Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The 1-Center Problem: Exploiting Block Structure

A block of a graph is a maximal nonseparable subgraph. We show how the knowledge of block structure can be used to help solve the nonlinear 1-center problem on graphs which are more general than trees. We give an efficient algorithm which either finds a unique 1-center at some vertex, or else localizes the search for all 1-centers to a single block. The algorithm makes use of an associated graph, called a blocking graph, which is a tree, and iteratively orients arcs in the blocking graph to “point the way” to a block which contains all 1-centers.
Update on breast cancer prevention.

Four randomized prospective trials have evaluated tamoxifen for chemoprevention of breast cancer. The National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project P-1 trial reported that tamoxifen reduced the risk of invasive breast cancer by 49%. Two smaller European trials, the Royal Marsden Hospital Chemoprevention Trial and the Italian Tamoxifen Prevention Study, demonstrated no decrease in the incidence of breast cancer among women using tamoxifen. The International Breast Cancer Intervention Study confirmed that tamoxifen can reduce the risk of breast cancer in healthy women. The Multiple Outcomes of Raloxifene Evaluation trial, which evaluated the use of raloxifene (Evista) to prevent osteoporosis, found that the risk of invasive breast cancer decreased by 76%. A uniform theme in these trials is that tamoxifen reduces the risk of breast cancer among women at high risk for the disease. Tamoxifen is currently approved for breast cancer risk reduction. However, because of the side effects associated with its use (i.e., endometrial cancer and thromboembolism), other agents are being investigated. The Study of Tamoxifen and Raloxifene is designed to compare the efficacy of tamoxifen and raloxifene in reducing breast cancer risk. Aromatase inhibitors will also be studied in the setting of chemoprevention for breast cancer.
The cytoplasmic incorporation of tritiated thymidine during oogenesis in Pteridium aquilinum.

The short-term incorporation of tritiated thymidine into the cytoplasm of cells undergoing oogenesis was investigated in Pteridium aquilinum using electron-microscope autoradiography. There was substantial uptake into the central cell and egg cell during the 6-h labelling period. The quantity and distribution of the label incorporated into the cytoplasm were closely similar in cells fixed immediately after the labelling period and in those immersed for a further 18 h in unlabelled thymidine. This suggested that incorporation was into a stable molecule, with little nucleoside turnover and no subsequent migration within the cytoplasm. Enzyme studies indicated that the tritiated thymidine was incorporated almost entirely into DNA, most probably the DNA undergoing replication. Within the cytoplasm the label was markedly and consistently concentrated in plastids and mitochondria. This localization was not, however, complete and 5-40% was attributable to sites in the ground cytoplasm. A gradient of incorporated label was demonstrated within the cytoplasm in both central cells and egg cells. Concentration was high adjacent to the nucleus and low at the cell periphery. This gradient could be satisfactorily explained by the distribution of the plastids and mitochondria within the cytoplasm, the labelling of the organelles being irrespective of their position. The results of statistical examination of the frequencies of the silver grains associated with the mitochondria and plastids were considered to indicate general uptake of label directly into the DNA of these organelles without nuclear participation.
Hypoxic Pulmonary Vasoconstriction Does Not Explain All Regional Perfusion Redistribution in Asthma

Rationale: Regional hypoventilation in bronchoconstricted patients with asthma is spatially associated with reduced perfusion, which is proposed to result from hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction (HPV). Objectives: To determine the role of HPV in the regional perfusion redistribution in bronchoconstricted patients with asthma. Methods: Eight patients with asthma completed positron emission tomographic/computed tomographic lung imaging at baseline and after bronchoconstriction, breathing either room air or 80% oxygen (80% O2) on separate days. Relative perfusion, specific ventilation (sV), and gas fraction (Fgas) in the 25% of the lung with the lowest specific ventilation (sVlow) and the remaining lung (sVhigh) were quantified and compared. Measurements and Main Results: In the sVlow region, bronchoconstriction caused a significant decrease in sV under both room air and 80% O2 conditions (baseline vs. bronchoconstriction, mean ± SD, 1.02 ± 0.20 vs. 0.35 ± 0.19 and 1.03 ± 0.20 vs. 0.32 ± 0.16, respectively; P < 0.05). In the sVlow region, relative perfusion decreased after bronchoconstriction under room air conditions and also, to a lesser degree, under 80% O2 conditions (1.02 ± 0.19 vs. 0.72 ± 0.08 [P < 0.001] and 1.08 ± 0.19 vs. 0.91 ± 0.12 [P < 0.05], respectively). The Fgas increased after bronchoconstriction under room air conditions only (0.99 ± 0.04 vs. 1.00 ± 0.02; P < 0.05). The sVlow subregion analysis indicated that some of the reduction in relative perfusion after bronchoconstriction under 80% O2 conditions occurred as a result of the presence of regional hypoxia. However, relative perfusion was also significantly reduced in sVlow subregions that were hyperoxic under 80% O2 conditions. Conclusions: HPV is not the only mechanism that contributes to perfusion redistribution in bronchoconstricted patients with asthma, suggesting that another nonhypoxia mechanism also contributes. We propose that this nonhypoxia mechanism may be either direct mechanical interactions and/or unidentified intercellular signaling between constricted airways, the parenchyma, and the surrounding vasculature.
Prescribing errors by family practice residents

Prescribing errors are an important cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Recently there has been particular concern about prescribing errors among doctors in training. For example, in the UK a number of influential clinicians have raised serious concerns about undergraduate training in pharmacology and therapeutics.1 As a result, the General Medical Council has recently commissioned research to try to determine how common prescribing errors are among junior doctors and to try to assess the extent to which errors are related to deficiencies in training. Given the lack of studies of prescribing errors among doctors in training, the paper by Al Khaja et al 2 in this edition of the Journal (see page 198) provides an important contribution to the literature. Focusing on the Family Practice Residency Programme in Bahrain, the authors judged that, from nearly 2700 dispensed prescriptions, there were major errors in 88% of these. Interestingly, there were no differences in total numbers of errors between doctors who had been through a problem-based learning undergraduate medical degree in Bahrain and doctors who were trained on other types …
Comparison of phase-shifted and level-shifted PWM in the modular multilevel converter

This paper reports a comparison study of different carrier-based PWM techniques applied to the modular multilevel converter. Phase-disposition PWM (PD-PWM) and phase-shifted pulse-width modulation (PS-PWM) with non-interleaving and interleaving are considered in this study. In PS-PWM, two cases are evaluated. In the first case, the particular SMs that have to be activated/deactivated are defined by a voltage balancing algorithm, which is the same one implemented in PD-PWM. In addition, an algorithm to restrict the number of switching SMs is also implemented to reduce the switching frequency of the power devices. In the other case of PS-PWM, each sub-module (SM) has a carrier signal associated to it and capacitor voltage balance is achieved by individual control of its capacitor voltage. The circulating current is controlled to be a dc component in all the cases. Simulation and experimental results are presented to evaluate the quality of the line-to-line output voltages and SM capacitor voltage ripples for the different cases under study.
Hypnotic depth and the incidence of emergence agitation and negative postoperative behavioral changes

Background: Emergence agitation (EA) and negative postoperative behavioral changes (NPOBC) are common in children, although the etiology remains unclear. We investigated whether longer times under deep hypnosis as measured by Bispectral Index™ (BIS) monitoring would positively correlate with a greater incidence of EA in the PACU and a greater occurrence of NPOBC in children after discharge.
Broadband Single-layer E-Patch Reflectarray

E-shaped patch resonator is proposed for designing a novel broadband linearly polarized reflectarray for the first time. The element is made up of a shorted Eshaped patch with a polystyrene foam placed beneath it, and no dielectric substrate is needed in the reflectarray design. The unit element is simulated using Floquet method and it is found that a reflection phase range of ~360° is easily obtainable by varying the arm length of the shorted E-shaped patch. A full 11 × 11 reflectarray has been designed to achieve an antenna gain of ~23.7 dBi and a –1dB gain bandwidth of 8.1 %. The cross-polarization is found to be ~18 dBi smaller than its co-polarization in the boresight direction. The proposed reflectarray is simple to design as it requires the use of only a single layer.
Predictors of Participant Retention in a Guided Online Self-Help Program for University Students: Prospective Cohort Study

Background Attrition is a persistent issue in online self-help programs, but limited research is available on reasons for attrition or successful methods for improving participant retention. One potential approach to understanding attrition and retention in such programs is to examine person-related variables (eg, beliefs and attitudes) that influence behavior. Theoretical models, such as the Theory of Planned Behavior, that describe conditions influencing human behavior may provide a useful framework for predicting participant retention in online-based program. Objective We examined predictors of participant retention in a guided online anxiety, depression, and stress self-help program for university students using the theory of planned behavior. We also explored whether age, symptom severity, and type of coaching (ie, email vs phone) affected participant retention. Methods 65 university students with mild to moderate depression, anxiety, and stress were enrolled in this prospective cohort study. Participants completed a questionnaire based on the theory of planned behavior prior to commencing the online-based program and the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS) during the assessment module of the program. Participant retention was operationalized as the number of program modules completed. Results Perceived control over completing the online program significantly predicted intention to complete the program (F3,62=6.7; P=.001; adjusted R2=.2; standardized beta=.436, P=.001). Age (standardized beta=.319, P=.03) and perceived behavioral control (standardized beta=.295, P=.05) predicted the number of program modules completed (F3,61=3.20, P=.03, adjusted R2 =.11). Initial level of distress (ie, symptom severity) did not predict participant retention (P=.55). Participants who chose phone-based coaching completed more program modules than participants who chose email-based coaching (Mann-Whitney’s U=137; P=.004). Conclusions Participants’ age, level of perceived behavioral control, and choice of interaction (ie, phone-based or email-based coaching) were found to influence retention in this online-based program.
Rapid Flip-flop of Oleic Acid across the Plasma Membrane of Adipocytes*

Nonesterified long-chain fatty acids may enter cells by free diffusion or by membrane protein transporters. A requirement for proteins to transport fatty acids across the plasma membrane would imply low partitioning of fatty acids into the membrane lipids, and/or a slower rate of diffusion (flip-flop) through the lipid domains compared to the rates of intracellular metabolism of fatty acids. We used both vesicles of the plasma membrane of adipocytes and intact adipocytes to study transmembrane fluxes of externally added oleic acid at concentrations below its solubility limit at pH 7.4. Binding of oleic acid to the plasma membrane was determined by measuring the fluorescent fatty acid-binding protein ADIFAB added to the external medium. Changes in internal pH caused by flip-flop and metabolism were measured by trapping a fluorescent pH indicator in the cells. The metabolic end products of oleic acid were evaluated over the time interval required for the return of intracellular pH to its initial value. The primary findings were that (i) oleic acid rapidly binds with high avidity in the lipid domains of the plasma membrane with an apparent partition coefficient similar to that of protein-free phospholipid bilayers; (ii) oleic acid rapidly crosses the plasma membrane by the flip-flop mechanism (both events occur within 5 s); and (iii) the kinetics of esterification of oleic acid closely follow the time dependence of the recovery of intracellular pH. Any postulated transport mechanism for facilitating translocation of fatty acid across the plasma membrane of adipocytes, including a protein transporter, would have to compete with the highly effective flip-flop mechanism.
Effect of vowel identity and onset asynchrony on concurrent vowel identification.

PURPOSE The purpose of the current study was to determine the effects of vowel identity and temporal onset asynchrony on identification of vowels overlapped in time. METHOD Fourteen listeners with normal hearing, with a mean age of 24 years, participated. The listeners were asked to identify both of a pair of 200-ms vowels (referred to as double vowels) presented either simultaneously or with a temporal asynchrony ranging from 25 ms to 150 ms in 25-ms steps. The stimuli were synthetic steady-state vowels /i ae u / arranged in seven combinations: /u i/, /ae /, / /, / ae/, /ae i/, / i/, and / u/. RESULTS Listeners' responses revealed that one vowel of a pair was identified correctly more often than the other vowel (known as vowel dominance). Vowel dominance effects were seen for 6 of the 7 vowel pairs, and there was improvement of vowel identification with increasing temporal separation between vowels for 5 of the 7 pairs. Vowel pairs with the vowel // consistently yielded improved identification with increases in temporal asynchrony. DISCUSSION Peripheral masking cannot explain the patterns of results of this study. A more parsimonious explanation may be perceptual anchoring.
Cell-Mediated Immunity Shown by Lymphocytes from the Respiratory Tract

Cell-mediated immunity, as evidenced by inhibition of macrophage migration in the presence of antigen, was associated with lymphocytes obtained from the respiratory tract of guinea pigs immunized by dinitrophenylated human immunoglobulin G in nose drops, but not from those immunized parenterally. However, splenic lymphocytes from parenterally immunized animals inhibited macrophage migration while those from locally immunized animals did not.
Hemostatic Disorder of Uremia: The Platelet Defect, Main Determinant of the Prolonged Bleeding Time, Is Correlated with Indices of Activation of Coagulation and Fibrinolysis

Summary Several parameters of primary hemostasis and markers of activation of coagulation and fibrinolysis were measured in 48 patients with severe (creatinine clearance <20 ml/min) chronic renal failure (CRF) without dialysis and diseases or drugs affecting hemostasis. Bleeding time (BT) was prolonged in 25/48 patients, and was correlated with age of patients, severity of renal failure, hematocrit, impairment in platelet aggregation-secretion and decrease in platelet ATP content. Defects in von Willebrand factor played no role in the prolongation of the BT. Multivariate analysis showed that only platelet dysfunction and severity of renal disease were independent predictors of the BT in uremia. The platelet functional disorder was significantly correlated with a reduction in platelet ATP and ADP. High levels of plasma thrombin-antithrombin complexes (TAT), prothrombin fragment F1+2, fibrinogen and factor VIIc were observed in patients with CRF, as described in prethrombotic states. Plasmin-antiplasmin complexes (PAP), fibrinogen and fibrin degradation products (FgDP, FnDP) were significantly increased, and the activity of plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI-1) was slightly reduced, denoting an activation of fibrinolysis. A negative correlation was found between platelet levels of ATP and ADP with plasma TAT, F1+2 and PAP. Furthermore, plasma PAI-1 activity was negatively correlated with the BT and was lower in patients with prolonged BT as compared with controls and patients with normal BT. These links between primary hemostasis and activation of coagulation and fibrinolysis suggest that increased intravascular generation of thrombin and/or plasmin is an important mediator of the defects in primary hemostasis, prolongation of the BT and, probably, bleeding in CRF.
Role of GNRA Motif Mutations within Stem-Loop V of Internal Ribosome Entry Segment in Coxsackievirus B3 Molecular Attenuation

The lengthy 5′ nontranslated region of coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3) forms a highly ordered secondary structure containing an internal ribosome entry segment (IRES), which plays an important role in controlling viral translation and pathogenesis. The stem-loop V (SL-V) of this IRES contains a large lateral bulge loop which encompasses two conserved GNRA motifs. In this study, we analyzed the effects of point mutations within the GNRA motifs of the CVB3 IRES. We characterized in vitro virus production and translation efficiency and we tested in vivo virulence of two CVB3 mutants produced by site-directed mutagenesis. The GNAA1 and GNAA2 RNAs displayed decreased translation initiation efficiency when translated in rabbit reticulocyte lysates. This translation defect was correlated with reduced yields of infectious virus particles in HeLa cells in comparison with the wild type.When inoculated orally into Swiss mice, both mutant viruses were avirulent and caused neither inflammation nor necrosis in hearts. These results highlight the important role of the GNRA motifs within the SL-V of the IRES of CVB3, in directing translation initiation.
Effect of Aging on the Photoelectrical Properties of AlGaInP LEDs

We report on the nonmonotonous variation of photoelectrical properties of commercial AlGaInP LEDs during the aging process. The light-generated current and short-circuit photocurrent were found to drop by the factors of 2 and 1.5, respectively, after about 3 h of aging at the rated forward current of 1400 mA with subsequent recovery and stabilization within ~1000 h of aging. The temporal minima of photocurrents were accompanied by increased photoconductivity revealed from the negative differential photovoltage under modulated photoexcitation as well as by the minimum of optical output and the maximum of the ideality factor of the LEDs at low forward currents. The observed temporal variation of the photoelectrical properties was attributed to the interplay of recombination-enhanced growth and annealing of defects responsible for nonradiative recombination and photoconductivity in the active and cladding layers of the LEDs, respectively.
Running title : impact of MRAC on amyloid PET imaging Word Count : 4335 Financial Support :

Hybrid positron emission tomography (PET) and magnetic resonance (MR) scanners have become a reality in recent years with the benefits of reduced radiation exposure, reduction of imaging time, and potential advantages in quantification. Appropriate attenuation correction remains a challenge. Biases in PET activity measurements were demonstrated using the current MR based attenuation correction technique. We aim to investigate the impact of using standard MRAC technique on the clinical and research utility of PET/MR hybrid scanner for amyloid imaging. Methods: Florbetapir scans were obtained on 40 participants on a Biograph mMR hybrid scanner with simultaneous MR acquisition. PET images were reconstructed using both MR and CT derived attenuation map. Quantitative analysis was performed for both datasets to assess the impact of MR based attenuation correction to absolute PET activity measurements as well as target to reference ratio (SUVR). Clinical assessment was also performed by a nuclear medicine physician to determine amyloid status based on the criteria in the FDA prescribing information for florbetapir. Results: MR based attenuation correction led to underestimation of PET activity for most part of the brain with a small overestimation for deep brain regions. There is also an overestimation of SUVR values with cerebellar reference. SUVR measurements obtained from the two attenuation correction methods were strongly correlated. Clinical assessment of amyloid status resulted in identical classification as positive or negative regardless of the attenuation correction methods. Conclusions: MR based attenuation correction cause biases in quantitative measurements. The biases may be accounted for by a linear model, although the spatial by on October 29, 2017. For personal use only. jnm.snmjournals. org Downloaded from
Eddy Current Loss Estimation of Edge Burr-Affected Magnetic Laminations Based on Equivalent Electrical Network—Part II: Analytical Modeling and Experimental Results

In Part I of this two-part paper, fundamental concepts of interlaminar fault and its consequences on magnetic cores were presented. An equivalent configuration, which was proved by FEM modelling, was proposed for magnetic cores with interlaminar fault. In this Part II paper, based on the equivalent configuration of the core and equivalent circuit of eddy current path, an analytical model is developed to estimate eddy current power loss of magnetic cores with interlaminar faults in a wide range of magnetizing frequency. Important factors, such as skin effect, nonuniform flux density distribution, complex relative permeability and nonlinear relation of B (H), which are often neglected in the literature, are highlighted. Packs of two, three, and four Epstein-size laminations of conventional grain oriented were shorted together artificially to measure the extra power loss caused by the interlaminar fault and support the analytical modeling. It was found that in the magnetic cores affected by interlaminar fault, the skin effect is a determinant factor in the magnetic properties determinations, even at low frequencies.
Association of genetic variants of methionine metabolism with MTX-induced CNS white matter changes in patients with primary central nervous system lymphoma

Methotrexate (MTX) is an important anticancer drug and the most efficient chemotherapy component in primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL). A typical side effect of intravenous high-dose MTX is the occurrence of confluent CNS white matter changes (WMC). Since MTX directly interferes with methionine metabolism, we analyzed the impact of genetic variants of methionine metabolism on the occurrence of WMC as a model of MTX toxicity. In a retrospective analysis of 68 PCNSL patients treated with MTX-based polychemotherapy with (n=42) or without (n=26) intraventricular treatment, ten genetic variants influencing methionine metabolism were analyzed. Pearson's Chi-square test and multinominal regression analysis were used to define the relevance of these genetic variants for the occurrence of WMC. In this patient sample, the occurrence of WMC was significantly predicted by the TT genotype of methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase c.677C>T (chi(2)=8.67; p=0.013; df=2), the AA genotype of methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase c.1298A>C (chi(2)=13.5; p=0.001; df=2) and the GG genotype of transcobalamin 2 c.776C>G (chi(2)=19.73; p<0.001) in addition to male gender (chi(2)=11.95; p=0.001). These data strengthen the hypothesis that MTX effects are influenced by methionine metabolism which may offer new strategies to improve MTX-based therapies.