Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Pulsating or not? A search for hidden pulsations below the red edge of the ZZ Ceti instability strip

The location of the red edge of the ZZ Ceti instability strip is definedobservationally as being the lowest temperature for which a white dwarfwith a H-rich atmosphere (DA) is known to exhibit periodic brightnessvariations. Whether this cut-off in flux variations is actually due to acessation of pulsation or merely due to the attenuation of anyvariations by the convection zone, rendering them invisible, is notclear. The latter is a theoretical possibility because with decreasingeffective temperature, the emergent flux variations become an eversmaller fraction of the amplitude of the flux variations in theinterior. In contrast to the flux variations, the visibility of thevelocity variations associated with the pulsations is not thought to besimilarly affected. Thus, models imply that were it still pulsating, awhite dwarf just below the observed red edge should show velocityvariations. In order to test this possibility, we used time-resolvedspectra of three DA white dwarfs that do not show photometricvariability, but which have derived temperatures only slightly lowerthan the coolest ZZ Ceti variables. We find that none of our threetargets show significant periodic velocity variations, and set 95%confidence limits on amplitudes of 3.0, 5.2, and 8.8 km s -1 . Thus, for two out of our three objects, we can rule out velocityvariations as large as 5.4 km s -1 observed for the strongestmode in the cool white dwarf pulsator ZZ Psc . Inorder to verify our procedures, we also examined similar data of a knownZZ Ceti, HL Tau 76 . Applying external informationfrom the light curve, we detect significant velocity variations for thisobject with amplitudes of up to 4 km s -1 . Our results suggestthat substantial numbers of pulsators having large velocity amplitudesdo not exist below the observed photometric red edge and that the latterprobably reflects a real termination of pulsations. The data presentedherein were obtained at the W. M. Keck Observatory, which is operated asa scientific partnership among the California Institute of Technology,the University of California and the National Aeronautics and SpaceAdministration. The Observatory was made possible by the generousfinancial support of the W. M. Keck Foundation.
The Presence of a Matrix-Derived Neutrophil Chemoattractant in Bronchiolitis Obliterans Syndrome after Lung Transplantation12

Lung transplantation is a therapeutic modality frequently used in end-stage lung disease. Unfortunately, lung transplant recipients have poor clinical outcomes, often due to the development of bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome (BOS). This process is often characterized by the pathologic findings of obliterative bronchiolitis: neutrophil influx and extracellular matrix remodeling leading to luminal obstruction and airway inflammation. The molecular mechanisms underlying BOS are poorly understood and disease-specific biomarkers are lacking. We report that in addition to increased levels of IL-8, the level of the neutrophil chemoattractant proline-glycine-proline (PGP) is elevated in BOS patient bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid. The enzymes responsible for generating PGP, matrix metalloproteases 8 and -9 and prolyl endopeptidase, are also elevated in these samples. Together, IL-8 and PGP account for most of the neutrophil chemoattractant capacity seen in BOS BAL fluid. Using specific neutralizing Abs to both IL-8 and PGP, we demonstrate that PGP is a prominent neutrophil chemoattractant found in BAL fluid from individuals at the time of diagnosis of BOS. These findings highlight the influence of a matrix-derived neutrophil chemoattractant in posttransplantation BOS and provide opportunities for the development of unique diagnostics and therapeutics to potentially improve disease outcomes.
The Optimal Cut-Off Level of The Fecal Immunochemical Test For Colorectal Cancer Screening in a Country with Limited Colonoscopy Resources: A Multi-Center Study from Thailand

Background: Selecting the cut-off point for the fecal immunochemical test (FIT) for colorectal cancer (CRC) screening programs is of prime importance. The balance between the test performance for detecting advanced neoplasia and the available colonoscopy resources should be considered. We aimed to identify the optimal cut-off of FIT for advanced neoplasia in order to minimize colonoscopy burden. Methods: We conducted a multi-center study in 6 hospitals from diverse regions of Thailand. Asymptomatic participants, aged 50-75 years, were tested with one-time quantitative FIT (OC-SENSOR, Eiken Chemical Co.,Ltd., Tokyo, Japan) and all participants underwent colonoscopy. We assessed test performance in detecting advanced neoplasia (advanced adenoma and CRC) and measured the burden of colonoscopy with different cut-offs [25 (FIT25), 50 (FIT50), 100 (FIT100), 150 (FIT150), and 200 (FIT200)ng/ml]. Results: Among 1,479 participants, advanced neoplasia and CRC were found in 137 (9.3%) and 14 (0.9%), respectively. From FIT25 to FIT200, the positivity rate decreased from 18% to 4.9%. For advanced neoplasia, an increased cut-off decreased sensitivity from 42.3% to 16.8% but increased specificity from 84.2% to 96.3%. The increased cut-off increased the positive predictive value (PPV) from 21.5% to 31.5%. However, all cut-off points provided a high negative predictive value (NPV) (>90%). For CRC, the miss rate for FIT25 to FIT 150 was the same (n=3, 21%), whereas that with FIT200 increased to 35% (n=5). Conclusions: In a country with limited-colonoscopy resources, using FIT150 may be preferred because it offers both high PPV and NPV for advanced neoplasia detection. It could also decrease colonoscopy workload, while maintaining a CRC miss rate similar to those with lower cut-offs.
Metabolically healthy obesity and risk of all-cause and cardiovascular disease mortality.

CONTEXT Previous studies have identified an obese phenotype without the burden of adiposity-associated cardiometabolic risk factors, although the health effects remain unclear. OBJECTIVE We examined the association between metabolically healthy obesity and risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and all-cause mortality. DESIGN AND SETTING This was an observational study with prospective linkage to mortality records in community-dwelling adults from the general population in Scotland and England. PARTICIPANTS A total of 22,203 men and women [aged 54.1 (SD 12.7 yr), 45.2% men] without known history of CVD at baseline. INTERVENTIONS Based on blood pressure, high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol, diabetes diagnosis, waist circumference, and low-grade inflammation (C-reactive protein ≥ 3 mg/liter), participants were classified as metabolically healthy (0 or 1 metabolic abnormality) or unhealthy (two or more metabolic abnormalities). Obesity was defined as a body mass index of 30 kg/m(2) or greater. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE Study members were followed up, on average, more than 7.0 ± 3.0 yr for cause-specific mortality. Cox proportional hazards models were used to examine the association of metabolic health/obesity categories with mortality. RESULTS There were 604 CVD and 1868 all-cause deaths, respectively. Compared with the metabolically healthy nonobese participants, their obese counterparts were not at elevated risk of CVD [hazard ratio (HR) 1.26, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.74-2.13], although both nonobese (HR 1.59, 95% CI 1.30-1.94) and obese (HR 1.64, 95% CI 1.17-2.30) participants with two or more metabolic abnormalities were at elevated risk. Metabolically unhealthy obese participants were at elevated risk of all-cause mortality compared with their metabolically healthy obese counterparts (HR 1.72, 95% CI 1.23-2.41). CONCLUSION Metabolically healthy obese participants were not at increased risk of CVD and all-cause mortality over 7 yr.
Score-Aging Calibration for Speaker Verification

The gradual changes that occur in the human voice due to aging create challenges for speaker verification. This study presents an approach to calibrating the output scores of a speaker verification system using the time interval between comparison samples as additional information. Several functions are proposed for the incorporation of this time information, which is viewed as aging information, in a conventional linear score calibration transformation. Experiments are presented on data with shortterm aging intervals ranging between 2 months and 3 years, and long-term aging intervals of up to 30 years. The aging calibration proposal is shown to offset the decreased discrimination and calibration performance for both shortand long-term intervals, and to extrapolate well to unseen aging intervals. Relative reductions in Cuℓℓr (cost of log-likelihood ratio) of 1-4% and 10-43% are obtained at shortand long-term intervals, respectively. Assuming that a system has knowledge of the time interval between samples under comparison, this approach represents a straightforward means of compensating for the detrimental impact of aging on speaker verification performance.
Internet addiction and problematic Internet use: A systematic review of clinical research.

AIM To provide a comprehensive overview of clinical studies on the clinical picture of Internet-use related addictions from a holistic perspective. A literature search was conducted using the database Web of Science. METHODS Over the last 15 years, the number of Internet users has increased by 1000%, and at the same time, research on addictive Internet use has proliferated. Internet addiction has not yet been understood very well, and research on its etiology and natural history is still in its infancy. In 2013, the American Psychiatric Association included Internet Gaming Disorder in the appendix of the updated version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders (DSM-5) as condition that requires further research prior to official inclusion in the main manual, with important repercussions for research and treatment. To date, reviews have focused on clinical and treatment studies of Internet addiction and Internet Gaming Disorder. This arguably limits the analysis to a specific diagnosis of a potential disorder that has not yet been officially recognised in the Western world, rather than a comprehensive and inclusive investigation of Internet-use related addictions (including problematic Internet use) more generally. RESULTS The systematic literature review identified a total of 46 relevant studies. The included studies used clinical samples, and focused on characteristics of treatment seekers and online addiction treatment. Four main types of clinical research studies were identified, namely research involving (1) treatment seeker characteristics; (2) psychopharmacotherapy; (3) psychological therapy; and (4) combined treatment. CONCLUSION A consensus regarding diagnostic criteria and measures is needed to improve reliability across studies and to develop effective and efficient treatment approaches for treatment seekers.
Challenges and Successes in Dissemination of Evidence-Based Treatments for Posttraumatic Stress

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) poses monumental public health challenges because of its contribution to mental health, physical health, and both interpersonal and social problems. Recent military engagements in Iraq and Afghanistan and the multitude of resulting cases of PTSD have highlighted the public health significance of these conditions. There are now psychological treatments that can effectively treat most individuals with PTSD, including active duty military personnel, veterans, and civilians. We begin by reviewing the effectiveness of these treatments, with a focus on prolonged exposure (PE), a cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for PTSD. Many studies conducted in independent research labs have demonstrated that PE is highly efficacious in treating PTSD across a wide range of trauma types, survivor characteristics, and cultures. Furthermore, therapists without prior CBT experience can readily learn and implement the treatment successfully. Despite the existence of highly effective treatments like PE, the majority of individuals with PTSD receive treatments of unknown efficacy. Thus, it is crucial to identify the barriers and challenges that must be addressed in order to promote the widespread dissemination of effective treatments for PTSD. In this review, we first discuss some of the major challenges, such as a professional culture that often is antagonistic to evidence-based treatments (EBTs), a lack of clinician training in EBTs, limited effectiveness of commonly used dissemination techniques, and the significant cost associated with effective dissemination models. Next, we review local, national, and international efforts to disseminate PE and similar treatments and illustrate the challenges and successes involved in promoting the adoption of EBTs in mental health systems. We then consider ways in which the barriers discussed earlier can be overcome, as well as the difficulties involved in effecting sustained organizational change in mental health systems. We also present examples of efforts to disseminate PE in developing countries and the attendant challenges when mental health systems are severely underdeveloped. Finally, we present future directions for the dissemination of EBTs for PTSD, including the use of newer technologies such as web-based therapy and telemedicine. We conclude by discussing the need for concerted action among multiple interacting systems in order to overcome existing barriers to dissemination and promote widespread access to effective treatment for PTSD. These systems include graduate training programs, government agencies, health insurers, professional organizations, healthcare delivery systems, clinical researchers, and public education systems like the media. Each of these entities can play a major role in reducing the personal suffering and public health burden associated with posttraumatic stress.
Influence of Low Pressure Plasma Spraying Parameters on MCrAlY Bond Coat and its Microstructure

Low pressure plasma spraying (LPPS) is one of the most advanced processes of an MCrAlY bond coat formation. It ensures the forming of metallic coatings free of oxides which can act as an bond coat for thermal barrier coatings used, among others, for protection of turbine blade surface. The paper presents results of tests into microstructure of coatings made from AMDRY 997 powder on the base of type Inconel 617 heat-resistant nickel alloy. The tests were carried out using light and scanning electron microscopy. Evaluated was the influence of spraying conditions on microstructure, porosity and thickness of the obtained coating. Test results show that the LPPS method allows to form coatings of low porosity and free of oxides which can be used as an bond coat in thermal barrier coatings.
Extracellular Zinc Competitively Inhibits Manganese Uptake and Compromises Oxidative Stress Management in Streptococcus pneumoniae

Streptococcus pneumoniae requires manganese for colonization of the human host, but the underlying molecular basis for this requirement has not been elucidated. Recently, it was shown that zinc could compromise manganese uptake and that zinc levels increased during infection by S. pneumoniae in all the niches that it colonized. Here we show, by quantitative means, that extracellular zinc acts in a dose dependent manner to competitively inhibit manganese uptake by S. pneumoniae, with an EC50 of 30.2 µM for zinc in cation-defined media. By exploiting the ability to directly manipulate S. pneumoniae accumulation of manganese, we analyzed the connection between manganese and superoxide dismutase (SodA), a primary source of protection for S. pneumoniae against oxidative stress. We show that manganese starvation led to a decrease in sodA transcription indicating that expression of sodA was regulated through an unknown manganese responsive pathway. Intriguingly, examination of recombinant SodA revealed that the enzyme was potentially a cambialistic superoxide dismutase with an iron/manganese cofactor. SodA was also shown to provide the majority of protection against oxidative stress as a S. pneumoniae ΔsodA mutant strain was found to be hypersensitive to oxidative stress, despite having wild-type manganese levels, indicating that the metal ion alone was not sufficiently protective. Collectively, these results provide a quantitative assessment of the competitive effect of zinc upon manganese uptake and provide a molecular basis for how extracellular zinc exerts a ‘toxic’ effect on bacterial pathogens, such as S. pneumoniae.
Phantom limbs and related phenomena in recent traumatic amputations

Seventy-three soldiers who had traumatic amputations were examined from 1 to 6 months after limb loss. All experienced phantom limb sensations and 67 percent experienced phantom limb pains, usually transient. Stump pain occurred in 43 percent and was associated with phantom pain in 54 percent of these. Of the 23 percent of the entire group who had evident stump pathology, 33 percent had phantom pains only, 20 percent had stump pains only, 40 percent had both, and 7 percent were pain-free. All stump ends exhibited an area of hyperpathia with hypoesthesia. Phantom pain probably results from peripheral or spinal cord mechanisms, or both, rather than from more rostra1 mechanisms.
Coverage by randomly deployed wireless sensor networks

One of the main applications of wireless sensor networks is to provide proper coverage of their deployment regions. A wireless sensor network k-covers its deployment region if every point in its deployment region is within the coverage ranges of at least k sensors. In this paper, we assume that the sensors are deployed as either a Poisson point process or a uniform point process in a square or disk region, and study how the probability of the k-coverage changes with the sensing radius or the number of sensors. Our results take the complicated boundary effect into account, rather than avoiding it by assuming the toroidal metric as done in the literature.
Business process customization using process merging techniques

One of the important application of service composition techniques lies in the field of business process management. Essentially a business process can be considered as a composition of services, which is usually prepared by domain experts, and many tasks still have to be performed manually. These include the design and creation of the process itself or the modification of an existing one when business requirements change. Any form of automation and support we can bring to the tasks of maintenance and evolution are highly beneficial. One way of creating a new business process is by the combination of two existing ones which naturally should retain the behavioral features of both original processes. In this paper, we introduce a formal language to express behavioral properties of processes together with its semantics, and we show how it supports process merging.
Fast Protection-Domain Crossing in the CHERI Capability-System Architecture

Capability Hardware Enhanced RISC Instructions (CHERI) supplement the conventional memory management unit (MMU) with instruction-set architecture (ISA) extensions that implement a capability system model in the address space. CHERI can also underpin a hardware-software object-capability model for scalable application compartmentalization that can mitigate broader classes of attack. This article describes ISA additions to CHERI that support fast protection-domain switching, not only in terms of low cycle count, but also efficient memory sharing with mutual distrust. The authors propose ISA support for sealed capabilities, hardware-assisted checking during protection-domain switching, a lightweight capability flow-control model, and fast register clearing, while retaining the flexibility of a software-defined protection-domain transition model. They validate this approach through a full-system experimental design, including ISA extensions, a field-programmable gate array prototype (implemented in Bluespec SystemVerilog), and a software stack including an OS (based on FreeBSD), compiler (based on LLVM), software compartmentalization model, and open-source applications.
Association of GWAS Top Hits With Late-onset Alzheimer Disease in Korean Population

Recent genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have discovered several Alzheimer disease (AD) susceptibility loci. However, the identified susceptibility loci are substantially inconsistent across GWAS. We aimed to investigate the association of top associated variants in GWAS with AD in Korean population. We selected 86 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) selected from 12 genes (ABCA7, APOE, BIN1, CD2AP, CD33, CLU, CR1, EPHA1, LRAT, MS4A6A, PCDH11X, and PICALM) and genotyped in 290 AD cases and 554 unrelated controls from the same region. Three SNPs [rs429358 in APOE: odds ratio (OR)=4.24, 95% confidence interval (CI)=3.01–5.96, P=1.23×10−16; rs2075650 in APOE: OR=3.57, 95% CI=2.51–5.06, P=1.23×10−12; and rs677909 in PICALM: OR=0.63, 95% CI=0.49–0.81, P=0.00036, log additive model] were significantly associated with AD susceptibility after correction for multiple testing. Six additional PICALM SNPs, 3 ABCA7 SNPs, and 1 APOE, CD33, and BIN1 SNPs each had significant uncorrected P values. There was no significant association for age at onset of AD. Our results confirm the association of PICALM gene (encoding phosphatidylinositol-binding protein) in addition to APOE gene with AD susceptibility in Korean population but did not show significant associations of other susceptibility loci with AD.
Effect of Cervical Interlaminar Epidural Steroid Injection: Analysis According to the Neck Pain Patterns and MRI Findings

Background It is widely accepted that cervical interlaminar steroid injection (CIESI) is more effective in treating radicular pain than axial neck pain, but without direct comparison. And the differences of effect after CIESI according to MRI findings are inconsistent. In this retrospective study, we evaluated the therapeutic response of CIESI according to pain sites, durations, MRI findings, and other predictive factors altogether, unlike previous studies, which evaluated them separately. Methods The medical records of 128 patients who received fluoroscopy guided CIESI were analyzed. We evaluated the therapeutic response (more than a 50% reduction on the visual analog scale [VAS] by their second visit) after CIESI by (1) pain site; neck pain without radicular pain/radicular pain with or without neck pain, (2) pain duration; acute/chronic (more than 6 month), and (3) findings of MRI; herniated intervertebral disc (HIVD)/spinal stenosis, respectively and altogether. Results Eighty-eight patients (68%) responded to CIESI, and there were no significant differences in demographic data, initial VAS score, or laboratory findings. And there were no significant differences in the response rate relating to pain site, pain duration, or MRI findings, respectively. In additional analysis, acute radicular pain with HIVD patients showed significantly better response than chronic neck pain with spinal stenosis (P = 0.04). Conclusions We cannot find any sole predictive factor of therapeutic response to the CIESI. But the patients having acute radicular pain with HIVD showed the best response, and those having other chronic neck pain showed the worst response to CIESI.