Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Repetitive element DNA methylation and circulating endothelial and inflammation markers in the VA normative aging study

BACKGROUND: Lower blood DNA methylation has been associated with atherosclerosis and high cardiovascular risk. Mechanisms linking DNA hypomethylation to increased cardiovascular risk are still largely unknown. In a population of community-dwelling elderly individuals, we evaluated whether DNA methylation in LINE-1 repetitive element, heavily methylated sequences dispersed throughout the human genome, was associated with circulating Vascular Cell Adhesion Molecule-1 (VCAM-1), Inter- Cellular Adhesion Molecule-1 (ICAM-1), and C-reactive protein (CRP). METHODS AND RESULTS: We measured LINE-1 methylation by bisulfite PCR-Pyrosequencing on 742 blood DNA samples from male participants in the Boston area Normative Aging Study (mean age=74.8 years). Mean serum VCAM-1 increased progressively in association with LINE-1 hypomethylation (from 975.2 to 1063.4 ng/ml in the highest vs. lowest methylation quintiles; ptrend= 0.004). The association between VCAM-1 and LINE-1 hypomethylation was significant in individuals without ischemic heart disease or stroke (n=480; p=0.001), but not in those with prevalent disease (n=262; p=0.57). Serum ICAM-1 and CRP were not associated with LINE-1 methylation (p-trend=>0.25). All results were confirmed by multivariable analyses adjusting for age, BMI, smoking, pack-years, and ischemic heart disease/stroke. CONCLUSIONS: LINE-1 element hypomethylation is associated with higher serum VCAM-1. Our data provide new insights into epigenetic events that may accompany the development of cardiovascular disease.
Methods of literature review.

To the Editor: “Manipulation of the Cervical Spine: Risks and Benefits” by Di Fabio1 (January 1999) addressed a very important and controversial topic. We would like comment on the method of literature review. One purpose of the article was “to review previously reported cases in which injuries were attributed to [manipulation of the …
Semidefinite Relaxations for the Scheduling Nuclear Outages Problem

We investigate semidefinite relaxations for solving a MIQP (Mixed-Integer Quadratic Program) formulation of the scheduling of nuclear power plants outages, which is extremely hard to solve with CPLEX. Based on our numerical experiments, results obtained with semidefinite relaxations improve those obtained with continuous relaxation: the gap between the optimal solution and the continuous relaxation is on average equal to 1 . 80% whereas the semidefinite relaxation yields an average gap of 1 . 56%. These bounds are then used to obtain a feasible solution with a randomized rounding procedure.
In vitro inhibitory activity of Achyranthes aspera L . seed against some test bacteria

The inhibitory activity of seed extracts of Achyranthes aspera, a widely used folk medicinal plant in Bangladesh, was examined using methanol, acetone, ethyl acetate and petroleum sprit as solvents against five test bacteria by disc diffusion method. Methanol extract was found to reveal significant inhibitory activity against the pathogenic B. subtilis, E. coli and K. pneumoniae. Only the methanol and ethyl acetate extracts were effective against all bacteria and the best activity was found against B. subtilis in terms of zone of clearance. The best minimum inhibitory concentration value was found by methanol extract against B. subtilis. The present study suggests that the methanol extract of seed of this plant could be a possible source of obtaining new and effective herbal medicines to treat infections; hence, it justified the ethnic use.
The natural history of Alzheimer's disease. Description of study cohort and accuracy of diagnosis.

OBJECTIVE We describe the sampling, initial evaluation, and final diagnostic classification of subjects enrolled in a natural history study of Alzheimer's disease (AD). DESIGN Volunteer cohort study. SETTING Multidisciplinary behavioral neurology research clinic. PATIENTS OR OTHER PARTICIPANTS Three-hundred nineteen individuals were enrolled in the Alzheimer Research Program between March 1983 and March 1988. Of these, 204 were originally classified with AD, 102 were normal elderly control subjects, and 13 were considered special cases. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Final consensus clinical diagnosis, final neuropathologic diagnosis, and death. RESULTS Of the 204 patients enrolled in the study, re-review after as many as 5 years of follow-up resulted in a final clinical classification of 188 with probable AD. Seven patients were believed to have a significant vascular component to the dementia, three were found to have developed depression, and six were excluded on other clinical grounds. Neuropathologic examination of 50 brains indicated definite AD in 43. After removing these seven misdiagnosed patients, the final group of probable/definite AD totaled 181 individuals. Accuracy of the baseline clinical diagnosis relative to neuropathology was 86%, and when follow-up clinical data were considered, 91.4%. Detailed neuropsychological testing yielded high sensitivity (0.988) and specificity (0.983) to dementia. Analyses of survival time from study entry until death revealed that older patients were significantly more likely to die during follow-up, but neither sex, years of education, nor pattern of cognitive impairment were related to survival. CONCLUSIONS These data provide the descriptive basis for future studies of this cohort. They indicate that longitudinal follow-up of demented cases increases accuracy of diagnosis, and that detailed cognitive testing aids in early classification.
Markers of confidence and correctness in spoken medical narratives

This study explores diagnostic correctness and physicians’ self-assessed feelings of conﬁdence in spoken medical narratives. Dermatologists were shown images of dermatological cases and asked to narrate their diagnostic thought processes by providing a description of the case, a list of differential diagnoses, a ﬁnal diagnosis, and, the percent conﬁdence (from 0 to 100%) in their ﬁnal diagnosis. We describe this novel corpus and present a case study from the dataset. We then report on predictive models for diagnostic accuracy and physician-reported conﬁdence as a way of studying how these extralinguistic features affect the speech of the physicians, comparing use of narrative features, prosodic features, and disﬂuency features for classiﬁcation.
Minimal effects of VEGF and anti-VEGF drugs on the permeability or selectivity of RPE tight junctions.

PURPOSE Bevacizumab and ranibizumab are currently used to treat age-related macular degeneration by neutralizing vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). In this study, the potential side effects on the outer blood-retinal barrier were examined. METHODS Human fetal RPE (hfRPE) cells were used because they are highly differentiated in culture. The claudin composition of RPE tight junctions was determined by RT-PCR, immunoblot analysis, and immunofluorescence. ELISA assays monitored the secretion and trafficking of VEGF and a fluid-phase marker, methylpolyethylene glycol (mPEG). Tight junction functions were assessed by the conductance of K(+) and Na(+) (derived from the transepithelial electrical resistance, TER) and the flux of NaCl and mPEG. RESULTS Claudin-3, claudin-10, and claudin-19 were detected in RPE tight junctions. VEGF was secreted in equal amounts across the apical and basolateral membranes, but the apical membrane was more active in endocytosing and degrading VEGF. Exogenous VEGF and mPEG crossed the RPE monolayer by transcytosis, predominantly in the apical-to-basal direction. RPE tight junctions were selective for K(+), but did not discriminate between Na(+) and Cl(-). VEGF, bevacizumab, and ranibizumab had minimal effects on TER, permeation of mPEG, and selectivity for K(+), Na(+), and Cl(-). They had minimal effects on the expression and distribution of the claudins. CONCLUSIONS RPE has mechanisms for maintaining low concentrations of VEGF in the subretinal space that include endocytosis and degradation and fluid-phase transcytosis in the apical-to-basal direction. RPE tight junctions are selective for K(+) over Na(+) and Cl(-). Permeability and selectivity of the junctions are not affected by VEGF, bevacizumab, or ranibizumab.
Protocol for hiding movement of mobile nodes in mobile IPv6

When a mobile node roams, its location information can be revealed from the IP prefix information of its care-of ad- dress. This paper proposes a protocol to hide the relationship between home address and care-of address of a mobile node. In the protocol, any two real addresses regarding route optimization will never be included in a traffic packet. Hence the movement of a mobile node can be hidden from third party monitoring. The protocol changes neither the format of the binding update nor the format of IP packets in Mobile IPv6.
Adaptive Bidirectional Flow for Image Interpolation and Enhancement

— Image interpolation is a common problem in imaging applications. However, most interpolation algorithms in existence suffer visually the effects of blurred edges and jagged artifacts in the image to some extent. This paper presents an adaptive feature preserving bidirectional flow process, where an inverse diffusion is performed to sharpen edges along the normal directions to the isophote lines (edges), while a normal diffusion is done to remove artifacts (“jaggies”) along the tangent directions. In order to preserve image features such as edges, corners and textures, the nonlinear diffusion coefficients are locally adjusted according to the directional derivatives of the image. Experimental results on synthetic images and nature images demonstrate that our interpolation algorithm substantially improves the subjective quality of the interpolated images over conventional interpolations.
On the bias of the multiple‐imputation variance estimator in survey sampling

Summary. Multiple imputation is a method of estimating the variances of estimators that are constructed with some imputed data. We give an expression for the bias of the multiple‐imputation variance estimator for data that are collected with a complex sample design. The bias may be sizable for certain estimators, such as domain means, when a large fraction of the values are imputed. A bias‐adjusted variance estimator is suggested.
Selection of Patients for Management of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in a Private Practice Setting

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a syndrome characterized by age-inappropriate levels of motor activity, impulsivity, and inattention. A system of triage was developed to select an ADHD patient population which was manageable in a private practice setting. Seventy-four subjects with symptoms suggestive of ADHD were evaluated and diagnosed with ADHD and followed for 2 years. All subjects included in the study were shown a teaching videotape, received a full physical examination, and were counseled for approximately 1 hour. The diagnosis of ADHD was made based on the presence of eight of 14 criteria described in DSM-III, elevated Connors Rating Scale (CRS) scores, physical examination, observation, and historical information. A treatment plan involving behavioral therapy and medication was implemented with frequent follow-up. Ninety-six percent of the patients showed improvement in behavior (parental report and decreased CRS scores) and/or grades (one letter grade in two classes for 12 weeks). Fifteen percent of the treated subjects were suspected of having coexistent disorders and 4% did not respond to treatment. By implementing a simple triage system and protocol for diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up, a manageable patient population with ADHD and similar disorders was selected and successfully treated in a private practice setting.
Regulated Expression of ADAMTS Family Members in Follicles and Cumulus Oocyte Complexes: Evidence for Specific and Redundant Patterns During Ovulation1

Abstract Protease cascades are essential for many biological events, including the LH-induced process of ovulation. ADAMTS1 (a disintegrin and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin-like repeats-1) is expressed and hormonally regulated in the ovary by LH and the progesterone receptor. To determine whether other family members might be expressed and regulated in the rodent ovary, those closely related to ADAMTS1 (ADAMTS4 and ADAMTS5) were analyzed in the mouse ovary by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction as well as by Western blot, immunohistochemical, and immunocytochemical analyses using highly specific antibodies. Prior to ovulation, ADAMTS4 and ADAMTS5 were coexpressed in granulosa cells of most follicles, whereas ADAMTS5 was also present in granulosa cells of atretic follicles. Following ovulation, ADAMTS1 and ADAMTS4 (but not ADAMTS5) were expressed in multiple cell types, including those within the highly vascular ovulation cone that marks the site of follicle rupture, endothelial cells of newly forming corpora lutea, and cumulus cells within the ovulated cumulus cell-oocyte complex (COC). Versican, a substrate for ADAMTS1 and ADAMTS4, colocalized with these proteases and hylauronan on the cumulus cell surface. To further characterize induction of these proteases and associated molecules, COCs and granulosa cells were isolated from preovulatory follicles and treated with FSH. In expanded COCs and differentiated granulosa cells, FSH induced expression of ADAMTS4 and versican message and protein, whereas increased levels of ADAMTS1 protein was observed in the media of granulosa cells where it was stabilized by heparin in this in vitro system. These studies provide the first evidence that ADAMTS1, ADAMTS4, and ADAMTS5 are expressed in spatiotemporal patterns that suggest distinct as well as some overlapping functions that relate to the broad expression pattern of versican in granulosa cells of small follicles, expanded COCs, and endothelial cells of the mouse ovary.
A weighted Cox model for modelling time‐dependent exposures in the analysis of case–control studies

Many exposures investigated in epidemiological case–control studies may vary over time. The effects of these exposures are usually estimated using logistic regression, which does not directly account for changes in covariate values over time within individuals. By contrast, the Cox model with time‐dependent covariates directly accounts for these changes over time. However, the over‐sampling of cases in case–control studies, relative to controls, requires manipulating the risk sets in the Cox partial likelihood. A previous study showed that simple inclusion or exclusion of future cases in each risk set induces an under‐ or over‐estimation bias in the regression parameters, respectively. We investigate the performance of a weighted Cox model that weights subjects according to age‐conditional probabilities of developing the disease of interest in the source population. In a simulation study, the lifetime experience of a source population is first generated and a case–control study is then simulated within each population. Different characteristics of exposure are generated, including time‐varying intensity. The results show that the estimates from the weighted Cox model are much less biased than the Cox models that simply include or exclude future cases, and are superior to logistic regression estimates in terms of bias and mean‐squared error. An application to frequency‐matched population‐based case–control data on lung cancer illustrates similar differences in the estimated effects of different smoking variables. The investigated weighted Cox model is a potential alternative method to analyse matched or unmatched population‐based case–control studies with time‐dependent exposures. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
2 KEx : a P 2 P architecture for DKM

Distributed Knowledge Management is an approach to Knowledge Management based on the principle that the multiplicity (and heterogeneity) of perspectives within complex organizations is not be viewed as an obstacle to knowledge exploitation, but rather as an opportunity that can foster innovation and creativity. Despite a wide agreement on this principle, most of current KM systems are based on the idea that all perspectival aspects of knowledge should be eliminated in favor of an objective and general representation of knowledge. In this paper we propose a peer-to-peer architecture (called KEx), which embodies the principle above in a quite straightforward way: (i) each peer (called a K-peer) provides all the services needed to create and organize “local” knowledge from an individual’s or a group’s perspective, and (ii) social structures and protocols of meaning negotiation are defined to achieve semantic coordination among autonomous peers (e.g., when searching documents from other K-peers).
MR microscopy of the rat lung using projection reconstruction

Projection reconstruction has been implemented with self‐refocused selection pulses on a small bore, 2.0 T MR microscope, to allow imaging of lung parenchyma. Scan synchronous ventilation and cardiac gating have been integrated with the sequence to minimize motion artifacts. A systematic survey of the pulse sequence parameters has been undertaken in conjunction with the biological gating parameters to optimize resolution and signal‐to‐noise (SNR). The resulting projection images with effective echo time of <300 usec allow definition of lung parenchyma with an SNR improvement of ∼15 x over a more conventional 2DFT short echo gradient sequence.
Industry Specialization and Auditor Quality in U.S. Markets

This study investigates the relation between audit quality, auditor industry market share, and audit fees. Prior literature has asserted that audit providers with high market shares can be designated as industry specialists and that the fee premiums that sometimes attach to these auditors is evidence of a quality differentiated audit product. Using data from the U.S. audit market for the fiscal year 2003 we extend this literature by investigating the relationships among audit fee premiums, auditor market shares, and two dimensions of audit quality: external reporting and economies of scope in providing joint audit and non-audit services. We find little evidence to support the conjecture that high market share auditors provide increased audit quality. Further, we find that most auditors with high market shares do not seem to charge a fee premium. To the contrary, we report that the high market share fee premiums found in pooled (across industry) tests are primarily attributable to a small set of industries in which the high market share (specialist) auditor has a dominant position. This leads us to conclude that the available evidence is more supportive of the hypothesis that high-market share firms are extracting rents than the hypothesis that these auditors are providing a quality differentiated product.
Development Software for Resource Planning in Agricultural Nutrition - The Case of 'Green Entrepreneurship' (Greece)

Entrepreneurship has been increasingly important for the global market, as it appears to offer an individually satisfactory and profitable working life, contributing to the national prosperity and economic growth at the same t ime. The paper presents the project "Green Entrepreneurship" which developed for Greece. The project includes e-mediation services through internet to producers, suppliers and consumers, with in an intangible mu lti-cooperative association policy. The project aims to the development of a real e-d istribution of agricultural products between suppliers (growers, producers, agricultural associations) and buyers (supermarkets, retailers), reliably and quickly within the new dig ital economy. Each producer and each supplier having created an account on the "Green Entrepreneurship" platform, can immed iately have access and benefit fro m several options helping their p roduct promotion. The platform is designed so as to be available, handy to both producers and suppliers and to facilitate the recording and management of their products. The research evaluation of the "Green Entrepreneurship" project follo ws the quantitative- experimental scale method model and includes two implementation phases: a) virtual operation of the "Green Entrepreneurship" and b) real operation fo r the "Green Entrepreneurship". The research results show considerable economic benefits for both producers and suppliers, as well as for consumers.
Human activity monitoring for falling detection. A realistic framework

During the last decades topics such as video analysis and image understanding techniques have experimented an important evolution due to its inclusion in applications such as surveillance, intelligent spaces and assisted living. In order to validate all related works different datasets have been distributed within the research community: CAVIAR, KTH, Weizmann, INRIA or MuHAVI are some of the most well-known examples, but in most cases these datasets have not been created neither specifically for the mentioned applications, nor in realistic scenarios. Within this context, in this paper we present a work that implements a solution for falling detection from monocular video sequences acquired with an standard video-camera. It includes, both the multi-person detector and tracker in realistic scenarios, and the action classifier for each of the detected persons. Besides, it is also presented a newly created dataset with realistic scenes specifically designed for surveillance applications. Scientific soundness and development of the proposed algorithm and its results and validation, both within well-known datasets as CAVIAR and KTH and within the one ad-hoc generated for the applications of interest, are discussed in the paper.
Dominance spectrum based v/UV classification and f_0 estimation

This paper presents a new method for robust voiced/unvoiced segment (V/UV) classiﬁcation and accurate fundamental frequency ( (cid:0) (cid:0) ) estimation in a noisy environment. For this purpose, we introduce the degree of dominance and dominance spectrum that are deﬁned by instantaneous frequency. The degree of dominance allows us to evaluate the magnitude of individual harmonic components of speech signals relative to the background noise. The V/UV segments are robustly classiﬁed based on the capability of the dominance spectrum to extract the regularity in the harmonic structure. (cid:0) (cid:0) is accurately determined based on ﬁxed points corresponding to dominant harmonic components easily selected from the dominance spectrum. Experimental results show that the present method is better than the existing methods in terms of gross and ﬁne (cid:0)(cid:0) errors, and V/UV correct rates in the presence of background white and babble noise.