Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Neutrophil Stimulation with Granulocyte Colony-stimulating Factor Worsens Ventilator-induced Lung Injury and Mortality in Rats

Background:Based on the association between the neutrophil and ventilator-induced lung injury, the authors hypothesized that neutrophil inhibition with fucoidin would be beneficial and stimulation with granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) would be harmful in a rat model of lethal ventilator-induced lung injury. Methods:Animals (n = 111) were randomly assigned to be pretreated with fucoidin, G-CSF, or placebo (control) before 4 h of low-tidal-volume (10 ml/kg) or high-tidal-volume (40 ml/kg) mechanical ventilation. Results:All low-volume animals survived. With high volumes, compared with controls, fucoidin did not improve survival (3 of 20 control animals and 5 of 20 fucoidin animals died; P = 0.51) but G-CSF significantly worsened it (18 of 22 animals died; P < 0.001). Circulating neutrophils were increased early with G-CSF and late with fucoidin with low and high tidal volumes (P < 0.05 for each treatment and tidal volume). Fucoidin decreased lung neutrophils, but these were only significant with high tidal volumes, whereas G-CSF increased lung neutrophils but only significantly with low tidal volumes (P ≤ 0.01 for each). Fucoidin did not alter any cardiopulmonary measure significantly. Compared with control, G-CSF increased airway pressures with high tidal volumes and worsened lung edema and arterial oxygen with both tidal volumes (P < 0.05 for each). Conclusions:In this model, neutrophil stimulation by G-CSF increased lung dysfunction and with high tidal volumes worsened survival rates. Extrapolated clinically, neutrophil stimulation either by agents such as G-CSF or conditions such as sepsis may aggravate ventilator-induced lung injury.
Investigation of Early Events in FcεRI-Mediated Signaling Using a Detailed Mathematical Model1

Aggregation of FcεRI on mast cells and basophils leads to autophosphorylation and increased activity of the cytosolic protein tyrosine kinase Syk. We investigated the roles of the Src kinase Lyn, the immunoreceptor tyrosine-based activation motifs (ITAMs) on the β and γ subunits of FcεRI, and Syk itself in the activation of Syk. Our approach was to build a detailed mathematical model of reactions involving FcεRI, Lyn, Syk, and a bivalent ligand that aggregates FcεRI. We applied the model to experiments in which covalently cross-linked IgE dimers stimulate rat basophilic leukemia cells. The model makes it possible to test the consistency of mechanistic assumptions with data that alone provide limited mechanistic insight. For example, the model helps sort out mechanisms that jointly control dephosphorylation of receptor subunits. In addition, interpreted in the context of the model, experimentally observed differences between the β- and γ-chains with respect to levels of phosphorylation and rates of dephosphorylation indicate that most cellular Syk, but only a small fraction of Lyn, is available to interact with receptors. We also show that although the β ITAM acts to amplify signaling in experimental systems where its role has been investigated, there are conditions under which the β ITAM will act as an inhibitor.
Impact of time from diagnosis to initiation of curative-intent chemotherapy on clinical outcomes in patients with classical Hodgkin lymphoma

Abstract The impact of treatment delays on outcomes in Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) is currently unknown. Time from definitive histologic diagnosis to first ABVD treatment (TDT) was calculated in 810 adults with HL: 365 (45%) TDT ≤4 weeks, 369 (46%) TDT 5–8 weeks, 76 (9%) TDT >8 weeks. The 5-year overall survival (OS) was 92% TDT ≤4 weeks, 92% TDT 5–8 weeks, and 83% TDT >8 weeks (p = 0.007). The 5-year disease-specific survival (DSS) was 93% TDT ≤4 weeks, 95% TDT 5–8 weeks, and 87% TDT >8 weeks (p = 0.094). The 5-year progression-free survival (PFS) was similar between groups (p = 0.139). In the multivariate analysis, TDT >8 weeks was not associated with worse OS, DSS, or PFS. Despite the univariate association between initiation of ABVD >8 weeks and worse OS, these data do not support such cut-off to improve outcomes. Nevertheless, clinicians should make every effort possible to initiate curative-intent chemotherapy as soon as a diagnosis of HL is established.
Learning by explaining to oneself and to others.

One important source for the acquisition of knowledge, especially of factual knowledge, is the construction, transmission and comprehension of explanations. Two distinctive settings in which explanations are constructed are self-explanation, in which a single individual explains to himself and interactive explanation in which several individuals mutually and interactively explain to each other. While providing explanations to oneself might lead to the construction of additional knowledge by the explaining individual, providing explanations to each other involves forms of collaborative learning. To better understand the differences between and potential benefits of explaining to oneself and explaining to others, we compare empirical research on both kinds of explanation. The comparison is guided by three main goals . The first goal is to describe the learning that takes place during the construction of self-explanations. The second goal is to reveal how the construction of explanations as well as the learning changes if one moves from a selfexplanation setting to a more interactive explanation setting. With respect to interactive explanation settings, we particularly focus on learning by teaching. The third goal is to uncover differences in the learning between those individuals who construct explanations and those who receive them. Essentially, since learning by teaching has repeatedly been found to promote learning, this gave rise to the assumption that the beneficial effects of such arrangements are due to the successive construction of explanations. In particular, it has been hypothesized that explaining to others might be even more advantageous than explaining to oneself. However, so far empirical evidence does not strongly support this hypothesis.
GLR approach for MIMO radar signal sampling in unknown clutter parameter

Multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) radar has been shown to provide enhanced performance in theory and practice. The MIMO radar is a type of multi-static radar, that uses multiple antennas at both the transmitter and receiver to improve the detection performance. In this paper, we propose a generalized likelihood ratio test (GLRT) for target detection by MIMO radar in unknown Gaussian clutter. We focus on MIMO radar with widely separated antennas. Mathematical results indicate that the number of receiver antennas should be more than the number of received signal samples in a pulse repetition interval (PRI); i.e, in each processing round, the number of secondary data set (from different antennas), should not be less than the number of the received signal samples in each antenna receiver.
[Awareness of diagnosis and prognosis in patients with unfavorable prognosis: perception of the attitudes of a group of doctors and nurses].

In oncological patients , communication of the diagnosis of the disease or its regression and the patient's awareness of both diagnosis and prognosis, plays a central role. Up to a few decades ago , it was common practice not to reveal the diagnosis of cancer. Nowadays, the situation has changed owing to radical socio-cultural changes. However, in daily practice, the most frequent impression is that the patient does not entirely realize the implications of diagnosis and prognosis and health workers find it difficult to inform patients clearly and honestly so that they can decide which cures to accept or decline. An observational study was performed on a group of 153 doctors and nurses to identify their opinions and attitudes regarding how to inform cancer patients, in terms of diagnosis and prognosis, and how they perceived the level of awareness in such patients. The results of the study partly confirmed published data , in that both doctors and nurses thought it best to inform the patient of the oncological pathology, keeping back the unfavorable prognosis and that the percentage of patients really made aware of these implications was lower than officially declared.
Stature Estimation Based on Dimensions of the Bony Pelvis and Proximal Femur *

Abstract: Pelin et al. recently showed that sacral height measured on lateral magnetic resonance images can be used with moderate accuracy to reconstruct stature in males. In most forensic anthropological cases, however, sacral dimensions must be obtained from dry bones. In this study, the relationship between stature and sacral height, hip height, and femur head diameter measured on dry bone was evaluated for American Blacks and Whites of both sexes (n = 247). There are significant correlation between stature and these three dimensions, but the results suggest that none of the dimensions predict stature with the accuracy needed to be useful in forensic anthropological investigations.
The contribution of methadone maintenance treatment to HIV prevention – the case of Hong Kong Professor Lee Shui

Since the 1980s when HIV was first reported in the territory, Hong Kong has been enjoying a relatively low prevalence among injection drug users. The network of methadone clinics has contributed to this unique phenomenon by reducing risk-taking behaviours, and by introducing a set of integrated HIV prevention efforts aiming to contain the infections in the drug-taking community. The latter efforts include enhanced surveillance, public education, access to HIV testing, and pilot projects designed to reduce injection. With the expansion of the HIV epidemic in the nearby cities and countries, these efforts have been stepped up to include an outreaching programme, a media campaign to promote acceptance of substitution treatment, and more recently, a yearly urine HIV antibody testing mechanism targeting all drug users using the methadone clinics. The HIV prevalence has remained low at less than 0.5% among drug users, compared with two-digit figures reported in some provinces in Mainland China and South-East Asia. Methadone clinics have played a central role in responding to the HIV epidemic. The volatile situation however serves as a reminder that the programme requires constant updating, regular review and modification to meet society’s public health needs.
Wind on the boundary for the Abelian sandpile model

We continue our investigation of the two-dimensional Abelian sandpile model in terms of a logarithmic conformal field theory with central charge c = −2, by introducing two new boundary conditions. These have two unusual features: they carry an intrinsic orientation, and, more strangely, they cannot be imposed uniformly on a whole boundary (like the edge of a cylinder). They lead to seven new boundary condition changing fields, some of them being in highest weight representations (weights −1/8, 0 and 3/8), some others belonging to indecomposable representations with rank 2 Jordan cells (lowest weights 0 and 1). Their fusion algebra appears to be in full agreement with the fusion rules conjectured by Gaberdiel and Kausch.
Design of multiple actuator-link control systems with packet dropouts

This paper presents a novel design strategy for networked control systems, where a centralized controller needs to divide its attention between various actuators. Communication is via an unreliable network affected by data-dropouts and which allows access to only one actuator node at a time. To achieve good performance, control and network protocol are co-designed and signal predictions are sent to buffered actuator nodes. By using methods from predictive control theory, we show how closed loop stability in the presence of data-dropouts can be ensured.
Reduced intraepidermal nerve fiber density in HIV-associated sensory neuropathy

Objective: To explore the relationship between intraepidermal nerve fiber (IENF) density in HIV-associated sensory neuropathy (HIV-SN) to measurements of neuropathy severity and progression of HIV disease. Background: SN affects 30% of individuals with AIDS, and treatment is often ineffective. Recombinant human nerve growth factor (rhNGF) has been proposed as a trophic factor for unmyelinated nerve fibers injured in HIV-SN, and a clinical trial has recently concluded. Skin biopsy with IENF density determination has emerged as a diagnostic test for patients with small-fiber sensory neuropathy. Methods: Sixty-two of the 270 patients with HIV-SN who participated in the trial of rhNGF were included in a substudy examining epidermal nerve fibers. IENF density was compared with neuropathic pain intensity (measured with the Gracely Pain Scale), patient and physician global pain assessments, quantitative sensory testing, CD4 counts, and plasma HIV RNA levels both at baseline and at conclusion of the placebo-controlled phase. Results: IENF density was inversely correlated with neuropathic pain as measured by patient (p = 0.004) and physician (p = 0.05) global pain assessments, but not using the Gracely Pain Scale. Decreased IENF density at the distal leg was associated with lower CD4 counts and higher plasma HIV RNA levels. IENF density measurements were stable over time. Conclusions: IENF loss at the distal leg is associated with increased neuropathic pain, lower CD4 counts, and higher plasma viral load in HIV-SN. The robustness of the longitudinal measurement of IENF density supports its use in future longitudinal studies and clinical trials.
Sleep-Related Offline Improvements in Gross Motor Task Performance Occur Under Free Recall Requirements

Nocturnal sleep effects on memory consolidation following gross motor sequence learning were examined using a complex arm movement task. This task required participants to produce non-regular spatial patterns in the horizontal plane by successively fitting a small peg into different target-holes on an electronic pegboard. The respective reaching movements typically differed in amplitude and direction. Targets were visualized prior to each transport movement on a computer screen. With this task we tested 18 subjects (22.6 ± 1.9 years; 8 female) using a between-subjects design. Participants initially learned a 10-element arm movement sequence either in the morning or in the evening. Performance was retested under free recall requirements 15 min post training, as well as 12 and 24 h later. Thus, each group was provided with one sleep-filled and one wake retention interval. Dependent variables were error rate (number of Erroneous Sequences, ES) and average sequence execution time (correct sequences only). Performance improved during acquisition. Error rate remained stable across retention. Sequence execution time (inverse to execution speed) significantly decreased again during the sleep-filled retention intervals, but remained stable during the respective wake intervals. These results corroborate recent findings on sleep-related enhancement consolidation in ecological valid, complex gross motor tasks. At the same time, they suggest this effect to be truly memory-based and independent from repeated access to extrinsic sequence information during retests.
Interactions involving intestinal nematodes of rodents: experimental and field studies

Multiple species infections with parasitic helminths, including nematodes, are common in wild rodent populations. In this paper we first define different types of associations and review experimental evidence for different categories of interactions. We conclude that whilst laboratory experiments have demonstrated unequivocally that both synergistic and antagonistic interactions involving nematodes exist, field work utilizing wild rodents has generally led to the conclusion that interactions between nematode species play no, or at most a minor, role in shaping helminth component communities. Nevertheless, we emphasize that analysis of interactions between parasites in laboratory systems has been fruitful, has made a fundamental contribution to our understanding of the mechanisms underlying host-protective intestinal immune responses, and has provided a rationale for studies on polyparasitism in human beings and domestic animals. Finally, we consider the practical implications for transmission of zoonotic diseases to human communities and to their domestic animals, and we identify the questions that merit research priority.
Text Compression as a Test for Artificial Intelligence

It is shown that optimal text compression is a harder problem than artificial intelligence as defined by Turing’s (1950) imitation game; thus compression ratio on a standard benchmark corpus could be used as an objective and quantitative alternative test for AI (Mahoney, 1999). Specifically, let L, M, and J be the probability distributions of responses chosen by a human, machine, and human judge respectively to the judge’s questions in the imitation game. The goal of AI is M = L, the machine is indistinguishable from human. But the machine wins (the judge guesses that it is human) when HJ(M) < HJ(L), where HQ(P) ≡ −Σx P(x) log Q(x) is the cross entropy of Q with respect to P. This happens when J is a poor estimate of L, meaning that the interrogator fails to anticipate the human’s responses, but even in the worst case when J = L, the machine can still win with a suboptimal solution (M ≠ L) by deterministically favoring the most likely responses over the true distribution. In contrast, optimal compression of a probabilistic language L with unknown distribution (such as English) using an estimated distribution M (an encoding of length −log2 M(x) bits for each string x) is M = L, by the discrete channel capacity theorem (Shannon, 1949). Answering questions in the Turing test (What are roses? ) seems to require the same type of real-world knowledge that people use in predicting characters in a stream of natural language text (Roses are ___? ), or equivalently, estimating L(x) for compression. Shannon (1951), and Cover and King (1978) established an upper bound of 1.3 bits per character (bpc) for the entropy (information content) of English narrative in a 27character alphabet (A-Z and space) using human prediction tests. No compression program has achieved this. Seven programs, including those top-rated by Gilchrist (1998) and Bell (1998) were used to compress English narrative, Alice in Wonderland (alice30.txt from the Gutenberg press, minus header) and Far from the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy (book1 from the Calgary corpus), after reducing both to 27 characters. The best compression was achieved by rkive 1.91b1: 1.86 bpc on alice and 1.94 on book1. Others tested (from worst to best) were compress 4.3d, pkzip 2.04e, gzip 1.2. 4, ha 0.98, szip 1.05x, and boa 0.58b. All program options were set for maximum compression. Better compressors “learn”, using prior input to improve compression on subsequent input. szip was the best learner, compressing book1 to about 95% of the size of the two halves compressed separately. The first figure below shows the correlation between compression and learning. Similar results were obtained for alice. It was also found that better compressors make greater use of the syntactic and semantic constraints of English. Lexical,
Flowstrates: An Approach for Visual Exploration of Temporal Origin‐Destination Data

Many origin‐destination datasets have become available in the recent years, e.g. flows of people, animals, money, material, or network traffic between pairs of locations, but appropriate techniques for their exploration still have to be developed. Especially, supporting the analysis of datasets with a temporal dimension remains a significant challenge. Many techniques for the exploration of spatio‐temporal data have been developed, but they prove to be only of limited use when applied to temporal origin‐destination datasets. We present Flowstrates, a new interactive visualization approach in which the origins and the destinations of the flows are displayed in two separate maps, and the changes over time of the flow magnitudes are represented in a separate heatmap view in the middle. This allows the users to perform spatial visual queries, focusing on different regions of interest for the origins and destinations, and to analyze the changes over time provided with the means of flow ordering, filtering and aggregation in the heatmap. In this paper, we discuss the challenges associated with the visualization of temporal origin‐destination data, introduce our solution, and present several usage scenarios showing how the tool we have developed supports them.
Evaluating the performance of Group Counseling Optimizer on CEC 2014 problems for Computational Expensive Optimization

Group Counseling Optimizer (GCO) is a recently proposed population-based metaheuristics that simulates the ability of human beings to solve problems through counseling within a group. It is motivated by the fact that the human thinking ability is often predicted to be the most rational. This research article examines the performance of GCO on the benchmark test suite designed for the CEC 2014 Competition for Computational Expensive Optimization. Experimental results on 24 black-box optimization problems (8 test problems with 10, 20 and 30 dimensions) have been tabulated along with the algorithm complexity metrics. Additionally we investigate the parametric behavior of GCO based on these test instances.
Structural and Organizational Determinants of Quality of Care in Patients With Schizophrenia in Italy

Several reports have described the poor quality of care delivered to psychotic patients. However, the context in which care was delivered, including the structure, organization, and performance of the health care system, as a possible determinant of quality of care has received less attention. In this study we explored the relationship between conformance with guidelines and structural and organizational characteristics in 2 departments of Mental Health in Italy. Dosing of antipsychotic drugs in the maintenance phase was investigated in 125 patients. Higher than recommended doses could be explained by the high patient caseload per psychiatrist, leading to insufficient contacts with patients and their families and to excessive reliance upon drug treatment. The analysis of structural and organizational determinants of care at the local level may help to explain insufficient quality and to plan suitable interventions.
Hepatic Metabolism Affects the Atropselective Disposition of 2,2′,3,3′,6,6′-Hexachlorobiphenyl (PCB 136) in Mice

To understand the role of hepatic vs extrahepatic metabolism in the disposition of chiral PCBs, we studied the disposition of 2,2′,3,3′,6,6′-hexachlorobiphenyl (PCB 136) and its hydroxylated metabolites (HO-PCBs) in mice with defective hepatic metabolism due to the liver-specific deletion of cytochrome P450 oxidoreductase (KO mice). Female KO and congenic wild type (WT) mice were treated with racemic PCB 136, and levels and chiral signatures of PCB 136 and HO-PCBs were determined in tissues and excreta 3 days after PCB administration. PCB 136 tissue levels were higher in KO compared to WT mice. Feces was a major route of PCB metabolite excretion, with 2,2′,3,3′,6,6′-hexachlorobiphenyl-5-ol being the major metabolite recovered from feces. (+)-PCB 136, the second eluting PCB 136 atropisomers, was enriched in all tissues and excreta. The second eluting atropisomers of the HO-PCBs metabolites were enriched in blood and liver; 2,2′,3,3′,6,6′-hexachlorobiphenyl-5-ol in blood was an exception and displayed an enrichment of the first eluting atropisomers. Fecal HO-PCB levels and chiral signatures changed with time and differed between KO and WT mice, with larger HO-PCB enantiomeric fractions in WT compared to KO mice. Our results demonstrate that hepatic and, possibly, extrahepatic cytochrome P450 (P450) enzymes play a role in the disposition of PCBs.