Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Considered judgement in evidence-based guideline development.

BACKGROUND Clinical practice guidelines should be based on the best available evidence. However, this evidence is often incomplete, controversial, or lacking. Other considerations beyond the evidence are therefore needed to be able to formulate specific and applicable recommendations for clinical practice. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study is to obtain consensus among experts about a set of domains and items covering the most relevant 'other considerations' to formulate recommendations in evidence-based guideline development. METHODS An initial list of 10 domains and 49 items for a systematic and considered judgement of scientific evidence was generated from the literature. A panel of Dutch experts in guideline development tested this list using a two-round Delphi consensus technique. Each expert was asked to independently score the relevance of the items on a 4-point Likert scale, ranging from 'very important' to 'not important'. The final list consisted of items that were included by at least 60% consensus. RESULTS Twenty-eight experts participated in the first Delphi round and 21 of them in the second round. High scoring domains were 'clinical relevance', 'safety', and 'availability of resources'. There was consensus about the relevance of 37 items. The domain 'conflicts of interest by industry' was excluded because of lack of consensus. CONCLUSION This is the first formal consensus approach towards structuring the considered judgement process in formulating recommendations in clinical guidelines. The final list of items can be used to facilitate the process of guideline development. The next step is to test the practical usefulness and applicability of this list in guideline development.
LPSO: Another Algorithm for Workflow Scheduling in the Cloud

Although workflow scheduling problem has been discussed by many researchers, a few efficient solutions have been introduced for Cloud computing. In this article, we present LPSO, a novel algorithm for workflow scheduling. Based on the Particle Swarm Optimization method, our proposed algorithm not only ensures the fast convergence but also avoid being trapped on local extrema. Our simulation experiments using CloudSim testing real scenarios reveal that LPSO is superior to formerly proposed algorithms. Moreover, the deviation between the solution found by LPSO and the optimal solution is negligible.
Acute myeloid leukaemia in children.

Acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) is characterized by a block in differentiation and an unregulated proliferation of myeloid progenitor cells. While the cause of AML in children is unknown, risk factors that have been identified include exposure to toxins such as ethanol, pesticides and dietary topoisomerase II inhibitors, prior chemotherapy with alkylating agents or topoisomerase II inhibitors, constitutional disorders such as Down's syndrome and type I neurofibromatosis, and haematopoietic failure syndromes such as Fanconi anaemia and severe congenital neutropenia. With intensified chemotherapy including high-dose Ara-C, followed in many cases by bone marrow transplantation, and with improvements in supportive care, current survival rates approach 50%. Future advances in paediatric AML will include better risk stratification to determine optimal treatment and targeted cytotoxic therapy.
Loop-driven conformational transition between the alternative and collapsed form of prethrombin-2: targeted molecular dynamics study

Two distinct crystal structures of prethrombin-2, the alternative and collapsed forms, are elucidated by X-ray crystallogrphy. We analyzed the conformational transition from the alternative to the collapsed form employing targeted molecular dynamics (TMD) simulation. Despite small RMSD difference in the two X-ray crystal structures, some hydrophobic residues (W60d, W148, W215, and F227) show a significant difference between the two conformations. TMD simulation shows that the four hydrophobic residues undergo concerted movement from dimer to trimer transition via tetramer state in the conformational change from the alternative to the collapsed form. We reveal that the concerted movement of the four hydrophobic residues is controlled by movement of specific loop regions behind. In this paper, we propose a sequential scenario for the conformational transition from the alternative form to the collapsed form, which is partially supported by the mutant W148A simulation.
Postsynaptic Colocalization of Gephyrin and GABAA Receptors

Postsynaptic Colocalization of Gephyrin and GABAA Receptors MARCO SASSOÈ-POGNETTO, MAURIZIO GIUSTETTO, PATRIZIA PANZANELLI, DARIO CANTINO, JOACHIM KIRSCH, AND JEAN-MARC FRITSCHY Department of Anatomy, Pharmacology and Forensic Medicine, University of Turin, Corso Massimo d’Azeglio 52, I-10126 Turin, Italy Max-Planck-Institut für Hirnforschung, Frankfurt am Main, Germany Institute of Pharmacology, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
Lesion-induced right-hemispheric language and organization of nonverbal functions

Early left-hemispheric brain lesions may lead to a reorganization of language into the right hemisphere. Language functions are consecutively spared, but visuospatial functions show slight deficits. Cortical ‘crowding’ of the right hemisphere has been suggested as an explanation for this effect, but no direct evidence has as yet been put forward. We examined six patients with early left-hemispheric brain lesions and subsequent right-hemispheric language organization with functional magnetic resonance imaging and compared their activation patterns in a verbal and two nonverbal tasks with the patterns of six controls. In the patient group, nonverbal functions were reorganized neither interhemispherically nor intrahemispherically. Instead, verbal and nonverbal functions were mediated by a common right-hemispheric network. This argues in favour of the ‘crowding hypothesis’.
Solution-Based Particle Formation of Pharmaceutical Powders by Supercritical or Compressed Fluid Co2 and Cryogenic Spray-Freezing Technologies

Micronization is an important procedure used in the pharmaceutical industry to reduce the particle size of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs). The spray-drying and milling techniques presently used to micronize drug substances cannot be used to process thermolabile or physically unstable drug substances. Therefore, new micronization techniques, including particle precipitation with supercritical or compressed fluid CO2 and spray-freezing of drug solutions and suspensions into cryogenic gas to produce solid frozen microparticles, are currently being perfected for future use in the pharmaceutical industry. This review highlights the compressed gas and cryogenic liquid technologies being developed as potential solution-based particle formation technologies for drugs that cannot be processed by conventional micronization techniques.
Évaluation comparative de la qualité d'usage de plusieurs systèmes TA français-chinois en fonction de la tâche de post-édition

Dans ce memoire de recherche, nous proposons une formule qui permette de calculer le score de la qualite d’usage pour chaque pretraduction et de choisir une meilleure pretraduction parmi differentes pretraductions produites par plusieurs systemes de TA. Les resultats nous montrent que la formule peut aider les post-editeurs a accelerer leur vitesse de post-edition, mais il reste encore une grande marge d’amelioration.
Trends in tumor location in gastric carcinoma over a 28-year period.

BACKGROUND/AIMS Gastric cancer is still a leading cause of cancer death in the world and in Brazil. Historically a majority of gastric tumors were located in the distal third of the stomach. However, several studies have shown a shift in tumor location towards the proximal third. METHODOLOGY Japanese rules for gastric cancer treatment were followed. All patients that were submitted to surgical resection for gastric cancer between 1971 and 1998 were included. These patients were divided into 3 time periods and classifled according to tumor location. RESULTS 1021 patients underwent gastric resection for adenocarcinoma. The distal third of the stomach (53.7%) was the most common site. The proportion of tumors located in the proximal and middle thirds of the stomach increased significantly from 8.1% to 15% and 16.2 to 29.8% respectively at the last decade. CONCLUSIONS The findings of this study suggest an increase in the incidence of tumors to the proximal third of the stomach. However the high incidence of these tumors reported in literature is not confirmed.
Stability of health-related quality of life in the Norwegian general population and impact of chronic morbidity in individuals with and without a cancer diagnosis

The stability of Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) in the general population (GenPop) over years has rarely been evaluated. Neither has the impact of chronic morbidity on HRQoL in cancer survivors been extensively assessed, when identified in the Norwegian GenPop. We studied both aspects. HRQoL was evaluated in two GenPop surveys in 1996 and 2004 using the EORTC QLQ-C30. The 2004 survey included self-reports of a malignant diagnosis and use of medication for hypertension, diabetes mellitus and/or anxiety/depression. Comparison of the results from both surveys revealed similarity of the HRQoL profiles of the two surveys and confirmed the associations between HRQoL and age and gender. Cancer survivors and individuals from the GenPop without chronic co-morbidity had similar HRQoL, except for poorer physical and role function in cancer survivors (p <0.01). HRQoL worsened significantly if a cancer survivor suffered from chronic co-morbidity. Multivariate analyses confirmed the associations between HRQoL and chronic common co-morbidity in cancer survivors and non-cancer persons. As common chronic co-morbidity significantly impairs HRQoL in cancer survivors, prevention of adverse health conditions represents a major challenge in such survivors. Further, in the interpretation of HRQoL in cancer survivors‘ co-morbid conditions and socio-demographic variables must be considered. Over an 8 years period the HRQoL of the Norwegian GenPop appeared to be stable.
pH Regulation of Urease Levels in Streptococcus salivarius

Potential mechanisms for regulation of urease levels in Streptococcus salivarius were examined, including: induction by urea, nitrogen or carbon source repression, and effects of pH and CO2 (because CO2 enrichment enhanced urease detection on urea agar plates). Regulation by either pH or CO2 was confirmed by comparison of the urease accumulation pattern during anaerobic growth under CO2 with that under N2. Under CO2, there was an initial buffering plateau at pH 6.2 and a rate of Streptococcus salivarius urease accumulation three-fold that under N2, with a pH 7.6 plateau. With both gas phases there was also an increase in the rate of urease appearance coincident with the decrease in medium pH following the pH plateau. The effects of pH, CO2, and HCO3- on urease levels and on growth were separately assessed by culture in media containing 0, 25, 100 mmol/L KHCO3 buffered at different pH levels. There was an inverse relationship between the logarithm of the urease level after 24-hour growth and the pH during growth-the urease specific activity was 100-fold higher at pH 5.5, compared with pH 7.0 and above. HCO3-/CO2 (100 mmol/L) had little effect on urease levels, but was essential for growth at pH 5.5. There was no significant urease induction by urea, or repression by ammonia or glucose. There was also evidence of pH regulation of urease levels in some staphylococci, Klebsiella pneumonia, and Corynebacterium renale, but not in Actinomyces naeslundii and several other species. We conclude that the external pH is a major factor regulating urease levels in S. salivarius and possibly some other species-a mechanism equivalent to urease repression by OH-.
Residual-Based Shadings for Visualizing (Conditional) Independence

Residual-based shadings for enhancing mosaic and association plots to visualize independence models for contingency tables are extended in two directions: (a) perceptually uniform Hue-Chroma-Luminance (HCL) colors are used and (b) the result of an associated significance test is coded by the appearance of color in the visualization. For obtaining (a), a general strategy for deriving diverging palettes in the perceptually based HCL space is suggested. As for (b), cutoffs that control the appearance of color are computed in a data-driven way based on the conditional permutation distribution of maximum-type test statistics. The shadings are first established for the case of independence in two-way tables and then extended to more general independence models for multiway tables, including in particular conditional independence models.
Point-of-care troponin T is inferior to high-sensitivity troponin T for ruling out acute myocardial infarction in the emergency department

Objective Point-of-care testing (POCT) cardiac troponin (cTn) measurements are being used increasingly, despite the fact that evidence on the safety of their use is outdated, not taking into account current ‘gold standard’ high-sensitivity cardiac troponin (hs-cTn) assays. In the present study, we aimed to compare the analytical and diagnostic performance of the AQT90-flex POCT cTnT assay (which is the POCT assay with the lowest reported 99th percentile cutoff currently available) with the laboratory-based Roche Modular E170 hs-cTnT assay. Materials and methods During a 4-month prospective observational cohort study, laboratory-based hs-cTnT and POCT cTn were measured simultaneously in 261 undifferentiated chest-pain patients presenting to the emergency department (ED) of the Medical Centre Leeuwarden to determine the diagnostic accuracy of both assays in predicting acute myocardial infarction (AMI) at presentation. Results The POCT cTn assay had a lower sensitivity [68 (49–82) vs. 91 (75–98)] and a lower negative predictive value [95 (91–97) vs. 98 (95–100)%] for the prediction of AMI at presentation compared with the hs-cTnT assay. Furthermore, in three patients, the POCT cTnT assay yielded unexpectedly high results, whereas hs-cTnT results were negative. None of these patients had an AMI, and no possible explanation could be found. Conclusion The AQT90-flex POCT cTnT assay is not yet sensitive and reliable enough to be used to exclude AMI in the ED with a single blood draw at the time of presentation in the ED, and therefore, may have limited applicability in the ED setting.
On the double-vertex-cycle-connectivity of crossed cubes

Crossed cube, a variation of hypercube, is a candidate for the interconnection network topology employed in parallel computing systems due to nearly half diameter and stronger subgraph embedding capabilities. Existence of various cycles (rings) in an interconnection network is essential for parallel algorithms that communicate data in token-ring mode. This paper addresses the existence of cycles with some specified properties in an n-dimensional crossed cube, CQ n . We first propose the notion of double-vertex-cycle-connectivity for a graph, which provides a new measure of cycle embedding capability of the graph. We then prove that, for any two distinct vertices on CQ n at a distance of d apart and each integer l satisfying CQ n contains a cycle of length l that goes through the two vertices. Due to the fact that a hypercube does not share these properties, crossed cube shows stronger cycle embedding capability than hypercube.
Can learning for exams make students happy? Faculty related and faculty unrelated flow experiences and well-being

Flow is a highly enjoyable, optimal psychological state people feel when they are so focused at task that it amounts to complete absorption in an activity. Flow was found to be related to desirable educational outcomes as well as higher well-being. The aim of this study was to assess how often students experience flow at the faculty (during lectures, seminars and exercises, learning, preparing for presentations and other study related activities) and in everyday life, and to assess the relationship between flow experiences of students and their well-being. Sample comprised 176 second-year female students at University of Zagreb, Faculty of Teacher Education. In addition to questions about faculty related and unrelated flow- experiences, participants filled two questionnaires: The Satisfaction with Life Scale (Diener et al., 1985) and Flourishing Scale – FS (Diener et al., 2009). Results revealed that students, at least occasionally, experience flow at faculty related activities. The flow is the most frequent while preparing for seminars and similar tasks as well as while preparing for exams, while it is the least frequent during lectures. Flow experiences in non-academic activities are more frequent than in academic activities. However, only flow in academic activities is positively correlated to students’ well-being while there were no significant correlations between non-academic flow experiences and well-being. The only significant predictor of well-being was flow experienced during preparation of exams. That leads to conclusion that flow experienced during activities related to achievement at the faculty are more important for students’ well- being than flow during activities in other areas of life.
Coordinated Changes in DNA Methylation in Antigen-Specific Memory CD4 T Cells

Memory CD4+ T cells are central regulators of both humoral and cellular immune responses. T cell differentiation results in specific changes in chromatin structure and DNA methylation of cytokine genes. Although the methylation status of a limited number of gene loci in T cells has been examined, the genome-wide DNA methylation status of memory CD4+ T cells remains unexplored. To further elucidate the molecular signature of memory T cells, we conducted methylome and transcriptome analyses of memory CD4+ T cells generated using T cells from TCR-transgenic mice. The resulting genome-wide DNA methylation profile revealed 1144 differentially methylated regions (DMRs) across the murine genome during the process of T cell differentiation, 552 of which were associated with gene loci. Interestingly, the majority of these DMRs were located in introns. These DMRs included genes such as CXCR6, Tbox21, Chsy1, and Cish, which are associated with cytokine production, homing to bone marrow, and immune responses. Methylation changes in memory T cells exposed to specific Ag appeared to regulate enhancer activity rather than promoter activity of immunologically relevant genes. In addition, methylation profiles differed between memory T cell subsets, demonstrating a link between T cell methylation status and T cell differentiation. By comparing DMRs between naive and Ag-specific memory T cells, this study provides new insights into the functional status of memory T cells.
The Influence of Sex and Relatedness on Stress Response in Common Marmosets (Callithrix jacchus)

Research in stress physiology has demonstrated the benefits of receiving social support during stressful conditions. However, recent data have shown that the efficacy of social support in buffering physiological and behavioral responses to stressor agents depends on species, sex, and relatedness among animals. This study investigated whether different kinds of social support (presence of same sex related or nonrelated conspecifics) have the same effect on hormonal (fecal cortisol levels) and behavioral responses (agonistic: scent‐marking and individual piloerection; anxiety: locomotion; tension‐reducing: autogrooming, allogrooming, and body contact). We used adult male and female isosexual dyads of Callithrix jacchus, a small Neotropical primate from the Callitrichidae family, widely used in the study of stress and related diseases. Following a 28‐day baseline phase, dyads faced three challenging situations (phase 1: dyads were moved together from the baseline cage to a similar new cage; phase 2: each dyad member was moved alone to a new cage; and phase 3: dyad members were reunited in the same baseline cage). Type of social support was found to influence the response to stressors differently for each sex. Related male dyads did not change their hormonal or behavioral profile over the three experimental phases, when compared to the baseline phase. For nonrelated male dyads, social support buffered hormonal but not behavioral response. For females, the social support offered by a related and nonrelated animal, does not seem to buffer the stress response, as shown by correlations between agonistic behaviors versus cortisol and locomotion during all three experimental phases and a significant increase in fecal cortisol levels during phases 2 and 3, when compared with baseline levels. The results only partially support the buffering model theory and corroborate other studies reporting that the benefits of social support during a period of crisis arise only when it is adaptive for that species. Am. J. Primatol. 74:819‐827, 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Exploring the neural mechanisms that underlie motor difficulties in children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Background: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is the most common neurobehavioural disorder of childhood. Motor performance appears to be impaired for an important sub-set of this population. Objectives: This structured review draws attention to the neurological mechanisms that could potentially explain these difficulties. Methods: In August 2010, Medline, PsychINFO and Embase databases were searched with keywords related to ADHD, neuroimaging modalities and motor performance. Results: Four studies were retrieved that examined both motor performance and possible neural substrates. Each study explored different hypotheses and no common conclusion is emerging. The cortical activation dysregulation hypothesis, the cerebellar dysfunction hypothesis and the delayed white matter maturation hypothesis were proposed, applying combinations of motor observations and neuroimaging findings. Conclusion: Published literature to date is insufficient to confirm specific hypotheses. Additional studies coupling discrete motor evaluations to neuroimaging techniques are needed in children with ADHD to better understand the neurobiological mechanisms of their motor difficulties.
Using CForest to Analyze Diffusion Tensor Imaging Data: A Study of White Matter Integrity in Healthy Aging

Healthy aging has been associated with a global reduction in white matter integrity, which is thought to reflect cognitive decline. The present study aimed to investigate this reduction over a broad range of the life span, using diffusion tensor imaging analyzed with conditional inference random forest modeling (CForest). This approach is sensitive to subtle and potentially nonlinear effects over the age continuum and was used to characterize the progression of decline in greater detail than has been possible in the past. Data were collected from 45 healthy individuals ranging in age from 19 to 67 years. Fractional anisotropy (FA) was estimated using probabilistic tractography for a number of major tracts across the brain. Age coincided with a nonlinear decrease in FA, with onset beginning at ∼30 years of age and the steepest declines occurring later in life. However, several tracts showed a transient increase before this decline. The progression of decline varied by tract, with steeper but later decline occurring in more anterior tracts. Finally, strongly right-handed individuals demonstrated relatively preserved FA until more than a decade following the onset of decline of others. These results demonstrate that using a novel, nonparametric analysis approach, previously reported reductions in FA with healthy aging were confirmed, while at the same time, new insight was provided into the onset and progression of decline, with evidence suggesting increases in integrity continuing into adulthood.