Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
SPEECHDAT-CAR. A Large Speech Database for Automotive Environments

languages are Danish, British English, Finnish, Flemish/Dutch, French, German, Greek, Italian, Spanish and American English. For each language 600 sessions will be recorded (from at least 300 speakers) in seven characteristic environments (low speed, high speed with audio equipment on, etc.). This paper gives an overview of the project with a focus on the production phases (recording platforms, speaker recruitment, annotation and distribution).
Interrupting transmission of soil-transmitted helminths: a study protocol for cluster randomised trials evaluating alternative treatment strategies and delivery systems in Kenya

Introduction In recent years, an unprecedented emphasis has been given to the control of neglected tropical diseases, including soil-transmitted helminths (STHs). The mainstay of STH control is school-based deworming (SBD), but mathematical modelling has shown that in all but very low transmission settings, SBD is unlikely to interrupt transmission, and that new treatment strategies are required. This study seeks to answer the question: is it possible to interrupt the transmission of STH, and, if so, what is the most cost-effective treatment strategy and delivery system to achieve this goal? Methods and analysis Two cluster randomised trials are being implemented in contrasting settings in Kenya. The interventions are annual mass anthelmintic treatment delivered to preschool- and school-aged children, as part of a national SBD programme, or to entire communities, delivered by community health workers. Allocation to study group is by cluster, using predefined units used in public health provision—termed community units (CUs). CUs are randomised to one of three groups: receiving either (1) annual SBD; (2) annual community-based deworming (CBD); or (3) biannual CBD. The primary outcome measure is the prevalence of hookworm infection, assessed by four cross-sectional surveys. Secondary outcomes are prevalence of Ascaris lumbricoides and Trichuris trichiura, intensity of species infections and treatment coverage. Costs and cost-effectiveness will be evaluated. Among a random subsample of participants, worm burden and proportion of unfertilised eggs will be assessed longitudinally. A nested process evaluation, using semistructured interviews, focus group discussions and a stakeholder analysis, will investigate the community acceptability, feasibility and scale-up of each delivery system. Ethics and dissemination Study protocols have been reviewed and approved by the ethics committees of the Kenya Medical Research Institute and National Ethics Review Committee, and London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. The study has a dedicated web site. Trial registration number NCT02397772.
Onset of Antiplatelet Action With High (100 mg) Versus Standard (60 mg) Loading Dose of Prasugrel in Patients With ST-Segment–Elevation Myocardial Infarction Undergoing Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention: Pharmacodynamic Study

Background—In patients with ST-segment–elevation myocardial infarction undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention, a suboptimal degree of platelet inhibition for the first 2 hours after the standard 60 mg loading dose of prasugrel has been described. Methods and Results—In a prospective, 3-center, nonrandomized, controlled study, 2 sequential groups of P2Y12 inhibitor-naive consecutive patients were loaded with either 100 mg (n=47) or 60 mg (n=35) of prasugrel. Platelet reactivity was assessed by VerifyNow at hours 0, 0.5, 1, 2, and 4. At hour 2, there was a strong trend for the primary end point of platelet reactivity (in P2Y12 reaction units) to be lower (least squares estimates of the mean difference [95% confidence interval], −45.5 [−91.2 to 0.3]; P=0.051), whereas platelet reactivity percentage inhibition (median, first to third quartile) was higher (75.5% [24%–91.8%] versus 23.5% [0%–78.3%]; P=0.02) in the 100-mg compared with 60-mg loading dose group. At hour 2, prasugrel 100 mg over 60 mg loading dose significantly reduced high platelet reactivity rates from 28.6% to 8.5% (≥230 P2Y12 reaction units threshold; P=0.036) and from 31.4% to 10.6% (≥208 P2Y12 reaction units threshold; P=0.024), whereas resulted in lower rate of ⩽20% platelet inhibition (23.4% versus 51.4%; P=0.009). Conclusions—In patients with ST-segment–elevation myocardial infarction treated with primary percutaneous coronary intervention, a higher (100 mg) than the standard loading dose of prasugrel results in greater and more consistent platelet inhibition, yet this will need to be further validated in additional studies. Clinical Trial Registration—URL: http://www.clinicaltrials. gov. Unique identifier: NCT01835353.
KnightCap: A chess program that learns by combining TD(lambda) with game-tree search

In this paper we present TDLeaf(lambda), a variation on the TD(lambda) algorithm that enables it to be used in conjunction with game-tree search. We present some experiments in which our chess program ``KnightCap'' used TDLeaf(lambda) to learn its evaluation function while playing on the Free Internet Chess Server (FICS, fics.onenet.net). The main success we report is that KnightCap improved from a 1650 rating to a 2150 rating in just 308 games and 3 days of play. As a reference, a rating of 1650 corresponds to about level B human play (on a scale from E (1000) to A (1800)), while 2150 is human master level. We discuss some of the reasons for this success, principle among them being the use of on-line, rather than self-play.
The Product Homomorphism Problem and Applications

The product homomorphism problem (PHP) takes as input a finite collection of structures A_1, . , A_n and a structure B, and asks if there is a homomorphism from the direct product between A_1, A_2, . , and A_n, to B. We pinpoint the computational complexity of this problem. Our motivation stems from the fact that PHP naturally arises in different areas of database theory. In particular, it is equivalent to the problem of determining whether a relation is definable by a conjunctive query, and the existence of a schema mapping that fits a given collection of positive and negative data examples. We apply our results to obtain complexity bounds for these problems.
Activation of a beta-galactosidase recombinant provirus: application to titration of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and HIV-infected cells

A quantitative bioassay for human immunodeficiency viruses has been developed on the basis of the ability of the tat gene to transactivate the expression of an integrated beta-galactosidase gene in a HeLa-CD4+ cell line. Infection by a single virion of HIV-1 or HIV-2 corresponds to a unique blue syncytium or a cell cluster detected after fixation and addition of 5-bromo-4-chloro-3-indolyl-beta-D-galactopyranoside (a beta-galactosidase substrate). The number of infected lymphoid cells in a culture (stimulated human peripheral blood lymphocytes and cell lines) can also be quantified by cell-to-cell transmission of HIV into the HeLa-CD4(+)-beta-galactosidase monolayer. Infections by simian immunodeficiency viruses are similarly detected. This assay has been used to determine the dose response of drugs, the half-life of HIV at 37 degrees C, and the appearance of infectious particles after virus infection.
Weighted NP optimization problems: logical definability and approximation properties

It is shown that all NP-optimization problems can be characterized by /spl Pi//sub 2/ first-order formulae and that /spl Pi//sub 1/ formulae are not sufficient for this goal. This generalizes the result of Kolaitis and Thakur (1990). The approximation properties of the weighted versions of MAX NP, MAX SNP, MAX SNP(/spl pi/), MIN F/sup +//spl Pi//sub 1/ and MIN F/sup +//spl Pi//sub 2/(1) are analyzed and dramatic changes are observed when negative weights are allowed.
Different responses to K-10 and CIDI suggest that complex structured psychiatric interviews underestimate rates of mental disorder in old people

Background Epidemiological surveys based on complex diagnostic interviews, such as the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI), report very low rates of anxiety and depressive disorders in older age groups. Mental health checklists show much less change over the lifespan. This paper explores the possibility that complex interviews present a special challenge to older respondents and thereby exaggerate the decline in mental disorder with age. Method Analysis of data from an Australian national mental health survey with 10 641 community-resident adult respondents. Measures of interest included ICD-10 anxiety and depression diagnoses, scores on the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K-10), agreement between K-10 and CIDI anxiety and depressive questions, and changes in agreement with age. Results Levels of inconsistency between simple and complex questions about anxiety and depression rose with age. Conclusions Older people may have difficulty attending to and processing lengthy, complex questionnaires. When in doubt, their preferred response may be to deny having experienced symptoms, thus deflating rates of diagnosed mental disorder. We recommend that simple mental health scales be included in epidemiological studies involving older age groups.
Sporozoite neutralizing antibodies elicited in mice and rhesus macaques immunized with a Plasmodium falciparum repeat peptide conjugated to meningococcal outer membrane protein complex

Antibodies that neutralize infectivity of malaria sporozoites target the central repeat region of the circumsporozoite (CS) protein, which in Plasmodium falciparum is comprised primarily of 30–40 tandem NANP tetramer repeats. We evaluated immunogenicity of an alum-adsorbed (NANP)6 peptide conjugated to an outer membrane protein complex (OMPC) derived from Neisseria meningitidis, a carrier protein used in a licensed Haemophilus influenzae pediatric vaccine. Mice immunized with (NANP)6-OMPC adsorbed to Merck's alum adjuvant (MAA), with or without Iscomatrix® as co-adjuvant, developed high levels of anti-repeat peptide antibody that inhibited in vitro invasion of human hepatoma cells by transgenic P. berghei sporozoites that express P. falciparum CS repeats (PfPb). Inhibition of sporozoite invasion in vitro correlated with in vivo resistance to challenge by the bites of PfPb-infected mosquitoes. Challenged mice had >90% reduction of hepatic stage parasites as measured by real-time PCR, and either sterile immunity, i.e., no detectable blood stage parasites, or delayed prepatent periods which indicate neutralization of a majority, but not all, sporozoites. Rhesus macaques immunized with two doses of (NANP)6-OMPC/MAA formulated with Iscomatrix® developed anti-repeat antibodies that persisted for ~2 years. A third dose of (NANP)6-OMPC/MAA+ Iscomatrix® at that time elicited strong anamnestic antibody responses. Rhesus macaque immune sera obtained post second and third dose of vaccine displayed high levels of sporozoite neutralizing activity in vitro that correlated with presence of high anti-repeat antibody titers. These preclinical studies in mice of different MHC haplotypes and a non-human primate support use of CS peptide-OMPC conjugates as a highly immunogenic platform to evaluate CS protective epitopes. Potential pre-erythrocytic vaccines can be combined with sexual blood stage vaccines as a multi-antigen malaria vaccine to block invasion and transmission of Plasmodium parasites.
Long-term (2001-2012) concentrations of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and the impact on human health in Beijing, China

Abstract. Beijing, the capital of China, is a densely populated city with poor air quality. The impact of high pollutant concentrations, in particular of aerosol particles, on human health is of major concern. The present study uses aerosol optical depth (AOD) as proxy to estimate long-term PM2.5 and subsequently estimates the premature mortality due to PM2.5. We use the AOD from 2001 to 2012 from the Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) site in Beijing and the ground-based PM2.5 observations from the US embassy in Beijing from 2010 to 2011 to establish a relationship between PM2.5 and AOD. By including the atmospheric boundary layer height and relative humidity in the comparative analysis, the correlation (R2) increases from 0.28 to 0.62. We evaluate 12 years of PM2.5 data for the Beijing central area using an estimated linear relationship with AOD and calculate the yearly premature mortality by different diseases attributable to PM2.5. The estimated average total mortality due to PM2.5 is about 5100 individuals per year for the period 2001–2012 in the Beijing central area, and for the period 2010–2012 the per capita mortality for all ages due to PM2.5 is around 15 per 10 000 person-years, which underscores the urgent need for air pollution abatement.
Incorporating Relevance and Pseudo-relevance Feedback in the Markov Random Field Model

We present a new document retrieval approach combining relevance feedback, pseudo-relevance feedback, and Markov random ﬁeld modeling of term interaction. Overall eﬀectiveness of our combined model and the relative contribution from each component is evaluated on the GOV2 webpage collection. Given 0-5 feedback documents, we ﬁnd each component contributes unique value to the overall ensemble, achieving signiﬁcant improvement individually and in combination. Comparative evaluation in the 2008 TREC Relevance Feedback track further shows our complete system typically performs as well or better than peer systems.
Genetic variants in five novel loci including CFB and CD40 predispose to chronic hepatitis B

Hepatitis B virus affects more than 2 billion people worldwide, 350 million of which have developed chronic hepatitis B (CHB). The genetic factors that confer CHB risk are still largely unknown. We sought to identify genetic variants for CHB susceptibility in the Chinese population. We undertook a genome‐wide association study (GWAS) in 2,514 CHB cases and 1,130 normal controls from eastern China. We replicated 33 of the most promising signals and eight previously reported CHB risk loci through a two‐stage validation totaling 6,600 CHB cases and 8,127 controls in four independent populations, of which two populations were recruited from eastern China, one from northern China and one from southern China. The joint analyses of 9,114 CHB cases and 9,257 controls revealed significant association of CHB risk with five novel loci. Four loci are located in the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) region at 6p21.3, including two nonsynonymous variants (rs12614 [R32W] in complement factor B [CFB], Pmeta=1.28 × 10−34; and rs422951 [T320A] in NOTCH4, Pmeta = 5.33 × 10−16); one synonymous variant (rs378352 in HLA‐DOA corresponding to HLA‐DOA*010101, Pmeta = 1.04 × 10−23); and one noncoding variant (rs2853953 near HLA‐C, Pmeta = 5.06 × 10−20). Another locus is located at 20q13.1 (rs1883832 in the Kozak sequence of CD40, Pmeta = 2.95 × 10−15). Additionally, we validated seven of eight previously reported CHB susceptibility loci (rs3130542 at HLA‐C, rs1419881 at TCF19, rs652888 at EHMT2, rs2856718 at HLA‐DQB1, rs7453920 at HLA‐DQB2, rs3077 at HLA‐DPA1, and rs9277535 at HLA‐DPA2, which are all located in the HLA region, 9.84 × 10−71 ≤ Pmeta ≤ 9.92 × 10−7). Conclusion: Our GWAS identified five novel susceptibility loci for CHB. These findings improve the understanding of CHB etiology and may provide new targets for prevention and treatment of this disease. (Hepatology 2015;62:118‐128)
Unsupervised Domain Adaptation with Feature Embeddings

Representation learning is the dominant technique for unsupervised domain adaptation, but existing approaches often require the specification of "pivot features" that generalize across domains, which are selected by task-specific heuristics. We show that a novel but simple feature embedding approach provides better performance, by exploiting the feature template structure common in NLP problems.
The Host Cell Receptors for Measles Virus and Their Interaction with the Viral Hemagglutinin (H) Protein

The hemagglutinin (H) protein of measles virus (MeV) interacts with a cellular receptor which constitutes the initial stage of infection. Binding of H to this host cell receptor subsequently triggers the F protein to activate fusion between virus and host plasma membranes. The search for MeV receptors began with vaccine/laboratory virus strains and evolved to more relevant receptors used by wild-type MeV. Vaccine or laboratory strains of measles virus have been adapted to grow in common cell lines such as Vero and HeLa cells, and were found to use membrane cofactor protein (CD46) as a receptor. CD46 is a regulator that normally prevents cells from complement-mediated self-destruction, and is found on the surface of all human cells, with the exception of erythrocytes. Mutations in the H protein, which occur during adaptation and allow the virus to use CD46 as a receptor, have been identified. Wild-type isolates of measles virus cannot use the CD46 receptor. However, both vaccine/laboratory and wild-type strains can use an immune cell receptor called signaling lymphocyte activation molecule family member 1 (SLAMF1; also called CD150) and a recently discovered epithelial receptor known as Nectin-4. SLAMF1 is found on activated B, T, dendritic, and monocyte cells, and is the initial target for infections by measles virus. Nectin-4 is an adherens junction protein found at the basal surfaces of many polarized epithelial cells, including those of the airways. It is also over-expressed on the apical and basal surfaces of many adenocarcinomas, and is a cancer marker for metastasis and tumor survival. Nectin-4 is a secondary exit receptor which allows measles virus to replicate and amplify in the airways, where the virus is expelled from the body in aerosol droplets. The amino acid residues of H protein that are involved in binding to each of the receptors have been identified through X-ray crystallography and site-specific mutagenesis. Recombinant measles “blind” to each of these receptors have been constructed, allowing the virus to selectively infect receptor specific cell lines. Finally, the observations that SLAMF1 is found on lymphomas and that Nectin-4 is expressed on the cell surfaces of many adenocarcinomas highlight the potential of measles virus for oncolytic therapy. Although CD46 is also upregulated on many tumors, it is less useful as a target for cancer therapy, since normal human cells express this protein on their surfaces.
Sepsis Prevalence and Outcome on the General Wards and Emergency Departments in Wales: Results of a Multi-Centre, Observational, Point Prevalence Study

Data on sepsis prevalence on the general wards is lacking on the UK and in the developed world. We conducted a multicentre, prospective, observational study of the prevalence of patients with sepsis or severe sepsis on the general wards and Emergency Departments (ED) in Wales. During the 24-hour study period all patients with NEWS≥3 were screened for presence of 2 or more SIRS criteria. To be eligible for inclusion, patients had to have a high clinical suspicion of an infection, together with a systemic inflammatory response (sepsis) and evidence of acute organ dysfunction and/or shock (severe sepsis). There were 5317 in-patients in the 24-hour study period. Data were returned on 1198 digital data collection forms on patients with NEWS≥3 of which 87 were removed, leaving 1111 for analysis. 146 patients had sepsis and 144 patients had severe sepsis. Combined prevalence of sepsis and severe sepsis was 5.5% amongst all in-patients. Patients with sepsis had significantly higher NEWS scores (3 IQR 3–4 for non-sepsis and 4 IQR 3–6 for sepsis patients, respectively). Common organ dysfunctions in severe sepsis were hypoxia (47%), hypoperfusion (40%) and acute kidney injury (25%). Mortality at 90 days was 31% with a median (IQR) hospital free stay of 78 (36–85) days. Screening for sepsis, referral to Critical Care and completion of Sepsis 6 bundle was low: 26%, 16% and 12% in the sepsis group. Multivariable logistic regression analysis identified higher National Early Warning Score, diabetes, COPD, heart failure, malignancy and current or previous smoking habits as independent variables suggesting the diagnosis of sepsis. We observed that sepsis is more prevalent in the general ward and ED than previously suggested before and that screening and effective treatment for sepsis and severe sepsis is far from being operationalized in this environment, leading to high 90 days mortality.
Advances in tomato research in the post-genome era

The tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) draft genome, along with a draft of the wild relative, Solanum pimpinellifolium, were released in 2012, almost a decade after the International Tomato Genome project was initiated. Tomato is an important domesticated crop species, as well as a model organism for many aspects of plant biology such as fleshy fruit development, ripening, disease resistance, plant architecture, and compound leaf development. For these reasons, there has been a substantial effort for producing a high quality reference genome that will serve as an anchor for tomato species, and for closely related Solanaceae plants. The utility of this genome has already been demonstrated by a relatively large number of studies that have been published since the release of the sequence, covering a wide range of topics including gene expression, genetic diversity, phylogeny, comparative genomics, and epigenetics. With the availability of the potato genome, it is now possible to perform detailed comparative genomic analysis of gene families in the Solanaceae, facilitated by conservation and synteny between their genomes. A large number of ongoing efforts will result in the sequencing of hundreds of wild and domesticated tomato accessions from various populations, uncovering the breeding history of tomatoes and introducing new genomic technologies to accelerate breeding processes. In this review, we provide an overview of the origins of tomato and its position in the wider Solanaceae, and demonstrate the impact of the tomato genome sequence on Solanaceae research on the basis of recent literature that has made use of this new resource.
Therapeutic ratio of hydrofluoroalkane and chlorofluorocarbon formulations of fluticasone propionate.

OBJECTIVES To compare the therapeutic ratio of chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) and hydrofluoroalkane-134a (HFA) formulations of fluticasone propionate (FP). METHODS We performed a randomized, placebo-controlled, crossover study comparing 6 weeks of treatment with FP using 500 micro g/d and 1,000 microg/d formulations of CFC and HFA. The primary end points were provocative dose of methacholine causing a 20% fall in FEV1 (PD20) and overnight urinary cortisol/creatinine excretion. RESULTS Eighteen patients with mild-to-moderate asthma and geometric mean (SEM) PD20 of 82.3 micro g (19.2 micro g) completed the study. All treatments significantly improved PD20 values and morning peak expiratory flow vs placebo, while 1,000 microg/d was significantly better than 500 microg/d for the CFC formulation of FP (CFC-FP) but not the HFA formulation of FP (HFA-FP). Only 1,000 microg/d of CFC-FP caused significant suppression of overnight urinary cortisol/creatinine compared to placebo. There were no differences between formulations at either dose. CONCLUSIONS The increased airway benefit with CFC-FP > 500 microg/d was offset by greater systemic effects. Although HFA-FP had fewer systemic effects than CFC-FP at 1,000 microg/d, there was no benefit to increasing HFA-FP to > 500 microg/d.