Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Expressiveness and succinctness of a logic of robustness

This paper compares the recently proposed Robust Full Computational Tree Logic (RoCTL*) to model robustness in concurrent systems with other computational tree logic (CTL*)-based logics. RoCTL* extends CTL* with the addition of the operators Obligatory and Robustly, which quantify over failure-free paths and paths with one more failure respectively. This paper focuses on examining the succinctness and expressiveness of RoCTL* by presenting translations to and from RoCTL*. The core result of this paper is to show that RoCTL* is expressively equivalent to CTL* but is non-elementarily more succinct. That is, RoCTL* does not add any expressive power over CTL*, but can represent some properties using vastly reduced formulae. We present a translation from RoCTL* into CTL* that preserves truth but may result in non-elementary growth in the length of the translated formula, as each nested Robustly operator may result in an extra exponential blowup. However, we show that this translation is optimal in the sense that any equivalence-preserving translation will require an extra exponential growth per nested Robustly. Note that this result has to do with the length of the translated formula. It has not been proved that there is no elementary decision procedure for RoCTL*; it is only known that RoCTL* must be at least as hard as CTL* (i.e., double exponential). We also compare RoCTL* to Quantified CTL* (QCTL*) and hybrid logics.
DELUSIONS OF PARASITOSIS.

PATIENTS often present to the dermatologist with pruritis or excoriations and admit to unshakeable ideas of infestation with some kind of insect. Recent American authors (Schrut and Waldi'on, 1963), state that such cases are common, as they have seen over one hundred during the last few years ; at St. John's Hospital for Diseases of the Skin, London, there have been approximately twenty-five during the last decade. The primary psychiatric nature of the complaint becomes obvious when, despite a negative examination for any infestation, the patient remains unconvinced. Thereafter it is necessary to exclude an acute toxic psychosis which might be caused by a severe systemic illness, the effects of drugs and especially cocaine, alcoholism, or severe dietary deficiency where delusions might yield to anti-pellagrous therapy (Aleshire, 1954). In this toxic group the history is hkely to be short, the patient is clinically ill and may be disorientated and delirious. Second it should be decided whether the patient's delusion is part of a major psychosis such as a severe depression with risk of suicide, or schizophrenia in which case some oddity of the patient's personality and clinical presentation, or further delusional ideas may be observed. But to judge from the cases reported so far these problems are uncommon and when excluded leave a fairly homogeneous clinical picture, the main objective features of which are seen regularly.
Passive smoking and cervical cancer risk: a meta-analysis based on 3,230 cases and 2,982 controls.

OBJECTIVE Passive smoking has been considered as a risk factor of many cancers. To examine whether it might also pose a risk for cervical cancer, we performed a meta-analysis based on published case-control studies. METHODS We searched the PubMed database and references of included studies up to February 10th, 2012 for relevant studies. After two authors independently assessed the methodological quality and extracted data, a meta-analysis was conducted using CMA v2 software. Publication bias was evaluated by funnel plot, using Egger's and Begg's tests. RESULTS Finally 11 eligible studies yielded, involving 3,230 cases and 2,982 controls. The results showed that women who never smoke but exposed to smoking experience a 73% increase in risk of cervical cancer compared with non-exposed women (OR = 1.73, 95% CI = 1.35 - 2.21, p<0.001). Subgroup and sensitivity analyses indicated this result to be robust. Moderate publication bias was detected by visualing funnel plot, Egger's and Begg's tests. CONCLUSION Based on currently available evidence, the findings of this meta-analysis suggests that passive smoking significantly and independently increases the risk of cervical cancer.
Living donor liver transplantation in critically ill children

Abstract: From December 1993, St Christopher’s Hospital for Children, Philadelphia, PA, USA has provided living donors the opportunity to donate a portion of their liver to children who are critically ill. This report evaluates the results of living donor liver transplants (LDLT) in critically ill children. We retrospectively reviewed the first 22 LDLT at our institution and compared the patient and graft survival of the nine critically ill children with the 13 stable children. Twenty‐two LDLT have been performed at our institution between December 1993 and October 1997. Nine of 22 transplants [United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) Status I] were performed in children who were critically ill. Thirteen of the LDLT (UNOS Status II and III) were performed on stable children either in the hospital or admitted electively from home. The median weight and age at the time of transplant were 7 kg (range 4.6–54.5 kg) and 16 months (range 3 months–12 yr), respectively, and there was no statistical difference between the two groups. In critically ill children the 1‐yr allograft and patient survival was 66% and 89%, respectively, exceeding the published results from UNOS for patients on life support (59.5% graft and 69.7% patient survival at 1 yr). One‐yr allograft and patient survival in the stable children was 92.3% and 100%, respectively. All living donors are alive and well with normal liver function. In conclusion, our results show that LDLT is a viable approach for transplantation in critically ill children with liver failure and should be offered to potential donors.
Efectividad de la dacriocistorrinostomia transcanicular en el tratamiento del lagrimeo del anciano

Objetivo: Evaluar la efectividad de la dacriocistorrinostomia transcanicular con laser diodo en el tratamiento del lagrimeo del anciano Diseno: Ensayo clinico no aleatorio Sujetos de estudio: Partiendo de 100 pacientes mayores de 65 anos pendientes de cirugia de catarata seleccionados de forma consecutiva, en aquellos casos en los que se objetivo obstruccion de la via lagrimal, se realizo dacriocistorrinostomia transcanicular con laser diodo. Metodo: Para determinar la efectividad de la tecnica quirurgica a 12 meses, se estudio la mejora sintomatica mediante escala visual analoga, lavado de vias lagrimales y persistencia endoscopica de la apertura quirurgica lacrimonasal. Resultados: Se objetivo la existenia de obstruccion de la via lagrimal en 11% de los ancianos pendientes de cirugia de catarata. La dacriocistorrinostomia transcanicular consiguio restablecer la permeabilidad de la via lagrimal, a 12 meses de la cirugia, en el 90,9% de los casos intervenidos. Conclusiones: La prevalencia de la obstruccion de la via lagrimal en ancianos se estimo en un 11%. La dacriocistorrinostomia transcanicular resulto efectiva para su tratamiento
Comparison of alternative systems for the ageing of wine brandy: Wood shape and wood botanical species effect

During the first year of ageing, the dissolved oxygen, dry extract, total polyphenol index and colour of Lourinha wine brandies were analysed with regard to the kind of ageing system: 650-L wooden barrels (traditional system) and 40-L stainless-steel tanks with wood staves or wood tablets (alternative systems). In each system two different kinds of wood were used: Portuguese chestnut (Castanea sativa Mill.) or Limousin oak (Quercus robur L.), with heavy toasting level. The quantity of staves and tablets was calculated in order to reproduce the surface/volume ratio of a 650-L barrel. The results obtained show that the wood shape has a very significant effect on the chemical composition and colour of the aged brandies. The wood staves promote the greatest enrichment in wood extractable compounds and the lowest oxygen consumption in the brandies, while the wood tablets cause the fastest evolution of the colour of brandies. This fact indicates that modifications observed in the aged brandies are closely related to the kind of ageing system, suggesting that many constituents and phenomena governed by several ageing factors should be involved. Concerning the wood botanical species, chestnut is the most interesting wood for the ageing of the studied brandies, allowing their greater enrichment in wood extractable compounds and their faster evolution, independently of the ageing system, and thus contributing to improve their quality and to shorten the ageing period.
The association between depressive symptoms, substance use, and HIV risk among youth with an arrest history.

OBJECTIVE Juvenile justice youth are at increased risk for contracting human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/sexually transmitted infections because of higher rates of substance use and sexual risk-taking behaviors. However, little is known about the relationship between depressive symptoms, substance use, and HIV risk among youth who traditionally present with behavioral symptoms. METHOD Adolescents and young adults (N = 835) who participated in a larger multisite HIV prevention program in three states provided baseline data on depressive symptoms, substance use, sexual risk, risk attitudes, and mental health history. Participants were grouped as arrestees and nonarrestees based on self-reported arrest history. This study examined differences between juvenile arrestees with depressive symptoms (n = 27) and those without depressive symptoms (n = 181) on various substance-use, sexual-risk, and mental health outcomes. RESULTS Arrestees who endorsed a clinically significant level of depressive symptoms reported significantly greater drug and alcohol use, greater substance use during sex, a lower proportion of condom use, and more psychiatric hospitalizations than arrestees without depressive symptoms. CONCLUSIONS Greater depressive symptomatology among juvenile arrestees is associated with increased risk for substance use and HIV; however, these findings need to be replicated with a larger, more representative sample of juveniles with depressive symptoms. Understanding more about the association of depressive symptoms with drug behaviors and sexual risk among juvenile offenders, even at time of first arrest, is essential for creating successful substance use and HIV prevention interventions within the juvenile justice system.
Information Technology, Network Structure, and Competitive Action

Researchers in competitive dynamics have demonstrated that firms that carry out intense, complex, and heterogeneous competitive actions exhibit better performance. However, there is a need to understand factors that enable firms to undertake competitive actions. In this study, we focus on two antecedents of competitive behavior of firms: (1) access to network resources and (2) use of information technology (IT). We argue that while network structure provides firms with the opportunity to tap into external resources, the extent to which they are actually exploited depends on firms' IT-enabled capability. We develop a theoretical model that examines the relationships between IT-enabled capability, network structure, and competitive action. We test the model using secondary data, about 12 major automakers over 16 years from 1988 to 2003. We find that network structure rich in structural holes has a positive direct effect on firms' ability to introduce a greater number and a wider range of competitive actions. However, the effect of dense network structure is contingent on firms' IT-enabled capability. Firms benefit from dense network structure only when they develop a strong IT-enabled capability. Our results suggest that IT-enabled capability plays both a substitutive role, when firms do not have advantageous access to brokerage opportunities, and a complementary role, when firms are embedded in dense network structure, in the relationship between network structure and competitive actions.
Scaling of forced magnetic reconnection in the Hall-magnetohydrodynamic Taylor problem

Two-dimensional, incompressible, zero guide-field, nonlinear Hall-MHD (magnetohydrodynamical) simulations are used to investigate the scaling of the rate of forced magnetic reconnection in the so-called Taylor problem. In this problem, a small-amplitude boundary perturbation is suddenly applied to a tearing stable, slab plasma equilibrium; the perturbation being such as to drive magnetic reconnection within the plasma. This type of reconnection, which is not due to an intrinsic plasma instability, is generally known as “forced reconnection. ” The inclusion of the Hall term in the plasma Ohm’s law is found to greatly accelerate the rate of magnetic reconnection. In the linear Hall-MHD regime, the peak instantaneous reconnection rate is found to scale like dΨ/dt∼diη1/3Ⅺ0, where Ψ is the reconnected magnetic flux, di the collisionless ion skin depth, η the resistivity, and Ⅺ0 the amplitude of the boundary perturbation. In the nonlinear Hall-MHD regime, the peak reconnection rate is found to scale like dΨ/dt∼d.
The Protective Effects of High-Dose Ascorbic Acid on Myocardium against Reperfusion Injury During and After Cardiopulmonary Bypass

The protective effects of high-dose ascorbic acid (250 mg/kg) on the myocardium were observed in 85 patients undergoing Cardiopulmonary Bypass (CPB). The changes in serum Malonyldialdehyde (MDA). Creatine Phosphokinase (CPK), Creatine Phosphokinase isozyme (CPK-MB) and Lactic Dehydrogenase (LDH) in group B (n = 45, receiving ascorbic acid) were lower (p < 0.05) than in group A (n = 40, no ascorbic acid) during and after CPB. The MDA remained at a higher level two days postoperatively; CPK and CPK-MB, the sensitive and specific reflectors of myocardial injury, recovered very slowly in the control group (A) after the operation. The hearts in all the patients of group B resuscitated automatically intraoperatively while five cases (12.5%) needed defibrillation in group A. The cardiac index (CI) measured in ICU in group B was higher than in group A (p < 0.05). The patients needed shorter ICU and hospital stays in group B than in group A. The results indicate that ascorbic acid can act as a scavenger of free radicals to decrease the peroxidation of the lipids present in the cell membrane and remove the radicals to protect the myocardium from ischemia-reperfusion injury effectively during and after open-heart operation.
Candidate gene association studies and risk of Hodgkin lymphoma: a systematic review and meta‐analysis

To evaluate the contribution of association studies of candidate polymorphisms to inherited predisposition to Hodgkin lymphoma (HL), we conducted a systematic review and meta‐analysis of published case‐control studies. Of the variants examined more than once in candidate gene association studies, we identified 21 studies that reported on 12 polymorphic variants in 10 genes. Data were also extracted from a published genome wide association study to allow analysis of an additional 47 variants in a further 30 genes. Promising associations were seen in nine of the variants (p < 0.05). Given that the estimated false positive report probabilities (FPRPs) for all associations are high (i.e. FPRP > 0.2), these findings should be interpreted with caution. While studies of candidate polymorphisms may be an attractive means of identifying risk factors for HL, future studies should employ sample sizes adequately powered to identify variants having only modest effects on HL risk. Furthermore, because of aetiological heterogeneity within HL, stratification of genotyping according to age, tumour Epstein‐Barr virus status and histology is essential. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Helminth Community Structure of Tropidurus torquatus (Squamata: Tropiduridae) in a Rocky Outcrop Area of Minas Gerais State, Southeastern Brazil

abstract: The helminth community of Tropidurus torquatus (Squamata: Tropiduridae) from a rocky outcrop area located in the state of Minas Gerais, southeastern Brazil, was studied. Ninety-two of the 110 individuals examined (83.6%) harbored helminths. Five species were found, including 3 nematodes (Physaloptera lutzi, Parapharyngodon bainae, and Oswaldofilaria chabaudi), 1 unidentified cestode species, and 1 acanthocephalan cystacanth also not identified. Only the nematode species had sufficient data to perform ecological analysis, with P. lutzi exhibiting the highest prevalence (67.3%). Prevalence between male and female hosts differed only for Oswaldofilaria chabaudi, with males exhibiting the highest values. The intensities of infection by P. lutzi and O. chabaudi were different among male and female hosts, with males also exhibiting the highest values. The host body size was positively related to intensity of infection for all nematode species. Local seasonality had some influence on the helminth community structure. Host diet, sexual dimorphism, and behavior (territorialism, forage strategy) represented important factors for the structure of this parasite community. In general, the helminth community was species poor, depauperate, and non-interactive, representing a typical structure observed in lizard hosts.
Epidemiology and natural history of common bile duct stones and prediction of disease.

Gallstones are extremely common in Western societies. Approximately l5% of Americans have gallstones, and approximately 650,000 to 700,000 cholecystectomies are performed every year.1. More than 98% of all biliary tract disorders are in some way related to gallstones. Symptoms and complications related to gallstones are among the most costly digestive disorders, at an estimated annual cost of almost $6.5 billion, exceeding the combined total for chronic liver disease and cirrhosis ($1.6 billion), chronic hepatitis C ($0.8 billion) and diseases of the pancreas ($2.2 billion). 2 Stones are most commonly found in the gallbladder, but gallstones can pass through the cystic duct to become intrahepatic or extrahepatic bile duct stones. Ten to fifteen percent of people with gallbladder stones will harbor concomitant common bile duct stones. In some situations, bile duct stones can develop as primary intrahepatic or extrahepatic stones without involving the gallbladder. Primary bile duct concretions are much more common in patients of Asian descent compared with those of European descent. In Western societies, gallstones are composed primarily of cholesterol. EPIDEMIOLOGY OF CHOLESTEROL GALLSTONES The epidemiology of cholesterol gallstones has been examined in multiple studies. Risk factors for gallstones include behavioral factors such as nutrition, obesity, weight loss, and physical activity as well as biologic factors such as increasing age, female sex, race, and serum lipid levels.
Alteration of Mature Nucleocapsid and Enhancement of Covalently Closed Circular DNA Formation by Hepatitis B Virus Core Mutants Defective in Complete-Virion Formation

ABSTRACT Assembly of hepatitis B virus (HBV) begins with packaging of the pregenomic RNA (pgRNA) into immature nucleocapsids (NC), which are converted to mature NCs containing the genomic relaxed circular (RC) DNA as a result of reverse transcription. Mature NCs have two alternative fates: (i) envelopment by viral envelope proteins, leading to secretion extracellularly as virions, or (ii) disassembly (uncoating) to deliver their RC DNA content into the host cell nucleus for conversion to the covalently closed circular (CCC) DNA, the template for viral transcription. How these two alternative fates are regulated remains to be better understood. The NC shell is composed of multiple copies of a single viral protein, the HBV core (HBc) protein. HBc mutations located on the surface of NC have been identified that allow NC maturation but block its envelopment. The potential effects of some of these mutations on NC uncoating and CCC DNA formation have been analyzed by transfecting HBV replication constructs into hepatoma cells. All envelopment-defective HBc mutations tested were competent for CCC DNA formation, indicating that core functions in envelopment and uncoating/nuclear delivery of RC DNA were genetically separable. Some of the envelopment-defective HBc mutations were found to alter specifically the integrity of mature, but not immature, NCs such that RC DNA became susceptible to nuclease digestion. Furthermore, CCC DNA formation could be enhanced by NC surface mutations that did or did not significantly affect mature NC integrity, indicating that the NC surface residues may be closely involved in NC uncoating and/or nuclear delivery of RC DNA. IMPORTANCE Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a major health issue worldwide. HBV assembly begins with the packaging into immature nucleocapsids (NCs) of a viral RNA pregenome, which is converted to the DNA genome in mature NCs. Mature NCs are then selected for envelopment and secretion as complete-virion particles or, alternatively, can deliver their DNA to the host cell nucleus to maintain the viral genome as nuclear episomes, which are the basis for virus persistence. Previous studies have identified mutations on the capsid surface that selectively block NC envelopment without affecting NC maturation. We have now discovered that some of the same mutations result in preferential alteration of mature NCs and increased viral nuclear episomes. These findings provide important new insights into the regulation of the two alternative fates of mature NCs and suggest new ways to perturb viral persistence by manipulating levels of viral nuclear episomes.
Are Dual and Primal Estimations Equivalent in the Presence of Stochastic Errors in Input Demand

This study investigates the primal and dual approaches for production in the presence of stochastic errors in output and input demands, and policy implications when such errors are not taken into account. A synthetic dataset is used to econometrically estimate the primal and dual functions associated with a given technology. Results show that both formulations are unbiased, consistent and efficient, even in the presence of a Cobb-Douglas technology. Not accounting for such errors can lead to wrong policy recommendations in a productive sector. Any kind of policy created to improve the total production of a particular sector should consider these issues before applying them to real data.
Intracellular Flow Cytometric Analysis of Primary Cultured Breast Tumor Cells

Cell lines are traditionally used as tools for in vitro studies of breast cancer. It is highly debatable however, because of the genetic drift that occurs in such long term cultures how representative these cell lines are of breast cancer in vivo. For this reason primary cultures are generally regarded as a better model. Here we have used a primary culture technique (Int. J. Cancer, 66 (1996) 551; Br. J. Cancer, 78 (1998) 1421) to obtain primary breast cancer cells from 13 breast cancer biopsies. We then describe the development and use of methodology to confirm the purity of the cultures. The acquisition of a highly pure population of epithelial cells was confirmed by flow cytometric analysis of intracellular vimentin and cytokeratin 19. The methodology described will have many applications in studies requiring a highly pure population of epithelial breast cancer cells, as well as wide use in other cancers.