Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Is the Use of DPP-4 Inhibitors Associated With an Increased Risk for Heart Failure? Lessons From EXAMINE, SAVOR-TIMI 53, and TECOS

About 40 years ago, the Framingham study first documented that the risk for heart failure (HF) in patients with diabetes was about twofold higher in men and fivefold in women compared with individuals without diabetes (1). The UK Prospective Diabetes Study (UKPDS) reported that the incidence of hospital admission for HF was similar to that of nonfatal myocardial infarction and nonfatal stroke (2). A more recent 6-year follow-up study of 65,619 patients with type 2 diabetes treated with insulin reported that the hospital admission rate due to HF (243 of 10,000) was higher than that due to myocardial infarction (97 of 10,000) or stroke (151 of 10,000) (3). The pathogenesis of HF in diabetes is multifactorial but can largely be attributed to four key factors: coronary artery disease (CAD), hypertension, diabetic cardiomyopathy, and extracellular fluid volume expansion (4,5). Remarkably, type 2 diabetes itself is a recognized risk factor for HF, independent of CAD and hypertension (4), suggesting that glycemic control may influence the development of HF. Hyperglycemia can exert deleterious effects on the myocardium and has been shown to increase oxidative stress, promote accumulation of advanced glycation end products, and cause interstitial fibrosis (6). Hyperglycemia has also been associated with myocardial lipotoxicity, mitochondrial dysfunction, abnormal substrate metabolism, and impaired calcium handling (7). Epidemiological evidence indicates that HbA1c and the risk of HF are significantly related. A cohort study of ∼49,000 patients with type 2 diabetes showed that each 1% increase in HbA1c was associated with an 8% increased risk of HF and that an HbA1c ≥10 relative to HbA1c <7 was associated with 1.56-fold (95% CI 1.26–1.93) greater risk of HF (8). A more recent meta-analysis (9) of 178,929 subjects with diabetes and 14,176 incident chronic HF cases showed an overall adjusted risk ratio …
Estimating Shared Congestion Among Internet Paths

Recent work on media streaming has proposed to exploit path diversity, i.e., the use of multiple endto-end paths, as a means to obtain better performance. The best performance is achieved when the various paths are independent in the sense that the two paths do not share a Point of Congestion (PoC). However, topologies used in media streaming applications do not meet the assumption of Inverted-Y or Y topologies made by prior work on detecting shared PoC. In this paper, we propose a new technique called CD-DJ (Correlating Drops and Delay Jitter) which solves this problem. CD-DJ is better than earlier solutions for three main reasons. First, CDDJ overcomes the clock synchronization problem and can work with most topologies relevant to applications. Second, it provides applications with an estimate of the fraction of packet drops caused by shared PoCs. This information is more useful than a “yes/no” decision for media streaming applications because they can use it to choose a path based on the level of shared congestion. Third, CD-DJ makes the estimation by correlating bursts of packet drops in conjunction with the correlation of delay jitter in a novel way. A key contribution of our work is our evaluation methodology. We use a novel overlaybased method to evaluate our technique extensively using about 800 hours of experimental traces from Planetlab, a global overlay network. Our results indicate that CD-DJ calculates estimates which are at least within a factor of 0.8 of the actual fraction of shared drops for 80− 90% of the flows. We also illustrate the advantage of using CD-DJ with a simple streaming video application.
Effect of Short-Term Steroid Therapy on Early Recurrence During the Blanking Period After Catheter Ablation of Atrial Fibrillation

Background—Early recurrence (ER) of atrial tachyarrhythmias during the first 3 months (blanking period) after atrial fibrillation ablation can be highly symptomatic, often requiring emergency treatment. Short-term steroid therapy may suppress ER during the blanking period. Methods and Results—We prospectively enrolled 138 patients who were randomly assigned to 2 groups (steroid group and control group). An intravenous bolus of 0.5 mg/kg of methylprednisolone for 2 days followed by 12 mg daily of oral methylprednisolone for 4 days was given to the steroid group patients. The primary end point was ER during the blanking period (3 months post ablation). During the blanking period, 51 of the 138 (37.0%) patients experienced ER after atrial fibrillation ablation. The steroid group had a lower rate of ER than the control group (15/64 [23.4%] versus 36/74 [48.6%], P=0.003). There was no difference between the 2 groups about late recurrence during a 24-month follow-up (log-rank test, P=0.918). In a multivariate analysis, short-term steroid therapy was independently associated with a lower rate of ER during the blanking period (adjusted OR, 0.45; 95% confidence interval, 0.25–0.83; P=0.01). Conclusions—Periprocedural short-term moderate intensity steroid therapy reduces ER (≈3 months) after catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation. It is not effective in preventing late (3≈24 m) atrial fibrillation recurrence. Clinical Trial Registration—URL: www.who. int/ictrp; Unique identifier: KCT0000107.
Antibiotic efficacy against Vibrio vulnificus in the mouse: superiority of tetracycline.

Seven antimicrobial agents, all effective against Vibrio vulnificus in vitro, were compared for in vivo efficacy in mice experimentally infected with V. vulnificus strain B3547. Mice were injected s.c. with 1 X 10(8) cells, and i.p. injection of antimicrobials was begun 1.5 hr later when mice were bacteremic and had edematous lesions at the injection site. The study was done in two phases. Phase I was a dose-ranging experiment, using single injections within the range (on a body weight-adjusted basis) clinically useful in humans. Of 12 mice treated with tetracycline (4 mg/kg), 12 survived at 24 hr, compared to 0 of 21 saline-treated controls, 3 of 10 given ampicillin (32 mg/kg) and 2 of 3 given cefotaxime (20 mg/kg). There were no survivors at 24 hr in groups of 5 to 10 mice treated with cefazolin (32 mg/kg), carbenicillin (80 mg/kg), erythromycin (8 mg/kg) or gentamicin (8 mg/kg). Phase II was designed to simulate clinical conditions using multiple dosing for 30 hr and scoring for survival at 96 hr. Of 12 mice given tetracycline (3 mg/kg every 12 hr), 12 survived, compared to 1 of 10 given cefotaxime (20 mg/kg every 6 hr), 0 of 12 given carbenicillin (40 mg/kg every 6 hr) and 0 of 12 given saline every 6 hr. Tetracycline thus appears to be the agent of choice among those tested for in vivo efficacy against V. vulnificus in the mouse model.
Predicting Structural Response with On-Site Earthquake Early Warning System Using Neural Networks

The on-site earthquake early warning system is under development for the area near the earthquake epicenter to provide information such as earthquake magnitude, the arrival time and the intensity of the strong shaking for free field as well as the structural response, etc. The real-time strong motion signals recorded from Taiwan Strong Motion Instrumentation Program (TSMIP) were used to train neural networks and the characteristics of the sensed earthquake accelerograms were learned. The neural networks provide a seismic profile of the arrival ground motion instantaneously after the shaking is felt at the sensors by analyzing the three components of the earthquake signals. Each data sample, consist of the first 1~10 second envelope of the complete earthquake accelerogram, was used as the input of the neural networks. The output of the neural networks provides estimates of the structural response and the time for emergency action. The neural network based algorithm is trained with 50149 accelerograms from 2505 earthquakes recorded in Taiwan. By producing informative warnings, the neural network based methodology has shown its potential to increase significantly the application of earthquake early warning system (EEWS) on hazard mitigation.
Eurographics/ Acm Siggraph Symposium on Computer Animation (2007) Hybrid Simulation of Deformable Solids

Permission to make digital or hard copies of part or all of this wor k for per sonal or classr oom use is granted without fee provided that copies are not made or distributed for commer cial advantage and that copies bear this notice and the full citation on the first page. Copyrights for components of this wor k owned by other s than ACM must be honored. Abstracting with cr edit is permitted. To copy other wise, to republish, to post on ser ver s, or to redistribute to lists, requires prior specific permission and/or a fee. Request permissions from Permissions Dept, ACM Abstract Although mesh-based methods are efficient for simulating simple hyperelasticity, maintaining and adapting a mesh-based representation is less appealing in more complex scenarios, e.g. collision, plasticity and fracture. Thus, meshless or point-based methods have enjoyed recent popularity due to their added flexibility in dealing with these situations. Our approach begins with an initial mesh that is either conforming (as generated by one's favorite meshing algorithm) or non-conforming (e.g. a BCC background lattice). We then propose a framework for embedding arbitrary sample points into this initial mesh allowing for the straightforward handling of collisions , plasticity and fracture without the need for complex remeshing. A straightforward consequence of this new framework is the ability to naturally handle T-junctions alleviating the requirement for a manifold initial mesh. The arbitrarily added embedded points are endowed with full simulation capability allowing them to collide , interact with each other, and interact with the parent geometry in the fashion of a particle-centric simulation system. We demonstrate how this formulation facilitates tasks such as arbitrary refinement or resampling for collision processing, the handling of multiple and possibly conflicting constraints (e.g. when cloth is nonphysically pinched between two objects), the straightforward treatment of fracture, and sub-element resolution of elasticity and plasticity.
Spring Embedders and Force Directed Graph Drawing Algorithms

Force-directed algorithms are among the most flexible methods for calculating layouts of simple undirected graphs. Also known as spring embedders, such algorithms calculate the layout of a graph using only information contained within the structure of th eg raph itself, rather than relying on domain-specific knowledge. Graphs drawn with these algorithms tend to be aesthetically pleasing, exhibit symmetries, and tend to produce crossing-free layouts for planar graphs. In this survey we consider several classical algorithms, starting from Tutte’s 1963 barycentric method, and including recent scalable multiscale methods for large and dynamic graphs.
The Evolution of Open Source Software Using Eclipse Metrics

Technological development has become so manifest in all fields that it is now highly crucial to take it into consideration whenever possible. Open Source Software (OSS) has becoming widely adopted by commercial, public and academic organisations. Currently, there is increasing interest and demand in the existing applications of OSS in all fields all over the world. OSS has increased in prominence in the last decade, mostly due to the success of well-known software organisations such as Apache, Mozilla, Linux and Guice. As these organisations have become more dependent on software, the effective management of Software Evolution (SE) becomes more critical to an organization’s success. Therefore, the provision of well-evolved OSS has become an urgent issue in these days and will be so in the future. Therefore, the major challenge in OSS is how to evolve its environment, especially improvements in the security and quality of these systems. The main aim of this paper is to measure the evolution of OSS using, Eclipse Metrics (EM), with Guice software (GS) as a case study. In addition, this paper gives a brief literature review on OSS and how it has evolved.
Screening for tuberculosis in asylum seekers: comparison of chest radiography with an interview-based system.

SETTING Mandatory initial screening of asylum seekers for tuberculosis (TB) in Switzerland, 2004-2005 and 2007-2008. OBJECTIVE To compare the yield of screening by chest radiography with an individual assessment based on geographic origin, personal history and symptoms. DESIGN Cross-sectional retrospective comparison of two 2-year periods. RESULTS The prevalence of detected TB cases was defined as the proportion of screenees starting anti-tuberculosis treatment for culture-confirmed pulmonary TB within 90 days. TB prevalence was 14.3 per 10,000 asylum seekers screened (31/21,727) using chest radiography and 12.4 (29/23,402) using individual assessment. The sensitivity of radiography was 100% vs. 55% for individual assessment, but its specificity was lower (89.9% vs. 96.0%, respectively). The higher sensitivity of radiography meant shorter delays between screening and start of treatment (median 6 vs. 25 days). Its lower specificity led to a larger proportion of screenees needing further investigations for suspicion of TB (12% vs. 4%). CONCLUSION The interview-based system initially missed more cases, but the ultimate 90-day yield was comparable for the two periods. The main difference is the delay until start of treatment, which potentially increases transmission and secondary cases. The radiograph system was more burdensome to both the health care system and the screenees, as more suspects required further investigations.
Less is More: Active Learning with Support Vector Machines

We describe a simple active learning heuristic which greatly enhances the generalization behavior of support vector machines (SVMs) on several practical document classiﬁcation tasks. We observe a number of beneﬁts, the most surprising of which is that a SVM trained on a well-chosen subset of the available corpus frequently performs better than one trained on all available data. The heuristic for choosing this subset is simple to compute, and makes no use of information about the test set. Given that the training time of SVMs depends heavily on the training set size, our heuristic not only offers better performance with fewer data, it frequently does so in less time than the naive approach of training on all available data.
Induction of Apoptosis in Human Multiple Myeloma Cell Lines by Ebselen via Enhancing the Endogenous Reactive Oxygen Species Production

Ebselen a selenoorganic compound showing glutathione peroxidase like activity is an anti-inflammatory and antioxidative agent. Its cytoprotective activity has been investigated in recent years. However, experimental evidence also shows that ebselen causes cell death in several cancer cell types whose mechanism has not yet been elucidated. In this study, we examined the effect of ebselen on multiple myeloma (MM) cell lines in vitro. The results showed that ebselen significantly enhanced the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) accompanied by cell viability decrease and apoptosis rate increase. Further studies revealed that ebselen can induce Bax redistribution from the cytosol to mitochondria leading to mitochondrial membrane potential ΔΨm changes and cytochrome C release from the mitochondria to cytosol. Furtherly, we found that exogenous addition of N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) completely diminished the cell damage induced by ebselen. This result suggests that relatively high concentration of ebselen can induce MM cells apoptosis in culture by enhancing the production of endogenous ROS and triggering mitochondria mediated apoptotic pathway.
Effect of Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy on Gait Pattern in Hemiplegic Cerebral Palsy: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Objective The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of shock wave therapy on gait pattern in children with hemiplegic cerebral palsy. Design Fifteen children were assigned to the study group, whose members received shock wave therapy (1500 shots/muscle, frequency of 5Hz, energy of 0.030 mJ/mm2, one session/wk). Another 15 were assigned to the control group, whose members participated in a conventional physical therapy exercise program for 3 successive months. Baseline and posttreatment assessments were performed using the Modified Ashworth Scale to evaluate spasticity degrees and using a three-dimensional gait analysis to evaluate gait parameters. Results Children in the study group showed a significant improvement when compared with those in the control group (P < 0.005). The Modified Ashworth scores after treatment were 1.86 (0.22) and 1.63 (0.23) for the control and study groups, respectively. The gait parameters (stride length, cadence, speed, cycle time, and stance phase percentage) after treatment were 0.5 m, 125 steps/min, 0.6 m/sec, 0.48 sec, and 50.4% and 0.74 m, 119 steps/min, 0.75 m/sec, 0.65 sec, and 55.9% for the control group and the study group, respectively. Conclusions Shock wave therapy may be a useful tool for improving spasticity and gait pattern in children with hemiplegic cerebral palsy.
Grasping the not-so-obvious: vision-based object handling for industrial applications

This article reports on several industrial applications of a visually guided system for robot grasping using an inexpensive two-finger gripper. In all cases, the robot uses visual information as input and is able to reason about the shapes of objects in a scene in order to decide the best stable grasp online. The first version of this system was able to grasp rectangular parts in arbitrary positions in the scene and was successfully deployed. New applications in industry have been addressed that must cope with the cost, time, and reliability requirements imposed by the industrial process. The results show that the capabilities of the underlying methodology make it feasible to deal with more complex shapes, even a priori unknown, opening up new possibilities within industrial domains, such as the food industry, that has traditionally not been fully automated due to a large variability in the shaper of the objects to be handled.
Plakophilin-3 Catenin Associates with the ETV1/ER81 Transcription Factor to Positively Modulate Gene Activity

Members of the plakophilin-catenin sub-family (Pkp-1, -2, and -3) facilitate the linkage of desmosome junctional components to each other (e.g. desmosomal cadherins to desmoplakin) and the intermediate-filament cytoskeleton. Pkps also contribute to desmosomal stabilization and the trafficking of its components. The functions of Pkps outside of the desmosome are less well studied, despite evidence suggesting their roles in mRNA regulation, small-GTPase modulation (e.g. mid-body scission) during cell division, and cell survival following DNA damage. Pkp-catenins are further believed to have roles in the nucleus given their nuclear localization in some contexts and the known nuclear roles of structurally related catenins, such as beta-catenin and p120-catenin. Further, Pkp-catenin activities in the nuclear compartment have become of increased interest with the identification of interactions between Pkp2-catenin and RNA Pol III and Pkp1 with single-stranded DNA. Consistent with earlier reports suggesting possible nuclear roles in development, we previously demonstrated prominent nuclear localization of Pkp3 in Xenopus naïve ectoderm (“animal cap”) cells and recently resolved a similar localization in mouse embryonic stem cells. Here, we report the association and positive functional interaction of Pkp3 with a transcription factor, Ets variant gene 1 (ETV1), which has critical roles in neural development and prominent roles in human genetic disease. Our results are the first to report the interaction of a sequence-specific transcription factor with any Pkp. Using Xenopus laevis embryos and mammalian cells, we provide evidence for the Pkp3:ETV1 complex on both biochemical and functional levels.
Modeling Complex Control Systems to Identify Remotely Accessible Devices Vulnerable to Cyber Attack 1

In this paper, we present a model developed for Electric Power Management Systems (EPMS) and Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems that allows us to calculate device vulnerability and help power substation operators and administrators identify and harden those portions of the control system that are most vulnerable to cyber attack. We use graph theory to model electric power control and protection devices, and their associated connectivity. We introduce the concept of a device visibility path and use a small Prolog application to calculate a device vulnerability level for a target device within a hypothetical power substation. Our model sets the basis for a prototype expert system capable of answer questions about EPMS and SCADA systems such as: “Which is the most vulnerable device of our power substation under an attack scenario? ” and “Why is this device highly vulnerable? ” Although our focus and examples center on electric power control systems, our work has application in all real-time complex control systems, especially those found within critical infrastructures supporting today’s modern digital societies.
Economics of Pair Programming Revisited

This study aimed to answer two research questions. First, is pair programming more cost effective than solo programming in all situations? Second, in what situations is pair programming more cost effective than solo programming? We adopted and extended economic models specified by prior researchers. We examined two different scenarios and conducted simulations where we varied across a wide range of possible values. A couple of conclusions were drawn from the study. First, across the ranges of parameters studied, pair programming is more economically feasible in only a limited number of instances. Second, in order to achieve the economic benefit, pair programming either needs to have advantages in all of three areas (speed, defect, defect removing) or have substantial advantages in two areas if one area is roughly equivalent to solo programming. To address the second research questions, we identified specific parameter ranges for situations where a) pair programming is more economical, b) solo programming is more economical, and c) the two programming methods are equivalent.