Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Contribution of Population Pharmacokinetics to Dose Optimization of Ganciclovir-Valganciclovir in Solid-Organ Transplant Patients

ABSTRACT Treatment of solid-organ transplant (SOT) patients with ganciclovir (GCV)-valganciclovir (VGCV) according to the manufacturer's recommendations may result in over- or underexposure. Bayesian prediction based on a population pharmacokinetics model may optimize GCV-VGCV dosing, achieving the area under the curve (AUC) therapeutic target. We conducted a two-arm, randomized, open-label, 40% superiority trial in adult SOT patients receiving GCV-VGCV as prophylaxis or treatment of cytomegalovirus infection. Group A was treated according to the manufacturer's recommendations. For group B, the dosing was adjusted based on target exposures using a Bayesian prediction model (NONMEM). Fifty-three patients were recruited (27 in group A and 26 in group B). About 88.6% of patients in group B and 22.2% in group A reached target AUC, achieving the 40% superiority margin (P < 0.001; 95% confidence interval [CI] difference, 47 to 86%). The time to reach target AUC was significantly longer in group A than in group B (55.9 ± 8.2 versus 15.8 ± 2.3 days, P < 0.001). A shorter time to viral clearance was observed in group B than in group A (12.5 versus 17.6 days; P = 0.125). The incidences of relapse (group A, 66.67%, and group B, 9.01%) and late-onset infection (group A, 36.7%, and group B, 7.7%) were higher in group A. Neutropenia and anemia were related to GCV overexposure. GCV-VCGV dose adjustment based on a population pharmacokinetics Bayesian prediction model optimizes GCV-VGCV exposure. (This study has been registered at ClinicalTrials.gov under registration no. NCT01446445.)
Non-real-time content scheduling algorithms for wireless data networks

A substantial portion of the emerging wireless data service consists of non-real-time applications such as content download. The existing mechanisms based on per-packet performance guarantees used mainly for voice and streaming media do not suffice for the elastic nature of non-real-time traffic. For a non-real-time user data services, the key performance measure of interest is the total download time. In this paper, we propose a novel scheduling framework for wireless content service. Specifically, we present a two-layer scheduling architecture that combines content-aware scheduling with opportunistic scheduling. In terms of content-awareness, the proposed scheduling policy provides guarantees on the download time of content. In the second stage, the instantaneous channel conditions of different users are exploited in an opportunistic manner so as to maximize the throughput of the system. We define service differentiation in two modes - differential and guaranteed - and provide polynomial time algorithms for both that manipulate the stretch ratio but within allowable limits. Extensive simulations are conducted that verify the efficiency of the proposed schemes and provide insights into the behavior of the scheduling algorithms for non-real-time data.
Modulation of ADP-Induced Platelet Activation by Aspirin and Pravastatin: Role of Lectin-Like Oxidized Low-Density Lipoprotein Receptor-1, Nitric Oxide, Oxidative Stress, and Inside-Out Integrin Signaling

Lectin-like oxidized low-density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor-1 (LOX-1), a receptor for oxidized-LDL, is up-regulated in activated endothelial cells, and it plays a role in atherothrombosis. However, its role in platelet aggregation is unclear. Both aspirin and HMG CoA reductase inhibitors (statins) reduce LOX-1 expression in endothelial cells. In this study, we investigated the effect of aspirin and pravastatin on LOX-1 expression on plate-lets. After ADP stimulation, mean fluorescence intensity of LOX-1 expression on platelets increased 1.5- to 2.0-fold. Blocking LOX-1 inhibited ADP-induced platelet aggregation in a concentration- and time-dependent manner. We also established that LOX-1 is important for ADP-stimulated inside-out activation of platelet αIIbβ3 and α2β1 integrins (fibrinogen receptors). The specificity of this interaction was determined by arginine-glycine-aspartate-peptide inhibition. Furthermore, we found that LOX-1 inhibition of integrin activation is mediated by inhibition of protein kinase C activity. In other experiments, treatment with aspirin (1–10 mM) and pravastatin (1–5 μM) reduced platelet LOX-1 expression, with a synergistic effect of the combination of aspirin and pravastatin. Aspirin and pravastatin both reduced reactive oxygen species (ROS) released by activated platelets measured as malonyldialdehyde (MDA) release and nitrate/nitrite ratio. Aspirin and pravastatin also enhanced nitric oxide (NO) release measured as nitrite/nitrite + nitrate (NOx) ratio in platelet supernates. Small concentrations of aspirin and pravastatin had a synergistic effect on the inhibition of MDA release and enhancement of nitrite/NOx. Thus, LOX-1 is important for ADP-mediated platelet integrin activation, possibly through protein kinase C activation. Furthermore, aspirin and pravastatin inhibit LOX-1 expression on platelets in part by favorably affecting ROS and NO release from activated platelets.
Languages in competition in Rwanda: Who is winning on the linguistic market?

Following the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, far-reaching language policy changes were introduced. Due to the return of many exiled English speakers, English was stipulated as the third official language alongside French and Rwanda (Ikinyarwanda), the latter being the national language, spoken as L1 by 99.4 per cent of the population. This article summarises the use of the three official languages, focusing on the role and position of languages in the current competitive situation which the post-1994 language dispensation has caused. The main issue dealt with here, is whether or not the Rwanda language is affected by the dispensation. The position of each language is analysed with regard to its institutionalised use or status in domains such as administration, education, and mass media. A quantitative method which accounts for percentage distribution (mostly of language use) has been developed and is applied to evaluate the position of the languages.
Temperature-Triggered Enzyme Immobilization and Release Based on Cross-Linked Gelatin Nanoparticles

A glucoamylase-immobilized system based on cross-linked gelatin nanoparticles (CLGNs) was prepared by coacervation method. This system exhibited characteristics of temperature-triggered phase transition, which could be used for enzyme immobilization and release. Their morphology and size distribution were examined by transmission electron microscopy and dynamic light scattering particle size analyzer. Their temperature-triggered glucoamylase immobilization and release features were also further investigated under different temperatures. Results showed that the CLGNs were regularly spherical with diameters of 155±5 nm. The loading efficiencies of glucoamylase immobilized by entrapment and adsorption methods were 59.9% and 24.7%, respectively. The immobilized enzyme was released when the system temperature was above 40°C and performed high activity similar to free enzyme due to the optimum temperature range for glucoamylase. On the other hand, there was no enzyme release that could be found when the system temperature was below 40°C. The efficiency of temperature-triggered release was as high as 99.3% for adsorption method, while the release of enzyme from the entrapment method was not detected. These results indicate that CLGNs are promising matrix for temperature-triggered glucoamylase immobilization and release by adsorption immobilization method.
Variable-Size Gaussian Mixture Models for Music Similarity Measures

An algorithm to efficiently determine an appropriate number of components for a Gaussian mixture model is presented. For determining the optimal model complexity we do not use a classical iterative procedure, but use the strong correlation between a simple clustering method (BSAS [13]) and an MDL-based method [6]. This approach is computationally efficient and prevents the model from representing statistically irrelevant data. The performance of these variable size mixture models is evaluated with respect to hub occurrences, genre classification and computational complexity. Our variable size modelling approach marginally reduces the number of hubs, yields 3-4% better genre classification precision and is approximately 40% less computationally expensive.
Query operations for moving objects database systems

Geographical Information Systems were originally intended to deal with snapshots representing a single state of some reality but there are more and more applications requiring the representation and querying of time-varying information. This work addresses the representation of moving objects on GIS. The continuous nature of movement raises problems for representation in information systems due to the limited capacity of storage systems and the inherently discrete nature of measurement instruments. The stored information has therefore to be partial and does not allow an exact inference of the real-world object's behavior. To cope with this, query operations must take uncertainty into consideration in their semantics in order to give accurate answers to the users. The paper proposes a set of operations to be included in a GIS or a spatial database to make it able to answer queries on the spatio-temporal behavior of moving objects. The operations have been selected according to the requirements of real applications and their semantics with respect to uncertainty is specified. A collection of examples from a case study is included to illustrate the expressiveness of the proposed operations.
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In this paper we present a progressive classification scheme for a document layout recognition system (background, text and images) using three stages. The first stage, preprocessing, extracts statistical information that may be used for backg round detection and removal. The second stage, a tree based classi fier, uses a variable block size and a set of probabilistic rul es to classify segmented blocks. When a block cannot be classified at a given block size because contains more than one class, it i split in four sub-blocks that are independently classified. The third stage, postprocessing, uses the label map generat d in the second stage with a set of context rules to label unclassified blocks, trying also to solve some of the misclassification er rors that may have been generated during the previous stage. The progressive scheme used in the second and third stages al low the user to stop the classification process at any block size, depending on his requirements. Experiments show that a progressive scheme combined with a set of postprocessing r ules increases the percentage of correctly classified blocks and reduces the number of block computations.
Measurement and usage of power consumption parameters of wireless interfaces in energy-aware multi-service mobile terminals

For IP-based always-on type multi-service user terminals, which may have multiple wireless interfaces, energy-efficiency is a key requirement. It is crucial to take into account the power consumption behavior and delay patterns associated with each state and transitions of the wireless devices to formulate efficient operation of multi-module terminals, especially in services where media/session handover between wireless networks are targeted. This paper investigates the power consumption pattern or behavior of some selected wireless interfaces that are good candidates for being part of the future of the multi-service user terminals. We propose a simple model for predicting energy consumption in a terminal attributed to the wireless network interfaces. We measured the actual consumption pattern to estimate the parameters of the model.
Can different seating aids influence a sitting posture in healthy individuals and does gender matter?

Abstract This study determined differences in spinal-pelvic kinematics sitting on (i) mat (ii) block and (iii) novel 10º forward inclined wedge (ButtaflyTM) in a same-subject repeated measures cross-over design in 60 healthy individuals (34 females). Repeated measures ANOVA revealed statistically significant differences between sitting conditions and lumbar and pelvic sagittal angles. Both, the inclined wedge and the block seating aids reduced overall flexion, but the inclined wedge had a greater influence in the lumbar region whilst the block induced the greatest change in the pelvis. This may be relevant for seating aid design personalised to posture type. Statistically significant gender differences were identified in all 3 seating conditions with males adopting more flexed lumbar spine and posteriorly tilted pelvis. Females flexed less in thoracic spine when sitting on an inclined wedge and a block. These statistically significant differences between males and females may provide first explorative direction for bespoke seating aids design.
Improving web page classification by label-propagation over click graphs

In this paper, we present a semi-supervised learning method for web page classification, leveraging click logs to augment training data by propagating class labels to unlabeled similar documents. Current state-of-the-art classifiers are supervised and require large amounts of manually labeled data. We hypothesize that unlabeled documents similar to our positive and negative labeled documents tend to be clicked through by the same user queries. Our proposed method leverages this hypothesis and augments our training set by modeling the similarity between documents in a click graph. We experiment with three different web page classifiers and show empirical evidence that our proposed approach outperforms state-of-the-art methods and reduces the amount of human effort to label training data.
HIF1A regulates xenophagic degradation of adherent and invasive Escherichia coli (AIEC)

The hypoxia inducible transcription factor HIF1 activates autophagy, a general catabolic pathway involved in the maintenance of cellular homeostasis. Dysfunction in both autophagy and HIF1 has been implicated in an increasing number of human diseases, including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), such as Crohn disease (CD). Adherent invasive E. coli (AIEC) colonize ileal mucosa of CD patients and strongly promote gastrointestinal inflammatory disorders by activation of HIF-dependent responses. Here, we aim to characterize the contribution of HIF1 in xenophagy, a specialized form of autophagy involved in the degradation of intracellular bacteria. Our results showed that endogenous HIF1A knockdown increased AIEC survival in intestinal epithelial cells. We demonstrate that the increase in survival rate correlates with a dramatic impairment of the autophagic flux at the autolysosomal maturation step. Furthermore, we show that AIEC remained within single-membrane LC3-II-positive vesicles and that they were unable to induce the phosphorylation of ULK1. These results suggested that, in the absence of HIF1A, AIEC were found within LC3-associated phagosomes. Using blocking antibodies against TLR5 and CEACAM6, the 2 well-known AIEC-bound receptors, we showed that downstream receptor signaling was necessary to mediate ULK1 phosphorylation. Finally, we provide evidence that HIF1 mediates CEACAM6 expression and that CEACAM6 is necessary to recruit ULK1 in a bacteria-containing signaling hub. Collectively, these results identify a new function for HIF1 in AIEC-dedicated xenophagy, and suggest that coactivation of autophagy and HIF1A expression may be a potential new therapy to resolve AIEC infection in CD patients.
Bandwidth guarantee in a distributed multimedia file system using network attached autonomous disks

File systems for multimedia applications must support high bandwidth streaming with strict rate guarantees. Recently we proposed a distributed file system built using autonomous disks (S. Mukherjee et al., 1999). Autonomous disks are attached directly to the network and are able to perform lightweight processing. The paper describes the methodologies used to make the file system quality of service (QoS) aware and real-time sensitive. We propose efficient bandwidth allocation and enforcement policies that can keep the servers stateless. The policies are implemented in Linux kernel along with the file system. Using experimental results we show the effectiveness of the policies, and the enforcement of bandwidth allocation and usage in a fair manner. We also show that the overhead of the proposed mechanism on the overall system performance is very minimal.
Filial Piety, Acculturation, and Intergenerational Communication Among New Zealand Chinese

The question of who should care for senior citizens acquires new significance at a time when populations are aging. What responsibilities are accepted by younger family members and how does the degree of acceptance vary among individuals? Attitudes toward some of these responsibilities, otherwise known as filial piety, were surveyed among 2 generations (young and middle-aged) representative of New Zealand Chinese in Wellington (100 families). Overall, there was strong acceptance of filial piety obligations. Felt expectations from elderly parents were stronger than those felt from grandparents. Regression analyses indicated that social identifications as a New Zealander and as a Chinese were independent and positive predictors of filial piety obligations and expectations. Gender, place of birth, and Chinese language fluency had no independent associations with filial piety, but the younger generation rated expectations on them higher than did the middle-aged. Filial piety obligations were positively correlated with feelings of happiness following communication with elderly family and nonfamily. The role of acculturation on Chinese immigrants is discussed.
I Matter: an interactive exploration of audience–performer connections

Communication is a basic human necessity which in all its various forms has one common goal: expressing and deciphering ideas. Historically, verbal language has been the primary tool in this field. Education in recent years has taken a move towards more global approaches to learning/teaching. Within this context, more innovative and inclusive methods of communication need to be created. Attention to the human body and its communicative properties, such as research on “body language” and “Kinesics” has not been sufficient. Many venues in this domain remain undiscovered and researched. I believe the audience–performer connection is one of them. This paper will focus on the aspects of audience–performer connection and communication venues from the audience's perspective. The primary focus is based on the results of a survey and interviews which took place after a performer–audience interactive (15 performances) tilted I Matter. The performance took place in May 2010 in Beirut, Lebanon. This study will investigate the audience–performer connections through the analysis of the recorded responses (both the survey and focus group interviews) of the audience members.
The Tradeoff Between Generative and Discriminative Classifiers

Given any generative classifier based on an inexact density model, we can define a discriminative counterpart that reduces its asymptotic error rate. We introduce a family of classifiers that interpolate the two approaches, thus providing a new way to compare them and giving an estimation procedure whose classification performance is well balanced between the bias of generative classifiers and the variance of discriminative ones. We show that an intermediate trade-off between the two strategies is often preferable, both theoretically and in experiments on real data.
Diagnostic accuracy of DNA methylation in detection of gastric cancer: a meta-analysis

Emerging studies demonstrate the diagnostic utility of DNA methylation-based blood test for gastric cancer. The aim of the meta-analysis is to evaluate the accuracy of blood DNA methylation markers for detecting patients with gastric cancer. A systematic literature search to November 2016 that evaluated DNA methylation markers utilizing blood specimen to detect gastric cancer were selected to derive pooled sensitivities and specificities. 32 studies including 4,172 patients (gastric cancer (N = 2,098), control (N = 2,074)) met the study criteria. Overall sensitivity of DNA methylation-based blood test for detecting gastric cancer was 57% (95% CI 50–63%); specificity was 97% (95% CI 95–98%). Among patients who received plasma-based testing, sensitivity was 71% (95% CI 59–81%); specificity was 89% (95% CI 78–94%). Among patients who received serum-based testing, sensitivity was 50% (95% CI 43–58%); specificity was 98% (95% CI 96–99%). Using multiple methylated genes had sensitivity of 76% (95% CI 64–84%); specificity of 85% (95% CI 65–95%). DNA methylation test had sensitivity of 55% (95% CI 47–64%) and specificity of 96% (95% CI 92–98%) for detecting TNM stage I+II gastric cancer. In conclusion, blood-based DNA methylation test had high specificity but modest sensitivity for detecting gastric cancer. Evaluating multiple methylated genes or using plasma sample may improve the diagnostic sensitivity.
Recursive state estimation in nonlinear processes

The task of improving the quality of the data so that it is consistent with material and energy balances is called reconciliation. Since chemical processes often operate dynamically in nonlinear regimes, techniques like extended Kalman filter (EKF) and nonlinear dynamic data reconciliation (NDDR) have been developed. There are various issues that arise with the use of either of these techniques: EKF cannot handle inequality or equality constraints, while the NDDR has high computational cost. In this paper, a recursive nonlinear dynamic data reconciliation (RNDDR) formulation is presented. The RNDDR formulation extends the capability of the EKF by allowing for incorporation of algebraic constraints and bounds. The RNDDR is evaluated with four case studies that have been previously studied by Haseltine and Rawlings. It has been shown that the EKF fails in constructing reliable state estimates in all the four cases due to the inability in handling algebraic constraints. Reliable state estimates are achieved by the RNDDR formulation in all the cases in presence of large initialization errors.
Verifying competitive equilibria in dynamic economies

In this paper I derive a sucient condition for a numeri-cally computed -equilibrium of a dynamic stochastic economy with heterogeneous agents to be close to an exact equilibrium. If the economic fundamentals are semi-algebraic, one can verify computationally whether this condition holds. The condition can be interpreted economically as a robustness requirement on the set of -equilibria that form a neighborhood of the computed approximation. I use this method of 'self-validating computation' to prove that in realistically calibrated stochastic overlapping generation models, competitive equilibria can often be extremely well approximated by cubic functions, mapping the current shock and the beginning-of-period wealth-distribution to current endogenous variables.