Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Impact of Cytomegalovirus and Grafts versus Host Disease on the Dynamics of CD57+CD28−CD8+ T Cells After Bone Marrow Transplant

OBJECTIVES The present study aimed to evaluate the dynamics of CD28 and CD57 expression in CD8+ T lymphocytes during cytomegalovirus viremia in bone marrow transplant recipients. METHODS In a prospective study, blood samples were obtained once weekly once from 33 healthy volunteers and weekly from 33 patients. To evaluate the expression of CD57 and CD28 on CD8+ T lymphocytes, flow cytometry analysis was performed on blood samples for four months after bone marrow transplant, together with cytomegalovirus antigenemia assays. RESULTS Compared to cytomegalovirus-seronegative healthy subjects, seropositive healthy subjects demonstrated a higher percentage of CD57+ and a lower percentage of CD28+ cells (p<0.05). A linear regression model demonstrated a continuous decrease in CD28+ expression and a continuous increase in CD57+ expression after bone marrow transplant. The occurrence of cytomegalovirus antigenemia was associated with a steep drop in the percentage of CD28+ cells (5.94%, p<0.01) and an increase in CD57+ lymphocytes (5.60%, p<0.01). This cytomegalovirus-dependent effect was for the most part concentrated in the allogeneic bone marrow transplant patients. The development of acute graft versus host disease, which occurred at an earlier time than antigenemia (day 26 vs. day 56 post- bone marrow transplant), also had an impact on the CD57+ subset, triggering an increase of 4.9% in CD57+ lymphocytes (p<0.05). CONCLUSION We found continuous relative changes in the CD28+ and CD57+ subsets during the first 120 days post- bone marrow transplant, as part of immune system reconstitution and maturation. A clear correlation was observed between the expansion of the CD57+CD28−CD8+ T lymphocyte subpopulation and the occurrence of graft versus host disease and cytomegalovirus viremia.
Intestinal permeability assessed by 51Cr-EDTA in rats with CCl4 - induced cirrhosis.

CONTEXT The straight relationship between cirrhosis and impaired intestinal barrier has not been elucidated yet. OBJECTIVES To verify (51)Cr-EDTA-intestinal permeability in rats with CCl(4)-induced cirrhosis and controls. METHOD Fifty male Wistar rats weighing 150-180 g were separated in three groups: 25 animals received CCl(4) 0.25 mL/kg with olive oil by gavage with 12 g/rat/day food restriction for 10 weeks (CCl(4)-induced cirrhosis); 12 received the same food restriction for 10 weeks (CCl(4)-non exposed). Other 13 rats received indomethacin 15 mg/kg by gavage as positive control of intestinal inflammation. RESULTS The median (25-75 interquartile range) (51)Cr-EDTA-IP values of cirrhotic and CCl(4)-non exposed rats were 0.90% (0.63-1.79) and 0.90% (0.60-1.52) respectively, without significant difference (P = 0.65). Animals from indomethacin group showed (51)Cr-EDTA-IP, median 7.3% (5.1-14.7), significantly higher than cirrhotic and CCl(4)-non exposed rats (P<0.001). CONCLUSION This study showed the lack of difference between (51)Cr-EDTA-intestinal permeability in rats with and without cirrhosis. Further studies are necessary to better clarify the relationship between intestinal permeability and cirrhosis.
Prefrontal Cortex Activity during the Discrimination of Relative Distance

To compare with our previous findings on relative-duration discrimination, we studied prefrontal cortex activity as monkeys performed a relative-distance discrimination task. We wanted to know whether the same parts of the prefrontal cortex compare durations and distances and, if so, whether they use similar mechanisms. Two stimuli appeared sequentially on a video screen, one above a fixed reference point, the other below it by a different distance. After a delay period, the same two stimuli reappeared (as choice stimuli), and the monkeys' task was to choose the one that had appeared farther from the reference point during its initial presentation. We recorded from neurons in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (area 46) and the caudal prefrontal cortex (area 8). Although some prefrontal neurons encoded the absolute distance of a stimulus from the reference point, many more encoded relative distance. Categorical representations (“farther”) predominated over parametric ones (“how much farther”). Relative-distance coding was most often abstract, coding the farther or closer stimulus to the same degree, independent of its position on the screen. During the delay period before the choice stimuli appeared, feature-based coding supplanted order-based coding, and position-based coding—always rare—decreased to chance levels. The present results closely resembled those for a duration-discrimination task in the same cortical areas. We conclude, therefore, that these areas contribute to decisions based on both spatial and temporal information.
Resource allocation in wireless networks with multiple relays

A cooperative network where transmission between two nodes that have no direct link, but assisted by many relays is considered. We assume a broadband system, such as OFDM, modeled by multiple parallel Gaussian subchannels between the source and each relay, and also between each relay and the destination. We formulate the optimization problem for joint power and subchannel allocation under a short term per-node power constraint to maximize the instantaneous total transmission rate between the source and the destination. To solve this optimization problem, first we find the optimal power allocation for a given subchannel allocation. Then we focus on a greedy algorithm that jointly allocates subchannels and power. Simulation results reveal that our proposed algorithm results in rates close to the optimum allocation.
STAR: Stack Trace Based Automatic Crash Reproduction via Symbolic Execution

Software crash reproduction is the necessary first step for debugging. Unfortunately, crash reproduction is often labor intensive. To automate crash reproduction, many techniques have been proposed including record-replay and post-failure-process approaches. Record-replay approaches can reliably replay recorded crashes, but they incur substantial performance overhead to program executions. Alternatively, post-failure-process approaches analyse crashes only after they have occurred. Therefore they do not incur performance overhead. However, existing post-failure-process approaches still cannot reproduce many crashes in practice because of scalability issues and the object creation challenge. This paper proposes an automatic crash reproduction framework using collected crash stack traces. The proposed approach combines an efficient backward symbolic execution and a novel method sequence composition approach to generate unit test cases that can reproduce the original crashes without incurring additional runtime overhead. Our evaluation study shows that our approach successfully exploited 31 (59.6 percent) of 52 crashes in three open source projects. Among these exploitable crashes, 22 (42.3 percent) are useful reproductions of the original crashes that reveal the crash triggering bugs. A comparison study also demonstrates that our approach can effectively outperform existing crash reproduction approaches.
A review of progress in the physics of open quantum systems: theory and experiment

This report on progress explores recent advances in our theoretical and experimental understanding of the physics of open quantum systems (OQSs). The study of such systems represents a core problem in modern physics that has evolved to assume an unprecedented interdisciplinary character. OQSs consist of some localized, microscopic, region that is coupled to an external environment by means of an appropriate interaction. Examples of such systems may be found in numerous areas of physics, including atomic and nuclear physics, photonics, biophysics, and mesoscopic physics. It is the latter area that provides the main focus of this review, an emphasis that is driven by the capacity that exists to subject mesoscopic devices to unprecedented control. We thus provide a detailed discussion of the behavior of mesoscopic devices (and other OQSs) in terms of the projection-operator formalism, according to which the system under study is considered to be comprised of a localized region (Q), embedded into a well-defined environment (P) of scattering wavefunctions (with Q + P = 1). The Q subspace must be treated using the concepts of non-Hermitian physics, and of particular interest here is: the capacity of the environment to mediate a coupling between the different states of Q; the role played by the presence of exceptional points (EPs) in the spectra of OQSs; the influence of EPs on the rigidity of the wavefunction phases, and; the ability of EPs to initiate a dynamical phase transition (DPT). EPs are singular points in the continuum, at which two resonance states coalesce, that is where they exhibit a non-avoided crossing. DPTs occur when the quantum dynamics of the open system causes transitions between non-analytically connected states, as a function of some external control parameter. Much like conventional phase transitions, the behavior of the system on one side of the DPT does not serve as a reliable indicator of that on the other. In addition to discussing experiments on mesoscopic quantum point contacts that provide evidence of the environmentally-mediated coupling of quantum states, we also review manifestations of DPTs in mesoscopic devices and other systems. These experiments include observations of resonance-trapping behavior in microwave cavities and open quantum dots, phase lapses in tunneling through single-electron transistors, and spin swapping in atomic ensembles. Other possible manifestations of this phenomenon are presented, including various superradiant phenomena in low-dimensional semiconductors. From these discussions a generic picture of OQSs emerges in which the environmentally-mediated coupling between different quantum states plays a critical role in governing the system behavior. The ability to control or manipulate this interaction may even lead to new applications in photonics and electronics.
Ethnicity moderates the effects of resources on adjustment of Jewish and Arab mothers of children diagnosed with cancer

ABSTRACT Objective: The study aimed to explore the adjustment of Jewish and Arab mothers of children diagnosed with cancer. Method: Ninety-seven Jewish and 100 Arab mothers completed questionnaires assessing mastery, social support, and adjustment (psychological distress, quality of life, and future fears and hopes). Results: Arab mothers were higher than Jewish mothers on distress and lower on social support and future hopes). Mastery and social support contributed independently to adjustment indices. Ethnicity moderated the effects of mastery and social support on adjustment. Conclusion: Ethnicity, mastery, and social support are important factors in mothers' adjustment to their child's cancer.
Assessment of the Correlation between Severity of Coronary Artery Disease and Waist–Hip Ratio

AIM: This study was conducted to investigate the correlation between waist/hip ratio (WHR) as a measurement of obesity and severity of coronary artery disease (CAD) assessed by angiography in Kosovo. METHODS: The study included 82 patients with suspected or known CAD who were referred for coronary angiography. All patients were subjected to full individual medical history, clinical examination including measurement of arterial blood pressure, body weight, height, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, hip circumference, waist/hip ratio, and waist/height ratio. Coronary angiography was performed using standard techniques to determine the presence and severity of coronary artery lesions with the Gensini score. RESULTS: Among the 82 patients in the study, the mean age in the CAD group was 66.76 ± 9.12 years and the mean age in the non-CAD group was 64.80 ± 8.30 years. Patients in the CAD group had a mean BMI of 28.17 ± 3.32 kg/m2 and those in the non-CAD group had a mean BMI of 28.76 ± 4.68 kg/m2. Patients in the CAD group had a mean waist/height ratio of 1.76 ± 7.56 and those in the non-CAD group had a mean waist/height ratio of 0.57 ± 0.08. Patient in the CAD group had a mean waist/hip ratio of 0.93 ± 0.06 and those in the non-CAD group had a mean waist/hip ratio of 0.88 ± 0.07. Thirty-seven patients (45.1%) had no coronary artery disease (Gensini score = 0), 15 (18.3%) had mild disease (Gensini score = 1-32), 14 (17.1%) had moderate disease (Gensini score = 32-58), and 16 (19.5%) had severe disease (Gensini score ≥ 58). CONCLUSION: There was a significant positive correlation between waist/hip ratio and presence of CAD in Kosovar patients.
Treatment of pediatric obesity using a parent-only approach: a case example.

OBJECTIVE There is a great need for solution-oriented studies and descriptions of interventions for pediatric obesity in real-world settings. This report describes a group-based behavioral parent-only intervention to promote healthier lifestyle habits and reduce weight status in an obese 12-year-old female participant. METHOD The behavioral parent-only intervention program described was part of a randomized controlled trial that evaluated the impact of 2 behavioral interventions that addressed dietary intake, physical activity, and weight status in overweight and obese youth living in rural settings. Both the child and parent were targeted for behavior change. The intervention included 12 group sessions over 4 months. Behavioral strategies, including self-monitoring, goal setting, performance feedback, reinforcement, stimulus control, and instruction in behavioral parenting strategies were flexibly applied to meet the needs of the family. Assessments were completed at baseline, month-4 posttreatment, and month-10 follow-up. RESULTS The parent attended 10 of 12 treatment sessions. At follow-up the child had lost 17 pounds and grew 1.7 in. in height. The child also experienced improved quality of dietary intake and a drop in the number of self-reported unhealthy weight control behaviors. The parent experienced no notable decrease or increase in BMI. CONCLUSIONS The report describes the successful application of a behavioral intervention to address pediatric obesity that uses a parent-only approach. It is hoped that this presentation will facilitate discussion and help encourage further presentations of how the flexible application of evidenced-based interventions can be applied in real-world settings.
Effect of sexual function on health-related quality of life mediated by depressive symptoms in cardiac rehabilitation. findings of the SPARK project in 493 patients.

INTRODUCTION Empirical evidence suggests associations between cardiovascular diseases, sexual functioning, depressive symptoms, and quality of life. However, to date, the interrelation of these constructs has not been examined simultaneously in a structural analysis. AIM To estimate the prevalence of sexual disorders and depressive symptoms and to examine the association between sexual disorders, depressive symptoms, and quality of life in patients in the rehabilitation of cardiovascular disorders. AIM A postal survey in five German inpatient rehabilitation centers for cardiovascular diseases was conducted. Prevalence of sexual disorders and depressive symptoms were assessed using psychometrically sound instruments. To analyze complex associations, structural equation modeling was used. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES For epidemiological questions, proportions with 95% confidence intervals were calculated. The strength of association in structural equation models was expressed as a standardized regression coefficient. RESULTS Data from 493 patients were analyzed (response rate 22.7%). At least moderate erectile dysfunction proved to be present in 20.3% of men. The prevalence of female sexual dysfunction lay at 43.1%. At least moderate depressive symptoms were present in 14.4% of men and 16.5% of women. A considerable association between sexual functioning and quality of life was found in both sexes, which was largely mediated by depressive symptoms. Major drawbacks of the study are imprecision of the estimates due to limited sample size and questionable generalizability of the findings due to possible self-selection bias. CONCLUSIONS Considering the high prevalence of depressive symptoms and their role as a mediating factor between sexual functioning and quality of life, it is recommended to routinely screen for depression in men and women with cardiac disease.
Improving deep neural networks for LVCSR using rectified linear units and dropout

Recently, pre-trained deep neural networks (DNNs) have outperformed traditional acoustic models based on Gaussian mixture models (GMMs) on a variety of large vocabulary speech recognition benchmarks. Deep neural nets have also achieved excellent results on various computer vision tasks using a random “dropout” procedure that drastically improves generalization error by randomly omitting a fraction of the hidden units in all layers. Since dropout helps avoid over-fitting, it has also been successful on a small-scale phone recognition task using larger neural nets. However, training deep neural net acoustic models for large vocabulary speech recognition takes a very long time and dropout is likely to only increase training time. Neural networks with rectified linear unit (ReLU) non-linearities have been highly successful for computer vision tasks and proved faster to train than standard sigmoid units, sometimes also improving discriminative performance. In this work, we show on a 50-hour English Broadcast News task that modified deep neural networks using ReLUs trained with dropout during frame level training provide an 4.2% relative improvement over a DNN trained with sigmoid units, and a 14.4% relative improvement over a strong GMM/HMM system. We were able to obtain our results with minimal human hyper-parameter tuning using publicly available Bayesian optimization code.
Prefrontal cortex involvement in processing incorrect arithmetic equations: Evidence from event‐related fMRI

The main aim of this study was to investigate the differential processing of correct and incorrect equations to gain further insight into the neural processes involved in arithmetic reasoning. Electrophysiological studies in humans have demonstrated that processing incorrect arithmetic equations (e.g., 2 + 2 = 5) elicits a prominent event‐related potential (ERP) compared to processing correct equations (e.g., 2 + 2 = 4). In the present study, we investigated the neural substrates of this process using event‐related functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Subjects were presented with arithmetic equations and asked to indicate whether the solution displayed was correct or incorrect. We found greater activation to incorrect, compared to correct equations, in the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC, BA 46) and the left ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (VLPFC, BA 47). Our results provide the first brain imaging evidence for differential processing of incorrect vs. correct equations. The prefrontal cortex activation observed in processing incorrect equations overlaps with brain areas known to be involved in working memory and interference processing. The DLPFC region differentially activated by incorrect equations was also involved in overall arithmetic processing, whereas the VLPFC was activated only during the differential processing of incorrect equations. Differential response to correct and incorrect arithmetic equations was not observed in parietal cortex regions such as the angular gyrus and intra‐parietal sulcus, which are known to play a specific role in performing arithmetic computations. The pattern of brain response observed is consistent with the hypothesis that processing incorrect equations involves detection of an incorrect answer and resolution of the interference between the internally computed and externally presented incorrect answer. More specifically, greater activation during processing of incorrect equations appears to reflect additional operations involved in maintaining the results in working memory, while subjects attempt to resolve the conflict and select a response. These findings allow us to further delineate and dissociate the contributions of prefrontal and parietal cortices to arithmetic reasoning. Hum. Brain Mapping 16:119–130, 2002. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
International Journal of Information Management

The purpose of this study is to investigate the critical factors that will affect the decision to adopt cloud computing technology in developing countries, speciﬁcally in Taiwan’s hospital industry. This study mainly integrates the TOE (Technology-Organization-Environment) framework and HOT-ﬁt (Human-Organization-Technology ﬁt) model to understand this issue. Information was collected by employing a questionnaire research design to hospital CIOs in Taiwan. The obtained results indicate that the 5 most critical factors are data security, perceived technical competence, cost, top manager support, and complexity. Further, among the proposed four dimensions the most important one is technology followed by human, organizational, and environmental factors. Finally, the results show that signiﬁcant differences exist in CIO innovativeness, data security, compatibility, top manager support, adequate resource, and perceived industry pressure across different adopting groups. For practitioners, this study identiﬁes key factors for hospitals to make an adoption decision toward cloud computing technology. As for academia, this study can be provided as a useful reference for future studies in this subject ﬁeld.
SOCIAL CONTACT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN INTERNET USERS AND NONUSERS IN THE GENERAL SOCIAL SURVEY

(Data Available) The year 2000 General Social Survey (GSS) included old questions on the extent of social visiting and new questions on the extent of social networks. The results provide little support for the conclusion that Internet users and electronic mail users with greater hourly usage lead less active or more constricted social lives than nonusers. There is little evidence of reduced social contact in relation to levels of social visiting in comparison to 1998 or to earlier GSS surveys. There is virtually no difference in the overall visiting of lesser-versus-greater-versus non-Internet users. Interestingly, users reported spending more evenings with friends than nonusers and fewer evenings with relatives and neighbors. There was no decline in the numbers of people contacted by traditional communication channels among respondents who contacted more people by email, or who used the Internet more. There was more evidence to support the Newtonian model of increased social life among Internet users than evidence of any displacement effect.
A SiGe BiCMOS Transmitter/Receiver Chipset With On-Chip SIW Antennas for Terahertz Applications

This paper presents a terahertz (THz) transmitter (Tx) and receiver (Rx) chipset operating around 400 GHz in 0.13- μm SiGe BiCMOS technology. The Tx chip consists of a voltage-controlled oscillator, a buffer, a modulator, a power amplifier, a frequency tripler, and a substrate integrated waveguide (SIW) antenna. This antenna has an additional high-pass filtering characteristic to suppress the unwanted fundamental (f0) and second harmonic (2f0) signals by 50 and 30 dB, respectively. The Rx chip includes a proposed reconfigurable SIW antenna and a novel two-mode subharmonic mixer with ~ 5-dB reduction of conversion loss. The Rx chip consumes 50 nA from a 1.2-V supply. The measurement results of the Tx and Rx chips and a back-to-back test of the Tx/Rx chipset show the feasibility and pave the way of implementing a fully integrated THz system in silicon technology for mass production.