Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Evaluation of Chinese Therapeutic Food for the Treatment of Moderate Dyslipidemia

The clinical efficacy of the Chinese therapeutic food (specifically hawthorn fruit and Chinese kiwifruit-extract compound) on dyslipidemia was evaluated in this placebo-controlled, double blind, paired clinical trial conducted in Melbourne, Australia. Forty-three participants diagnosed with moderate dyslipidemia and met the study criteria were randomly assigned to Group A or B, with baseline characteristics matched. Twenty-seven participants completed all the tests, the blood lipid profile including total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c), and triglycerides (TG) was analysed. The traditional Chinese medicine diagnosis was made based on participants' symptoms and signs. The results indicate that a four-week intake of the compound increased the serum HDL-c levels by 5% (P = 0.026) and decreased the ratios of TC/HDL-c and LDL-c/HDL-c (P = 0.012 and P = 0.044, resp.). The placebo intake did not significantly change the blood lipid profile. In the initial 43 participants with dyslipidemia, 76.7% of them were diagnosed with “Spleen deficiency” and 58.1% with “Liver qi stagnation. ” The intake of hawthorn fruit and Chinese kiwifruit extract compound may increase the serum levels of HDL-c and decrease the ratios of TC/HDL-c and LDL-c/HDL-c, therefore, may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Real-time transmission of high-resolution multi-view stereo video over IP networks

In this paper, a real-time high-resolution multi-view video transport system which can deliver multi-view video over IP networks is proposed. Video streams are encoded with H.264/AVS. Owing to the massive amount of data involved, multi-view video is delivered in two separate IP channels. Since packets losses always occur in IP networks, a novel packets processing method is employed in the proposed system to hold the correlation between views for loss data recover. Additionally, an error concealment scheme for multi-view stereo video is exploited in this transport system, in order to solve the packet loss problem in IP networks. The experimental results represent that the proposed transport system is feasible for multi-view video in IP networks.
Blood glucose awareness training and epinephrine responses to hypoglycemia during intensive treatment in type 1 diabetes.

OBJECTIVE To determine the effect of blood glucose awareness training (BGAT) on epinephrine and symptom responses to hypoglycemia in patients with type 1 diabetes enrolled in an intensive diabetes treatment (IDT) program. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS A total of 47 subjects with uncomplicated diabetes (duration 9 +/- 3 years: HbA1c 9.0 +/- 1.2%; reference range 4-6%) enrolled in a 4-month outpatient IDT program were randomized to classes in BGAT (n = 25) (BGAT group) or cholesterol awareness (n = 22) (control group). Subjects underwent stepped hypoglycemic clamp studies before and at completion of IDT. Plasma glucose was lowered from 6.7 mmol/l (baseline) to 4.4, 3.9, 3.3, 2.8, and 2.2 mmol/l over 190 min. Symptoms, counterregulatory hormones, and ability of the subject to estimate their glucose level were assessed at each plateau. At home, subjects used a handheld computer to first estimate and then measure and record blood glucose levels for 70 trials over a 4-week period immediately before IDT and again immediately following the educational intervention. RESULTS HbA1c decreased in both BGAT group (9.1 +/- 1.4 to 7.9 +/- 1.1%; P < 0.001) and control group (9.0 +/- 1.1 to 7.8 +/- 0.8%; P < 0.001) (NS between groups). Frequency of hypoglycemia (< 3.9 mmol/l) increased in both groups, from 0.45 +/- 0.06 to 0.69 +/- 0.07 episodes per day (P < 0.001) in the BGAT group and from 0.50 +/- 0.08 to 0.68 +/- 0.06 episodes per day (P < 0.05) in the control group NS between groups). Epinephrine responses after IDT were greater in the BGAT group (repeated measure analysis of variance [ANOVA], F = 3.5, P < 0.05). A separate analysis of subjects n = 26) most at risk for hypoglycemia (HbA1c after IDT < 7.8% or an HbA1c improvement of > 2 percentage points) showed that frequency of hypoglycemia increased in both the groups: from 0.50 +/- 0.09 to 0.80 +/- 0.11 episodes per day (P < 0.01) in the BGAT group (n = 14) and from 0.43 +/- 0.11 to 0.75 +/- 0.07 episodes per day (P < 0.05) in the control group (n = 12) (NS between groups). However, the epinephrine response in control subjects decreased with IDT while the response in the BGAT subjects was preserved (repeated measure ANOVA, F = 4.4, P < 0.02). CONCLUSIONS BGAT is a useful intervention to decrease blunting of counterregulatory responses associated with improved glycemic control and may modify the severity of hypoglycemia associated with improved glycemic control in type 1 diabetes.
SunOS Virtual Memory Implementation

The implementation of a new virtual memory (VM) system for Sun’s implementation of the UNIX† operating system (SunOS‡) is described. The new VM system was designed for extensibility and portability using an object-oriented design carefully constructed to not compromise efficiency. The basic implementation abstractions of the new VM system and how they are managed are described. Some of the more interesting problems encountered with a system based on mapped objects and the resolution taken to these problems are described.
Epigenetic silencing of miR-145-5p contributes to brain metastasis

Brain metastasis is a major cause of morbidity and mortality of lung cancer patients. We assessed whether aberrant expression of specific microRNAs could contribute to brain metastasis. Comparison of primary lung tumors and their matched metastatic brain disseminations identified shared patterns of several microRNAs, including common down-regulation of miR-145-5p. Down-regulation was attributed to methylation of miR-145's promoter and affiliated elevation of several protein targets, such as EGFR, OCT-4, MUC-1, c-MYC and, interestingly, tumor protein D52 (TPD52). In line with these observations, restored expression of miR-145-5p and selective depletion of individual targets markedly reduced in vitro and in vivo cancer cell migration. In aggregate, our results attribute to miR-145-5p and its direct targets pivotal roles in malignancy progression and in metastasis.
Methylation of the Polycomb Group Target Genes Is a Possible Biomarker for Favorable Prognosis in Colorectal Cancer

Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second most common cancer in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia with ever increasing incidence rates. DNA methylation is a common event in CRC where it is now considered an important phenomenon in CRC carcinogenesis and useful for the classification and prognosis of CRC. Methods: To gain insight into the molecular mechanisms underpinning CRC in Saudi Arabian patients, we profiled the DNA methylation frequency of key genes (MLH1, MSH2, RASSF1A, SLIT2, HIC1, MGMT, SFRP1, MYOD1, APC, CDKN2A, as well as five CIMP markers) in 120 sporadic CRC cases. CRC tumors originating from the rectum, left, and right colons are represented in this cohort of formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissues. Results: The most common methylation frequency was detected in the polycomb group target genes (PCGT) including SFRP1 (70%), MYOD1 (60.8%), HIC1 (61.7%), and SLIT2 (56.7%). In addition, MGMT methylation was detected at a high frequency (68.3%). RASSF1A, APC, and CDKN2A methylation frequencies were 42.5%, 25%, and 32.8%, respectively. K-means clustering analysis of the methylation events results in the clustering of the CRC samples into three groups depending on the level of methylation detected. Conclusion: Group II (PCGT methylation and CIMP-negative) methylation signature carried a favorable prognosis for male patients, whereas older patients with group I rare methylation signature have a potentially poorer clinical outcome. Impact: Methylation of the PCGT genes along with RASSF1A, APC, and MGMT can be potentially used as a new biomarker for the classification and prognosis of CRC tumors and independently of where the tumor has originated. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 21(11); 2069–75. ©2012 AACR.
Taut ideal triangulations of 3–manifolds

A taut ideal triangulation of a 3{manifold is a topological ideal triangulation with extra combinatorial structure: a choice of transverse orientation on each ideal 2{simplex, satisfying two simple conditions. The aim of this paper is to demonstrate that taut ideal triangulations are very common, and that their behaviour is very similar to that of a taut foliation. For example, by studying normal surfaces in taut ideal triangulations, we give a new proof of Gabai’s result that the singular genus of a knot in the 3{sphere is equal to its genus.
Single‐unit activities during the transition to seizures in deep mesial structures

Focal seizures are assumed to arise from a hypersynchronous activity affecting a circumscribed brain region. Using microelectrodes in seizure‐generating deep mesial regions of 9 patients, we investigated the firing of hundreds of single neurons before, during, and after ictal electroencephalogram (EEG) discharges. Neuronal spiking activity at seizure initiation was highly heterogeneous and not hypersynchronous. Furthermore, groups of neurons showed significant changes in activity minutes before the seizure with no concomitant changes in the corresponding macroscopic EEG recordings. Altogether, our findings suggest that only limited subsets of neurons in epileptic depth regions initiate the seizure‐onset and that ictogenic mechanisms operate in submillimeter‐scale microdomains. Ann Neurol 2017 Ann Neurol 2017;82:1022–1028
Multicolor Whole-Cell Bacterial Sensing Using a Synchronous Fluorescence Spectroscopy-Based Approach

The wide collection of currently available fluorescent proteins (FPs) offers new possibilities for multicolor reporter gene-based studies of bacterial functions. However, the simultaneous use of multiple FPs is often limited by the bleed-through of their emission spectra. Here we introduce an original approach for detection and separation of multiple overlapping fluorescent signals from mixtures of bioreporters strains. The proposed method relies on the coupling of synchronous fluorescent spectroscopy (SFS) with blind spectral decomposition achieved by the Canonical Polyadic (CP) decomposition (also known as Candecomp/Parafac) of three-dimensional data arrays. Due to the substantial narrowing of FP emission spectra and sensitive detection of multiple FPs in a one-step scan, SFS reduced spectral overlap and improved the selectivity of the CP unmixing procedure. When tested on mixtures of labeled E. coli strains, the SFS/CP approach could easily extract the contribution of at least four overlapping FPs. Furthermore, it allowed to simultaneously monitor the expression of three iron responsive genes and pyoverdine production in P. aeruginosa. Implemented in a convenient microplate format, this multiplex fluorescent reporter method provides a useful tool to study complex processes with different variables in bacterial systems.
Preliminary Findings from Our Experience in Anterior Palatoplasty for the Treatment of Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Objectives Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common disorder affecting at least 2% to 4% of adult population characterized by the collapse of the pharyngeal airway. It is well established that retropalatal region is the most common site of obstruction. Consequently, many surgical techniques have been introduced. The purpose of this study is to present our preliminary results in the anterior palatoplasty (AP) compared with results of uvulopalatal flap (UPF). Methods Thirty-eight consecutive patients with mild-moderate OSA were prospectively enrolled into a randomised surgical protocol. Surgical success was measured primarily by satisfactory reduction in snoring, as reported by snoring assessment questionnaire (SQ) of sleep partners. Secondary outcomes measures included improvement in the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) scores, changes in the magnitude of pharyngeal collapse, and postoperative pain intensity. Results The ESS after AP improved from a preoperative value 8.5±3.7 to a postoperative mean of 4.9±3.2 (P<0.001) after UPF improved from a preoperative value of 8.1±3.5 to 5.2±3.2 postoperatively (P<0.001). The results of satisfactory reduction in the volume of snoring and response at polysomnographic data were also similar in both procedures. We reported a statistically significant difference of the collapse noted at Müller manoeuvre that improved from 2.7±1.0 on average, to 1.1±0.9 (P<0.001) after AP and with a lesser extent, (from 2.8±1.1 on average to 1.8±1.1; P<0.05), after UPF. The mean duration of pain was 10.8 days for UPF patients and 7.1 days for AP patients. The mean pain score in the first 3 days, was 6.8 in UPF patients and 5.1 in AP patients. Conclusion The subjective and objective improvements evidenced may suggest how AP is far superior to other techniques aimed at creating a palatal fibrotic scar. In the light of these results we can suggest AP procedure as more practical and comfortable when compared to UPF.
Anti-phosphocholine hybridoma antibodies. I. Direct evidence for three distinct families of antibodies in the murine response

Biochemical and serological studies were performed on more than 400 anti- phosphocholine (PC) hybridoma proteins (HP) derived from six strains of mice; 26 of these HP were examined in detail. All HP possessed specificity for PC, and all those tested contained an H-chain idiotypic determinant, V(H)-PC, which is shared by PC-binding myeloma proteins (BMP) and anti-PC antibodies. Among the HP, three well-defined and distinct families that correlated well with previous studies on serum anti-PC antibodies were identified. The largest group shared idotypic determinants, an L-chain isoelectric focusing (IEF) pattern, and a binding site specificity with the PC-BMP, T15. Using the same criteria, a second group was found to be strikingly similar to another PC-BMP, M603. The third group possessed an idiotypic determinant and an L-chain IEF profile similar to M511, but differences in binding site specificities were observed among the HP. The latter two groups contained members whose L-chain IEF profiles were not identical to other members of that group. Thus, among strains there is a remarkable degree of conservation among responding anti-PC antibodies, in both the kinds of anti-PC families that exist and the immunochemical and structural characteristics of various members within a family. Differences in at least one parameter were observed in each family, demonstrating that even a relatively restricted response is heterogeneous. However, this diversity seems to operate within certain constraints.
Effects of a supervised, outpatient exercise and physiotherapy programme in children with cystic fibrosis

Previous work suggests benefit from outpatient exercise and physiotherapy in children with cystic fibrosis (CF), namely improved exercise capacity and lung function measures, as well reduced intravenous (IV) antibiotic needs. Our study aim was to investigate the effect of a year‐long supervised outpatient exercise and physiotherapy programme in children with CF. Subjects with CF aged ≥10 years who had received ≥4 courses of IV antibiotics in 2009 were enrolled and seen fortnightly for supervised exercise and physiotherapy throughout 2010. In addition, they were expected to exercise three times weekly, and if unwell complete additional physiotherapy sessions extra to usual chest physiotherapy. Assessments of exercise capacity using the Modified Shuttle Test (MST) and quality of life (QOL; CFQ‐UK) were recorded at baseline and after 1 year. Regular spirometry was performed before and throughout the study. Data were collected on IV antibiotic days. 12 subjects (6 female) were enrolled with mean (95% CI) age of 13.3 (11.8–14.6) years at study entry. A significant reduction in IV antibiotic days from 60 (56–64) days in 2009 to 50 (44–56) in 2010 (P = 0.02) was noted, along with improved MST distance (m) [735 (603–867) vs. 943 (725–1,161), P = 0.04] and level attained [9.4 (8.4–10.5) vs. 11.1 (9.6–12.6), P = 0.04]. Significant improvements in CFQ‐UK scores for physical [59 (47–72) vs. 83 (74–92), P = 0.001], emotional [63 (55–72) vs. 84 (74–93), P < 0.001], treatment [41 (30–51) vs. 61 (48–73), P = 0.002], and respiratory [54 (42–66) vs. 76 (70–82), P = 0.002] domains were noted. The mean (95% CI) rate of change of FEV1 was −4 (−18, +10)% in 2009, but was +6 (−2, +13)% in 2010, although this did not reach statistical significance. Supervised, outpatient exercise and physiotherapy are associated with improvements in QOL and exercise tolerance, a reduction in IV antibiotic days, and a trend towards reducing lung function decline in children with CF. The cost of IV antibiotics was reduced by £66,384 ($104,000) in 2010 when compared with 2009. Such cost‐benefit may have implications for workforce planning and service provision. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2012; 47:1235–1241. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Critical illness and changes in sensory perception

Impairments of sensory perception that occur during a period of critical care can seriously impact on health and nutritional status, activities of daily living, independence, quality of life and the possibility of recovery. It is emphasized from the outset that sensory losses in critically-ill patients may or may not be related to their current medical condition. The present paper provides an overview of all five senses (vision, hearing, taste, smell and touch) and describes the factors that contribute to sensory losses in critically-ill patients, including medications, medical conditions and treatments and the process of aging itself. Cancer and stroke are two critical illnesses in which profound sensory decrements often occur. Many sensory complaints in patients with cancer are related to alteration in sensory signals caused by damage to the sensory receptors. However, some complaints, such as taste aversions in patients with cancer, are not related to altered sensory physiology per se but to learned aversions that arise during the noxious effects of radiotherapy and chemotherapy. The paper also reviews a study in which the sensory performance (of all five senses) was compared in three groups of elderly subjects: (1) patients who had undergone coronary artery bypass surgery; (2) patients with cardiovascular conditions but with no history of surgery; (3) healthy non-medicated age-matched controls. Performance of patients who had undergone coronary artery bypass surgery was worse than that for the other two groups, with taste and smell losses greater than for the other senses. The study demonstrates that critical illness (e.g. coronary artery bypass surgery) can exacerbate sensory losses in an older cohort.
Evaluation of Age Estimation Technique: Testing Traits of the Acetabulum To Estimate Age at Death in Adult Males *

Abstract: This study evaluates the accuracy and precision of a skeletal age estimation method, using the acetabulum of 100 male ossa coxae from the Grant Collection (GRO) at the University of Toronto, Canada. Age at death was obtained using Bayesian inference and a computational application (IDADE2) that requires a reference population, close in geographic and temporal distribution to the target case, to calibrate age ranges from scores generated by the technique. The inaccuracy of this method is 8 years. The direction of bias indicates the acetabulum technique tends to underestimate age. The categories 46–65 and 76–90 years exhibit the smallest inaccuracy (0.2), suggesting that this method may be appropriate for individuals over 40 years. Eighty‐three percent of age estimates were ±12 years of known age; 79% were ±10 years of known age; and 62% were ±5 years of known age. Identifying a suitable reference population is the most significant limitation of this technique for forensic applications.
Complete Regression of Established Spontaneous Mammary Carcinoma and the Therapeutic Prevention of Genetically Programmed Neoplastic Transition by IL-12/Pulse IL-2: Induction of Local T Cell Infiltration, Fas/Fas Ligand Gene Expression, and Mammary Epithelial Apoptosis1 2

Using a novel transgenic mouse model of spontaneous mammary carcinoma, we show here that the IL-12/pulse IL-2 combination can induce rapid and complete regression of well-established autochthonous tumor in a setting where the host immune system has been conditioned by the full dynamic process of neoplastic progression and tumorigenesis. Further, this regimen inhibits neovascularization of established mammary tumors, and does so in conjunction with potent local induction of genes encoding the IFN-γ- and TNF-α-inducible antiangiogenic chemokines IFN-inducible protein 10 and monokine induced by IFN-γ. In contrast to untreated juvenile C3(1)TAg mice in which histologically normal mammary epithelium predictably undergoes progressive hyperplasia, atypical changes, and ultimately transition to overt carcinoma, the current studies also demonstrate a unique preventative therapeutic role for IL-12/pulse IL-2. In juvenile mice, early administration of IL-12/pulse IL-2 markedly limits the expected genetically programmed neoplastic transition within the mammary epithelium and does so in conjunction with enhancement of constitutive Fas and pronounced induction of local Fas ligand gene expression, T cell infiltration, and induction of apoptosis within the mammary epithelium. These events occur in the absence of a durable Ag-specific memory response. Thus, this novel model system demonstrates that the potent therapeutic activity of the IL-12/pulse IL-2 combination rapidly engages potent apoptotic and antiangiogenic mechanisms that remain active during the delivery of IL-12/pulse IL-2. The results also demonstrate that these mechanisms are active against established tumor as well as developing preneoplastic lesions.
Computationally Tractable Algorithms for Finding a Subset of Non-Defective Items From a Large Population

In the classical non-adaptive group testing setup, pools of items are tested together, and the main goal of a recovery algorithm is to identify the <italic>complete defective set</italic> given the outcomes of different group tests. In contrast, the main goal of a <italic>non-defective subset recovery</italic> algorithm is to identify a <italic>subset</italic> of non-defective items given the test outcomes. In this paper, we present a suite of computationally efficient and analytically tractable non-defective subset recovery algorithms. By analyzing the probability of error of the algorithms, we obtain bounds on the number of tests required for non-defective subset recovery with arbitrarily small probability of error. Our analysis accounts for the impact of both the additive noise (false positives) and dilution noise (false negatives). By comparing with information theoretic lower bounds, we show that the upper bounds on the number of tests are orderwise tight up to a <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\log ^{2}K$ </tex-math></inline-formula> factor, where <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$K$ </tex-math></inline-formula> is the number of defective items. We also provide simulation results that compare the relative performance of the different algorithms and reveal insights into their practical utility. The proposed algorithms significantly outperform the straightforward approaches of testing items one-by-one, and of first identifying the defective set and then choosing the non-defective items from the complement set, in terms of the number of measurements required to ensure a given success rate.