were compared using the c-statistics derived from multiple logistic regression models that included age, gender, race, and whether the patient received surgery or not. The outcomes of interest were in-hospital and 1-year mortality. Results: The performance was in the same rank order among both populations regardless of the outcome and data period: Elixhauser > Charlson/Romano > Charlson/Deyo. In predicting in-hospital mortality, the Elixhauser models using information from the index hospitalization performed best, even better than the Charlson/Deyo or Charlson/ Romano models using information from the index and prior hospitalizations. Nevertheless, in predicting 1-year mortality, the Elixhauser models using information from the index and 1-year prior hospitalizations performed better than using information from the index hospitalization only. Conclusions: This is so far the first study to validate the Elixhauser method and compare it to other methods in the Asia region, and is the first to report its differences in data periods between short-and long-term outcomes. The comorbidity measurement developed by Elixhauser et al. has relatively good predictive validity, and researchers should consider its use in claims-based studies. Background Administrative databases are increasingly used in health services research, epidemiologic research, and outcome studies. For control of baseline differences in these observational data, one major issue is to find a comorbidity measure with better performance [1-9]. Evidence from different population and datasets are needed for the gen