Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Texture feature selection with relevance learning to classify interstitial lung disease patterns

The Generalized Matrix Learning Vector Quantization (GMLVQ) is used to estimate the relevance of texture features in their ability to classify interstitial lung disease patterns in high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) images. After a stochastic gradient descent, the GMLVQ algorithm provides a discriminative distance measure of relevance factors, which can account for pairwise correlations between different texture features and their importance for the classification of healthy and diseased patterns. Texture features were extracted from gray-level co-occurrence matrices (GLCMs), and were ranked and selected according to their relevance obtained by GMLVQ and, for comparison, to a mutual information (MI) criteria. A k-nearest-neighbor (kNN) classifier and a Support Vector Machine with a radial basis function kernel (SVMrbf) were optimized in a 10-fold crossvalidation for different texture feature sets. In our experiment with real-world data, the feature sets selected by the GMLVQ approach had a significantly better classification performance compared with feature sets selected by a MI ranking.
Internet-Enabled Co-Production: Partnering or Competing with Customers?

The Internet is democratizing commerce by turning economic models that were based on a strict separation between providers and consumers into models where this distinction is increasingly blurred. This implies significant opportunities and challenges for organizations, particularly with respect to the role that their customers play in the generation of economic value. Are customers partners or competitors? While firms typically strive to implement business models that leverage the customers as a resource (i.e., customer co-production), models in which customers are competitors (i.e., peer production) are frequently met with attempts to co-opt these customers (i.e., hybrid co-production). The purpose of this panel, presented at the 2006 International Conference on Information Systems, is to explore the range of Internet-enabled co-production models (i.e., customer and hybrid co-production) and the opportunities and challenges that they present for firms.
Hypermethylation of P16ink4a and P15ink4b genes as a marker of disease in the follow‐up of non‐Hodgkin's lymphomas

The hypermethylation of p16ink4a and p15ink4b genes have been described as an inactivating mechanism alternative to deletions and mutations that accounts for a relatively high proportion of cancers, including non‐Hodgkin's lymphomas (NHLs). To investigate whether detection of abnormal methylation could have clinical applications in the management and follow‐up of lymphomas, we have analysed the behaviour and evolution of p16ink4a and p15ink4b methylation in 13 NHL cases undergoing chemotherapy. All cases were also analysed for the presence of monoclonal rearrangements of immunoglobulin or T‐cell receptor genes. Six patients showed methylation in at least one of these genes at diagnosis, whereas in two other cases methylation appeared during the treatment. The other five cases were always unmethylated. Methylation was detected when any histological or molecular evidence of disease was present, suggesting a good correlation between methylation and disease. In some cases, we were able to detect methylation in patients at complete remission and without evidence of monoclonal cell population, indicating a high sensitivity of the PCR to detect methylation. These results suggest that p16ink4a and p15ink4b methylation could be good markers of disease and could be helpful in identifying lymphoma patients at risk of relapse.
Extracellular signal-regulated kinase 8-mediated NF-κB activation increases sensitivity of human lung cancer cells to arsenic trioxide

Extracellular signal-regulated kinase 8 (ERK8), also known as mitogen-activated protein kinase 15 (MAPK15), is the most recently identified protein kinase of the ERK family members and yet the least has been studied so far. Here, we report that ERK8 is highly expressed in several human lung cancer cell lines and is positively correlated with their sensitivities to the anti-cancer drug arsenic trioxide (As2O3). As2O3 at physiologically relevant concentrations (5–20 μM) potently stimulates the phosphorylation of ERK8 at Thr175 and Tyr177 within the TEY motif in the kinase domain, leading to its activation. Interestingly, activated ERK8 interacts and directly phosphorylates IkappaBalpha (IκBα) at Ser32 and Ser36, resulting in IκBα degradation. This in turn promotes nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-κB) p65 nuclear translocation and chromatin-binding, as well as the subsequent induction and activation of proteins involved in apoptosis. We also show that stable short-hairpin RNA-specific knockdown of endogenous ERK8 or inhibition of NF-κB activity by NF-κB inhibitor in high ERK8 expressing lung cancer H1299 cells blunted the As2O3-induced NF-κB activation and cytotoxicity towards these cells, indicating the critical role of ERK8 and NF-κB in mediating the As2O3 effects. Taken together, our findings suggest for the first time a regulatory paradigm of NF-κB activation by ERK8 upon As2O3 treatment in human lung cancer cells; and implicate a potential therapeutic advantage of As2O3 that might gain more selective killing of cancer cells with high ERK8 expression.
Reliability of the PEDro scale for rating quality of randomized controlled trials.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Assessment of the quality of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) is common practice in systematic reviews. However, the reliability of data obtained with most quality assessment scales has not been established. This report describes 2 studies designed to investigate the reliability of data obtained with the Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) scale developed to rate the quality of RCTs evaluating physical therapist interventions. METHOD In the first study, 11 raters independently rated 25 RCTs randomly selected from the PEDro database. In the second study, 2 raters rated 120 RCTs randomly selected from the PEDro database, and disagreements were resolved by a third rater; this generated a set of individual rater and consensus ratings. The process was repeated by independent raters to create a second set of individual and consensus ratings. Reliability of ratings of PEDro scale items was calculated using multirater kappas, and reliability of the total (summed) score was calculated using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC [1,1]). RESULTS The kappa value for each of the 11 items ranged from.36 to.80 for individual assessors and from.50 to.79 for consensus ratings generated by groups of 2 or 3 raters. The ICC for the total score was.56 (95% confidence interval=.47-.65) for ratings by individuals, and the ICC for consensus ratings was.68 (95% confidence interval=.57-.76). DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION The reliability of ratings of PEDro scale items varied from "fair" to "substantial," and the reliability of the total PEDro score was "fair" to "good. "
A Fast On-Board Integrated Battery Charger for EVs Using an Asymmetrical Six-Phase Machine

The paper considers a novel fast charging topology for electric vehicles (EVs). Instead of being made as a separate unit, the proposed on-board charger utilizes power electronics components that already exist inside the vehicle, namely an asymmetrical six-phase propulsion motor and a six-phase inverter. The charger can operate at unity power factor, and is capable of vehicle-to-grid (V2G) operation as well. Additional degrees of freedom of the six-phase machine are employed in order to transfer a part of excitation from the torque producing to non-torque/flux producing plane of the machine. Consequently, electromagnetic torque is not produced in the machine during the charging/V2G process, so that the rotor does not have to be mechanically locked. A theoretical analysis of the operating principles is reported, and simulation results are given for both charging and V2G mode of operation.
β-Arrestin2-Mediated Internalization of Mammalian Odorant Receptors

Odorant receptors comprise the biggest subfamily of G-protein-coupled receptors. Although the endocytic mechanisms of other G-protein-coupled receptors have been characterized extensively, almost nothing is known about the intracellular trafficking of odorant receptors. The present study describes the endocytic pathway of mammalian odorant receptors, which bind β-arrestin2 with high affinity and are internalized via a clathrin-dependent mechanism. After prolonged odorant exposure, receptors are not targeted to lysosomal degradation but accumulate in recycling endosomes. Odorant-induced odorant receptor desensitization is promoted by cAMP-dependent protein kinase A phosphorylation and is dependent on serine and threonine residues within the third intracellular loop of the receptor. Moreover, β-arrestin2 is redistributed into the dendritic knobs of mouse olfactory receptor neurons after treatment with a complex odorant mixture. Prolonged odorant exposure resulted in accumulation of β-arrestin2 in intracellular vesicles. Adaptation of olfactory receptor neurons to odorants can be abolished by the inhibition of clathrin-mediated endocytosis, showing the physiological relevance of the here described mechanism of odorant receptor desensitization. A better understanding of odorant receptor trafficking and additional insight into the molecular determinants underlying the interactions of odorant receptors with β-arrestin2 and other trafficking proteins will therefore be important to fully understand the mechanisms of adaptation and sensitization in the olfactory epithelium.
Bruno-3 regulates sarcomere component expression and contributes to muscle phenotypes of myotonic dystrophy type 1

ABSTRACT Steinert disease, or myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1), is a multisystemic disorder caused by toxic noncoding CUG repeat transcripts, leading to altered levels of two RNA binding factors, MBNL1 and CELF1. The contribution of CELF1 to DM1 phenotypes is controversial. Here, we show that the Drosophila CELF1 family member, Bru-3, contributes to pathogenic muscle defects observed in a Drosophila model of DM1. Bru-3 displays predominantly cytoplasmic expression in muscles and its muscle-specific overexpression causes a range of phenotypes also observed in the fly DM1 model, including affected motility, fiber splitting, reduced myofiber length and altered myoblast fusion. Interestingly, comparative genome-wide transcriptomic analyses revealed that Bru-3 negatively regulates levels of mRNAs encoding a set of sarcomere components, including Actn transcripts. Conversely, it acts as a positive regulator of Actn translation. As CELF1 displays predominantly cytoplasmic expression in differentiating C2C12 myotubes and binds to Actn mRNA, we hypothesize that it might exert analogous functions in vertebrate muscles. Altogether, we propose that cytoplasmic Bru-3 contributes to DM1 pathogenesis in a Drosophila model by regulating sarcomeric transcripts and protein levels. Summary: Our data suggest that, the so far ignored, cytoplasmic Bru-3/CELF1 contributes to myotonic dystrophy type 1 pathogenesis in a Drosophila model by regulating sarcomeric transcripts and protein levels.
Haploid genetic screens identify genetic vulnerabilities to microtubule‐targeting agents

The absence of biomarkers to accurately predict anticancer therapy response remains a major obstacle in clinical oncology. We applied a genome‐wide loss‐of‐function screening approach in human haploid cells to characterize genetic vulnerabilities to classical microtubule‐targeting agents. Using docetaxel and vinorelbine, two well‐established chemotherapeutic agents, we sought to identify genetic alterations sensitizing human HAP1 cells to these drugs. Despite the fact that both drugs act on microtubules, a set of distinct genes were identified whose disruption affects drug sensitivity. For docetaxel, this included a number of genes with a function in mitosis, while for vinorelbine we identified inactivation of FBXW7, RB1, and NF2, three frequently mutated tumor suppressor genes, as sensitizing factors. We validated these genes using independent knockout clones and confirmed FBXW7 as an important regulator of the mitotic spindle assembly. Upon FBXW7 depletion, vinorelbine treatment led to decreased survival of cells due to defective mitotic progression and subsequent mitotic catastrophe. We show that haploid insertional mutagenesis screens are a useful tool to study genetic vulnerabilities to classical chemotherapeutic drugs by identifying thus far unknown sensitivity factors. These results provide a rationale for investigating patient response to vinca alkaloid‐based anticancer treatment in relation to the mutational status of these three tumor suppressor genes, and could in the future lead to the establishment of novel predictive biomarkers or suggest new drug combinations based on molecular mechanisms of drug sensitivity.
Variability in geyser eruptive timing and its causes: Yellowstone National Park

Field data from Upper Geyser Basin, Yellowstone, indicate that geyser frequency is less sensitive to elastic deformation than might be surmised from a review of the literature. Earth‐tide influences are not identifiable in any of the geysers we monitored. Though atmospheric‐pressure influences are observed, only long‐period variations on the order of 5 mBars or greater seem to influence geyser frequency. Long‐distance interconnections between geysers are common and add to the difficulty of identifying strain influences. Additional variations in geyser periodicity may be governed by the internal dynamics of the geysers rather than external influences.
Quality Management in Health Care System in Bangladesh

Healthcare and quality are inseparable items and therefore giving services in a sector like healthcare without quality is not expected at all. In Bangladesh, healthcare is provided principally through hospitals run by government or through private clinics with a small proportion delivered by NGOs. But the main problem is that, the total system of health care services both in public and private sectors are not up-to-date genuinely and again the quantity of the doctors are less than expectation. To overcome this huge problem, redesigning of existing health care system or setting up an influential service plan is a must issue for Bangladesh. Firstly, the concentration in this project will be to discuss the basic problems and analyze them effectively. After that, the follow up will be to find out the most prominent issues both in manpower and management sector according to voice of patient and voice of employee.
TEACUP v 0 . 9 – Data Analysis Functions

Over the last few decades several TCP congestion control algorithms were developed in order to optimise TCP’s behaviour in certain situations. While TCP was traditionally used mainly for file transfers, more recently it is also becoming the protocol of choice for streaming applications, for example video streaming from YouTube and Netflix is TCP-based [1], [2] and there is an ISO standard for Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP (DASH) [3]. However, the impact of different TCP congestion control algorithms on TCP-based streaming flows (within a mix of other typical traffic) is not well understood. Experiments in a controlled testbed allow shedding more light on this issue. TEACUP (TCP Experiment Automation Controlled Using Python) version 0.9 is a software tool for running automated TCP experiments in a testbed [4]. This report describes the analysis functions TEACUP provides to extract statistics and plot graphs based on data collected during the experiments.
SweepSticks: An Adaptive Virtual Mouse for People With Neuromotor Disorders

SweepSticks has been developed primarily to provide alternative mouse access to people with neuromotor disorders, especially those suffering from cerebral palsy. This tool enables the user to perform both mouse movements and clicks emulated by a software interface, which is controlled by some special hardware switches. It is also capable of adapting itself to the behavior of the user, which it does by tracing and recording the sequence of her or his mouse actions and subsequently providing relevant suggestions to her or him in the future. The field experiments carried out with real users suggest that the tool may be quite effective in serving most of the computer access needs of the user.
The Role of Novel Oral AntiCoagulants in Stroke Prevention in Non-Valvualr Atrial Fibrillation

Atrial Fibrillation (AF) is the most common dysrhythmia seen in primary care. Thromboembolic stroke remains one of the most feared complications of this rhythm disturbance. Five landmark trials have demonstrated the efficacy of warfarin and aspirin in reducing this risk. Warfarin use is known to be labor intensive for patients and concerns regarding multiple drug interactions and bleed risk have limited it use in some high-risk populations. Novel oral anti-coagulants come with the promise to lower serious/fatal bleed risk and reduce drug-drug interactions. The new anti-coagulants have fewer drug interactions and do not require regular laboratory monitoring. Here we review trials demonstrating the efficacy of four new oral anticoagulants and summarize their stroke and bleed risk relative to warfarin as a gold standard.
Improve Service Chaining Performance with Optimized Middlebox Placement

Previous works have proposed various approaches to implement service chaining by routing traffic through the desired middleboxes according to pre-defined policies. However, no matter what routing scheme is used, the performance of service chaining depends on where these middleboxes are placed. Thus, in this paper, we study middlebox placement problem, i.e., given network information and policy specifications, we attempt to determine the optimal locations to place the middleboxes so that the performance is optimized. The performance metrics studied in this paper include the end-to-end delay and the bandwidth consumption, which cover both users’ and network providers’ interests. We first formulate it as 0-1 programming problem, and prove it is NP-hard. We then propose two heuristic algorithms to obtain the sub-optimal solutions. The first algorithm is a greedy algorithm, and the second algorithm is based on simulated annealing. Through extensive simulations, we show that in comparison with a baseline algorithm, the proposed algorithms can reduce 22 percent end-to-end delay and save 38 percent bandwidth consumption on average. The formulation and proposed algorithms have no special assumption on network topology or policy specifications, therefore, they have broad range of applications in various types of networks such as enterprise, data center and broadband access networks.
THE MAGNETIC FIELD IN THE NGC 2024 FIR 5 DENSE CORE

We used the Submillimeter Array to observe the thermal polarized dust emission from the protostellar source NGC 2024 FIR 5. The polarized emission outlines a partial hourglass morphology for the plane-of-sky component of the core magnetic field. Our data are consistent with previous BIMA maps, and the overall magnetic field geometries obtained with both instruments are similar. We resolve the main core into two components, FIR 5A and FIR 5B. A possible explanation for the asymmetrical field lies in depolarization effects due to the lack of internal heating from the FIR 5B source, which may be in a prestellar evolutionary state. The field strength was estimated to be 2.2 mG, in agreement with previous BIMA data. We discuss the influence of a nearby H ii region over the field lines at scales of ∼0.01 pc. Although the hot component is probably compressing the molecular gas where the dust core is embedded, it is unlikely that the radiation pressure exceeds the magnetic tension. Finally, a complex outflow morphology is observed in CO (3 → 2) maps. Unlike previous maps, several features associated with dust condensations other than FIR 5 are detected.
Maize Expert System

Machine learning [1] is concerned with the design and development of algorithms that allow computers to evolve intelligent behaviors based on empirical data. Weak learner is a learning algorithm with accuracy less than 50%. Adaptive Boosting (Ada-Boost) is a machine learning algorithm may be used to increase accuracy for any weak learning algorithm. This can be achieved by running it on a given weak learner several times, slightly alters data and combines the hypotheses. In this paper, Ada-Boost algorithm is used to increase the accuracy of the weak learner Naïve-Bayesian classifier. The Ada-Boost algorithm iteratively works on the Naïve-Bayesian classifier with normalized weights and it classifies the given input into different classes with some attributes. Maize Expert System is developed to identify the diseases of Maize crop using Ada-Boost algorithm logic as inference mechanism. A separate user interface for the Maize expert system consisting of three different interfaces namely, End-user/farmer, Expert and Admin are presented here. End-user/farmer module may be used for identifying the diseases for the symptoms entered by the farmer. Expert module may be used for adding rules and questions to data set by a domain expert. Admin module may be used for maintenance of the system.
The quality of chest compressions during cardiopulmonary resuscitation overrides importance of timing of defibrillation.

BACKGROUND We address the quality of chest compressions and the impact on initial defibrillation or initial chest compressions after sudden death. METHODS Ventricular fibrillation was induced by occlusion of the left anterior descending coronary artery in 24 domestic pigs with a mean (+/- SD) weight of 40 +/- 2 kg. Cardiac arrest was left untreated for 5 min. Animals were then randomized to receive chest compressions-first or defibrillation-first and were further randomized to "optimal" or "conventional" chest compressions. A total of four groups of animals were investigated using a factorial design. For optimal chest compressions, the anterior posterior diameter of the chest was reduced by 25%, representing approximately 6 cm. Only 70% of this depth, or approximately 4.2 cm, represented conventional chest compressions. Chest compressions were delivered with a mechanical chest compressor. Defibrillation was attempted with a single biphasic 150-J shock. Postresuscitation myocardial function was echocardiographically assessed. RESULTS Coronary perfusion pressures and end-tidal Pco(2) were significantly lower with conventional chest compressions. With optimal chest compressions, either as an initial intervention or after defibrillation, each animal was successfully resuscitated. Fewer shocks were required prior to the return of spontaneous circulation after initial optimal chest compressions. No animals were resuscitated when conventional chest compressions preceded the defibrillation attempt. When defibrillation was attempted as the initial intervention followed by conventional chest compressions, two of six animals were resuscitated. CONCLUSIONS In this animal model of cardiac arrest, it was the quality of the chest compressions, rather then the priority of either initial defibrillation or initial chest compressions, that was the predominant determinant of successful resuscitation.
Protein Synthesis in Sonically Damaged Escherichia coli

By gentle sonic treatment, Escherichia coli cells were modified to permit penetration of actinomycin D, adenosine triphosphate, trypsin, ribonuclease, and polyuridylic acid. The behavior of these “soniplasts” as protein-synthesizing particles was investigated.