Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Maternal cardiovascular profiling in the first trimester of pregnancies complicated with gestation-induced hypertension or fetal growth retardation: a pilot study

Abstract Objective: In this study, we determine whether maternal cardiovascular (CV) profiling can detect first trimester differences between women with uncomplicated pregnancies (UP) and those who will develop gestational hypertensive disorders (GHD) or normotensive fetal growth retardation (FGR). Methods: Cardiac, arterial, and venous function were evaluated in 242 pregnant women around 12 weeks of gestation, using impedance cardiography (ICG) and combined electrocardiogram – Doppler ultrasonography. After postnatal determination of gestational outcome, first trimester measurements were compared between groups using Mann–Whitney U test for continuous data or Fisher’s Exact test for categorical variables (SPSS 20.0). Results: Compared to UP, first trimester aortic flow velocity index [71 ± 0.96 versus 61 ± 4.91 1/1000/s (p = 0.016)], acceleration index [133 ± 2.25 versus 106 ± 11.26 1/100/s2 (p = 0.023)] and Heather index [23.1 ± 0.35 versus 19.2 ± 1.70 Ω/s2 (p = 0.019)] were lower in GHD pregnancies, and first trimester stroke volume [77 ± 1.16 versus 67 ± 3.97 ml (p = 0.033)] and cardiac output [7.3 ± 0.10 versus 6.2 ± 0.31 l/min (p = 0.025)] were lower in FGR pregnancies. Conclusions: Maternal CV function in the first trimester of pregnancy differs between UP and those destined to develop GHD or FGR. This can be assessed with non-invasive maternal CV profiling, opening perspectives for the application of this technique in early gestational screening for GHD and FGR.
Optimized top-k processing with global page scores on block-max indexes

Large web search engines are facing formidable performance challenges because they have to process thousands of queries per second on tens of billions of documents, within interactive response time. Among many others, Top-k query processing (also called early termination or dynamic pruning) is an important class of optimization techniques that can improve the search efficiency and achieve faster query processing by avoiding the scoring of documents that are unlikely to be in the top results. One recent technique is using Block-Max index. In the Block-Max index, the posting lists are organized as blocks and the maximum score for each block is stored to improve the query efficiency. Although query processing speedup is achieved with Block-Max index, the ranking function for the Top-k results is the term-based approach. It is well known that documents' static scores are also important for a good ranking function. In this paper, we show that the performance of the state-of-the-art algorithms with the Block-Max index is degraded when the static score is added in the ranking function. Then we study efficient techniques for Top-k query processing in the case where a page's static score is given, such as PageRank, in addition to the term-based approach. In particular, we propose a set of new algorithms based on the WAND and MaxScore with Block-Max index using local score, which outperform the existing ones. Then we propose new techniques to estimate a better score upper bound for each block. We also study the search efficiency on different index structures where the document identifiers are assigned by URL sorting or by static document scores. Experiments on TREC GOV2 and ClueWeb09B show that considerable performance gains are achieved.
JsFlow: Integration of Massive Streams and Batches via JSON-based Dataflow Algebra

Data processing frameworks including Hadoop and Spark have been essential tools for processing massive data in recent BigData Era. In many analyzing scenarios, it is a natural choice to combine multiple data processing frameworks (i.e. stream and batch processings) to meet various data processing requirements. However, these scenarios require us to solve two major problems: (1) we need to choose an appropriate combination of frameworks for the performance requirements, and (2) we have to build and maintain codes written in different programming models that bind to the frameworks. In this paper, we address the problems of combining multiple data processing frameworks. We present a novel framework JsFlow that integrates stream and batch processings in a single system. JsFlow provides a uniformed programming model for stream and batch processings by using JSON-based dataflow algebra. JsFlow accepts processing dataflows and deploys them over appropriate processing frameworks (e.g. Spark and Spark Streaming) according to the performance requirements. We experimentally confirmed the effectiveness of JsFlow compared with the state-of-the-art frameworks for processing real-world BigData.
Adaptive Multifunctional Circuits and Systems for Future Generations of Wireless Communications

By sharing building blocks between different applications and standards, portable wireless devices gain advantage over their predecessors: they use a smaller chip area, consume less power, and have a potential for lower overall cost. This requires the development of adaptive circuits and systems that are able to trade off power consumption for performance on the fly. Realization of the adaptivity function requires scaling of circuit parameters to the demands of the signal-processing task. Basic aspects of the mechanisms underlying the operation of adaptive receivers and adaptive circuits are examined in this paper, and methodologies for their synthesis discussed
Renal-Transplant Recipients and Sun Protection

Background. The incidence of skin carcinomas in organ-transplant recipients is high. The main factors implicated in carcinogenesis are immune suppression and ultraviolet radiation. Only the second is avoidable. We have evaluated knowledge of and compliance with sun protection measures among renal-transplant recipients (RTR). Methods. A survey by means of a questionnaire including questions about clinical data, knowledge of, and compliance with sun protection was given. The questionnaire was given to 520 consecutive RTR followed up in a single center, and 445 (86%) answered. Results. Of the responders, 91% have been informed of the need for sun protection, in 80% of cases by dermatologists. Sixty-eight percent used more protective measures abroad than at home, 63% avoided going outside during the hottest midday hours, 63% used sunscreen regularly, but 46% used one or less tube of sunscreen a year. A hat was always worn in the sun by 35% and long sleeves by 36%. Women and fair-skinned individuals complied better with protective measures. A minority of patients knew that ultraviolet radiation carries a risk of skin cancer. Conclusions. This survey shows that most RTR are aware of the need for sun protection, but only a minority take adequate protection measures. The better results observed in this study than in previous published investigations may be caused by the great involvement of dermatologists in the care of RTR in our institution. The results of this survey underline the need to inform RTR better about sun-protection measures and the importance of cooperation between transplant physicians and dermatologists.
Afferent–Target Cell Interactions in the Cerebellum: Negative Effect of Granule Cells on Purkinje Cell Development in Lurcher Mice

Lurcher (Lc) is a gain-of-function mutation in the δ2 glutamate receptor gene that results in a large, constitutive inward current in the cerebellar Purkinje cells of +/Lcmice. +/Lc Purkinje cells fail to differentiate fully and die during postnatal development. In normal mice, interactions with granule cells promote Purkinje cell dendritic differentiation. Partial destruction of the granule cell population in young +/Lcmice by x irradiation resulted in a significant increase in Purkinje cell dendritic growth and improved cytoplasmic structure but did not prevent Purkinje cell death. These results indicate two components to Purkinje cell abnormalities in +/Lc mice: a retardation/blockade of dendritic development that is mediated by interactions with granule cells and the death of the cell. Thus, the normal trophic effects of granule cell interaction on Purkinje cell development are absent in the +/Lc cerebellum, suggesting that granule cells are powerful regulators of Purkinje cell differentiation.
Linear DNA Low Efficiency Transfection by Liposome Can Be Improved by the Use of Cationic Lipid as Charge Neutralizer

A plasmid expressing the β‐galactosidase enzyme was used to transfect Vero cells in order to evaluate the efficiency of a liposome‐mediated transfection by circular and linear DNA. The results obtained showed a low rate of transfection by linear DNA:liposome complexes. To explore whether the structure of the complexes was interfering with the transfection, atomic force microscopy (AFM) was used. It has confirmed the difference between the linear and circular condensates: whereas the circular DNA:liposome complexes presented compact spherical or cylindrical structures of about 100–800 nm, the linear DNA showed pearl necklace‐like structures, with pearls varying from 250 to 400 nm. On the basis of the theory proposed by Kuhn et al. (1999), low concentrations of cationic amphihile were used to neutralize or reverse the DNA charge in order to improve the transfection efficiency of the linearDNA. Using this method, we were able to obtain the expression of the transgene without an associated toxicity observed with the linear DNA liposome delivery.
Phase IIB/III Trial of Tenecteplase in Acute Ischemic Stroke: Results of a Prematurely Terminated Randomized Clinical Trial

Background and Purpose— Intravenous alteplase (rtPA) remains the only approved treatment for acute ischemic stroke, but its use remains limited. In a previous pilot dose-escalation study, intravenous tenecteplase showed promise as a potentially safer alternative. Therefore, a Phase IIB clinical trial was begun to (1) choose a best dose of tenecteplase to carry forward; and (2) to provide evidence for either promise or futility of further testing of tenecteplase versus rtPA. If promise was established, then the trial would continue as a Phase III efficacy trial comparing the selected tenecteplase dose to standard rtPA. Methods— The trial began as a small, multicenter, randomized, double-blind, controlled clinical trial comparing 0.1, 0.25, and 0.4 mg/kg tenecteplase with standard 0.9 mg/kg rtPA in patients with acute stroke within 3 hours of onset. An adaptive sequential design used an early (24-hour) assessment of major neurological improvement balanced against occurrence of symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage to choose a “best” dose of tenecteplase to carry forward. Once a “best” dose was established, the trial was to continue until at least 100 pairs of the selected tenecteplase dose versus standard rtPA could be compared by 3-month outcome using the modified Rankin Scale in an interim analysis. Decision rules were devised to yield a clear recommendation to either stop for futility or to continue into Phase III. Results— The trial was prematurely terminated for slow enrollment after only 112 patients had been randomized at 8 clinical centers between 2006 and 2008. The 0.4-mg/kg dose was discarded as inferior after only 73 patients were randomized, but the selection procedure was still unable to distinguish between 0.1 mg/kg and 0.25 mg/kg as a propitious dose at the time the trial was stopped. There were no statistically persuasive differences in 3-month outcomes between the remaining tenecteplase groups and rtPA. Symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage rates were highest in the discarded 0.4-mg/kg tenecteplase group and lowest (0 of 31) in the 0.1-mg/kg tenecteplase group. Neither promise nor futility could be established. Conclusion— This prematurely terminated trial has demonstrated the potential efficiency of a novel design in selecting a propitious dose for future study of a new thrombolytic agent for acute stroke. Given the truncation of the trial, no convincing conclusions can be made about the promise of future study of tenecteplase in acute stroke.
Multi-hop Cooperative Wireless Networks: Diversity Multiplexing Tradeoff and Optimal Code Design

We consider single-source single-sink (ss-ss) multi-hop relay networks, with slow-fading links and single-antenna half-duplex relay nodes. While two-hop cooperative relay networks have been studied in great detail in terms of the diversity-multiplexing tradeoff (DMT), few results are available for more general networks. In this paper, we identify two families of networks that are multi-hop generalizations of the two-hop network: K-Parallel-Path (KPP)networks and layered networks.KPP networks, can be viewed as the union of K node-disjoint parallel relaying paths, each of length greater than one. KPP networks are then generalized to KPP(I) networks, which permit interference between paths and to KPP(D) networks, which possess a direct link from source to sink. We characterize the DMT of these families of networks completely for K > 3. Layered networks are networks comprising of layers of relays with edges existing only between adjacent layers, with more than one relay in each layer. We prove that a linear DMT between the maximum diversity dmax and the maximum multiplexing gain of 1 is achievable for single-antenna fully-connected layered networks. This is shown to be equal to the optimal DMT if the number of relaying layers is less than 4.For multiple-antenna KPP and layered networks, we provide an achievable DMT, which is significantly better than known lower bounds for half duplex networks.For arbitrary multi-terminal wireless networks with multiple source-sink pairs, the maximum achievable diversity is shown to be equal to the min-cut between the corresponding source and the sink, irrespective of whether the network has half-duplex or full-duplex relays. For arbitrary ss-ss single-antenna directed acyclic networks with full-duplex relays, we prove that a linear tradeoff between maximum diversity and maximum multiplexing gain is achievable.Along the way, we derive the optimal DMT of a generalized parallel channel and derive lower bounds for the DMT of triangular channel matrices, which are useful in DMT computation of various protocols. We also give alternative and often simpler proofs of several existing results and show that codes achieving full diversity on a MIMO Rayleigh fading channel achieve full diversity on arbitrary fading channels. All protocols in this paper are explicit and use only amplify-and-forward (AF) relaying. We also construct codes with short block-lengths based on cyclic division algebras that achieve the optimal DMT for all the proposed schemes.Two key implications of the results in the paper are that the half-duplex constraint does not entail any rate loss for a large class of cooperative networks and that simple AF protocols are often sufficient to attain the optimal DMT
Designing wellbeing

This two-day workshop will bring together an interdisciplinary group of researchers, designers and practitioners who are interested in the topic of wellbeing in the field of interaction design. Wellbeing is defined as positive mental health, and not only the absence of mental illness, but also the presence of positive psychological functioning. The workshop will provide a platform to share resources, create new ideas for design and build valuable future collaborations. During the first day participants will present their work and exchange their knowledge and experiences in the field. The workshop will utilize a series of interactive activities to support participants in collaboratively constructing a shared understanding of the concept of wellbeing and its challenges in terms of design. On the second day participants will be invited to create low-fidelity prototypes that support an aspect of wellbeing using Microsoft . NET Gadgeteer and other prototyping materials. These practical activities will stimulate discussion so as to contribute to a better understanding of how wellbeing can be facilitated through design, how to address evaluation challenges as well as illustrate related ethical questions.
Experimental verification of sub-wavelength holographic lithography physical concept for single exposure fabrication of complex structures on planar and nonplanar surfaces

Authors of the report have been developing Sub-Wavelength Holographic Lithography (SWHL) methods of aerial image creation for IC layer topologies for the last several years. Sub-wavelength holographic masks (SWHM) have a number of substantial advantages in comparison with the traditional masks, which are used in projection photo-microlithography. The main advantages: there is no one-to-one correspondence between mask and image elements thus the effect of local mask defects almost completely eliminated [1]; holographic mask may consist of single-tipe elements with typical size many times bigger than projection mask elements [2]; technological methods of image quality optimization can be replaced by virtual routines in the process of the holographic mask calculating, that simplifies mask manufacturing and dramatically reduces the mask cost [3]; imaging via holographic mask does not need the projection lens, that significantly simplifies photolithographic tool and reduces ones cost. Our group developed effective methods of holographic mask synthesis and of aerial images modelling and created software package. This methods and calculation results were verified and reported many times [1-3].
The bkdR gene of Pseudomonas putida is required for expression of the bkd operon and encodes a protein related to Lrp of Escherichia coli

Branched-chain keto acid dehydrogenase is a multienzyme complex which is required for the metabolism of the branched-chain amino acids in Pseudomonas putida. The structural genes encoding all four proteins of the bkd operon have been cloned, and their nucleotide sequences have been determined (G. Burns, K. T. Madhusudhan, K. Hatter, and J. R. Sokatch, p. 177-184 in S. Silver, A. M. Chakrabarty, B. Iglewski, and S. Kaplan [ed.], Pseudomonas: Biotransformations, Pathogenesis, and Evolving Biotechnology, American Society for Microbiology, Washington D.C., 1990). An open reading frame which encoded a protein with 36.5% amino acid identity to the leucine-responsive regulatory protein (Lrp) of Escherichia coli was found immediately upstream of the bkd operon. Chromosomal mutations affecting this gene, named bkdR, resulted in a loss of ability to use branched-chain amino acids as carbon and energy sources and failure to produce branched-chain keto acid dehydrogenase. These mutations were complemented in trans by plasmids which contained intact bkdR. Mutations affecting bkdR did not have any effect on transport of branched-chain amino acids or transamination. Therefore, the bkdR gene product must affect expression of the bkd operon and regulation must be positive. Mutations affecting bkdR could also be complemented by plasmids containing lrp of E. coli. This is the first instance of a Lrp-like protein demonstrated to regulate expression of an operon outside of E. coli.
Spatially-Adaptive Reconstruction in Computed Tomography Using Neural Networks

We propose a supervised machine learning approach for boosting existing signal and image recovery methods and demonstrate its efficacy on example of image reconstruction in computed tomography. Our technique is based on a local nonlinear fusion of several image estimates, all obtained by applying a chosen reconstruction algorithm with different values of its control parameters. Usually such output images have different bias/variance trade-off. The fusion of the images is performed by feed-forward neural network trained on a set of known examples. Numerical experiments show an improvement in reconstruction quality relatively to existing direct and iterative reconstruction methods.
A Multilevel Approach for the Routing and Wavelength Assignment Problem

In this paper we present a multilevel approach for the static routing and wavelength assignment (RWA) problem. The RWA deals with the problem of assigning paths and wavelengths to requests in optical communication networks. The multilevel approach is a general solution strategy involving stepwise coarsening the original problem instance, solving a simplified instance and expanding the solution back to the original size. We propose both a multilevel-inspired construction heuristic and a multilevel algorithm using iterated local search for refinement. These algorithms significantly improve previous approaches regarding time consumption and solution quality for large instances.
Genetic variation in fitness within a clonal population of a plant RNA virus

A long-standing observation in evolutionary virology is that RNA virus populations are highly polymorphic, composed by a mixture of genotypes whose abundances in the population depend on complex interaction between fitness differences, mutational coupling and genetic drift. It was shown long ago, though in cell cultures, that most of these genotypes had lower fitness than the population they belong, an observation that explained why single-virion passages turned on Muller’s ratchet while very large population passages resulted in fitness increases in novel environments. Here we report the results of an experiment specifically designed to evaluate in vivo the fitness differences among the subclonal components of a clonal population of the plant RNA virus tobacco etch potyvirus (TEV). Over 100 individual biological subclones from a TEV clonal population well adapted to the natural tobacco host were obtained by infectivity assays on a local lesion host. The replicative fitness of these subclones was then evaluated during infection of tobacco relative to the fitness of large random samples taken from the starting clonal population. Fitness was evaluated at increasing number of days post-inoculation. We found that at early days, the average fitness of subclones was significantly lower than the fitness of the clonal population, thus confirming previous observations that most subclones contained deleterious mutations. However, as the number of days of viral replication increases, population size expands exponentially, more beneficial and compensatory mutations are produced, and selection becomes more effective in optimizing fitness, the differences between subclones and the population disappeared.
Binarization of Color Characters in Scene Images Using k-means Clustering and Support Vector Machines

This paper proposes a new technique for binalizing multicolored characters subject to heavy degradations. The key ideas are threefold. The first is generation of tentatively binarized images via every dichotomization of k clusters obtained by k-means clustering in the HSI color space. The total number of tentatively binarized images equals 2^k−2. The second is use of support vector machines (SVM) to determine whether and to what degree each tentatively binarized image represents a character or non-character. We feed the SVM with mesh and weighted direction code histogram features to output the degree of “character-likeness. ” The third is selection of a single binarized image with the maximum degree of “character likeness” as an optimal binarization result. Experiments using a total of 1000 single-character color images extracted from the ICDAR 2003 robust OCR dataset show that the proposed method achieves a correct binarization rate of 93.7%.