Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Longitudinal analysis of tumor marker CEA of breast cancer patients from Braga's hospital

This work is funded by FEDER funds through the Operational Program for Competitiveness Factors – COMPETE and National Funds through FCT – Foundation for Science and Technology under the project EXPL/MAT-STA/0313/2013. The author Ana Borges has a PhD scholarship from FCT SFRH/BD/74166/2010.
Singing Exercises Improve Sleepiness and Frequency of Snoring among Snorers—A Randomised Controlled Trial *

Objectives: To assess the effectiveness of regular singing exercises in reducing symptoms of snoring and sleep apnoea. Methods: A prospective single blinded randomised controlled trial was conducted in the otolaryngology department of a UK teaching hospital (Exeter). 127 adult patients with a history of simple snoring or sleep apnoea were recruited. 93 patients completed the study. Patients were excluded because of severe sleep apnoea (apnoea index > 40), or morbid obesity (BMI > 40). The study group completed a self-guided treatment programme of singing exercises contained on a 3CD box set, performed for 20 minutes daily. Outcome measures included the Epworth Sleepiness Scale, the SF-36 generic quality of life assessment tool, visual analogue scales (VAS range 0 - 10) of snoring loudness and frequency, and visual analogue scale of compliance (for intervention group). Results: The Epworth scale improved significantly in the experimental group compared to the control group (difference −2.5 units; 95% CI −3.8 to −1.1; p = 0.000). Frequency of snoring reduced significantly in the experimental group (difference −1.5; 95% CI −2.6 to −0.4; p = 0.01), and loudness of snoring showed a trend to improvement which was non-significant (difference −0.8; 95% CI −1.7 to 0.1; p = 0.08). Compliance with exercises was good; median 6.6 (quartiles = 4.1, 8.3). Conclusions: Improving the tone and strength of pharyngeal muscles with a 3 months programme of daily singing exercises reduces the severity, frequency and loudness of snoring, and improves symptoms of mild to moderate sleep apnoea.
Deer in the Headlights: Response of Incumbent Firms to Profit Destroying Innovations

Scholars and managers consider innovation a holy grail because it allows firms to sustain or enhance performance. However, contrary to the common perception, sometimes innovations go rogue and threaten to destroy incumbents’ profits. Since innovation literature has largely underemphasized such innovations, this paper takes the first step in examining these innovations through a study of three industries. The paper shows that existing literature predicts two opposite reactions of incumbents to such innovations. Rationality literature suggests that incumbents would embrace such innovations whereas behavioral decision making literature suggest that incumbents would avoid such innovations. This research finds that, in the main, incumbents avoid such innovations in line with behavioral decision making literature. As a result, incumbents often suffer a loss of profits and loss of market share. This paper not only fills an important gap in innovation literature but also paves the way for future research on several unanswered questions about profit destroying innovations. It also documents some key learnings for managers dealing with such innovations.
Luteinizing Hormone Estimation

Luteinizing hormone (LH) is an important hormone of the reproductive system, which has found application in diagnosis and therapeutic medicine. It plays a vital role in the development and functioning of the reproductive system. Determination of LH concentration is important for detection of dysfunction of the pituitary‐ovarian axis, diagnosis of reproductive disorders, monitoring of antifertility programmes and in therapeutic preparations. On the basis of heterogeneity and various biological effects served by the hormone, different assay systems have been developed for its estimation. Initially, LH was quantified on the basis of in vivo and in vitro endocrine activity. However, with the advancement in biotechnology, various immunoassays have been designed for performing most of the physiological and clinical studies on serum LH. The immunoassays offer improvement in sensitivity, precision and convenience over bioassays. However, these immunoassays have their own limitations and results obtained in different laboratories are often not comparable. This review makes an attempt to enumerate and compare various assay methods used in the serum LH measurement in varied clinical conditions.
Asymmetric Allocation in a Shared Flexible Signature Module for Multicore Processors

Hardware signatures based on Bloom filters are used to support and accelerate membership query in a set of items. They use modest hardware at the cost of false positives, but never produce false negatives. Signatures were traditionally used in different distributed and network applications, but in recent years their use has been extended to other fields (for instance, support for manycore/multicore parallel programming, such as data race detection, deterministic replay or transactional memory (TM)). One drawback of signatures is that they have a fixed size, and what is a good signature size for one application, may be not appropriate for another. Recently, we proposed a shared hardware module for managing signatures based on a collection of Bloom filters. It has the characteristic of hosting a variable number of signatures that change their size in runtime to adapt to the demand of the applications. However, the assignment of resources follows a single symmetric policy for all allocations leading to a module with a limited adaptability to the workloads. In this paper, we explore new techniques to allocate signatures in an asymmetric way in this module, with the aim of optimizing the resources and reducing even more the number of false positives. We explore several asymmetric strategies and their efficient hardware implementation, and we show specific examples using TM as a driver application. The results show that these strategies lead to a significant reduction in the number of false positives compared with symmetric policies.
Regulation of extracellular slime production by Actinomyces viscosus

Extracellular slime polysaccharides produced two Actinomyces viscosus strains, T14V and T14AV, were compared. In various media containing glucose, T14Av produced abundant extracellular viscous slime polysaccharide, whereas T14V produced lower levels. Furthermore, fractionation of these polysaccharides showed that the two extracellular polysaccharides differed in molecular size and net charge. Since there was a significant difference in the relative abilities of chemically defined medium and chemically defined tissue culture medium to support slime production by T14Av, the nutritional factors influencing the production of extracellular slime were examined. Sodium bicarbonate was demonstrated to stimulate both cellular growth and the production of extracellular slime. In chemically defined medium with and without sodium bicarbonate, strain T14Av produced large quantities of viscous slime in glucose and sucrose media. In contrast, relatively low levels of slime were produced in fructose, lactose, raffinose, and inositol media, even though sodium bicarbonate stimulated the growth of T14Av in these latter media.
Immunoassay standardization: is it possible, who is responsible, who is capable?

Standardization in clinical chemistry aims at improving trueness, i.e., lack of bias, but it does not directly affect assay imprecision. Standardization is important because it facilitates clinical interpretation and comparison of results from various studies (1)(2). This is especially important with analytes used for screening, and this was one reason that cholesterol assays have been standardized in the US (3). Standardization of assays for prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is important for the same reason, and also because these assays are important for monitoring of disease progression in prostate cancer. Large differences in assay calibration lead to misinterpretations of the clinical course when different assays are used (4). Variation in assays for chorionic gonadotropin (CG) (5) cause similar problems when women with pregnancy-related disorders are monitored by determination of CG in serum (6). It is a testimony of the clinical importance of standardization that the preparation of standards for PSA was initiated and carried out by a urologist, Thomas Stamey from Stanford (7). Standardization is a fairly new concept in clinical chemistry. The notion of “comprehensive measurement systems” and various levels of reference methods evolved in the 1970s (1)(2) and was formulated by Tietz in 1979 (8). Pure standards, reference methods, and standard reference materials (SRMs) are now available for many of the most important analytes determined by conventional chemical methods, but immunoassay standardization is less well developed. Immunoassay standardization was extensively discussed at two meetings organized in 1990 and 1992 by the IFCC. At these, two standardization projects were initiated: the one for cortisol was intended to serve as a model for hapten immunoassays, the other project, for standardization of assays for CG, was intended to serve as a pilot study for protein immunoassays. The problems associated with standardization of protein and hapten assays are different. …
Review article: the role of anti‐TNF in the management of ulcerative colitis – past, present and future

Until recently, the management of ulcerative colitis (UC) consisted of the stepwise use of mesalazine, corticosteroids and immunomodulators, or consideration of surgery. Anti‐tumour necrosis factor (TNF) agents are recent additions to the UC‐treatment algorithm.
Nonagricultural Employment Determinants and Income Inequality Decomposition

Nonagricultural income has become an important source of rural household income in China and has brought about wide inequality in rural areas. This paper investigates the determinants of nonagricultural employment and income and how they contribute to income inequality using the China Household Income Project (CHIP) 2002 survey data and a three-step decomposition approach. Our results indicate that educational inequality accounts for 9 percent and 36 percent, respectively, of wage and self-employment income inequality, implying that educational inequality plays a substantial role in nonagricultural income inequality. The results also show that community characteristics explain much inequality in wage and self-employment income, indicating that local development is important in the determination of nonagricultural income inequality.
A Monument to the Battle of Marathon

> J ILLIAM Dinsmoor has always emphasized the importance of the correlation of Greek archaeology with history. This basic idea permeates his writings but finds its fullest expression in the article which he contributed to the volume Studies in the History of Culture (presented to Waldo G. Leland, 1942). On the occasion of his 80th birthday I present some archaeological evidence bearing on the Battle of Marathon. In the northeastern part of the plain of Marathon, about midway between the shore and the foot of Mt. Stavrokoraki and only a few hundred meters from the edge of the Great Marsh, stands the little chapel of the Panagia Mesosporitissa (P1. 31,a), so called because its festival falls about in the middle of the sowing season, November 21st. A short distance in front of the chapel is an old well whose mouth is formed by a large block of white marble (P1. 31,b), and just beyond this are the ruins of a mediaeval tower built of large re-used ancient blocks, conspicuous among which are a large Ionic capital measuring 1.35 meters across the volutes and two large column drums about 0.80 meters in diameter (PI. 31,c-e, 32). These remains of antiquity have always been visible, and the first published notice of them is that of W. M. Leake who, although he did not see them himself on his visits to Marathon, refers to them on the strength of a report from a certain W. Bankes. ' Subsequently they were described, with some variations in detail, by Vischer, Lolling, Eschenburg and Milchhoefer, and they are briefly noted by Frazer and Hitzig-Bluemner.2 Since the end of the nineteenth century, however, they have dropped out of the literature and do not appear in the descriptions of the remains of antiquity
State formation in early maritime Southeast Asia; A consideration of the theories and the data

L'etude des periodes de la fin de la prehistoire et du debut de la protohistoire sur la formation des Etats maritimes de l'Asie du Sud-Est a partir des travaux et theories anterieures montre (1) que le detroit de Malacca et les ports du sud de la mer de Java sont les deux premieres regions a avoir connu un Etat, (2) que la deuxieme periode du processus de formation de l'Etat s'est deroulee entre 200 av. J.-C. et 300 apr. J.-C. lors des changements economiques et politiques des partenaires commerciaux, (3) qu'entre 300 et 600 les liens commerciaux entre l'Inde et l'Asie du Sud-Est se renforcerent alors que des differences entre les Etats de la cote du Detroit de Malacca, Java et Bali s'etablirent
OS-EM Reconstruction for X-ray CT

Computed tomography (CT) is one of the advanced means for non-destructive testing (NDT), which has the virtues of non-destructive, non-contact and high resolution. It is called the best means for NDT by the circle of international NDT. It has been widely applied in diagnostic medicine and industrial non-destructive testing. X-ray CT (XCT) is the most popular CT. Compared with other parts of CT system, reconstruction algorithm is an important part. In this paper, the theory of maximum likelihood estimation is applied to XCT, and ordered subsets expectation maximization (OS-EM) algorithm is studied and implemented. OS-EM algorithm is a feasible iterative method. It can provide good quality reconstructions after only a few iterations. Experiments results with real X-ray CT data show this method is effective. Reconstructed slice images of OS-EM algorithm are accurate and clear.
Long-term follow-up of patients treated with COMP or LSA2L2 therapy for childhood non-Hodgkin's lymphoma: a report of CCG-551 from the Childrens Cancer Group.

PURPOSE We analyzed the long-term results of a Childrens Cancer Group (CCG) randomized study comparing cyclophosphamide, vincristine, methotrexate, and prednisone (COMP) versus LSA2L2 as treatment for childhood non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. The initial results were previously reported (N Engl J Med 308:559, 1983). PATIENTS AND METHODS A total of 429 patients are reported here, 68 with localized disease and 361 with disseminated disease. The distribution of disseminated-disease patients by histologic type was 164 lymphoblastic, 60 large-cell, and 137 undifferentiated lymphomas. Median follow-up duration of surviving patients is 8 years. RESULTS Event-free survival (EFS) of patients with localized disease was 84% at 5 years. No differences were seen between the two treatment regimens. Results for patients with disseminated disease was dependent on histologic subtype: patients with lymphoblastic lymphoma did better when treated with LSA2L2 (5-year EFS of 64% v 35% for COMP); COMP produced better results for patients with undifferentiated lymphoma (5-year EFS of 50% v 29% for LSA2L2). Results for large-cell lymphoma patients were similar (5-year EFS of 52% for COMP v 43% for LSA2L2). Five percent of patients died of treatment-related complications while on therapy (primarily infections). Only four deaths without progression have been observed off-therapy (two from restrictive lung disease, one from an acute asthma attack, one from colon cancer). Patient survival rates after recurrence were poor. CONCLUSION Treatment success can be expected in 84% of pediatric patients with localized non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. For patients with disseminated disease, treatment success can be expected in 64% of those with lymphoblastic and 50% of those with undifferentiated or large-cell disease. To date, late adverse events are rare.
Brain Computer Interface Architectures and Classification Approaches

This paper presents some results of a research work that aims to use Brain - Computer Interfaces to facilitate rehabilitation training of a patient who has lost motor functions. The subject must perform motor imagery tasks that will be transmitted to a computer application. The paper is also focused on the study of classification algorithms that can be optimal candidates for signals classification obtained in order to identify right and left hand movement. Two types of neural networks-based classifiers are used and tested in order to compare the results - Multi-Layer Perceptron (MLP) and Radial Basis Function (RBF), two types of linear classifiers – Linear Discriminant Analysis and Support Vector Machine and K-Nearest Neighbor (KNN).
A Necessary Condition for Waveforms With Better PAPR Than OFDM

This paper establishes a necessary condition that must be satisfied by the modulation waveforms of any generalized waveforms for multicarrier (GWMC) system with better peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) than conventional orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM). GWMC systems include in particular all classical multicarrier modulation systems. As a consequence, we show that OFDM has the best PAPR performance over all GWMC systems that do not satisfy this necessary condition. We also identify an infinite family of GWMC systems with the same PAPR performance as OFDM. To illustrate our results, we present the simulations of the PAPR behavior for different GWMC systems, including some with better PAPR performance than OFDM.
POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC DETERMINANTS OF PRIVATE INVESTMENT

This paper presents empirical evidence that links private investment to rate of return differential, risk aversion, and several types of political and economic risk. Estimating private investment equation for a panel of 25 developing countries over 21 years yields the following results: (i) socio-political instability characterized by nonviolent protests promotes private investment while violent uprisings hinder private investment; (ii) regime change instability characterized by constitutional government change promotes private investment while unconstitutional government change hinders private investment; and (iii) policy uncertainty characterized by variability of contract enforcement rights promotes private investment while variability of government political capacity hinders private investment. Copyright # 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Double Phase Pedestrian Detection with Minimal Number of False Positives per Image

In this paper, we investigate pedestrian detection from visible color imagery in a manner that reduces the number of false positives (FPs) per frame. We propose a simple way to eliminate many of such unwanted FPs that usually result from applying a state-of-the-art pedestrian object detector to a visible color image. The symmetric structure of pedestrian bodies can often be a good clue to distinguish them from non-pedestrians. Hence, each and every individual detected object (bounded box) in the initial step of detection is used to reconstruct some new symmetric-looking objects. If any of these objects are detected, they are confirmed to be a person; otherwise, they are omitted from the very first list of detected objects. Experimental results show how these FPs are removed using such a simple technique while maintaining the previous low miss rate.
Nephrogenic diabetes insipidus in a patient with L1 syndrome: A new report of a contiguous gene deletion syndrome including L1CAM and AVPR2

We report on an infant boy with congenital hydrocephalus due to L1 syndrome and polyuria due to diabetes insipidus. We initially believed his excessive urine loss was from central diabetes insipidus and that the cerebral malformation caused a secondary insufficient pituitary vasopressin release. However, he failed to respond to treatment with a vasopressin analogue, which pointed to nephrogenic diabetes insipidus (NDI). L1 syndrome and X‐linked NDI are distinct clinical disorders caused by mutations in the L1CAM and AVPR2 genes, respectively, located in adjacent positions in Xq28. In this boy we found a deletion of 61,577 basepairs encompassing the entire L1CAM and AVPR2 genes and extending into intron 7 of the ARHGAP4 gene. To our knowledge this is the first description of a patient with a deletion of these three genes. He is the second patient to be described with L1 syndrome and NDI. During follow‐up he manifested complications from the hydrocephalus and NDI including global developmental delay and growth failure with low IGF‐1 and hypothyroidism. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Effect of Terbinafine on Theophylline Pharmacokinetics in Healthy Volunteers

ABSTRACT Twelve healthy volunteers were enrolled in an open-label, randomized, crossover study. Subjects received single doses of theophylline (5 mg/kg) with and without multiple-dose terbinafine, and 11 blood samples were collected over 24 h. The study phases were separated by a 4-week washout period. Theophylline serum data were modeled via noncompartmental analysis. When the control phase (i.e., no terbinafine) was compared to the treatment phase (terbinafine), theophylline exposure (the area under the serum concentration-time curve from time zero to infinity) increased by 16% (P= 0.03), oral clearance decreased by 14% (P = 0.04), and half-life increased by 24% (P = 0.002). No significant changes in other theophylline pharmacokinetic parameters were evident.
Model predictive cooperative cruise control in mixed traffic

This paper presents cooperative adaptive cruising control of multiple cars in automated/un-automated mixed traffic. In order to take account of un-automated cars, the vehicle maneuver is expressed as a PrARX model that is a continuous approximation of hybrid dynamical system. The PrARX model describes the driver's logical decision making as well as continuous maneuver in a uniform manner. The acceleration inputs of automated vehicles are computed in model predictive control framework where the state equation includes a platoon of automated and un-automated cars coupled with PrARX driver models. For computing assisting outputs in real time, a fast computation method for nonlinear model predictive control based on the continuation technique is employed. Simulation studies of the proposed CACC system indicates that explicit prediction of un-automated cars improves the overall stability of the platoon.
The Additive Effect on Suicidality of Family History of Suicidal Behavior and Early Traumatic Experiences

Family history of suicidal behavior and personal history of childhood abuse are reported risk factors for suicide attempts and suicide completion. We aim to quantify the additive effect of family history of suicidal behavior and different subtypes of childhood abuse on suicidal behavior. We examined a sample of 496 suicide attempters, comparing individuals with family history of suicidal behavior and personal history of childhood (physical or sexual) abuse, individuals with family history of suicidal behavior only, individuals with history of early traumatic experiences only, and individuals with none of these two risk factors with regards to suicidal features. An additive effect was found for the age at the first attempt in suicide attempters with both family history of suicidal behavior and either physical or sexual abuse. No significant interactions were found between family history of suicidal behavior and childhood trauma in relation to any characteristics of suicidal behavior. Subjects presenting family history of suicidal behavior and childhood abuse attempt suicide earlier in life than subjects with just one or none of them, particularly if they were sexually abused. Other suicidality indexes were only partially or not associated with this combination of risk factors. A careful assessment of patients with both family history of suicidal behavior and childhood abuse could help to prevent future suicide attempts, particularly in young people.