Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Predictive Model for Selecting Patients with HCV Genotype 3 Chronic Infection with a High Probability of Sustained Virological Response to Peginterferon Alfa-2a/Ribavirin

Background Access to direct-acting antiviral agents (DAAs) is restricted in some settings; thus, the European Association for the Study of the Liver recommends dual peginterferon/ribavirin (PegIFN/RBV) therapy wherever DAAs are unavailable. HCV genotype (GT) 3 infection is now the most difficult genotype to eradicate and PegIFN/RBV remains an effective option. The goal of this study was to devise a simple predictive score to identify GT3 patients with a high probability of achieving a sustained virologic response (SVR) with PegIFN alfa-2a/RBV therapy. Methods Relationships between baseline characteristics and SVR were explored by multiple logistic regression models and used to develop a simple scoring system to predict SVR using data from 1239 treatment-naive GT3 patients who received PegIFN alfa-2a/RBV for 24 weeks in two large observational cohort studies. Results The score was validated using a database of 473 patients. Scores were assigned for six factors as follows: age (years) (≤40: 2 points; >40 but ≤55: 1); bodyweight (kg) (<70: 2; ≥70 but <90: 1); no cirrhosis/transition to cirrhosis (2); ALT ≤2.5 x ULN (1); platelets (109/L) (>200: 2; ≥100 but <200: 1); HCV RNA (<400,000 IU/mL: 1). The points are summed to arrive at a score ranging from 0‒10 where higher scores indicate higher chances of SVR; 141, 123, 203, 249, 232, and 218 patients had total scores of 0‒4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9–10, respectively, among whom SVR rates were 45%, 62%, 72%, 76%, 84%, and 89%. Among 622 patients who had scores of 6‒10 and HCV RNA <50 IU/mL by treatment week 4 the SVR rate was 86% (532/622). Conclusions A simple baseline scoring system involving age, bodyweight, cirrhosis status, ALT level, platelet count and HCV RNA level can be used to identify treatment-naive Caucasian patients with HCV GT3 infection with a high probability of SVR with PegIFN alfa-2a/RBV therapy.
Orofacial Pain in Cancer: Part I—Mechanisms

The mechanisms involved, and possible treatment targets, in orofacial pain due to cancer are poorly understood. The aim of the first of this two-part series is to review the involved pathophysiological mechanisms and explore their possible roles in the orofacial region. However, there is a lack of relevant research in the trigeminal region, and we have therefore applied data accumulated from experiments on cancer pain mechanisms in rodent spinal models. In the second part, we review the clinical presentation of cancer-associated orofacial pain at various stages: initial diagnosis, during therapy (chemo-, radiotherapy, surgery), and in the post-therapy period. In the present article, we provide a brief outline of trigeminal functional neuro-anatomy and pain-modulatory pathways. Tissue destruction by invasive tumors (or metastases) induces inflammation and nerve damage, with attendant acute pain. In some cases, chronic pain, involving inflammatory and neuropathic mechanisms, may ensue. Distant, painful effects of tumors include paraneoplastic neuropathic syndromes and effects secondary to the release of factors by the tumor (growth factors, cytokines, and enzymes). Additionally, pain is frequent in cancer management protocols (surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy). Understanding the mechanisms involved in cancer-related orofacial pain will enhance patient management.
Design, analysis, and real-time testing of a controller for multibus microgrid system

This paper concentrates on the design and analysis of a controller for multibus microgrid system. The controller proposed for use with each distributed generation (DG) system in the microgrid contains inner voltage and current loops for regulating the three-phase grid-interfacing inverter, and external power control loops for controlling real and reactive power flow and for facilitating power sharing between the paralleled DG systems when a utility fault occurs and the microgrid islands. The controller also incorporates synchronization algorithms for ensuring smooth and safe reconnection of the micro and utility grids when the fault is cleared. With the implementation of the unified controller, the multibus microgrid system is able to switch between islanding and grid-connected modes without disrupting the critical loads connected to it. The performance of this unified controller has been verified in simulation using a real-time digital simulator and experimentally using a scaled laboratory prototype.
An Empty Graveyard: The Victims of the 1946 AOA DC-4 Crash, Their Final Resting Place, and Dark Tourism

In 2013, archaeologists succeeded in locating a plane crash that had been presumed buried based on local stories. The aircraft had crashed into a steep hill, subsequently known as Crash Hill. On the summit is a deteriorated memorial which resembles a cemetery, marking the thirty-nine people who died in the 1946 tragedy. This memorial has been a spot of pilgrimage for family and an attraction for adventure seekers. This draw to dark tourism sites is not uncommon but since archaeologists shared their finds with the public through social and local media, many of those visitors are drawn to the crash site instead of the memorial. This is a problem as there are possibly mass graves at the crash site, and visitation can potentially disturb those remains. This article argues for caution when discussing finds publically and for the repair and restoration of the memorial at the top of the hill to fill the want to visit a site of tragedy without disturbing the actual crash site.
Fault density analysis of object-oriented classes in presence of code clones

Code cloning has been a typical practice during software development, by which code fragments are reused with or without changes by copying and pasting. It has been a questionable issue whether cloning has a destructive impact or not on software development and the quality of the delivered software. This paper empirically investigates the relationship between code clones and fault density of object-oriented classes. More than 3000 classes from five open source software systems were analyzed. The results suggest that classes that have clones were less fault dense on average than the classes that do not have clones. However, there was no association between intra/inter-class clone fragments within a class and its fault density. The results also indicate that among the groups of classes that have only one type of clones, the group of classes with Type III clones was the least fault dense. Minor, although statistically significant, correlations were observed between many code clone metrics and class fault density. Furthermore, the fault density predictive powers of these metrics were found to be almost the same. However, no improvement in the accuracy of fault density prediction models was observed when these metrics were used as inputs.
Long-Lasting GABA-Mediated Depolarization Evoked by High-Frequency Stimulation in Pyramidal Neurons of Rat Hippocampal Slice Is Attributable to a Network-Driven, Bicarbonate-Dependent K+ Transient

Biphasic GABAA-mediated postsynaptic responses can be readily evoked in CA1 pyramidal neurons of rat hippocampal slices by high-frequency stimulus (HFS) trains in the presence of ionotropic glutamate receptor antagonists. In the present experiments with sharp microelectrodes, whole-cell techniques, and K+-selective microelectrodes, an HFS train (40 pulses at 100 Hz) applied in stratum radiatum close to the recording site evoked a brief hyperpolarizing IPSP (hIPSP), which turned into a prolonged (2–3 sec) depolarization ( GABA-mediated depolarizing postsynaptic potential; GDPSP). The I–V relationships of the postsynaptic currents (hIPSC and GDPSC) had distinct characteristics: the hIPSC and the early GDPSC showed outward rectification, whereas the late GDPSC was reduced with positive voltage steps to zero or beyond (inward rectification), but often no clear reversal was seen. That two distinct currents contribute to the generation of the GDPSP was also evident from the finding that a second HFS train at peak or late GDPSP induced a prompt GABAA-mediated hyperpolarization. The GDPSP/C was dependent on the availability of bicarbonate, but not on interstitial or intrapyramidal carbonic anhydrase activity. The HFS train evoked a rapid GABAA-mediated bicarbonate-dependent increase in the extracellular K+ concentration ([K+]o), and the GDPSP followed the K+ transient in a sub-Nernstian manner. The spatial and pharmacological characteristics of the [K+]o shift indicated that it is generated by a local network of GABAergic interneurons. The brief ascending phase of the GDPSP is linked to a K+-dependent accumulation of intracellular Cl−. Thereafter, a nonsynaptic mechanism, a direct depolarizing effect of the [K+]oshift, is responsible for the most conspicuous characteristics of the GDPSP: its large amplitude and prolonged duration.
Effects of Loud Noise Exposure on DNA Integrity in Rat Adrenal Gland

Loud noise is generally considered an environmental stressor causing negative effects on acoustic, cardiovascular, nervous, and endocrine systems. In this study, we investigated the effects of noise exposure on DNA integrity in rat adrenal gland evaluated by the comet assay. The exposure to loud noise (100 dBA) for 12 hr caused a significant increase of DNA damage in the adrenal gland. Genetic alterations did not decrease 24 hr after the cessation of the stimulus. We hypothesize that an imbalance of redox cell status is responsible for the induction and persistence of noise-induced cellular damage.
The Operational Form of the Board 1

The board of directors for the average firm underwent a significant transformation between 1999 and 2005 not in terms of its size or the composition of its members, but in terms of the structure of its monitoring and investment operations. Over this time period, the operational form of the board shifted from a board structure where decisions regarding auditing, compensation, and the election of directors were made in the CEO’s presence, to a board structure where the CEO had been primarily excluded from the decision making process of the board. The fraction of time spent by outside directors apart from the CEO’s influence discussing nomination, audit, and compensation issues increased 200, 80, and 30 percent, respectively. Further, the CEO’s ability to avoid the oversight of outside directors and control the policy/investment decisions of the board through the executive committee was roughly cut in half over this period. In addition to these time trends, I explore the cross-sectional variation in the operational form of the board by testing and extending several hypotheses in the boards literature. First, in accordance with the scope of operations hypothesis, the fraction of time spent working outside the full board in committees is positively associated with firm complexity. Second, lending support to the negotiation hypothesis, CEOs with considerable power structure the monitoring operations of the board so that decisions are implemented in their presence, and outside directors rarely meet in non-management executive sessions to discuss CEO performance issues. In addition, with regard to the investment decisions of the board, high power CEOs also spend less time convening the full board for approval on such issues and instead bypass the scrutiny of outside directors by implementing decisions through the executive committee. In total, the results extend our understanding of board structure by highlighting that the governance standards of the modern board are not only defined by the composition and size of the board, but also by its operational form.
Interpolants , cut elimination and flow graphs for the propositional calculus

We analyse the structure of propositional proofs in the sequent calculus focusing on the wellknown procedures of Interpolation and Cut Elimination. We are motivated in part by the desire to understand why a tautology might be ‘hard to prove’. Given a proof we associate to it a logical graph tracing the flow of formulas in it (Buss, 1991). We show some general facts about logical graphs such as acyclic@ of cut-free proofs and acyclic@ of contraction-free proofs (possibly containing cuts), and we give a proof of a strengthened version of the Craig Interpolation Theorem based on flows of formulas. We show that tautologies having minimal interpolants of non-linear size (i.e. number of symbols) must have proofs with certain precise structural properties. We then show that given a proof ZI and a cut-free form Il’ associated to it (obtained by a particular cut elimination procedure), certain subgraphs of II’ which are logical graphs (i.e. graphs of proofs) correspond to subgraphs of Zl which are logical graphs for the same sequent. This locality property of cut elimination leads to new results on the complexity of interpolants, which cannot follow from the known constructions proving the Craig Interpolation Theorem.
Poly(ethylene glycol)-Lipid-Conjugated Antibodies Enhance Dendritic Cell Phagocytosis of Apoptotic Cancer Cells

A simple method for attaching immunoglobulin G (IgG) on the cell surface was successfully developed for enhancing phagocytosis of apoptotic tumor cells (ATCs) by dendritic cells (DCs) ex vivo. By conjugating with a poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)-lipid, named the biocompatible anchor for the membrane (BAM), arbitrary IgG could be incorporated into the cell membrane. In particular, when IgG-BAM conjugates were prepared at the optimal molar ratio of IgG to BAM (1 to 20), almost all cells were efficiently modified with IgG by treatment with IgG-BAM. This simple method was successfully applied to four types of mammalian cells. Furthermore, treatment of ATCs with the IgG-BAM conjugate increased the phagocytosis ratio of ATCs by DCs two-fold when compared to no treatment. This phagocytosis-enhancing effect was nearly identical to treatment with a tumor-specific IgG. Thus, without employing the tumor-specific IgG, which is difficult to obtain for any tumor cells and is expensive, the present method could opsonize ATC with the use of arbitrary IgG. The results strongly indicate that IgG-BAM treatment represents a promising method for opsonizing ATC with human serum IgG, and that this approach will lead to objective clinical responses in DC vaccines.
Examining Prosecutorial Discretion in Federal Criminal Cases: Legal and Extra-Legal Determinants of Declination and Charge Change Decisions

Abstract From 2000 to 2010, the federal criminal caseload increased roughly 50% with a large portion of this increase attributed to the rise in immigration prosecutions. These changes coupled with recent Supreme Court decisions rendering the guidelines advisory have renewed calls for research examining prosecutorial discretion, particularly with respect to the influence of legal and extralegal factors on charging and bargaining decisions. This study utilizes data (2002–2010) from the Federal Justice Statistics Program database housed within the National Archive of Criminal Justice Data (NACJD). More specifically, the current research examines prosecutorial decisions to decline to charge federal arrestees and to make any changes to the charge from the arresting offense. Results from the multilevel, multivariate models reveal that both extra-legal and legal factors were influential of these decisions. Disaggregated models also revealed considerable variation across different offense types. Finally, districts with higher caseloads had lower odds of a prosecutorial declination and charge change.
On the efficiency of a compound Poisson stopping rule for mixed strategy testing

When testing software, testers rarely use only one technique to generate tests that, they hope, will fulfill their testing criteria. Malaiya showed that testers switch strategies when testing yield saturates. We present and evaluate a stopping rule that can be used to determine when it is time to switch to a different testing technique, because the current one is not likely to increase criteria fulfilment. We demonstrate use of the stopping rule on a program that is being tested for branch coverage with five different testing techniques. We compare savings and accuracy of stopping both with and without using the stopping rule.
Zero-Coupon and Forward Yield Curves for Government of Ghana Bonds

This article seeks to provide a framework for modeling daily zero-coupon yield curve for Government of Ghana bonds based on secondary market daily trades. It also proposes method for modeling the forward yield curve. The current practice in Ghana is to produce yield curve for Government of Ghana bonds based on primary market weekly auctions. This article demonstrates the extraction and fitting of secondary market daily yield curves for Government of Ghana bonds, using bootstrapping and piecewise cubic hermite interpolation. The article also compares the piecewise cubic hermite method with the piecewise cubic spline method, the Nelson–Siegel–Svensson model, and the penalized smoothing spline method. Data used are the daily bond price data from the Ghana Fixed Income Market, accessible at the Central Securities Depository of Ghana. The results show yield curves that reflect the actual daily yield movements in the secondary bond market of Ghana. The results also show that the piecewise cubic hermite method fits the zero-coupon yield curve better than the other methods as far as the Ghanaian bond market is concerned. For the forward curves, we recommend that either or both of the piecewise cubic hermite method and the Nelson–Siegel–Svensson method could be used by the market participants.
Security situation management - developing a concept of operations and threat prediction capability

This paper addresses a collaborative security situation management capability for air navigation. In particular, we formulate the development of a threat prediction capability as a situation management problem mapping the concepts of situation awareness and information fusion. Air transportation and air navigation is undergoing a fundamental transformation. This also requires novel approaches to system security and the management of security incidents across a network of actors. The Global ATM Security Management project addresses this problem space. The work reported in this paper, conceptualizes a security function that supports the management of security incidents on a local, national, and regional level supporting the collaborative effort of classical air traffic management stakeholders and security stakeholders. The security function is based on a network of distributed nodes and capabilities. One such a capability is the threat prediction model. This component is based on a representation of the (sub-) system context as a network of supporting assets, event detection sensors, and associated security controls. Based on the description of the (sub-)system context as a sequence of situations, the threat prediction capability addresses the identification of a security incident and its potential impact as an optimization problem. This paper reflects the work of the first year of the project. In particular, it demonstrates the general feasibility of the approach and the further modelling and preparatory work for further validation activities.
Influence of Clinical Parameters and Anticoagulation on Intraprocedural Cerebral Microembolic Signals during Pulmonary Vein Isolation

Objective We had the objective to determine the impact of clinical parameters and anticoagulation status on cerebral microembolic signals (MES) during pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) for atrial fibrillation (AF). Background Thromboembolism and stroke are the most feared complications of PVI. MES can help to evaluate embolic burden. It is unknown whether clinical parameters have an impact on embolic risk during PVI. Methods In this retrospective analysis we investigated the impact of clinical parameters, including the CHADS2- and CHA2DS2-VASc-score, pulmonary vein variants and echocardiographic parameters on MES rates in patients that underwent PVI using three different ablation approaches (radiofrequency ablation (iRF), pulmonary vein ablation catheter (PVAC) with deactivated electrode pair 1 or 5 (PVAC-red) or PVAC without deactivation (PVAC-all). Results 118 AF patients (61±12 years) were included between 2011 and 2013 (Median: 489 MES during PVI). Patients were more likely to have more MES (within 4th quartile) with the PVAC-all approach (60.7% vs. 25.0% (iRF) vs. 14.3% (PVAC-red) respectively (p<0.001). Patients with oral anticoagulation (OAC) pre-ablation were more likely to have lower MES-counts (1st-3rd quartile); (65.6% vs. 35.7%; p = 0.005). Additionally, patients with lower MES counts (1st-3rd quartile) had significantly higher INR values than those in the 4th quartile (1.78 vs. 1.09; p = 0.029). 2 patients developed a potentially thromboembolic event during the procedure. Conclusion Clinical predictors of cerebral emboli and stroke do not correlate with cerebral embolic burden during PVI. Pre-ablation OAC and increased INR values correlate with decreased MES-rates. Therefore, it might be beneficial to perform PVI with pre-ablation anticoagulation even in low risk patients.
Flexible micro spring array device for high-throughput enrichment of viable circulating tumor cells.

BACKGROUND The dissemination of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) that cause metastases in distant organs accounts for the majority of cancer-related deaths. CTCs have been established as a cancer biomarker of known prognostic value. The enrichment of viable CTCs for ex vivo analysis could further improve cancer diagnosis and guide treatment selection. We designed a new flexible micro spring array (FMSA) device for the enrichment of viable CTCs independent of antigen expression. METHODS Unlike previous microfiltration devices, flexible structures at the micro scale minimize cell damage to preserve viability, while maximizing throughput to allow rapid enrichment directly from whole blood with no need for sample preprocessing. Device performance with respect to capture efficiency, enrichment against leukocytes, viability, and proliferability was characterized. CTCs and CTC microclusters were enriched from clinical samples obtained from breast, lung, and colorectal cancer patients. RESULTS The FMSA device enriched tumor cells with 90% capture efficiency, higher than 10(4) enrichment, and better than 80% viability from 7.5-mL whole blood samples in <10 min on a 0.5-cm(2) device. The FMSA detected at least 1 CTC in 16 out of 21 clinical samples (approximately 76%) compared to 4 out of 18 (approximately 22%) detected with the commercial CellSearch® system. There was no incidence of clogging in over 100 tested fresh whole blood samples. CONCLUSIONS The FMSA device provides a versatile platform capable of viable enrichment and analysis of CTCs from clinically relevant volumes of whole blood.
Person-independent head pose estimation based on random forest regression

In this paper, a novel approach for person-independent head pose estimation in gray-level images is presented. There are two steps of the proposed method. In order to preserve similar patterns of faces under various poses, a novel multi-view face detector using tree-structured cascaded-Adaboost classifiers is applied. Furthermore, based on the cropped face images, randomized regression trees are learned and applied to estimate head pose precisely. Experiments show that our method achieves better pose estimation results in both horizontal and vertical orientations in comparison with the reported result with skin color information.