Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Does preventive PCI work?

Treatments are designed to make people feel better or live longer. Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is effective at reducing angina in patients with symptomatic coronary artery disease and at reducing mortality in patients who have acute myocardial infarction with ST-segment elevation and in those who have high-risk acute coronary syndromes without ST-segment elevation.1 Such successes have often been extrapolated in support of more widespread use of PCI in patients with stable coronary artery disease in hopes of reducing subsequent cardiac events. With the increasing availability of noninvasive imaging of coronary artery disease, asymptomatic patients are often referred for PCI. But .
Skilled Emigration, Business Networks and Foreign Direct Investment

In a global context foreign direct investment (FDI) and migration substitute one another in the matching process between workers and firms. However, as labor flows can lead to the formation of business networks, migration can actually facilitate FDI in the long-run. We first present a stylized model for a small open economy illustrating these offsetting effects. We then use U.S. data on bilateral labor inflows and capital outflows to measure the extent of contemporaneous substitutability and dynamic complementarity between migration and FDI. We find that brain drain and FDI inflows are negatively correlated contemporaneously but that skilled migration is associated with future increases in FDI inflows. We also find suggestive evidence of substitutability between current migration and FDI for migrants with secondary education, and of complementarity between past migration and FDI for unskilled migrants.
Actin S-Nitrosylation Inhibits Neutrophil β2 Integrin Function*

The focus of this work was to elucidate the mechanism for inhibition of neutrophil β2 integrin adhesion molecules by hyperoxia. Results demonstrate that exposure to high oxygen partial pressures increases synthesis of reactive species derived from type 2 nitric-oxide synthase and myeloperoxidase, leading to excessive S-nitrosylation of β-actin and possibly profilin. Hyperoxia causes S-nitrosylation of the four cysteine moieties closest to the carboxyl-terminal end of actin, which results in formation of short actin filaments. This alters actin polymerization, network formation, and intracellular distribution, as well as inhibits β2 integrin clustering. If neutrophils are exposed to ultraviolet light to reverse S-nitrosylation, or are incubated with N-formyl-methionyl-leucine-phenylalanine to trigger “inside-out” activation, the effects of hyperoxia are reversed. We conclude that cytoskeletal changes triggered by hyperoxia inhibit β2 integrin-dependent neutrophil adhesion.
Extremal solutions of inequations over lattices with applications to supervisory control

We study the existence and computation of extremal solutions of a system of inequations defined over lattices. Using the Knaster-Tarski fixed point theorem, we obtain sufficient conditions for the existence of supremal as well as infimal solution of a given system of inequations. Iterative techniques are presented for the computation of the extremal solutions whenever they exist, and conditions under which the termination occurs in a single iteration are provided. These results are then applied for obtaining extremal solutions of various inequations that arise in computation of maximally permissive supervisors in control of logical discrete event systems (DESs). Thus our work presents a unifying approach for computation of supervisors in a variety of situations. <<ETX>>
The Grassmannian Atlas: A General Framework for Exploring Linear Projections of High‐Dimensional Data

Linear projections are one of the most common approaches to visualize high‐dimensional data. Since the space of possible projections is large, existing systems usually select a small set of interesting projections by ranking a large set of candidate projections based on a chosen quality measure. However, while highly ranked projections can be informative, some lower ranked ones could offer important complementary information. Therefore, selection based on ranking may miss projections that are important to provide a global picture of the data. The proposed work fills this gap by presenting the Grassmannian Atlas, a framework that captures the global structures of quality measures in the space of all projections, which enables a systematic exploration of many complementary projections and provides new insights into the properties of existing quality measures.
Factors Influencing Farmers’ Willingness to Participate in Wetland Restoration: Evidence from China

The Poyang Lake wetland has been at the center of discussion in China’s wetland restoration initiative because of the extent of its ecosystem degradation. The purpose of this paper is to model farmers’ willingness to participate in wetland restoration and analyze factors that will affect farmers’ participation decisions. A household survey was conducted among 300 randomly selected farm-households in the Poyang Lake area, Jiangxi Province. A binary probit regression model is applied to investigate the impacts of farmer demographics, farm characteristics, and farmers’ perceptions of wetland and wetland restoration policies on willingness to participate in wetland restoration. Results show that farmers’ education level, household migrant members, number of dependents, household net income, farm type, and distance to urban areas have significant effects on farmers’ participation in wetland restoration. Farmers’ perceptions about the ecological values and benefits of wetlands and their knowledge about wetland restoration policies do not appear to significantly influence farmers’ willingness to participate. A gap is identified between awareness of the importance of wetland restoration and willingness to take actions to restore wetlands. Farm-households tend to weigh personal needs and economic conditions when making participation decisions.
Economic Performance, Voting, and Political Support: A Unified Approach

A presidential vote function and a presidential approval ratings function are jointly estimated for U.S. postwar observations. The estimation technique treats the two equations as seemingly unrelated regressions with unequal numbers of observations. Cross-equation restrictions implying that voters and poll respondents use identical standards in judging the economic performance of incumbents are imposed and tested. Estimates show that both votes and approval ratings are influenced by GNP growth and inflation. The results suggest that poll respondents are more inflation averse than voters; however, tests of this hypothesis are not conclusive. Copyright 1990 by MIT Press.
Telling Stories, Saving Lives: Creating Narrative Health Messages

Increasingly, health communication practitioners are exploring the use of narrative storytelling to convey health information. For this study, a narrative film was produced to provide information about the human papillomavirus (HPV) and cervical cancer prevention. The storyline centered on Lupita, a young woman recently diagnosed with HPV who informs her family about HPV and the availability of the HPV vaccine for her younger sister. The objective was to examine the roles of identification with characters and narrative involvement (made up of three dimensions: involvement, perceived relevance, and immersion) on perceived response efficacy, perceived severity, and perceived susceptibility to HPV and behavior (discussing the HPV vaccine with a health care provider). A random sample of 450 European American, Mexican American, and African American women between the ages of 25 and 45 years, living in the Los Angeles area, was surveyed by phone before, 2 weeks after, and 6 months after viewing the film. The more relevant women found the narrative to their own lives at 2 weeks, the higher they perceived the severity of the virus and the perceived response efficacy of the vaccine to be. Also at 2 weeks, identifying with characters was positively associated with perceived susceptibility to HPV but negatively associated with perceived severity. At 6 months, identification with specific characters was significantly associated with perceived threat and behavior. These findings suggest that different aspects of narrative health messages should be manipulated depending on the specific beliefs and behaviors being targeted. Implications for narrative message design are discussed.
Progression from Amnesic Mild Cognitive Impairment to Alzheimer’s Disease: ESR1 and ESR2 Polymorphisms and APOE Gene

Background: Many genes have been studied to determine how they might be involved in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Estrogens have a protective effect in the central nervous system. The mechanisms of action of estrogens are mediated by two estrogen receptors (ERs), ERα and ERβ. Thus, these genes could also play a role in the progression of amnesic mild cognitive impairment (MCIa) to AD. The aim of this study was to examine the role of ER single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) as a risk factor for MCIa, as well as the interaction with apolipoprotein E (APOE) Ε4 in the progression to AD. Methods: 79 MCIa patients and 138 healthy controls were analyzed. SNPs were genotyped via restriction fragment length polymorphisms and real-time PCR, RT-PCR or RT-PCR (TaqMan) assays. Results: There is a lack of association between MCIa patients who converted to AD and ER SNPs. APOE Ε4 allele is an independent risk factor of MCIa (OR = 1.86; 95% CI = 1.02–3.38, p = 0.042) with a high prevalence in converted subjects. APOE Ε4 is able to predict the progression from MCIa patients to AD (OR = 2.55; 95% CI = 1.20–5.42, p = 0.015). Conclusions: The presence of the APOE Ε4 allele, and not the alleles of ER SNPs, is a risk factor for MCIa. Furthermore, APOE genotype seems to predict the conversion from MCIa to AD.
Effective dimension reduction methods for tumor classification using gene expression data

MOTIVATION One particular application of microarray data, is to uncover the molecular variation among cancers. One feature of microarray studies is the fact that the number n of samples collected is relatively small compared to the number p of genes per sample which are usually in the thousands. In statistical terms this very large number of predictors compared to a small number of samples or observations makes the classification problem difficult. An efficient way to solve this problem is by using dimension reduction statistical techniques in conjunction with nonparametric discriminant procedures. RESULTS We view the classification problem as a regression problem with few observations and many predictor variables. We use an adaptive dimension reduction method for generalized semi-parametric regression models that allows us to solve the 'curse of dimensionality problem' arising in the context of expression data. The predictive performance of the resulting classification rule is illustrated on two well know data sets in the microarray literature: the leukemia data that is known to contain classes that are easy 'separable' and the colon data set.
Multi-domain simulation and measurement of power LED-s and power LED assemblies

Besides their electrical properties the optical parameters of LEDs also depend on junction temperature. For this reason thermal characterization and thermal management plays important role in case of power LEDs, necessitating tools both for physical measurements and simulation. The focus of this paper is a combined electrical, thermal and optical characterization of such devices. In terms of simulation a novel approach of board-level electro-thermal simulation is presented whereas in terms of measurement, a combined thermal and radiometric characterization method is discussed
Effects of Clostridium perfringens Alpha-Toxin (PLC) and Perfringolysin O (PFO) on Cytotoxicity to Macrophages, on Escape from the Phagosomes of Macrophages, and on Persistence of C. perfringens in Host Tissues

ABSTRACT Clostridium perfringens is the most common cause of clostridial myonecrosis (gas gangrene). Polymorphonuclear cells (PMNs) appear to play only a minor role in preventing the onset of myonecrosis in a mouse animal model of the disease (unpublished results). However, the importance of macrophages in the host defense against C. perfringens infections is still unknown. Two membrane-active toxins produced by the anaerobic C. perfringens, alpha-toxin (PLC) and perfringolysin O (PFO), are thought to be important in the pathogenesis of gas gangrene and the lack of phagocytic cells at the site of infection. Therefore, C. perfringens mutants lacking PFO and PLC were examined for their relative cytotoxic effects on macrophages, their ability to escape the phagosome of macrophages, and their persistence in mouse tissues. C. perfringens survival in the presence of mouse peritoneal macrophages was dependent on both PFO and PLC. PFO was shown to be the primary mediator of C. perfringens-dependent cytotoxicity to macrophages. Escape of C. perfringens cells from phagosomes of macrophage-like J774-33 cells and mouse peritoneal macrophages was mediated by either PFO or PLC, although PFO seemed to play a more important role in escape from the phagosome in peritoneal macrophages. At lethal doses (109) of bacteria only PLC was necessary for the onset of myonecrosis, while at sublethal doses (106) both PFO and PLC were necessary for survival of C. perfringens in mouse muscle tissue. These results suggest PFO-mediated cytotoxicity toward macrophages and the ability to escape macrophage phagosomes may be important factors in the ability of C. perfringens to survive in host tissues when bacterial numbers are low relative to those of phagocytic cells, e.g., early in an infection.
Systematic review: deployment length and the mental health of diplomats.

BACKGROUND While there has been considerable research into the psychosocial consequences of tour length for military personnel, this subject has not been studied in other occupational groups who also deploy staff to high-threat areas. AIMS To carry out a comprehensive review of relevant published literature to inform diplomatic organizations that deploy staff in high-threat postings (HTPs). METHODS We searched appropriate scientific databases for studies relevant to deployment length, mental health and well-being for diplomats. A systematic review related to military personnel was found and used as the foundation for the literature review. Other relevant papers identified by the search have also been included. RESULTS The majority of identified papers had examined military personnel. Results suggested that longer deployments were associated with poorer mental health including post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and alcohol problems and this was most likely to be a function of increased exposure to potentially traumatic events. Exceeding a threshold of 6-12 months within a 3 year period, for military personnel, appeared to elevate the risk of psychosocial problems. Furthermore, diplomats deploying on their first HTP, and those whose tour length is altered after deployment, could be especially vulnerable. CONCLUSIONS While further research of this topic is required, this review provides an evidence-based insight into the increased risks of developing mental health problems when deployed to HTPs. This information is relevant to generating policies, which may reduce the impacts of adverse psychosocial effects on diplomatic staff and their families.
Device-To-Device (D2D) Communication in Cellular Network - Performance Analysis of Optimum and Practical Communication Mode Selection

In a cellular network system one way to increase its capacity is to allow direct communication between closely located user devices when they are communicating with each other instead of conveying data from one device to the other via the radio and core network. The problem is then when the network shall assign direct communication mode and when not. In previous works the decision has been done individually per communicating device pair not taking into account other devices and the current state of the network. We derive means for getting optimal communication mode for all devices in the system in terms of system equations. The system equations capture information of the network such as link gains, noise levels, signal-to-interference-and-noise-ratios, etc., as well as communication mode selection for the devices. Using the derived equations performance bounds for the cellular system where D2D communication is an additional communication mode are illustrated via simulations. Further, practical communication mode selection algorithms are used to evaluate their system performance against the achievable bounds. Analysis show the usability of the system equations and the potential of having D2D operation integrated into a cellular system when there is enough local communication occurring.
Whole-transcriptome RNAseq analysis from minute amount of total RNA

RNA sequencing approaches to transcriptome analysis require a large amount of input total RNA to yield sufficient mRNA using either poly-A selection or depletion of rRNA. This feature makes it difficult to miniaturize transcriptome analysis for greater efficiency. To address this challenge, we devised and validated a simple procedure for the preparation of whole-transcriptome cDNA libraries from a minute amount (500 pg) of total RNA. We compared a single-sample library prepared by this Ovation® RNA-Seq system with two available methods of mRNA enrichment (TruSeq™ poly-A enrichment and RiboMinus™ rRNA depletion). Using the Ovation® preparation method for a set of eight mouse tissue samples, the RNA sequencing data obtained from two different next-generation sequencing platforms (SOLiD and Illumina Genome Analyzer IIx) yielded negligible rRNA reads (<3.5%) while retaining transcriptome sequencing fidelity. We further validated the Ovation® amplification technique by examining the resulting library complexity, reproducibility, evenness of transcript coverage, 5′ and 3′ bias and platform-specific biases. Notably, in this side-by-side comparison, SOLiD sequencing chemistry is biased toward higher GC content of transcriptome and Illumina Genome analyzer IIx is biased away from neutral to lower GC content of the transcriptomics regions.
Optimal Coding Strategies for Bidirectional Broadcast Channels Under Channel Uncertainty

Bidirectional relaying is a promising approach to improve the performance in wireless networks such as sensor, ad-hoc, and even cellular systems. Bidirectional relaying applies to three-node networks, where a relay establishes a bidirectional communication between two other nodes using a decode-and-forward protocol. First, the two nodes transmit their messages to the relay which decodes them. Then, the relay broadcasts a reencoded message in such a way that both nodes can decode their intended message using their own message as side information. We consider uncertainty in the channel state information (CSI) and assume that all nodes only know that the channel over which the transmission takes place is from a pre-specified set of channels. In this work, we concentrate on the second phase, which is called the compound bidirectional broadcast channel. We present a robust coding strategy which enables reliable communication under channel uncertainty and show that this strategy actually achieves the compound capacity. Further, we analyze scenarios where either the receivers or the transmitter have perfect CSI. We show that CSI at the receivers does not affect the maximal achievable rates, while CSI at the transmitter improves the capacity region. A numerical example and a game-theoretic interpretation complete this work.
Flexible Group Behavior: Lessons Learned Building Virtual Commanders

In the course of developing intelligent synthetic forces and commanders we have learned a number of lessons about what it takes to produce flexible group behavior: (1) simply putting together entities with intelligent, reactive behavior is not sufficient to produce team or group behaviors; (2) commanders need the ability to plan or project into the future; but, (3) planning alone is not sufficient. A commander also needs to be aware of the situation, monitor the plan's execution, and re-plan, as necessary. (4) Even intelligent, continuous planning is not sufficient to produce flexible group behavior. The commander agent also needs a form of social intelligence that enables it to act as a part of an organization of other agents, which includes superiors, subordinates, and peers. (5) A Divide and Conquer (highly modular) approach to imp lementing an agent does not seem feasible. Situation awareness, planning, execution, monitoring, re-planning, and collaboration are highly interdependent. We addressed these issues by developing techniques that enable commanders to plan continuously and to exercise social intelligence.
Zika in Pernambuco: rewriting the first outbreak.

INTRODUCTION: A Zika virus epidemic was registered in 2015 in Northeast Brazil. In the State of Pernambuco, thousands of classical cases transpired, and in the following months, neurological disturbances in adults and microcephaly in newborns emerged as complications. After the peak of the epidemic, the official system reported only four cases of Zika virus but over 100,000 cases of dengue virus. The vigilance system was unable to retrospectively estimate cases or to issue an alert to officially notified cases with possible inconsistence concerning specific arbovirosis diagnoses. METHODS: To evaluate the frequency of different arbovirosis diagnoses based on clinical-epidemiologic criteria, from January to April 2015, we conducted a hospital-based cross-sectional study retrospectively analyzing suspected cases of arbovirosis. RESULTS: Of 1 , 046 total suspected cases of arbovirus, 895 (86%) were classified as probable Zika virus cases, and 151 (14%) as probable dengue virus cases. The most frequent manifestations in probable Zika virus cases were exanthema (100%), pruritus (50.7%), fever (20.4%) and arthralgia (27.7%). CONCLUSIONS: In contrast to the official data, during the peak months of the arbovirosis epidemic of 2015, most cases were compatible with Zika virus infections. Hospital-based studies, although retrospective and based on secondary data from clinical files, might provide a better estimate of the number of cases relative to currently available data, if derived from several urgent care units of representative areas of a city or state.This would partially retrospectively correct some inconsistences regarding official notifications.
Decision support for partially moving applications to the cloud: the example of business intelligence

Cloud computing services have evolved to a sourcing option that promises a wide range of benefits, such as increased scalability and flexibility at reduced costs. However, many enterprise applications are subject to strict requirements -- e.g. regarding privacy, security and availability -- and are embedded into complex enterprise IT architectures with a multitude of interdependencies. For these reasons, many decision makers have developed a sceptical stance towards cloud computing. A solution might be a hybrid (local/cloud infrastructure) approach where only suited components are migrated to a cloud infrastructure. This, however, has significant architectural consequences that need to be taken into account. This contribution suggests a cloud migration framework that will be implemented as an IT-based decision support system based on modelling the interdependencies between components. The approach is illustrated with the example of Business Intelligence (BI), i.e. integrated approaches to management support. The underlying decision model would particularly consider data transfer volumes, performance, sensitivity of cloud based data repositories, as well as exposure to public networks. The potential of such an approach is illustrated with a selected set of BI scenarios. Based on this, conclusions are derived and generalised for approaches taking into account deployments on both the local premises and cloud infrastructures.