Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
MicroRNAs as Biomarkers for Acute Atrial Remodeling in Marathon Runners (The miRathon Study – A Sub-Study of the Munich Marathon Study)

Introduction Physical activity is beneficial for individual health, but endurance sport is associated with the development of arrhythmias like atrial fibrillation. The underlying mechanisms leading to this increased risk are still not fully understood. MicroRNAs are important mediators of proarrhythmogenic remodeling and have potential value as biomarkers in cardiovascular diseases. Therefore, the objective of our study was to determine the value of circulating microRNAs as potential biomarkers for atrial remodeling in marathon runners (miRathon study). Methods 30 marathon runners were recruited into our study and were divided into two age-matched groups depending on the training status: elite (ER, ≥55 km/week, n = 15) and non-elite runners (NER, ≤40 km/week, n = 15). All runners participated in a 10 week training program before the marathon. MiRNA plasma levels were measured at 4 time points: at baseline (V1), after a 10 week training period (V2), immediately after the marathon (V3) and 24h later (V4). Additionally, we obtained clinical data including serum chemistry and echocardiography at each time point. Results MiRNA plasma levels were similar in both groups over time with more pronounced changes in ER. After the marathon miR-30a plasma levels increased significantly in both groups. MiR-1 and miR-133a plasma levels also increased but showed significant changes in ER only. 24h after the marathon plasma levels returned to baseline. MiR-26a decreased significantly after the marathon in elite runners only and miR-29b showed a non-significant decrease over time in both groups. In ER miRNA plasma levels showed a significant correlation with LA diameter, in NER miRNA plasma levels did not correlate with echocardiographic parameters. Conclusion MiRNAs were differentially expressed in the plasma of marathon runners with more pronounced changes in ER. Plasma levels in ER correlate with left atrial diameter suggesting that circulating miRNAs could potentially serve as biomarkers of atrial remodeling in athletes.
Clonal history of papillomavirus-induced dysplasia in the female lower genital tract.

BACKGROUND Dysplastic lesions of the vagina or the vulva often occur in women who have a previous history of cervical dysplasia. Most lesions in the female lower genital tract are induced by infections with high-risk oncogenic human papillomaviruses (HR-HPVs), including HPV16 and HPV18. HR-HPV genomes frequently integrate into host cell chromosomes at random sites. We analyzed viral integration sites in multiple metachronous lesions of the lower genital tract from women previously treated for HR-HPV-positive cervical dysplasia or cancer to determine whether the metachronous lesions emerged from a single common preexisting dysplastic cell clone or as consequence of independent HR-HPV infection events in the female lower genital tract. METHODS From among 1500 patients with anogenital lesions, seven patients with high-grade vaginal or vulvar lesions and with a previous history of cervical disease (five with prior high-grade cervical dysplasia and two with a history of cervical cancer) were included in this study. Integration sites of HPV16 or HPV18 in vaginal or vulvar lesions were mapped by an adaptor ligation polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method. The sequence information was used to design an integrate-specific PCR assay that was applied to DNA extracted from archival paraffin-embedded material derived from biopsy samples of cervical lesions. RESULTS Identical HPV DNA integration loci were found in vaginal or vulvar and cervical samples of all lesions available for four of the five patients with a prior history of high-grade cervical dysplasia and for both patients with a history of cervical cancer. CONCLUSIONS These data indicate that high-grade dysplastic lesions in the female lower genital tract may emerge primarily as monoclonal lesions from a transformed cell population derived from the uterine cervix.
Representing topics labels for exploring digital libraries

Topic models have been shown to be a useful way of representing the content of large document collections, for example via visualisation interfaces (topic browsers). These systems enable users to explore collections by way of latent topics. A standard way to represent a topic is using a set of keywords, i.e. the top-n words with highest marginal probability within the topic. However, alternative topic representations have been proposed, including textual and image labels. In this paper, we compare different topic representations, i.e. sets of topic words, textual phrases and images, in a document retrieval task. We asked participants to retrieve relevant documents based on pre-defined queries within a fixed time limit, presenting topics in one of the following modalities: (1) sets of keywords, (2) textual labels, and (3) image labels. Our results show that textual labels are easier for users to interpret than keywords and image labels. Moreover, the precision of retrieved documents for textual and image labels is comparable to the precision achieved by representing topics using sets of keywords, demonstrating that labelling methods are an effective alternative topic representation.
Practical Abstractions for Concurrent Interactive Programs

We propose abstractions for designing and implementing concurrent interactive applications, such as graphical user interfaces, games and simulations, that interact with the external world in complex ways. The abstractions enable the programmer to write software that interacts with external agents (e.g., mouse, keyboard, network, the operating system) both synchronously and asynchronously in a uniform manner by means of several simple (concurrent) primitives. We specify the semantics of the primitives and provide an implementation as an OCaml library. We develop a software framework for assessing the responsiveness of interactive applications and evaluate our techniques by considering a range of applications including games, physics simulations, a music-streaming server, and a Unix shell, as well as microbenchmarks that enable quantitative analysis. Our results show the proposed abstractions to be expressive and performant.
Quality of life in children and adolescents with obsessive–compulsive disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) is a seriously impairing psychiatric condition that affects 1%–3% of youth. Investigating the quality of life (QOL) is an important issue for treatment planning of this disorder, as targeting symptoms without taking it into account may bias assessment and prognosis when the patient presents with reduced symptoms that do not correspond to improved QOL. However, QOL in young individuals with OCD has been understudied. This meta-analysis summarized current evidence that assessed differences in global, social and school QOL dimensions, between children/adolescents with OCD and screened controls. Age, sex and OCD severity were examined as moderators. Case–control studies were included if children/adolescents with primary OCD were compared with screened controls on validated self-reported QOL outcomes. Online databases (January 1966–January 2016) were searched. Five case–control studies were included (n=543, 17 effect sizes overall). On global QOL, a large effect size emerged (d=−1.16, P<0.001), suggesting that individuals with OCD had lower global QOL than controls. Moderate effect sizes emerged for school (d=−0.61, P<0.01) and social QOL (d=−0.54, P<0.01), respectively, indicating worse QOL on these domains for individuals with OCD. For samples with higher OCD severity, global QOL of individuals with OCD was lower than that for controls (β=−0.02, P<0.05). For samples with lower percentages of females, global QOL of individuals with OCD was more impaired (β=0.02, P<0.001). Age was not correlated with effect sizes. Assessment and treatment should target QOL for young males suffering from more severe OCD. The small number of included studies highlighted that QOL is under-recognized. Future research should focus on additional QOL domains and compare which ones are impaired among individuals with OCD compared with other psychiatric conditions. Overall, the results pointed out the importance of addressing QOL in both practice and research on assessment and treatment of children/adolescents with this condition.
Extreme Learning Machines [Trends & Controversies]

This special issue includes eight original works that detail the further developments of ELMs in theories, applications, and hardware implementation. In "Representational Learning with ELMs for Big Data," Liyanaarachchi Lekamalage Chamara Kasun, Hongming Zhou, Guang-Bin Huang, and Chi Man Vong propose using the ELM as an auto-encoder for learning feature representations using singular values. In "A Secure and Practical Mechanism for Outsourcing ELMs in Cloud Computing," Jiarun Lin, Jianping Yin, Zhiping Cai, Qiang Liu, Kuan Li, and Victor C.M. Leung propose a method for handling large data applications by outsourcing to the cloud that would dramatically reduce ELM training time. In "ELM-Guided Memetic Computation for Vehicle Routing," Liang Feng, Yew-Soon Ong, and Meng-Hiot Lim consider the ELM as an engine for automating the encapsulation of knowledge memes from past problem-solving experiences. In "ELMVIS: A Nonlinear Visualization Technique Using Random Permutations and ELMs," Anton Akusok, Amaury Lendasse, Rui Nian, and Yoan Miche propose an ELM method for data visualization based on random permutations to map original data and their corresponding visualization points. In "Combining ELMs with Random Projections," Paolo Gastaldo, Rodolfo Zunino, Erik Cambria, and Sergio Decherchi analyze the relationships between ELM feature-mapping schemas and the paradigm of random projections. In "Reduced ELMs for Causal Relation Extraction from Unstructured Text," Xuefeng Yang and Kezhi Mao propose combining ELMs with neuron selection to optimize the neural network architecture and improve the ELM ensemble's computational efficiency. In "A System for Signature Verification Based on Horizontal and Vertical Components in Hand Gestures," Beom-Seok Oh, Jehyoung Jeon, Kar-Ann Toh, Andrew Beng Jin Teoh, and Jaihie Kim propose a novel paradigm for hand signature biometry for touchless applications without the need for handheld devices. Finally, in "An Adaptive and Iterative Online Sequential ELM-Based Multi-Degree-of-Freedom Gesture Recognition System," Hanchao Yu, Yiqiang Chen, Junfa Liu, and Guang-Bin Huang propose an online sequential ELM-based efficient gesture recognition algorithm for touchless human-machine interaction.
Aspects of Teamwork Observed in a Technological Task in Junior High Schools.

Moshe Barak and Tsipora MaymonOne of the proclaimed goals of technology education is to provide pupilswith teamwork skills (Barlex, 1994; Denton, 1994; Dyrenfurth, 1996; Raizen etal., 1995; Williams & Williams, 1997). Team performance surpasses that of theindividual, particularly when the issue under consideration requires a variety ofcapabilities, experience, and judgment skills (Katzenbach & Smith, 1993). Theimportance of teamwork has become more widely recognized in recent years,corresponding with the information explosion and the need to solve more andmore complex and interdisciplinary problems. Global competition in high-techareas forces organizations to adopt sophisticated and effective methods of workand management. Teamwork has become one of the focuses of interest amongnew approaches to the management of technological projects and generalorganizational management, such as TQM and QWL (Goodman et al., 1987). The rapid development of communication systems, the ability to transferinformation with speed, and the availability of video-conferencing, create newpossibilities for people to work together even at a distance of thousands ofkilometers. As a consequence of these developments, it is necessary to devotefurther attention to the provision of teamwork skills in the framework oftechnology education. The present study examines different aspects of pupils’teamwork that develop during a technological task, with an aim to castadditional light on teamwork in technology and to contribute information for theestablishment of a methodology for teamwork in technology education.Theoretical BackgroundDifferent aspects of teamwork in the world of high-tech industry will beexamined and, where relevant, adapted to technology education. Katzenbach andSmith’s (1993) definition of team is: “A team is a small number of people withcomplementary skills who are committed to a common purpose, performancegoals, and approach for which they hold themselves mutually accountable. ”Therefore the first aspect of teamwork is identified: a team cannot operatewithout a goal . In the world of technology, the team’s goal will usually be the____________________________
Rethinking Court‐Sanctioned Reintegration Processes: Redemption Rituals as an Alternative to the Drug Court Graduation

This research-based position paper offers critical examination and critique of the drug court (DC) graduation model and outlines an alternative approach. To enhance reconfiguration of the current DC graduation system, we propose a redemption-oriented framework that we believe is better aligned with the rehabilitation literature and reintegrative shaming theory. These conceptual underpinnings cohere with restorative justice and together represent a useful interpretive perspective for examining current DC practices in the United States. They also align with the goals we believe redemption rituals should elevate. This is based on four main elements of redemption rituals: achievement; co-ordination of care; status elevation; and moral inclusion. We operationalise these elements by identifying two constituent factors of each. The article concludes with a discussion of the implications for DC practice and recommendations for future research in this area.
Contribution of prosody to the segmentation and storage of "words" in the acquisition of a new mini-language

This paper evaluates the relative contribution of two prosodic cues, lengthening and f0 contour, in the processes of speech segmentation and storage of new words. More precisely, we investigate the role of prosodic information in the acquisition by French learners of a mini-language constructed for the experiment. The results show that presence of prosodic information facilitates the speech segmentation and therefore, the acquisition of the new language. Indeed, lengthening or f0 rise on the word final syllable is used by listeners to infer the presence of a boundary. However, the presence of the two cues manipulated does not improve performance; and when only one cue is present, f0 induces slightly more accurate segmentation than lengthening. Finally, the storage of the "stressable” property of the word-final syllables in French is discussed.
Warming trends in the Arctic from clear sky satellite observations

Abstract Satellite thermal infrared data on surface temperatures provide pan-Arctic coverage from 1981 to 2001 during cloud-free conditions and reveal large warming anomalies in the 1990s compared to the 1980s and regional variability in the trend. The rms error of the derived surface temperatures when compared with in situ data ranges from 1.5 to 3 K over the 20-yr period. Average temperature trends are generally positive at 0.33 ± 0.16°C decade−1 over sea ice, 0.50 ± 0.22°C decade−1 over Eurasia, and 1.06 ± 0.22°C decade−1 over North America. The trend is slightly negative and insignificant at −0.09 ± 0.25°C decade−1 in Greenland with the negatives mainly at high elevations. The trends are also predominantly positive in spring, summer, and autumn causing the lengthening of the melt season by 10–17 days per decade while they are generally negative in winter. The longer-term in situ surface temperature data shows that the 20-yr trend is 8 times larger than the 100-yr trend suggesting a rapid acceleration .
Self-Conscious Emotions & Ethical Consumption: A Framework for Application

Recent research suggests that emotions can have a central role in decision making in a number of contexts. These contexts range from work tasks and moral behaviour (e.g. Baumeister, Stillwell & Heatherton, 1994), social judgements and social behaviour (e.g. Forgas, 2000) to consumption (e.g. Lerner, Small, & Lowenstein, 2004). The context of ethical consumption – defined as consumption that entails concerns the area of human welfare, animal welfare and/or environmental welfare (Low & Davenport, 2007) – is one in which the consideration of emotions is particularly pertinent and also neglected. Present models of consumers’ ethical decision making have not adequately considered the role of emotions; they have portrayed moral and ethical decisions as essentially cognitive episodes.
Asymmetric inference towards the antonym : experiments into the polarity and morphology of negated adjectives

In this paper, we investigate the interpretation of negated antonyms. A sentence such as Peter is not tall can be understood as meaning either that Peter is not tall tout court or that Peter is rather short (inference towards the antonym; ITA). We present the results of two experiments, in which we test two theoretical predictions. First, according to Krifka (2007), it is reasonable to expect a stronger ITA effect for positive versus negative adjectives. Second, elaborating on Krifka (2007), we expect ITA strength asymmetry to be greater for morphological antonymic pairs than for non-morphological pairs. In the first experiment, ITA strength was assessed implicitly by having participants judge the pragmatic acceptability of sentences involving a negated adjective and its antonym. In the second experiment, we collected explicit inferential judgments. The results of both experiments support the two predictions. We also discuss theoretical and methodological issues concerning the different notions of polarity.
Expression profiling of mammalian male meiosis and gametogenesis identifies novel candidate genes for roles in the regulation of fertility.

We report a comprehensive large-scale expression profiling analysis of mammalian male germ cells undergoing mitotic growth, meiosis, and gametogenesis by using high-density oligonucleotide microarrays and highly enriched cell populations. Among 11,955 rat loci investigated, 1268 were identified as differentially transcribed in germ cells at subsequent developmental stages compared with total testis, somatic Sertoli cells as well as brain and skeletal muscle controls. The loci were organized into four expression clusters that correspond to somatic, mitotic, meiotic, and postmeiotic cell types. This work provides information about expression patterns of approximately 200 genes known to be important during male germ cell development. Approximately 40 of those are included in a group of 121 transcripts for which we report germ cell expression and lack of transcription in three somatic control cell types. Moreover, we demonstrate the testicular expression and transcriptional induction in mitotic, meiotic, and/or postmeiotic germ cells of 293 as yet uncharacterized transcripts, some of which are likely to encode factors involved in spermatogenesis and fertility. This group also contains potential germ cell-specific targets for innovative contraceptives. A graphical display of the data is conveniently accessible through the GermOnline database at http://www.germonline. org.
Differential effects of gaseous and volatile anaesthetics on sodium and potassium channels.

After 150 years of clinical anaesthesia, the molecular events that lead to anaesthesia have not been determined. This is not because of a lack of ideas [16-19, 56, 571. However, most striking to the observer is the paucity of long-term and systematic studies. The present review describes results from such a study. The long-term goals were: first, to understand how anaesthetics affect membrane protein function and second, to determine if clinical and molecular actions of anaesthetics rnay be correlated.
Targeted deletion of the lens fiber cell-specific intermediate filament protein filensin.

PURPOSE To determine the function of the lens fiber cell-specific cytoskeletal protein, filensin, in lens biology. METHODS Targeted genomic deletion was used to delete exon 1 and the transcriptional start site of the filensin gene. Resultant chimeric animals were bred to homozygosity for the mutant allele. These animals were outbred to mice bearing the wild-type CP49 alleles to eliminate the mutant CP49 gene carried by the 129 strain of mice. Animals homozygous for the mutated filensin gene and wild-type CP49 gene were compared with wild-type and heterozygous animals by Northern and Western blot analyses, light and electron microscopy, and slit lamp microscopy. RESULTS Disruption of the filensin gene successfully blocked production of filensin mRNA, reduced levels of filensin's assembly partner CP49, and prevented the assembly of beaded filaments. Despite the absence of beaded filaments, lenses did not show obvious changes in fetal development, nor in the differentiation of epithelial cells into mature fiber cells, as judged by light microscopic analysis. Filensin knockouts began to show evidence of light-scattering by 2 months and worsened with age. Heterozygous animals exhibited an intermediate phenotype, showing a reduction in filensin transcript and moderate light-scattering at 5 months. CONCLUSIONS The lens fiber cell-specific intermediate filament protein filensin is essential for beaded filament assembly. However, although beaded filaments are not needed for normal lens fetal development or fiber cell differentiation, they appear to be necessary for the long-term maintenance of optical clarity. The mechanism by which the absence of filensin and the beaded filament affects optical clarity has yet to be defined.
Chinese Word Segmentation and Named Entity Recognition Based on Conditional Random Fields

Chinese word segmentation (CWS), named entity recognition (NER) and part-of-speech tagging is the lexical processing in Chinese language. This paper describes the work on these tasks done by France Tele-com Team (Beijing) at the fourth International Chinese Language Processing Bake-off. In particular, we employ Conditional Random Fields with different features for these tasks. In order to improve NER relatively low recall; we exploit non-local features and alleviate class imbalanced distribution on NER dataset to enhance the re-call and keep its relatively high precision. Some other post-processing measures such as consistency checking and transforma-tion-based error-driven learning are used to improve word segmentation performance. Our systems participated in most CWS and POS tagging evaluations and all the NER tracks. As a result, our NER system achieves the first ranks on MSRA open track and MSRA/CityU closed track. Our CWS system achieves the first rank on CityU open track, which means that our systems achieve state-of-the-art performance on Chinese lexical processing.
The Information Content of Implied Volatility Indexes for Forecasting Volatility and Market Risk

In this paper, we assess the efficiency, information content and unbiasedness of volatility forecasts based on the VIX/VXN implied volatility indexes, RiskMetrics and GARCHtype models at the 5-, 10- and 22-day time horizon. Our empirical application focuses on the S&P100 and NASDAQ100 indexes. We also deal with the information content of the competing volatility forecasts in a market risk (VaR type) evaluation framework. The performance of the models is evaluated using LR, independence, conditional coverage and density forecast tests. Our results show that volatility forecasts based on the VIX/VXN indexes have the highest information content, both in the volatility forecasting and market risk assessment frameworks. Because they are easy-to-use and compare very favorably with much more complex econometric models that use historical returns, we argue that options and futures exchanges should compute implied volatility indexes and make these available to investors.