Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Personality, illness perceptions, and lung function (FEV1) in 50 patients after lung transplantation

Objective: After lung transplantation little attention has been devoted to patient's personality and illness perceptions, although the importance of illness perceptions (e.g. to the psychosocial status of health) as well as the relationship between personality and illness perceptions is well-known from other areas of medicine. Methods: Fifty patients more than one year after lung transplantation were surveyed by the NEO Five-Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI) as well as the "control" and "consequences" scales of the Illness Perception Questionnaire (IPQ). Medical data included the diagnoses of the underlying lung diseases and the pulmonary graft function as measured by the forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1). Results: In our patients, mean values of the personality factors "extraversion" (p=.003), "openness to experiences" (p<.001), "agreeableness" (p=.035), and "conscientiousness" (p<.001) were significantly higher compared to the normal population. "Openness to experiences" correlated positively and "neuroticism" negatively with the illness perception "control". There was no correlation between illness perceptions and lung function. Conclusion: In lung transplant recipients, personality traits are more relevant to illness perceptions ("control") than current graft function.
Antibody-mediated acquired pure red cell aplasia (PRCA) after treatment with darbepoetin.

Recombinant erythropoietin (EPO) is used successfully as treatment for anaemia in chronic kidney disease (CKD), to maintain stable haemoglobin levels, avoiding the need for multiple transfusions. From 1998, epoetin formulations, in particular epoetin alfa (Eprex , Ortho Biologics LLC), have been associated with a substantial increase in the incidence of antibody (Ab)-mediated pure red cell aplasia (PRCA) [1]. PRCA is a rare immunopathological disorder characterized by a severe reticulocytopenia, the absence of marrow erythroid precursors, normal granulocytic and megakaryocytic precursors, and the identification of circulating antibodies against EPO [2]. Patients typically develop an abrupt onset of severe transfusiondependent anaemia. Consequently, EPO must be withdrawn and therapy initiated to decrease the production of the anti-EPO antibodies. Darbepoetin alfa (Aranesp , Amgen Inc., CA) is a second generation erythropoiesis stimulating agent with two extra carbohydrate chains and eight extra sialic acid residues as compared with epoetin alfa. It is suggested that the modifications to this molecule may make it more resistant to antibody development. There is only a single published case report of PRCA related to the exclusive use of darbepoetin alfa [3]; however, communication with Amgen Australia Pty Ltd indicate about four cases on their database. In a sole published case of PRCA due to darbepoetin alfa, the patient did not respond to treatment with steroids alone, intravenous immunoglobulin, cyclosporin or combination prednisolone and cyclophosphamide [3]. We report a second case of PRCA related to the exclusive use of darbepoetin alfa, where the patient responded to the first line treatment of oral cyclophosphamide and prednisolone, had non-neutralizing anti-EPO and anti-darbepoetin antibodies on bioassay, and died from severe pulmonary infection.
Défense et illustration de la méthode des études de cas en sociologie et en anthropologie. Quelques notes et rappels : Figures de la connaissance

Cet article propose d'abord un survol de l'histoire de la methode de cas ou de la monographie en sociologie et en anthropologie. Le rappel de la tradition de l'Ecole de Chicago met en relief les critiques dont elle fait l'objet. Celles-ci ont principalement trait au manque de representativite des localites choisies en tant que terrain d'etude, au manque d'objectivite dont temoignent la collecte et l'analyse des « donnees de terrain » par le moyen de l'observation participante et a l'absence d'une veritable theorie explicative. Au vu de cette histoire, des distinctions sont apportees entre la representativite statistique et la representativite theorique ou sociologique, entre l'observation participante et l'objectivation participante, de meme qu'entre « theorie descriptive » et « theorie explicative »
Adding trace matching with free variables to AspectJ

An aspect observes the execution of a base program; when certain actions occur, the aspect runs some extra code of its own. In the AspectJ language, the observations that an aspect can make are confined to the current action: it is not possible to directly observe the history of a computation.Recently, there have been several interesting proposals for new history-based language features, most notably by Douence et al. and by Walker and Viggers. In this paper, we present a new history-based language feature called tracematches that enables the programmer to trigger the execution of extra code by specifying a regular pattern of events in a computation trace. We have fully designed and implemented tracematches as a seamless extension of AspectJ.A key innovation in our tracematch approach is the introduction of free variables in the matching patterns. This enhancement enables a whole new class of applications in which events can be matched not only by the event kind, but also by the values associated with the free variables. We provide several examples of applications enabled by this feature.After introducing and motivating the idea of tracematches via examples, we present a detailed semantics of our language design, and we derive an implementation from that semantics. The implementation has been realised as an extension of the abc compiler for AspectJ.
Shape constrained mesh editing for delineating anatomical structures in volumetric datasets

Organ delineation from volumetric dataset is often encountered problem in medical imaging. Numerous 3D polygonal surface mesh model based segmentation algorithms have been reported in this area. These algorithms aim for a fully automated solution for segmenting anatomical structures in volumetric image datasets. But attraction to false boundaries results in inaccurate segmentation, which can happen because of poor model initialization or weak image feature response at correct locations. To be acceptable in clinical practice, it is crucial for a segmentation approach to include the possibility of integrating input from the user when automatic segmentation fails to provide the desired accuracy. This work presents a new 3D triangular surface mesh editing technique to correct the results of automatic segmentation. The method directly projects subset of mesh vertices that are closest to a user drawn line, representing the true boundary of the anatomical structures. Its neighboring vertices that are within user defined depth get deformed based on shape constraints resulting in a smooth edited surface. The shape constraint is formulated to maintain the distribution of the vertices in the region of edited mesh in correspondence with the initial surface model. The result of the study shows that the manually edited surface results in accurate (1.52+/− 0.5mm) anatomical boundary on the edited image plane while preserving the shape of the surface in the neighboring region.
The second order spectrum and optimal convergence

The method of second order relative spectra has been shown to reliably approximate the discrete spectrum for a self-adjoint operator. We extend the method to normal operators and find optimal convergence rates for eigenvalues and eigenspaces. The convergence to eigenspaces is new, while the convergence rate for eigenvalues improves on the previous estimate by an order of magnitude.
Applying quality to Leavitt's framework to solve information technology problems: A case study

Uses Leavitt’s framework as an instrument for solving the long product cycle time related problems experienced in a manufacturing information resource management function. A multi‐disciplinary quality team employing the framework and total quality principles abstracted the function into five related organizational factors of task, technology, people, communication and organizational structure. The team, aided by the framework, quality tools and DSS software, was able to understand fully how problems relating to the five factors contributed to the long product cycle time. The team was successful in reducing the cycle‐time from an average of 12 days to three days.
Text classification without negative examples revisit

Traditionally, building a classifier requires two sets of examples: positive examples and negative examples. This paper studies the problem of building a text classifier using positive examples (P) and unlabeled examples (U). The unlabeled examples are mixed with both positive and negative examples. Since no negative example is given explicitly, the task of building a reliable text classifier becomes far more challenging. Simply treating all of the unlabeled examples as negative examples and building a classifier thereafter is undoubtedly a poor approach to tackling this problem. Generally speaking, most of the studies solved this problem by a two-step heuristic: first, extract negative examples (N) from U. Second, build a classifier based on P and N. Surprisingly, most studies did not try to extract positive examples from U. Intuitively, enlarging P by P' (positive examples extracted from U) and building a classifier thereafter should enhance the effectiveness of the classifier. Throughout our study, we find that extracting P' is very difficult. A document in U that possesses the features exhibited in P does not necessarily mean that it is a positive example, and vice versa. The very large size of and very high diversity in U also contribute to the difficulties of extracting P'. In this paper, we propose a labeling heuristic called PNLH to tackle this problem. PNLH aims at extracting high quality positive examples and negative examples from U and can be used on top of any existing classifiers. Extensive experiments based on several benchmarks are conducted. The results indicated that PNLH is highly feasible, especially in the situation where |P| is extremely small.
The Semaphorin 4D‐RhoA‐Akt Signal Cascade Regulates Enamel Matrix Secretion in Coordination With Cell Polarization During Ameloblast Differentiation

During tooth development, oral epithelial cells differentiate into ameloblasts in order to form the most mineralized tissue in the vertebrate body: enamel. During this process, ameloblasts directionally secrete enamel matrix proteins and morphologically change from low columnar cells to polarized tall columnar cells, both of which are essential for the proper formation of enamel. In this study, we elucidated the molecular mechanism that integrates ameloblast function and morphology. Immunohistochemistry revealed that the restricted expression of semaphorin 4D (Sema4D) and RhoA activation status are closely associated with ameloblast differentiation in mouse incisors. In addition, in vitro gain‐of‐function and loss‐of‐function experiments demonstrated that Sema4D acts upstream of RhoA to regulate cell polarity and amelogenin expression via the Plexin B1/Leukemia‐associated RhoGEF (LARG) complex during ameloblast differentiation. Experiments in transgenic mice demonstrated that expression of a dominant‐negative form of RhoA in dental epithelium hindered ameloblast differentiation and subsequent enamel formation, as well as perturbing the establishment of polarized cell morphology and vectorial amelogenin expression. Finally, we showed that spatially restricted Akt mediates between Sema4D–RhoA signaling and these downstream cellular events. Collectively, our results reveal a novel signaling network, the Sema4D–RhoA–Akt signal cascade, that coordinates cellular function and morphology and highlights the importance of specific spatiotemporally restricted components of a signaling pathway in the regulation of ameloblast differentiation. © 2016 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.
Communication-driven task binding for multiprocessor with latency insensitive network-on-chip

Network-on-chip is a new design paradigm for designing core based system-on-chip. It features high degree of reusability and scalability. In this paper, we propose a switch which employs the latency insensitive concepts and applies the round-robin scheduling techniques to achieve high communication resource utilization. Based on the assumptions of the 2D-mesh network topology constructed by the switch, this work not only models the communication and the contention effect of the network, but develops a communication-driven task binding algorithm that employs the divide and conquer strategy to map applications onto the multiprocessor system-on-chip. The algorithm attempts to derive a binding of tasks such that the overall system throughput is maximized. To compare with the task binding without consideration of communication and contention effect, the experimental results demonstrate that the overall improvement of the system throughput is 20% for 844 test cases.
The Effects of Soy Consumption before Diagnosis on Breast Cancer Survival: The Multiethnic Cohort Study

This study tested the hypothesis that prediagnostic soy intake was inversely associated with all-cause and breast cancer-specific mortality. The analyses included 3842 women in the Multiethnic Cohort (MEC) study of African Americans, Native Hawaiians, Japanese Americans, Latinos, and Caucasians, who completed a quantitative food frequency questionnaire, aged ≥50 yr at cohort entry, and diagnosed with primary invasive breast cancer following cohort entry (1993–2007). Hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were estimated from Cox proportional hazards regression with adjustment for known clinical and lifestyle factors. During a mean follow-up after diagnosis of invasive breast cancer of 6.2 ± 3.8 yr, there were 804 deaths including 376 breast cancer-specific deaths. The HR (95%CI) for all-cause and breast cancer-specific morality comparing the highest versus lowest tertiles were 1.03 (0.81–1.33) and 1.03 (0.71–1.50) for soy products and 0.99 (0.82–1.20) and 0.95 (0.71–1.28) for total isoflavones, respectively (Ptrend > 0.60 for all). There was limited evidence of differences by hormone receptor status, tumor stage, or ethnic group. Prediagnostic soy intake was unrelated to mortality in postmenopausal women. Our findings are consistent with the literature that soy consumption does not adversely affect breast cancer survival in women.
Schwann cell myelination: induction by exogenous basement membrane-like extracellular matrix

Exposing rat Schwann cells co-cultured with nerve cells to a reconstituted basement membrane induced the formation of myelin segments by Schwann cells. This occurred in a serum-free culture medium in which, in the absence of this matrix, Schwann cells proliferate but fail to differentiate. This reconstituted basement membrane was prepared from solubilized extracellular matrix proteins synthesized by a basement membrane-producing murine tumor. The major constituents of this reconstituted matrix are collagen type IV, laminin, heparan sulfate proteoglycan, entactin, and nidogen. The matrix also elicited striking morphological changes in Schwann cells, inducing them to spread longitudinally along the nerve fibers (a necessary early step in the process of ensheathment of nerve fibers). Several observations indicated that the effect of the matrix was exerted directly on Schwann cells and not indirectly through an effect on nerve cells. First, the matrix-induced cell spreading occurred only in areas in which Schwann cells directly contacted the matrix; Schwann cells that were associated with the same nerve fibers but that did not themselves directly contact the matrix did not exhibit spreading. Second, the matrix-induced alteration in Schwann cell morphology was observed in cultures in which the nerve cells were removed. These results provide direct evidence that basement membrane contact induces normal Schwann cell differentiation, and support the idea that Schwann cell differentiation in vivo may be regulated by the appearance of the basement membrane, which normally envelops terminally differentiating Schwann cells.
Multi agent based decision support system for prioritized emergency fire evacuation

Decision support systems (DSS) are computerized information systems used for decision making activities and management support. The importance of DSS is increasing with the advent of computerized systems. DSS has been remained one of the most important and widely researched area in disaster management. In any type of disaster either the source of these disasters is natural or human, the primary objective is always to minimize the causalities. To get this goal an efficient evacuation plan is required. Agent based technology has been remained a preferred field of research for last few decades in disaster management. There has been a problem of congestion while evacuating from large buildings with few exit points. In this article we have proposed a multi agent-based decision support system for prioritized evacuation during fire disaster. The proposed model can be implemented to validate proposed idea in evacuation to ensure the safety and quick evacuation of evacuees. The disaster points can be relocated and changed to assess the effect on the model.
Active-Reactive Optimal Power Flow in Distribution Networks With Embedded Generation and Battery Storage

Due to environmental and fuel cost concerns more and more wind- and solar-based generation units are embedded in distribution networks (DNs). However, a part of such an embedded generation would be curtailed due to system constraints and variations of the energy penetration. This part of energy can be recovered by introducing energy storage systems (ESSs) and an optimal dispatch of both active and reactive powers. Therefore, we propose a combined problem formulation for active-reactive optimal power flow (A-R-OPF) in DNs with embedded wind generation and battery storage. The solution provides an optimal operation strategy which ensures the feasibility and enhances the profit significantly. Results of a 41-bus distribution network are presented. It can be demonstrated that more than 12% of energy losses and a large amount of reactive energy to be imported from the transmission network (TN) can be reduced using the proposed approach in comparison to the operation strategy where only active OPF is considered.
PAX5α Enhances the Epithelial Behavior of Human Mammary Carcinoma Cells

Deregulated PAX5 expression has been associated with metastatic mammary carcinoma, although the precise role of PAX5 in cancer progression is unclear. Stable forced expression of PAX5α in the mammary carcinoma cell lines MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 reduced cell cycle progression, cell survival, and anchorage-independent cell growth. In xenograft studies, forced expression of PAX5α was associated with a significant reduction in tumor volume. Furthermore, forced expression of PAX5α in mammary carcinoma cells resulted in altered cell morphology with resultant enhancement of epithelial cell characteristics. Morphologic changes were associated with localization of β-CATENIN at cell-cell junctions and with altered mRNA expression of mesenchymal markers in mammary carcinoma cells. In addition, forced expression of PAX5α in MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells significantly reduced cell migration and invasion. Concomitantly, small interfering RNA–mediated depletion of PAX5α increased MCF-7 total cell number, cell motility, migration, and invasion. These studies show that PAX5α enhances the epithelial characteristics of mammary carcinoma cells, reminiscent of mesenchymal to epithelial transition. Mol Cancer Res; 8(3); 444–56
Identity Theft Detection in Mobile Social Networks Using Behavioral Semantics

User behavioral analysis is expected to be a key technique for identity theft detection in the Internet, especially in mobile social networks (MSNs). While traditional methods prefer to use explicit behaviors, a series of behaviors implicit in user's texts can probably provide much more accurate identity. And these implicit behaviors can be digged from texts by LDA. Besides the latent feature in texts, a behavior also include other features (e.g., spatial and temporal features). A joint feature including these features can be a better evidence for identity theft detection. In this paper, we use a probabilistic generative model to detect identity theft in MSNs. We are going to conduct experiments on two real-life datasets: Foursquare and Yelp. A early experiment shows that semantic features achieve better performance than spatial features and we are conducting our main experiment to see a better performance with joint behavioral feature.
Severe Bleeding in Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura

Immune thrombocytopenia in childhood is usually an acute self-limiting disorder and despite very low platelet counts is rarely complicated by serious bleeding. Several surveys indicate that only 5% or fewer children experience serious bleeding, most commonly from the nose or gastrointestinal tract. Such children need urgent measures to control bleeding, both transfusion where necessary and pharmacotherapy to raise the platelet count. Not infrequently the response of the count is less than optimal. While intracranial hemorrhage is the most feared and serious complication, it is rare, occurring in about 0.3% of cases, and if treated promptly usually has a good outcome. Treatment prior to intracranial hemorrhage does not necessarily prevent it, and it may occur after many months of otherwise clinically mild disease. The relative risk increases with the length of time a child has a very low platelet count. An international registry will help to collect more information about these important cases. Menstrual bleeding can cause severe problems for adolescents and may need a multidisciplinary approach with hormonal manipulation of the menstrual cycle.
Exploring Independent Trends in a Topic-Based Search Engine

Topic-based search engines are an alternative to simple keyword search engines that are common in today's intranets. The temporal behaviour of the topics in a topic model based search engine can be used for trend analysis, which is an important research goal on its own. We apply topic modelling to an online financial newspaper data and show that some of the trends in the topics are consistent with common understanding.
Fine-grained processing of CVS archives with APFEL

In this paper, we present the APFEL plug-in that collects fine-grained changes from version archives in a database. APFEL is built upon the Eclipse infrastructure for CVS and Java. In order to describe changes, APFEL uses tokens such as method calls, exceptions, and variable usages. We demonstrate the usefulness of APFEL's database with several case studies.