Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cytoskeletal architecture of isolated mitotic spindle with special reference to microtubule-associated proteins and cytoplasmic dynein

We have studied cytoskeletal architectures of isolated mitotic apparatus from sea urchin eggs using quick-freeze, deep-etch electron microscopy. This method revealed the existence of an extensive three- dimensional network of straight and branching crossbridges between spindle microtubules. The surface of the spindle microtubules was almost entirely covered with hexagonally packed, small, round button- like structures which were very uniform in shape and size (approximately 8 nm in diameter), and these microtubule buttons frequently provided bases for crossbridges between adjacent microtubules. These structures were removed from the surface of microtubules by high salt (0.6 M NaCl) extraction. Microtubule- associated proteins (MAPs) and microtubules isolated from mitotic spindles which were mainly composed of a large amount of 75-kD protein and some high molecular mass (250 kD, 245 kD) proteins were polymerized in vitro and examined by quick-freeze, deep-etch electron microscopy. The surfaces of microtubules were entirely covered with the same hexagonally packed round buttons, the arrangement of which is intimately related to that of tubulin dimers. Short crossbridges and some longer crossbridges were also observed. High salt treatment (0.6 M NaCl) extracted both 75-kD protein and high molecular weight proteins and removed microtubule buttons and most of crossbridges from the surface of microtubules. Considering the relatively high amount of 75- kD protein among MAPs isolated from mitotic spindles, it is concluded that these microtubule buttons probably consist of 75-kD MAP and that some of the crossbridges in vivo could belong to MAPs. Another kind of granule, larger in size (11-26 nm in diameter), was also on occasion associated with the surface of microtubules of mitotic spindles. A fine sidearm sometimes connected the larger granule to adjacent microtubules. Localization of cytoplasmic dynein ATPase in the mitotic spindle was investigated by electron microscopic immunocytochemistry with a monoclonal antibody (D57) against sea urchin sperm flagellar 21S dynein and colloidal gold-labeled second antibody. Immunogold particles were closely associated with spindle microtubules. 76% of these were within 50 nm and 55% were within 20 nm from the surface of the microtubules. These gold particles were sporadically found on both polar and kinetochore microtubules of half-spindles at both metaphase and anaphase. They localized also on the microtubules between sister chromatids in late anaphase. These data indicate that cytoplasmic dynein is attached to the microtubules in sea urchin mitotic spindles. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
GraVF: A vertex-centric distributed graph processing framework on FPGAs

FPGAs are promising platforms to efficiently execute distributed graph algorithms. Unfortunately, they are notoriously hard to program, especially when the problem size and system complexity increases. In this paper, we propose GraVF, a high-level design framework for distributed graph processing on FPGAs. It leverages the vertex-centric paradigm, which is naturally distributed and requires the user to define only very small kernels and their associated message semantics for the target application. The user design may subsequently be elaborated and compiled to the target system automatically by the framework. To demonstrate the flexibility and capabilities of the proposed framework, 4 graph algorithms with distinct requirements have been implemented, namely breadth-first search, PageRank, single source shortest path, and connected component. Results show that the proposed framework is capable of producing FPGA designs with performance comparable to similar custom designs while requiring only minimal input from the user.
Ultrasound is helpful to differentiate Bethesda class III thyroid nodules

Background: Fine-needle aspiration (FNA) is the most dependable tool to triage thyroid nodules for medical or surgical management. However, Bethesda class III cytology, namely “follicular lesion of undetermined significance” (FLUS) or “atypia of undetermined significance” (AUS), is a major limitation of the US-FNA in assessing thyroid nodules. As the most important imaging method, ultrasound (US) has a high efficacy in diagnosing thyroid nodules. This meta-analysis aimed to assess the role of US in evaluating Bethesda class III thyroid nodules. Methods: With keywords “Undetermined Significance,” “Bethesda Category III,” “Bethesda system,” “Cytological Subcategory,” “AUS/FLUS,” “Atypia of Undetermined Significance,” and “Ultrasound/US,” papers in PubMed, Cochrane Library, Medline, Web of Science, Embase, and Google Scholar from inception to December 2016 were searched. A meta-analysis of these trials was then performed for evaluating the diagnostic value of thyroid ultrasound in Bethesda Category III thyroid nodules. Results: Fourteen studies including 2405 nodules were analyzed. According to the criteria for US diagnosis of thyroid nodules in each article, with any one of suspicious features as indictors of malignancy, US had a pooled sensitivity of 0.75 (95% CI 0.72–0.78) and a pooled specificity of 0.48 (95% CI 0.45–0.50) in evaluating Bethesda Class III Nodules. The pooled diagnostic odds ratio was 10.92 (95% CI 6.04–19.74). The overall area under the curve was 0.84 and the Q* index was 0.77. With any 2 or 3 of US suspicious features as indictors of malignancy, the sensitivity and specificity were 0.77 (95% CI 0.71–0.83) and 0.54 (95% CI 0.51–0.58), 0.66 (95% CI 0.59–0.73) and 0.71 (95% CI 0.68–0.74), respectively. Conclusions: US was helpful for differentiating benign and malignant Bethesda class III thyroid nodules, with the more suspicious features, the more likely to be malignant.
Volumetrics - Measuring free volumes

Novel applications emerge as new, more precise and lesser expensive technologies of 3D scanning are becoming available in the market. The recently launched Microsoft-Kinect camera, based on the Prime Sense sensor, is an excellent example of such a 3D scanning technology. Despite having been designed for the computer games market, it can launch a number of successful, cost-effective and industrial applications. The information provided by these depth cameras is commonly fused with well known tools, like the Iterative Closest Point (ICP) algorithm and volumetric computational algorithms. The objective of this work is therefore the application of these tools in the creation of two industrial applications (systems), using geometric information in order to speed up their computation and increase their precision. The ﬁrst application encompasses the development of a system that detects if the containers transported by a conveyor belt have some kind of residues. Normal information is used in this application for increasing computational time of the box identiﬁcation step while image processing tools will adjudge its classiﬁcation. In the second application, an automatic free volume estimator, normal information will be used in order to increase the system’s precision as it will regulate the point matching step. A volume computational algorithm will be used and its precision will be analysed. The reliability of the applications will be studied based on a set of carried out experiments involving simulated and real data. Experiments have been carried out involving simulated and real data within both applications.
BOUNDS FOR A MAXIMAL DYADIC SUM OPERATOR

The authors prove L bounds in the range 1 < p < ∞ for a maximal dyadic sum operator on R. This maximal operator provides a discrete multidimensional model of Carleson’s operator. Its boundedness is obtained by a simple twist of the proof of Carleson’s theorem given by Lacey and Thiele [6] adapted in higher dimensions [8]. In dimension one, the L boundedness of this maximal dyadic sum implies in particular an alternative proof of Hunt’s extension [3] of Carleson’s theorem on almost everywhere convergence of Fourier integrals. 1. The Carleson-Hunt theorem A celebrated theorem of Carleson [1] states that the Fourier series of a squareintegrable function on the circle converges almost everywhere to the function. Hunt [3] extended this theorem to L functions for 1 < p < ∞. Alternative proofs of Carleson’s theorem were provided by C. Fefferman [2] and by Lacey and Thiele [6]. The last authors proved the theorem on the line, i.e. they showed that for f in L(R) the sequence of functions SN(f)(x) = ∫ |ξ|≤N f̂(ξ)edξ converges to f(x) for almost all x ∈ R as N → ∞. This result was obtained as a consequence of the boundedness of the maximal operator C(f) = sup N>0 |SN(f)| from L(R) into L2,∞(R). In view of the transference theorem of Kenig and Tomas [4] the above result is equivalent to the analogous theorem for Fourier series on the circle. Lacey and Thiele [5] have also obtained a proof of Hunt’s theorem by adapting the techniques in [6] to the L case but this proof is rather complicated compared with the relatively short and elegant proof they gave for p = 2. Investigating higher dimensional analogues, Pramanik and Terwilleger [8] recently adapted the proof of Carleson’s theorem by Lacey and Thiele [6] to prove weak type (2, 2) bounds for a discrete maximal operator on R similar to the one which arises in the aforementioned proof. After a certain averaging procedure, this result provides an alternative proof of Sjölin’s [10] theorem on the weak L boundedness of Date: December 11, 2002. 1991 Mathematics Subject Classification. Primary 42A20. Secondary 42A24.
An investigation into two approaches for resource allocation and scheduling

One source of complexity in tackling realistic scheduling problems comes from activities with resource alternatives. Such activities have a choice of resources to utilize. These resources may vary in their processing speed and the constraints upon them. The decision of which resource to use to process an activity can have a significant impact upon the quality of the schedule. A number of approaches for dealing with combined resource allocation and scheduling problems have been proposed. In this paper we present new techniques based on two of these approaches: complete decomposition prior to scheduling and multiple alternative decomposition scheduling. We investigate experimentally whether the higher computational cost of decision making and added complexity of using multiple alternative decompositions results in better scheduling performance than the complete decomposition prior to scheduling approach.
Direct measurement of post‐prandial portal haemodynamics in cirrhotic patients with a transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic stent‐shunt

Objective Portal haemodynamics vary in response to eating and other stimuli, but any increase in portal venous pressure (PVP) in cirrhotic patients may be a risk factor for variceal bleeding. We directly assessed postprandial splanchnic haemodynamics in cirrhotic patients with a transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic stent-shunt (TIPSS) in situ. Methods A thermodilution catheter was inserted via the patent TIPSS into the portal vein in 12 cirrhotic patients. PVP, portal venous flow (PVF) (thermodilution method), portal vascular resistance (PVR), porto-atrial pressure gradient (PPG), heart rate, mean arterial pressure (MAP) and right atrial pressure (RAP) were measured. A 505 kcal meal was given and all haemodynamic measurements were repeated at 15 min intervals for 60 min. Results Following the meal, there was a significant rise in PVP from 11.2 ± 1.5 to 14.0 ± 1.9 mmHg at 15 min, and 14.0 ± 1.8 mmHg at 30 min (P< 0.001); in PPG from 9.5 ± 1.4 to 12.7 ± 2.2 mmHg at 15 min and 12.7 ± 2.1 mmHg at 30 min (P < 0.005); and in PVF from 1110.2 ± 141.1 to 1543.2 ± 227.6 ml/min at 30 min (P< 0.01). PVR fell from 0.08 ± 0.01 to 0.05 ± 0.01 RU at 30 min (P < 0.05). Heart rate increased from 77 ± 4.1 to 80.5 ± 5.4 bpm at 15 min (P< 0.05), but MAP and RAP remained unchanged. Conclusion In cirrhotic patients with TIPSS, significant changes in portal haemodynamics occur at 15–30 min following a meal, with minimal effect on systemic haemodynamics. This model offers a new technique to directly assess the causes for and possible treatments of post-prandial splanchnic hyperaemia in cirrhosis.
The role of oncogenic human papillomavirus determination for diagnosis of high-grade anal intraepithelial neoplasia in HIV-infected MSM

Objective: To assess the oncogenic human papillomavirus (HPV) determination and the cotesting HPV and anal cytology value to detect high-grade anal intraepithelial neoplasia (HGAIN) in a cohort of HIV–MSM. Design and methods: Prospective study of HIV-infected MSM who underwent screening for anal dysplasia. Screening program includes anal cytology, HPV testing, and high-resolution anoscopy (HRA) at each visit. Histological samples were obtained if suspicious lesions were revealed by HRA. Sensitivity and specificity of the different tests were calculated by using histological results of HRA-guided biopsy as the reference test for HGAIN diagnosis. Results: From May 2009 to August 2016, 692 HIV-infected MSM underwent 1827 anal cytologies, 1841 HRA examinations, and 1607 HPV testing. At first screening visit, anal cytology results were abnormal in 418 (60.4%) of 692 patients, and oncogenic HPV genotypes were found in 482 (79.5%) of 606 patients. Anal cytology showed a sensitivity of 89.2% [95% confidence interval (CI); 80.7–94.2] and a specificity of 44.2% (95% CI; 40.2–48.2) to detect HGAIN. Oncogenic HPV testing had 90.4% sensitivity (95% CI; 82–86.8) and 24.4% specificity (95% CI; 20.8–28.3). Cotesting showed a 97.4% sensitivity (95% CI; 91–99.3) and 14% specificity (95% CI; 11.2–17.3). In patients with atypical squamous cells of uncertain significance on cytology, oncogenic HPV testing had 91.3% sensitivity and 28.3% specificity to detect HGAIN. Conclusion: Abnormal cytology and oncogenic HPV determination showed similar sensitivity for detecting HGAIN. The two tests used together improved the sensitivity but with lowered specificity. In our opinion, HPV testing does not improve HGAIN detection and should not replace anal cytology as a standard screening test for HIV-infected MSM.
Estimation of the cell number of heart muscles in normal rats.

The total number of heart muscle cells of rats was estimated by a histometrical method. It was approximately 5 millions immediately after birth and rapidly increased to over 19 millions in the first month of life. Then it gradually increased to 20-22 millions by the age of 2 years. The total number of interstitial cells was approximately 3.5 millions immediately after birth, and increased progres-sively to 28 millions in a month, to 68 millions in a year and to 72 millions in 2 years. The number of heart muscle cells per 1mm3 of heart muscle was approximately 330, 000 immediately after birth and decreased with growth to about 1/9 of the initial number in 2 years. It was concluded that the heart muscle cells as well as the interstitial cells increased by cell division even after birth, and that the heart muscle cells not only increased in number, but also grew in size during the normal growth of the organ.
Convergence of articulation rate in spontaneous speech

This paper presents results from a project on phonetic convergence in German spontaneous speech. We used linear mixed models to examine 22 unimodal and 24 multimodal dialogs for articulation rate. We show that speakers’ local articulation rates are influenced by the preceding rates of their interlocutors, and that the direction of this influence (i.e., divergence or convergence) depends on social factors, viz. interactants’ mutual likeability scores. More specifically, we found that in general there was a “default” effect of divergence in articulation rates which was not mediated by social factors. However, this effect was weakened or reversed for higher mutual liking scores, i.e. the degree of convergence increased with the liking scores. Furthermore, while it has recently been suggested that convergence may be enhanced in multimodal settings, we did not find an effect of modality on convergence. However, there was an effect of modality on articulation rate in general.
Phase II randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of AMG 386 (trebananib) in combination with cisplatin and capecitabine in patients with metastatic gastro-oesophageal cancer.

BACKGROUND We evaluated AMG 386, an investigational peptibody that neutralizes the interaction between angiopoietins-1 and -2 and the Tie2 receptor, combined with cisplatin/capecitabine (CX) as first-line treatment for metastatic gastro-oesophageal cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS Patients with metastatic gastric, gastro-oesophageal junction, or distal oesophageal adenocarcinoma were randomized 1:1:1 to CX (cisplatin 80 mg/m(2) IV Q3W; capecitabine 1000 mg/m(2) P.O. BID for 14 days Q3W) plus intravenous AMG 386 10 mg/kg QW (Arm A) or 3 mg/kg QW (Arm B), or placebo QW (Arm C). The primary end point was estimated progression-free survival (PFS). RESULTS A total of 171 patients were enrolled. Median estimated PFS in Arms A, B, and C was 4.2, 4.9, and 5.2 months, respectively (hazard ratio for Arms A+B combined versus Arm C, 0.98; 95% CI 0.67-1.43; P = 0.92). Objective response rates were 27% (Arm A), 43% (Arm B), and 35% (Arm C). Incidence of grade ≥3 adverse events was 80% in Arm A, 84% in Arm B, and 75% in Arm C. There was no evidence of pharmacokinetic interactions. CONCLUSIONS In this study, PFS and ORR were estimated to be similar with AMG 386 plus CX and placebo plus CX treatment. Compared with placebo, toxicity of AMG 386 plus CX was greater but manageable. PREVIOUS PRESENTATION The results of this study have not been previously published or submitted for publication elsewhere. The results were presented in part at the Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium, San Francisco, CA, January 20-22, 2011. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov registration number: NCT00583674.
Una evaluación de las actitudes relacionadas con la ciencia

A taxonomy of science related attitudes with four basic dimensions (global image, social aspects, school aspects, and science characteristics) has been assessed by means of a questionnaire, made independently of the taxonomy. The aim is to show how the use of the taxonomy allows us to overcome the methodologic and conceptual difficulties in the measurement of attitudes. Applied to a representative sample of secondary and university students, the results show a moderately positive attitude and some significant attitudinal differences among the taxonomy's dimensions. The image of science dimension has the best attitudinal mean score, while the social aspect dimension has the worst score. Attitudes towards school aspects of science and the characteristics of scientific knowledge elicit intermediate attitudinal scores. Science teachers can find in this paper some patterns and instruments to assess the students' science related attitudes.
Vitamin A supplementation for the reduction of the risk of mother-to-child transmission of HIV

Although advances in HIV prevention and treatment suggest the possibility of creating an AIDS-free generation, many areas of the world still suffer from high rates of mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) of HIV. Interventions proven to significantly decrease rates of MTCT of HIV are often unavailable in resource-limited settings due to lack of reliable clean water, low numbers of hospital deliveries and inconsistent availability of antiretroviral medications. Vitamin A, with its multiple roles in epithelial, reproductive and immune function, has been evaluated as a possible intervention for preventing MTCT. Early observational studies suggested an association between vitamin A deficiency and increased rates of MTCT of HIV; however, the controlled studies that followed did not find a benefit for vitamin A in decreasing MTCT rates. Although vitamin A has some benefits for infants postpartum, it is not recommended for the reduction of the risk of MTCT of HIV.
Teaching in the outpatient clinic

ConclusionsOne of the strengths of ambulatory education is the opportunity for learners to interact with patients and for teachers to model what they enjoy most about medicine without the intervening technology common to hospital wards. When medical students from the graduating class of 1990 were asked in a national survey what would make the specially of internal medicine more attractive as a career, the most common suggestion was to increase the ambulatory experience and the connections with patients that such an experience provides.More research is necessary to identify which teaching techniques are effective in the clinic.3 Meanwhile, this article makes practical suggestions based on what is known about effective teachers and their behaviors. When teachers ask questions, present general rules, and model interactions, they create brief opportunities for teaching in an otherwise hectic day. Not only do learners recall these general rules, they subsequently want to emulate the teacher's caring attitude toward patients and organized approach to problem solving. Asking questions and modeling interactions help teachers share themselves and their love of medicine with their learners.
Testing Object-Oriented Configurators With ASP

Testing is an important aspect of every software project. For configurator applications it is equally important but often neglected. This paper shows how to support testing object-oriented and constraint-based configurators by automatically generating positive and negative test cases using answer set programming (ASP). The object-model of the configurator is mapped to ASP code; the constraints to be tested are coded redundantly in ASP. Based on that, the ASP solver generates appropriate test cases, which are then used for unit testing in the object-oriented configurator. There are different strategies to improve this basic process, e.g. reduction of the number of test cases with symmetry breaking.
The Role of Conversation Context for Sarcasm Detection in Online Interactions

Computational models for sarcasm detection have often relied on the content of utterances in isolation. However, speaker’s sarcastic intent is not always obvious without additional context. Focusing on social media discussions, we investigate two issues: (1) does modeling of conversation context help in sarcasm detection and (2) can we understand what part of conversation context triggered the sarcastic reply. To address the first issue, we investigate several types of Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) networks that can model both the conversation context and the sarcastic response. We show that the conditional LSTM network (Rocktäschel et al. 2015) and LSTM networks with sentence level attention on context and response outperform the LSTM model that reads only the response. To address the second issue, we present a qualitative analysis of attention weights produced by the LSTM models with attention and discuss the results compared with human performance on the task.