Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The prognostic value of first-trimester cystatin C levels for gestational complications

Abstract Aims: This study is designed to evaluate predictive value of first-trimester cystatin C levels for long-term pregnancy complications. Methods: The cross-sectional study population consisted of patients who admitted to outpatient clinic of a Maternity Hospital between September 2013 and December 2014. Among the 203 participants who accepted to participate in the study, 174 subjects who continued antenatal follow-up in the same clinic were included in the final analyses. Cystatin C, blood urea nitrogen, Creatinine levels and estimated glomerular filtration rates were evaluated in the first-trimester routine antenatal visit. Mode of delivery and gestational complications were noted. Results: First-trimester cystatin C levels were significantly higher in cases complicated with preterm delivery and premature rupture of membrane (PROM) compared to uncomplicated ones (0.58±0.07 vs. 0.55±0.07, P=0.041, and 0.58±0.07 vs. 0.55±0.07, P=0.036). With a cutoff value of 0.505 mg/L, sensitivity of cystatin C for preterm delivery and PROM was 91.9% and specificity was 27.7% with a negative predictive value of 92.3% and a positive predictive value of 26.6%. Conclusion: Detection of cystatin C levels in the first trimester of pregnancy for the prediction of preterm/PROM seems as a promising preliminary data. The relatively higher first-trimester cystatin C levels in complicated pregnancies are conspicuous. The results imply that in pregnancy cystatin C might be more than a marker for renal function.
Multi-resolution analysis by empirical mode decomposition for usable speech detection

Many applications of speech communication and speaker identification suffer from the problem of co-channel speech. This paper deals with a multi-resolution analysis by empirical mode decomposition for usable speech segments detection of co-channel speech. Usable speech detected could be processed by a speaker identification system. Experiment and evaluation of this method is performed on TIMIT database.
Unsupervised Clustering of Free-Living Human Activities using Ambulatory Accelerometry

This paper investigates unsupervised pattern recognition approaches to segment raw accelerometer signals into a sequence of events, for activity monitoring in a free-living environment. Ambulatory devices, such as accelerometers, have made it possible to classify movement, measure long-term trends in activity, and detect unexpected events such as falls. While such technologies are gaining acceptance for use in controlled clinical settings, their use in varying and unrestricted environments is still problematic. This is principally due to the difficulty of obtaining sufficient annotated data to train supervised event classification models, exacerbated by the fact that the most significant events are likely to be extremely rare. To address these limitations, this paper researches two unsupervised event segmentation techniques to (1) coherently cluster free-living activities and (2) detect unspecified unusual events, without requiring labelled data for prior learning. Experiments are presented for the clustering of data collected from a subject in free-living conditions using a triaxial accelerometer attached to the waist. Results show high overall cluster purity performances of 0.81 for the coherent clustering of activities, and 'intuitive' clusters that suggest atypical activities for the unusual event experiments.
Oesophageal temperature differences in children.

SUMMARY Longitudinal oesophageal temperature differences were measured in 160 anaesthetized and intubated children. All showed an area of ventilatory cooling similar to that already reported in adults. It is suggested that oesophageal temperature probes should be inserted a distance of 10+2×age in years/3cm below the corniculate cartilages, but that readings should be taken up to 2 cm above and below this point before fixing to confirm that the lead is below the area affected by ventilation. For infants, a lead packed off at the back of the pharynx 2 cm above the corniculate cartilages proved sufficiently accurate for routine monitoring.
Epidemiological and molecular assessment of a measles outbreak in a highly vaccinated population of northeast Italy

SUMMARY Two distinct measles outbreaks, unrelated from the epidemiological point of view but caused by genetically related strains, occurred in the Friuli Venezia Giulia region of northeastern Italy. Forty-two cases were reported during the period April–May 2008. In the first outbreak the index case was a teacher who introduced the virus into the Pordenone area, involving eight adolescents and young adults. The other concomitant outbreak occurred in the city of Trieste with 33 cases. The containment of the epidemics can be explained by the high MMR vaccine coverage in an area where the first dose was delivered to 93·4% and the second dose to 88·3% of the target children. Phylogenetic analysis of 14 measles virus strains showed that they belonged to a unique D4 genotype indistinguishable from the MVs/Enfield.GBR/14.07 strain, probably introduced from areas (i.e. Piedmont and Germany) where this genotype was present or had recently caused a large epidemic.
REDD-based Offsets: Benefit Sharing and Risks

In this study we apply systems analysis methods to modeling financial instruments supporting the Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD) program. We consider a risk-aware forest owner and an electricity producer evaluating the REDD-based offsets with benefit-sharing mechanism under uncertain CO2 prices. For a range of CO2 prices and respective risks perceived by the forest owner (seller) and electricity producer (buyer), we apply a model of fair (indifference) pricing. The decision-making process under uncertainty is formalized in the spirit of Howard Raiffa’s “Decision analysis” (1968). Parties’ risk preferences are reflected by exponential utility functions. The potentially contracted amounts of REDD offsets are analyzed under various risk preferences and for different benefit sharing opportunities and price levels. Our results show that a risk-averse attitude considerably increases the contracted amounts of REDD offsets (compared to risk-neutral case) and, therefore, creates a higher potential for REDD implementation. We demonstrate a possibility of situations, when parties could agree on a certain range of REDD contracts, for example, smaller amounts of REDD offsets are traded for higher prices, and larger amounts for lower prices, but contracting a moderate amount at a moderate price is impossible. Higher benefit-sharing ratios can also increase contracted amounts even in the case of risk-taking electricity producer. Our modeling results highlight two ways to promote higher REDD participation: (i) increasing risk aversion of the energy producers, and (ii) implementing the mechanism of benefit/risk sharing between REDD consumer and supplier.
Phoneutria nigriventer Toxin Tx3‐1 Blocks A‐Type K+ Currents Controlling Ca2+ Oscillation Frequency in GH3 Cells

Abstract: GH3 cells present spontaneous Ca2+ action potentials and oscillations of intracellular Ca2+, which can be modified by altering the activity of K+ or Ca2+ channels. We took advantage of this spontaneous activity to screen for effects of a purified toxin (Tx3‐1) from the venom of Phoneutria nigriventer on ion channels. We report that Tx3‐1 increases the frequency of Ca2+ oscillations, as do two blockers of potassium channels, 4‐aminopyridine and charybdotoxin. Whole‐cell patch clamp experiments show that Tx3‐1 reversibly inhibits the A‐type K+ current (IA) but does not block other K+ currents (delayed‐rectifying, inward‐rectifying, and large‐conductance Ca2+‐sensitive) or Ca2+ channels (T and L type) in these cells. In addition, we describe the sequence of a full cDNA clone of Tx3‐1, which shows that Tx3‐1 has no homology to other known blockers of K+ channels and gives insights into the processing of this neurotoxin. We conclude that Tx3‐1 is a selective inhibitor of IA, which can be used to probe the role of this channel in the control of cellular function. Based on the effect of Tx3‐1, we suggest that IA is an important determinant of the frequency of Ca2+ oscillations in unstimulated GH3 cells.
A randomised controlled trial comparing the routine use of an Angio‐Seal STS device strategy with conventional femoral haemostasis methods in a district general hospital

Femoral artery closure devices reduce the time to haemostasis and ambulation. Most district general hospitals (DGHs) now perform day case angiography on site. The purpose of this study was to assess the Angio‐Seal self‐tightening suture (STS) device in comparison with manual compression in this environment.
Single cGMP‐activated Ca2+‐dependent Cl‐ channels in rat mesenteric artery smooth muscle cells

The present study describes the single channel properties of a novel cGMP‐activated Ca2+‐dependent Cl− channel in rat mesenteric artery smooth muscle cells. Single channel currents were recorded in cell‐attached patches in the presence of 8Br cGMP in response to the addition of caffeine or noradrenaline and in both outside‐out and inside‐out patches when the internal patch surface was bathed in cGMP and Ca2+. The channels were permeable to Cl− ions with an anion permeability sequence of SCN− (1.7) > Cl− (1.0) > I− (0.6). Single channel mean open probability (NPo) was independent of voltage and the channels displayed three conductance levels of 15, 35 and 55 pS. cGMP was required for channel activation and the single channel NPo increased sharply with raised [Ca2+]i, maximal activation occurring at a [Ca2+]i of about 100 nm. The relationship between NPo and cGMP concentration was voltage independent and could be fitted by the Hill equation giving a Kd of about 3 μm and a Hill coefficient (nH) of 3. cGMP‐ and Ca2+‐dependent channel currents were inhibited by 10 μm ZnCl2 but niflumic acid, an inhibitor of Ca2+‐activated Cl− channels, had no effect. Inhibition of cGMP‐dependent protein kinase activity by the cGMP‐dependent protein kinase inhibitor KT5823 or replacement of ATP by AMP‐PNP reduced NPo, while activation of cGMP‐dependent protein kinase by guanosine 3′, 5′‐cyclic monophosphate, β‐phenyl‐1, N2‐etheno‐8‐bromo‐sodium salt (8Br PET cGMP) produced a significant increase in single channel NPo. It is likely that these single channel currents underlie the noradrenaline‐activated inward current important for vasomotion in these resistance arteries.
Recurrent neural network for tactile texture recognition using pressure and 6-axis acceleration sensor data

When people decide on preferences of personal belongings, they consider not only the appearance of the object but also the its tactile texture. The design of tactile texture is an important factor in the development of commercial products. To measure a feeling of an object, a numerical evaluation method for tactile texture is required. The measurement is performed using a large-scale apparatus, generally. In this paper, we propose a novel recognition method for tactile texture using long short-term memory recurrent neural network. In proposed framework, the tactile texture information is obtained by analyzing a time-series data of a pressure sensor and 6-axis acceleration sensor. Thus, the system configuration is simple, and it is possible to construct the system inexpensively.
Proliferation, migration, and ERK activation in human retinal endothelial cells through A(2B) adenosine receptor stimulation.

PURPOSE The nucleoside adenosine has been implicated in angiogenesis. A previous study demonstrated that activation of the A(2B) adenosine receptor (AdoR) increases cAMP accumulation, cell proliferation, and VEGF expression in human retinal endothelial cells (HRECs). In the present study, the role of this receptor was further characterized by examination of the effects of the selective A(2B) AdoR antagonists 3-N-propylxanthine (enprofylline) and 3-isobutyl-8-pyrrolidinoxanthine (IPDX) on AdoR-mediated HREC proliferation, capillary tube formation, and signal-transduction pathways. METHODS HRECs were exposed to the adenosine analogue 5'-N-ethylcarboxamido-adenosine (NECA) in the absence or presence of AdoR antagonists. Migration was measured using Boyden chambers. Proliferation was assessed by counting cells. Western analysis was used to assess extracellular signal-related kinase (ERK) and cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB) in cell lysates. The effect of AdoR activation on tube formation was studied using cells grown on a synthetic basement membrane matrix. RESULTS NECA induced proliferation in a concentration-dependent manner that was inhibited by enprofylline and IPDX. NECA stimulated chemotaxis in a concentration-dependent manner that was also blocked by both A(2B) AdoR antagonists. NECA activated ERK and CREB in HRECs. Both A(2B) AdoR antagonists diminished activation of ERK by NECA exposure. ERK activation was also blocked by the ERK-mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) inhibitor PD98059, but not by the protein kinase A (PKA) inhibitor H-89. CREB activation was blocked by H-89, but not by PD98059, suggesting that ERK activation is independent of PKA. NECA enhanced tube formation on the matrix, whereas both A(2B) AdoR antagonists attenuated this effect. CONCLUSIONS The selective A(2B) AdoR antagonists, enprofylline and IPDX, inhibited NECA-stimulated proliferation, ERK activation, cell migration, and capillary tube formation. A(2B) AdoR inhibition may offer a way to inhibit retinal angiogenesis and provide a novel therapeutic approach to treatment of diseases associated with aberrant neovascularization, such as diabetic retinopathy and retinopathy of prematurity.
Microwave permittivity and permeability properties and microwave reflections of ferrite powders

Magnetic powders applications are becoming attractive in electromagnetic shielding interferences in wireless systems. Magnetic powders are also very important in magnetic resonances imaging and as well as the drug delivery applications in biomedical research. As such, a good understanding of the magnetic powders' microwave responses is crucial in modern technological applications. In this paper we present accurate broad-band data on the real and imaginary parts of permeability and permittivity of Ni<sub>1-x-y</sub>Co<sub>x</sub>Cu<sub>y</sub>Fe<sub>2-z-d</sub>Mn<sub>z</sub>O<sub>4</sub> and Ni<sub>1-x</sub>Zn<sub>x</sub>Fe<sub>2-y</sub>Mn<sub>y</sub>O<sub>4</sub> substrates in the frequency range of 4 to 40 GHz.
Connectivity maximization for narrowband IoT systems with NOMA

Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) is a recently standardized technology to support machine-type communications (MTC) in Long Term Evolution-Advanced (LTE-A) Pro networks. NB-IoT can enable energy-efficient communication with extended coverage on a narrow bandwidth of 180 kHz for low-cost MTC devices (MTCDs). The main challenge of supporting MTC in LTE-A Pro networks is to provide connectivity to a massive number of MTCDs. To overcome this challenge, in this paper, we propose a power-domain uplink non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) scheme for NB-IoT systems. By allowing multiple MTCDs to share the same sub-carrier, NOMA can provide connectivity to more MTCDs than orthogonal multiple access (OMA). We formulate a joint sub-carrier and transmission power allocation problem to maximize the number of MTCDs satisfying the quality of service (QoS) and transmission power requirements. We decompose the problem into two sub-problems and propose algorithms to solve them. Simulation results show that our proposed NOMA scheme can significantly increase the number of successfully connected MTCDs in NB-IoT systems compared to OMA.
Lifetime adult weight gain, central adiposity, and the risk of pre‐ and postmenopausal breast cancer in the Western New York exposures and breast cancer study

While there are quite consistent data regarding associations of body weight and postmenopausal breast cancer, there are now accumulating data that would indicate that weight gain in adult life is more predictive of risk than absolute body weight. There is, however, little known about the relative impact of timing of weight gain in adult life as well as other characteristics of the weight and breast cancer association that might provide insight into the mechanism of the observation. We conducted a population‐based case control study of breast cancer (1996–2001), the Western New York Exposures and Breast Cancer Study. Included were 1,166 women with primary, histologically confirmed, incident breast cancer and 2,105 controls frequency‐matched on age, race and county of residence. Unconditional logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals. We found increased risk of breast cancer associated with lifetime adult weight gain among post‐ but not premenopausal women, and there was a 4% increase in risk for each 5 kg increase in adult weight. Further there was a tendency toward a stronger association for those with higher waist circumference and those with positive estrogen or progesterone status, and who had never used HRT. We also found an association with risk for weight gain since first pregnancy and for weight gain between the time of the first pregnancy and menopause, independent of body mass index and lifetime adult weight gain. Our results suggest that there are time periods of weight gain that have greater impact on risk, and that central body fat, receptor status and hormone replacement therapy may all affect the observed association. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Analysing the environmental antecedents of innovation adoption among politicians and public managers

ABSTRACT This study presents evidence on public innovation from the perspectives of politicians and public managers. Environmental antecedents are analysed with regard to their impact on innovation adoption. Data are drawn from a survey of over 600 mayors and managers in Austrian local government. Results show that they identify the same innovation types but indicate different antecedents of innovation adoption. Findings for managers are broadly in line with results from larger jurisdictions. Since there are crucial dissimilarities in the factors explaining the adoption of innovation, we suggest that politicians and managers both be included in future studies of local government innovation.
Anthropometric values in an elderly French population

We compared anthropometric indices in samples of elderly people aged 65 years and over living in two French areas. The samples were divided into four age-groups (65–69, 70–74, 75–79 and over 80 years). We observed interregional differences in women aged 65–69 years and in men aged 65–74 years. Weight and anthropometric variables related to body fat percentage and to muscle mass showed a decline with age as already reported by others. We established anthropometric percentile values according to sex in pooled subjects when no integrated difference was found. The 50th percentile of arm circumference, muscle arm circumference and triceps skinfold was higher, and the 50th percentile of body mass index was lower than the one reported for the same indices from an elderly Welsh population. Our results show that an interregional difference in anthropometric indices exists in the elderly. The differences which are observed between our results and those reported from a British population emphasize the importance of establishing local values for the elderly population.
Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection in hospitalized adult patients with community-acquired pneumonia in China.

INTRODUCTION This study aimed to investigate the prevalence, clinical and radiographic features, and antibiotic responses of Mycoplasma pneumoniae (M. pneumoniae) infections in hospitalized adults with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in China. METHODOLOGY Serum specimens collected from 189 CAP patients in both acute phase and convalescence were tested for IgG, IgA, and IgM mixed antibodies specific to M. pneumoniae. The clinical and radiographic characteristics and efficacy of three antibiotic regimens were compared between patients with M. pneumoniae infection and those without. RESULTS Among 189 CAP patients, 88 (46.6%) were positive for M. pneumoniae infection. Compared to the negative patients, patients with M. pneumoniae infection were significantly younger, had higher rates of dry cough, and had white blood cell counts of <1010/L, but had less purulent sputum. Radiography further showed more centrilobular nodules, ground-glass opacities, tree-in-bud patterns and thickened bronchovascular bundles, but less pleural effusion and larger tracts of real opacities in patients with M. pneumoniae infections. Among the three regimens used, patients with moxifloxacin required significantly shorter fever abatement, treatment, and hospitalization times than those with azithromycin plus ceftriaxone and ceftriaxone only. CONCLUSIONS M. pneumoniae infection was present in almost half of the CAP population in east China, with some distinct clinical and radiographic features. Moxifloxacin was an effective antibiotic for this infection.
Do cannabis and urbanicity co-participate in causing psychosis? Evidence from a 10-year follow-up cohort study

Background Cannabis use is considered a component cause of psychotic illness, interacting with genetic and other environmental risk factors. Little is known, however, about these putative interactions. The present study investigated whether an urban environment plays a role in moderating the effects of adolescent cannabis use on psychosis risk. Method Prospective data (n=1923, aged 14–24 years at baseline) from the longitudinal population-based German Early Developmental Stages of Psychopathology cohort study were analysed. Urbanicity was assessed at baseline and defined as living in the city of Munich (1562 persons per km2; 4061 individuals per square mile) or in the rural surroundings (213 persons per km2; 553 individuals per square mile). Cannabis use and psychotic symptoms were assessed three times over a 10-year follow-up period using the Munich version of the Composite International Diagnostic Interview. Results Analyses revealed a significant interaction between cannabis and urbanicity [10.9% adjusted difference in risk, 95% confidence interval (CI) 3.2–18.6, p=0.005]. The effect of cannabis use on follow-up incident psychotic symptoms was much stronger in individuals who grew up in an urban environment (adjusted risk difference 6.8%, 95% CI 1.0–12.5, p=0.021) compared with individuals from rural surroundings (adjusted risk difference −4.1%, 95% CI −9.8 to 1.6, p=0.159). The statistical interaction was compatible with substantial underlying biological synergism. Conclusions Exposure to environmental influences associated with urban upbringing may increase vulnerability to the psychotomimetic effects of cannabis use later in life.
Untangling Housing Cost and Transportation Interactions: The Location Affordability Index Model—Version 2 (LAIM2)

Abstract It is now accepted that to have an understanding of housing affordability one must consider not only housing costs, but also the transportation costs associated with that household location. To make this information readily accessible to the public, the United States government created an Internet resource, the Location Affordability Portal – Version 2 (www.locationaffordability.info), to provide housing and transportation costs for every neighborhood in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Although the statistical model at the heart of this resource was designed for predictive accuracy, its design and parameter estimates can provide additional insights into the interaction of housing cost and transportation choices (and thus its cost). This study describes the development and explores the policy implications (and limitations) of this structural equations model, the Location Affordability Index Model – Version 2 (LAIM2).