Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cervical length at mid-pregnancy and the risk of primary cesarean delivery.

BACKGROUND Physiological and biochemical studies suggest that normal parturition at term is dependent on programmed development of the uterus in early pregnancy. It is recognized that a short cervix in mid-pregnancy is associated with an increased risk of spontaneous preterm birth. We hypothesized that a long cervix in mid-pregnancy would be associated with an increased risk of cesarean delivery during labor at term. METHODS We studied 27,472 primiparous women who had a cervical length of 16 mm or more at a median of 23 weeks of gestation and who ultimately delivered a live infant in labor at term. RESULTS The rate of cesarean delivery at term was lowest (16.0%) among women with a mid-pregnancy cervical length in the lowest quartile (16 to 30 mm) and was significantly greater in the second quartile (18.4%, 31 to 35 mm), third quartile (21.7%, 36 to 39 mm), and fourth quartile (25.7%, 40 to 67 mm) (P<0.001 for trend). The odds ratio for cesarean delivery among women in the fourth quartile, as compared with the first quartile, was 1.81 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.66 to 1.97), and the odds ratio adjusted for maternal age, body-mass index, smoking status, race or ethnic group, gestational age at birth, spontaneous or induced labor, birth-weight percentile, and hospital of delivery was 1.68 (95% CI, 1.53 to 1.84; P<0.001). The increased risk of cesarean delivery was attributable to procedures performed for poor progress in labor. CONCLUSIONS The cervical length at mid-pregnancy is an independent predictor of the risk of cesarean delivery at term in primiparous women.
Staphylococcus aureus YoeB Homologues Inhibit Translation Initiation

ABSTRACT YoeB is a bacterial toxin encoded by the yefM-yoeB toxin-antitoxin system found in various bacterial genomes. Here, we show that Staphylococcus aureus contains two YoeB homologues, both of which function as ribosome-dependent mRNA interferases to inhibit translation initiation in a manner identical to that of YoeB-ec from Escherichia coli.
Evaluation Challenges in Large-Scale Document Summarization

We present a large-scale meta evaluation of eight evaluation measures for both single-document and multi-document summarizers. To this end we built a corpus consisting of (a) 100 Million automatic summaries using six summarizers and baselines at ten summary lengths in both English and Chinese, (b) more than 10,000 manual abstracts and extracts, and (c) 200 Million automatic document and summary retrievals using 20 queries. We present both qualitative and quantitative results showing the strengths and draw-backs of all evaluation methods and how they rank the different summarizers.
Detection of Cryptosporidium oocysts in human fecal specimens by an indirect immunofluorescence assay with monoclonal antibodies

An indirect fluorescence assay (IFA) with monoclonal antibodies developed for the detection of Cryptosporidium oocysts in fecal smears (Meridian Diagnostics, Inc., Cincinnati, Ohio) was compared with the Zeihl-Neelsen-modified acid-fast stain (MAFS) in 119 human fecal specimens collected between 1984 and 1987. The sensitivity of the IFA was 100%; all 56 specimens positive by MAFS exhibited fluorescence. There were 63 specimens negative for Cryptosporidium sp. by MAFS; of these, 61 were negative by IFA (97% specificity). This discrepancy may reflect an increased sensitivity of the IFA to detect oocysts that were not visualized by MAFS because of faint staining or a paucity of organisms. On average, the IFA required less time than the MAFS (1 versus 5 min, respectively) when only rare or few oocysts were present. Cost comparison of reagents showed the IFA to be three times more expensive. The IFA offers a reasonable alternative to the MAFS because of its high sensitivity and specificity, the simplicity of performing it and interpreting results, and its capability of providing a definitive diagnosis of Cryptosporidium oocysts.
Training data selection for cross-project defect prediction

Software defect prediction has been a popular research topic in recent years and is considered as a means for the optimization of quality assurance activities. Defect prediction can be done in a within-project or a cross-project scenario. The within-project scenario produces results with a very high quality, but requires historic data of the project, which is often not available. For the cross-project prediction, the data availability is not an issue as data from other projects is readily available, e.g., in repositories like PROMISE. However, the quality of the defect prediction results is too low for practical use. Recent research showed that the selection of appropriate training data can improve the quality of cross-project defect predictions. In this paper, we propose distance-based strategies for the selection of training data based on distributional characteristics of the available data. We evaluate the proposed strategies in a large case study with 44 data sets obtained from 14 open source projects. Our results show that our training data selection strategy improves the achieved success rate of cross-project defect predictions significantly. However, the quality of the results still cannot compete with within-project defect prediction.
Stem Cell Transplantation for Ischemic Stroke

BACKGROUND Studies in animal models of ischemic stroke have shown that stem cells transplanted into the brain can lead to functional improvement. However, to date, evidence for the benefits of stem cell transplantation in ischemic stroke patients is lacking. OBJECTIVES To assess the efficacy and safety of stem cell transplantation compared with conventional treatments in patients with ischemic stroke. SEARCH STRATEGY We searched the Cochrane Stroke Group Trials Register (last searched February 2010), the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) (The Cochrane Library 2009, Issue 3), MEDLINE (1966 to August 2008), EMBASE (1980 to August 2008), Science Citation Index (1900 to August 2008), and BIOSIS (1926 to August 2008). We handsearched potentially relevant conference proceedings, screened reference lists, and searched ongoing trials and research registers (last searched November 2008). We also contacted individuals active in the field and stem cell manufacturers (last contacted December 2008). SELECTION CRITERIA We included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) recruiting patients with ischemic stroke, in any phase of the disease, and an ischemic lesion confirmed by computerized tomography or magnetic resonance imaging scan. We included all types of stem cell transplantation regardless of cell source (autograft, allograft, or xenograft; embryonic, fetal, or adult; from brain or other tissues), route of cell administration (systemic or local), and dosage. The primary outcome was efficacy (assessed as combined functional outcome or disability and dependency) at longer follow-up (minimum six months). Secondary outcomes included post-procedure safety outcomes (death, worsening of neurological deficit, infections and neoplastic transformation). DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS Two review authors independently extracted data and assessed trial quality. We contacted study authors for additional information. MAIN RESULTS We identified three very small RCTs. Two are still awaiting classification because only subgroups of patients could be included in this meta-analysis and additional unpublished data are needed. The third trial randomized 30 patients to intravenous transplantation of autologous mesenchymal stem cell (10 participants) or reference group (20 participants) (five participants, initially randomized to the intervention group, refused the treatment and were allocated to the reference group) and found a statistically non-significant functional improvement in treated patients at longer follow-up. No adverse cell-related events were reported. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS No large trials of stem cell transplantation have been performed in ischemic stroke patients and it is too early to know whether this intervention can improve functional outcome. Large, well-designed trials are needed.
Age- and sex-related differences in contrast sensitivity in C57BL/6 mice.

PURPOSE To measure contrast sensitivity in C57BL/6, the most commonly used mouse in behavioral neuroscience, and to study the effect of sex, age, and miotic drugs on the contrast sensitivity function. In addition, the authors tested a mutant in which plasticity in the cerebellum is impaired by expressing a protein kinase C inhibitor. This inhibitor is also expressed in the retina, possibly affecting vision. METHODS The gain of the optokinetic reflex (OKR) decreases as stimuli become more difficult to see. Recording OKR gains evoked by moving sine gratings shows whether the stimulus was distinguished from a homogeneous background and how well the stimulus was distinguished. RESULTS Female mice have lower OKR gains than male mice (both groups: n = 10, P = 0.001). A similar difference was observed between 4-month-old (n = 10) and 9-month-old (n = 5) C57Bl/6 mice (P = 0.001). These differences could not be detected with earlier dichotomic tests. C57BL/6 mice are able to see contrasts as low as 1%, well below the previously reported 5% threshold. Pilocarpine had no significant effect on contrast sensitivity (both groups: n = 10, P = 0.89). Vision in L7-PKCi mutants was unaffected (both groups: n = 10, P = 0.82). CONCLUSIONS OKR gains decrease as stimuli become more difficult to see, making the OKR a powerful tool to quantify contrast sensitivity. In C57BL/6 these response magnitudes vary greatly between sexes and between mice that differ only a few months in age. Therefore, it is important to match groups according to age and sex in experiments that require unimpaired vision. Otherwise, impaired vision can be misinterpreted as a learning or motor problem.
Automatic indexing based on Bayesian inference networks

In this paper, a Bayesian inference network model for automatic indexing with index terms (descriptors) from a prescribed vocabulary is presented. It requires an indexing dictionary with rules mapping terms of the respective subject field onto descriptors and inverted lists for terms occuring in a set of documents of the subject field and descriptors manually assigned to these documents. The indexing dictionary can be derived automatically from a set of manually indexed documents. An application of the network model is described, followed by an indexing example and some experimental results about the indexing performance of the network model.
Accelerated Proximal Gradient Methods for Nonconvex Programming

Nonconvex and nonsmooth problems have recently received considerable attention in signal/image processing, statistics and machine learning. However, solving the nonconvex and nonsmooth optimization problems remains a big challenge. Accelerated proximal gradient (APG) is an excellent method for convex programming. However, it is still unknown whether the usual APG can ensure the convergence to a critical point in nonconvex programming. In this paper, we extend APG for general nonconvex and nonsmooth programs by introducing a monitor that satisfies the sufficient descent property. Accordingly, we propose a monotone APG and a nonmonotone APG. The latter waives the requirement on monotonic reduction of the objective function and needs less computation in each iteration. To the best of our knowledge, we are the first to provide APG-type algorithms for general nonconvex and nonsmooth problems ensuring that every accumulation point is a critical point, and the convergence rates remain O(1/k2) when the problems are convex, in which k is the number of iterations. Numerical results testify to the advantage of our algorithms in speed.
High-speed fiber spinning : science and engineering aspects

PART I: Key Problems: Industrial Aspects of High-Speed Spinning Fundamental Scientific Problems PART II: Dynamics: Introduction Mathematical Simulation of Melt Spinning Dynamics: Steady-State Conditions and Transient Behavior Air Boundary Layer on a Filament in High-Speed Spinning Fiber Formation Process in High-Speed Spinning of Polyethylene Terephthalate Rheology and Dynamics of Melt Spinning: Viscoelastic Polypropylene and Polyethylenes Simulation of Dynamics and Structure Formation in High-Speed Melt Spinning PART III: Development of Fiber Structure and Properties: Introduction Polymer Crystallization in Melt Spinning: Mathematical Simulation The Theory of Molecular Orientation and Oriented Crystallization in High Speed Spinning Spinline Crystallization of Polyethylene Terephthalate Effect of Winding Speed and Other Spinning Conditions on the Physical Structure of As-Spun Polyethylene Terephthalate and Nylon 6 Yarns Some Effects of the Rheological Properties of Polyethylene Terephthalate on Spinning Line Profile and Structure Developed in High Speed Spinning Structure Development and Physical Properties of High-Speed-Spun PET Fibers Dynamics, Structure Development, and Fiber Properties in High-Speed Spinning of Polyethylene Terephthalate Fine Structure and Physical Properties of Fibers Melt-Spun at High Speeds from Various Polymers PART IV: Engineering: Introduction Mechanics of High-Speed Take-up Machines Vibrations in High-Speed Take-up Winders Bearing Problems in High-Speed Rotating Devices Appendix Index.
Tracking properties and steady-state performance of RLS adaptive filter algorithms

Adaptive signal processing algorithms derived from LS (least squares) cost functions are known to converge extremely fast and have excellent capabilities to "track" an unknown parameter vector. This paper treats analytically and experimentally the steady-state operation of RLS (recursive least squares) adaptive filters with exponential windows for stationary and nonstationary inputs. A new formula for the "estimation-noise" has been derived involving second- and fourth-order statistics of the filter input as well as the exponential windowing factor and filter length. Furthermore, it is shown that the adaptation process associated with "lag effects" depends solely on the exponential weighting parameter λ. In addition, the calculation of the excess mean square error due to the lag for an assumed Markov channel provides the necessary information about tradeoffs between speed of adaptation and steady-state error. It is also the basis for comparison to the simple LMS algorithm, in a simple case of channel identification, it is shown that the LMS and RLS adaptive filters have the same tracking behavior. Finally, in the last part, we present new RLS restart procedures applied to transversal structures for mitigating the disastrous results of the third source of noise, namely, finite precision arithmetic.
Welcome to Wonderland: The Influence of the Size and Shape of a Virtual Hand On the Perceived Size and Shape of Virtual Objects

The notion of body-based scaling suggests that our body and its action capabilities are used to scale the spatial layout of the environment. Here we present four studies supporting this perspective by showing that the hand acts as a metric which individuals use to scale the apparent sizes of objects in the environment. However to test this, one must be able to manipulate the size and/or dimensions of the perceiver’s hand which is difficult in the real world due to impliability of hand dimensions. To overcome this limitation, we used virtual reality to manipulate dimensions of participants’ fully-tracked, virtual hands to investigate its influence on the perceived size and shape of virtual objects. In a series of experiments, using several measures, we show that individuals’ estimations of the sizes of virtual objects differ depending on the size of their virtual hand in the direction consistent with the body-based scaling hypothesis. Additionally, we found that these effects were specific to participants’ virtual hands rather than another avatar’s hands or a salient familiar-sized object. While these studies provide support for a body-based approach to the scaling of the spatial layout, they also demonstrate the influence of virtual bodies on perception of virtual environments.
Ca2+ block and flickering both contribute to the negative slope of the IV curve in BK channels

Single-channel current–voltage (IV) curves of human large-conductance, voltage- and Ca2+-activated K+ (BK) channels are quite linear in 150 mM KCl. In the presence of Ca2+ and/or Mg2+, they show a negative slope conductance at high positive potentials. This is generally explained by a Ca2+/Mg2+ block as by Geng et al. (2013. J. Gen. Physiol. http://dx.doi.org/10.1085/jgp.201210955) in this issue. Here, we basically support this finding but add a refinement: the analysis of the open-channel noise by means of β distributions reveals what would be found if measurements were done with an amplifier of sufficient temporal resolution (10 MHz), namely that the block by 2.5 mM Ca2+ and 2.5 mM Mg2+ per se would only cause a saturating curve up to +160 mV. Further bending down requires the involvement of a second process related to flickering in the microsecond range. This flickering is hardly affected by the presence or absence of Ca2+/Mg2+. In contrast to the experiments reported here, previous experiments in BK channels (Schroeder and Hansen. 2007. J. Gen. Physiol. http://dx.doi.org/10.1085/jgp.200709802) showed saturating IV curves already in the absence of Ca2+/Mg2+. The reason for this discrepancy could not be identified so far. However, the flickering component was very similar in the old and new experiments, regardless of the occurrence of noncanonical IV curves.
Risk factors in enterprise-wide/ERP projects

The purpose of this study was to identify the risk factors in implementing traditional management information systems projects, describe the risk factors associated with enterprise-wide/ERP (enterprise resource planning) projects and identify the risk factors in ERP projects which are unique to these projects. Some of the unique challenges in managing enterprise-wide projects which were highlighted through the findings included the challenge of re-engineering business processes to ‘fit’ the process which the ERP software supports, investment in recruiting and reskilling technology professionals, the challenge of using external consultants and integrating their application-specific knowledge and technical expertise with existing teams, the risk of technological bottlenecks through client-server implementation and the challenge of recruiting and retaining business analysts who combine technology and business skills.
High Levels of IL-17 in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients: IL-15 Triggers In Vitro IL-17 Production Via Cyclosporin A-Sensitive Mechanism1

Recent data suggest that IL-15 plays an important role in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis. In the present study, we hypothesized that elevated in the joints of rheumatoid arthritis, but not osteoarthritis, patients, IL-15 may exert its proinflammatory properties via the induction of IL-17, a cytokine known to stimulate synoviocytes to release several mediators of inflammation including IL-6, IL-8, GM-CSF and PGE2. To test this hypothesis, we first measured the levels of IL-17 and IL-15 using specific ELISA and found that synovial fluids of patients with rheumatoid arthritis, but not with osteoarthritis, contain high levels of these cytokines. A strong correlation between IL-15 and IL-17 levels in synovial fluids was observed. Among tested factors, LPS and TNF-α failed, IL-15 and IL-2 were equipotent, and PMA + ionomycin was far more efficient in the induction of IL-17 secretion by PBMCs isolated from healthy blood donors. Interestingly, synovial fluid cells, in contrast to PBMCs isolated from patients with rheumatoid arthritis, but not osteoarthritis, respond to PMA + ionomycin with much lower, comparable to IL-15-triggered IL-17 secretion. Moreover, PMA + ionomycin-triggered IL-17 secretion is completely or partially blocked in the presence of low doses of cyclosporin A or high doses of methylprednisolone, respectively. IL-15-triggered IL-17 secretion by PBMCs was completely inhibited by these drugs. Thus, our results suggest for the first time that IL-15 may represent a physiological trigger that via cyclosporin A and steroid sensitive pathways leads to the overproduction of IL-17 in the joints of rheumatoid arthritis patients.
Dual stochastic dominance and quantile risk measures

Following the seminal work by Markowitz, the portfolio selection problem is usually modeled as a bicriteria optimization problem where a reasonable trade-off between expected rate of return and risk is sought. In the classical Markowitz model, the risk is measured with variance. Several other risk measures have been later considered thus creating the entire family of mean-risk (Markowitz type) models. In this paper, we analyze mean-risk models using quantiles and tail characteristics of the distribution. Value at risk (VAR), defined as the maximum loss at a specified confidence level, is a widely used quantile risk measure. The corresponding second order quantile measure, called the worst conditional expectation or Tail VAR, represents the mean shortfall at a specified confidence level. It has more attractive theoretical properties and it leads to LP solvable portfolio optimization models in the case of discrete random variables, i.e., in the case of returns defined by their realizations under the specified scenarios. We show that the mean-risk models using the worst conditional expectation or some of its extensions are in harmony with the stochastic dominance order. For this purpose, we exploit duality relations of convex analysis to develop the quantile model of stochastic dominance for general distributions.
Model and infrastructure for decentralized workflow enactment

Today, enactment of Web service flows -- the process of evaluating control flow and executing activities a workflow is composed of -- is typically done by a centralized workflow enactment service as part of a Workflow management system. This exhibits a number of drawbacks with regard to process adaptability and process fragmentation among a number of participating partners. In order to overcome the deficiencies of centralized process navigation, we propose a model for flexible and adaptable distributed processes as orchestrations of a set of self-coordinating components, without the need for central coordination. Furthermore, we provide key characteristics and an architecture for the development of a supporting infrastructure that facilitates both, deployment and management of distributed components as well as decentralized workflow enactment.