Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
MD-IDN: Multi-domain intent-driven networking in software-defined infrastructures

Intent-Driven Networking is recently gaining interest, with all major SDN control platforms now providing an intent Northbound Interface (NBI) as a high-level abstraction for network management. With these frameworks network operators can conveniently define “what needs to be done”, rather than “how it should be done”. Current IDN frameworks pose two main limitations that affect deployment in production grade and multi-domain networks. They are mainly concerned with a single network domain, and thus enabling end-to-end network intents over a multi-domain and large-scale setup is still a challenge. Furthermore, these frameworks do not consider any differentiation between user intents and provider intents, and a limited set of intent classes are available for both. In this paper we present MD-IDN, which provides an intent framework for the users of multi-domain cloud infrastructures. We first propose a graph-based abstraction model for user-defined intents and a generic intent compilation process. Then, we propose compilation algorithms to achieve scalability in multi-domain networks: First, user-defined intents get processed over an abstracted multi-graph of network domains and their interconnections, and a set of local intents will be generated for each of the involved domains. Afterwards, the local intents will be compiled and installed in local regions in parallel. MD-IDN is deployed as a public service in the SAVI Testbed over more than ten data centers spanning across Canada. In multi-domain environments, our experiments show that MD-IDN outperforms current practices that compile intents over a flat network topology.
Reactive-Oxygen-Species-Mediated P. aeruginosa Killing Is Functional in Human Cystic Fibrosis Macrophages

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is the most common pathogen for chronic lung infection in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients. About 80% of adult CF patients have chronic P. aeruginosa infection, which accounts for much of the morbidity and most of the mortality. Both bacterial genetic adaptations and defective innate immune responses contribute to the bacteria persistence. It is well accepted that CF transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) dysfunction impairs the airways-epithelium-mediated lung defence; however, other innate immune cells also appear to be affected, such as neutrophils and macrophages, which thus contribute to this infectious pathology in the CF lung. In macrophages, the absence of CFTR has been linked to defective P. aeruginosa killing, increased pro-inflammatory cytokine secretion, and reduced reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. To learn more about macrophage dysfunction in CF patients, we investigated the generation of the oxidative burst and its impact on bacterial killing in CF macrophages isolated from peripheral blood or lung parenchyma of CF patients, after P. aeruginosa infection. Our data demonstrate that CF macrophages show an oxidative response of similar intensity to that of non-CF macrophages. Intracellular ROS are recognized as one of the earliest microbicidal mechanisms against engulfed pathogens that are activated by macrophages. Accordingly, NADPH inhibition resulted in a significant increase in the intracellular bacteria survival in CF and non-CF macrophages, both as monocyte-derived macrophages and as lung macrophages. These data strongly suggest that the contribution of ROS to P. aeruginosa killing is not affected by CFTR mutations.
A novel high-pressure precipitation tandem homogenization technology for drug nanocrystals production – a case study with ursodeoxycholic acid

Abstract To overcome the limitations of the conventional particle size reduction technologies, a novel combinative particle size reduction method for the effective production of homogeneous nanosuspensions was investigated. Ursodeoxycholic acid, a poorly soluble drug representative, was tried to prepare nanosuspension by homogenization technology and high-pressure precipitation tandem homogenization technology. It was shown that the combinative approach could significantly improve the particle size reduction effectiveness over conventional homogenization approach. The Box–Behnken design analysis for process optimization revealed that the acceptable UDCA-NS was obtained wherein the optimal values of A, B, C and D were 10%, 500 bar, 0.125 and 600 bar, respectively. SEM results demonstrated that no significant aggregation or crystals growth could be observed in the freeze-dried UDCA nanocrystals. The DSC and XRD results showed that UDCA remained in a crystalline state. Dissolution velocities of the freeze-dried UDCA-NS powder were distinctly superior compared to those of the crude powder and physical mixture. The high-pressure precipitation tandem homogenization technology can be a good choice for nanosuspension preparation of poorly soluble UDCA, due to high efficiency of particle size reduction.
Disposable sheath that facilitates endoscopic Raman spectroscopy

Abstract. In vivo endoscopic Raman spectroscopy of human tissue using a fiber optic probe has been previously demonstrated. However, there remain several technical challenges, such as a robust control over the laser radiation dose and measurement repeatability during endoscopy. A decrease in the signal to noise was also observed due to aging of Raman probe after repeated cycles of harsh reprocessing procedures. To address these issues, we designed and tested a disposable, biocompatible, and sterile sheath for use with a fiber optic endoscopic Raman probe. The sheath effectively controls contamination of Raman probes between procedures, greatly reduces turnaround time, and slows down the aging of the Raman probes. A small optical window fitted at the sheath cap maintained the measurement distance between Raman probe end and tissue surface. To ensure that the sheath caused a minimal amount of fluorescence and Raman interference, the optical properties of materials for the sheath, optical window, and bonding agent were studied. The easy-to-use sheath can be manufactured at a moderate cost. The sheath strictly enforced a maximum permissible exposure standard of the tissue by the laser and reduced the spectral variability by 1.5 to 8.5 times within the spectral measurement range.
Taobao Data on Women's Apparel Online Sales of Consumer Behavior Analysis

With the rapidly growing e-commerce expansion of its online shopping, including convenience shopping-mode and cheaper price pervasived penetration of our lives. China's online shopping market in 2010 close to 500 billion deal size, total retail sales of social consumer goods accounted for 3.2%; At the same time, online shopping 148 million subscribers, the penetration rate in Internet users amount 30.8%. Taobao, as a leading consumer B2C and C2C platform in the consumer market has the impact can not be ignored; while women in their own network characteristics, network marketing for many years ranked first. This paper is based on sales data Taobao, by analyzing the characteristics of online consumer behavior, the corresponding coping strategies of network marketing to enterprises engaged in the relevant network marketing has some significance.
Combinatorial Treatment of DNA and Chromatin-Modifying Drugs Cause Cell Death in Human and Canine Osteosarcoma Cell Lines

Downregulation of microRNAs (miRNAs) at the 14q32 locus stabilizes the expression of cMYC, thus significantly contributing to osteosarcoma (OS) pathobiology. Here, we show that downregulation of 14q32 miRNAs is epigenetically regulated. The predicted promoter regions of miRNA clusters at 14q32 locus showed no recurrent patterns of differential methylation, but Saos2 cells showed elevated histone deacetylase (HDAC) activity. Treatment with 4-phenylbutyrate increased acetylation of histones associated with 14q32 miRNAs, but interestingly, robust restoration of 14q32 miRNA expression, attenuation of cMYC expression, and induction of apoptosis required concomitant treatment with 5-Azacytidine, an inhibitor of DNA methylation. These events were associated with genome-wide gene expression changes including induction of pro-apoptotic genes and downregulation of cell cycle genes. Comparable effects were achieved in human and canine OS cells using the HDAC inhibitor suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid (SAHA/Vorinostat) and the DNA methylation inhibitor Zebularine (Zeb), with significantly more pronounced cytotoxicity in cells whose molecular phenotypes were indicative of aggressive biological behavior. These results suggested that the combination of these chromatin-modifying drugs may be a useful adjuvant in the treatment of rapidly progressive OS.
Web-Based Assessment of Mental Well-Being in Early Adolescence: A Reliability Study

Background The ever-increasing use of the Internet among adolescents represents an emerging opportunity for researchers to gain access to larger samples, which can be queried over several years longitudinally. Among adolescents, young adolescents (ages 11 to 13 years) are of particular interest to clinicians as this is a transitional stage, during which depressive and anxiety symptoms often emerge. However, it remains unclear whether these youngest adolescents can accurately answer questions about their mental well-being using a Web-based platform. Objective The aim of the study was to examine the accuracy of responses obtained from Web-based questionnaires by comparing Web-based with paper-and-pencil versions of depression and anxiety questionnaires. Methods The primary outcome was the score on the depression and anxiety questionnaires under two conditions: (1) paper-and-pencil and (2) Web-based versions. Twenty-eight adolescents (aged 11-13 years, mean age 12.78 years and SD 0.78; 18 females, 64%) were randomly assigned to complete either the paper-and-pencil or the Web-based questionnaire first. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) were calculated to measure intrarater reliability. Intraclass correlation coefficients were calculated separately for depression (Children’s Depression Inventory, CDI) and anxiety (Spence Children’s Anxiety Scale, SCAS) questionnaires. Results On average, it took participants 17 minutes (SD 6) to answer 116 questions online. Intraclass correlation coefficient analysis revealed high intrarater reliability when comparing Web-based with paper-and-pencil responses for both CDI (ICC=.88; P<.001) and the SCAS (ICC=.95; P<.001). According to published criteria, both of these values are in the “almost perfect” category indicating the highest degree of reliability. Conclusions The results of the study show an excellent reliability of Web-based assessment in 11- to 13-year-old children as compared with the standard paper-pencil assessment. Furthermore, we found that Web-based assessments with young adolescents are highly feasible, with all enrolled participants completing the Web-based form. As early adolescence is a time of remarkable social and behavioral changes, these findings open up new avenues for researchers from diverse fields who are interested in studying large samples of young adolescents over time.
Weighted geometric docking: Incorporating external information in the rotation‐translation scan

Weighted geometric docking is a prediction algorithm that matches weighted molecular surfaces. Each molecule is represented by a grid of complex numbers, storing information about the shape of the molecule in the real part and weight information in the imaginary part. The weights are based on experimental biochemical and biophysical data or on theoretical analyses of amino acid conservation or correlation patterns in multiple‐sequence alignments of homologous proteins. Only a few surface residues on either one or both molecules are weighted. In contrast to methods that use postscan filtering based on biochemical information, our method incorporates the external data in the rotation‐translation search, producing a different set of docking solutions biased toward solutions in which the up‐weighted residues are at the interface. Similarly, interactions involving specified residues can be impeded. The weighted geometric algorithm was applied to five systems for which regular geometric docking of the unbound molecules gave poor results. We obtained much better ranking of the nearly correct prediction and higher statistical significance when weighted geometric docking was used. The method was successful even when the weighted portion of the surface corresponded only partially and approximately to the binding site. Proteins 2003;52:24–27. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Affine motion compensation with improved reconstruction in PROPELLER MRI

PROPELLER (Periodically Rotated Overlapping ParallEL Lines with Enhanced Reconstruction) MRI offers an effective means for compensating rigid motion during data collection. So far, this method has been evaluated clinically and found to be able to improve image quality through quantification and correction for head motion, where hypothetically only rotation and translation is present. During imaging of other parts of body, especially in abdomen, soft tissue such as liver, deformation occurs frequently. Traditional PROPELLER reconstruction can not model this kind of non-rigid body motion and can only attain limited compensation through correlation weighting. In this paper, a new method, named Affine PROPELLER, is proposed for affine motion correction, which extracts affine motion information from image space and compensates it in k-space. The experimental results show that the proposed method could correct artifacts due to not only the rigid motion but also the affine motion.
Microstrip Antenna With Electrically Large Property Based on Metamaterial Inclusions

Microstrip antenna with electrically large property (ELP) is discussed and designed in this paper. The modal wave equation for the microstrip resonant cavity is analyzed and the fundamental resonant mode (TM100 mode) of the cavity is discussed by considering the boundary conditions. As an example, effective media parameters of one I-shaped resonant metamaterial is extracted from the S-parameters and the ELP is achieved for the antenna in the band of <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\varepsilon > 0$ </tex-math></inline-formula> and <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\mu < 0$ </tex-math></inline-formula>. The results show that the resonant frequency of the planar microtrip-line-slot feed antenna is increased about 4.6 times by loading with metamaterial in-between the feeding part and radiating part of the planar antenna without deteriorating the directional radiation pattern. One prototype is fabricated and the measured result shows that the resonant frequency for the ELP antenna is centered at about 30 GHz which confirm the theory analysis. The proposed method is a good option to design millimeter wave and terahertz wave antennas and devices in the future.
Stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) for pulmonary metastases from renal cell carcinoma-a multicenter analysis of the German working group "Stereotactic Radiotherapy".

Background Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is traditionally considered to be radioresistant. Radiotherapy response rates are believed to improve with hypofractionated, high dose stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT). However, limited data exist regarding the role of SBRT in the treatment of pulmonary metastases. Methods The working group "Stereotactic Radiotherapy" of the German Society of Radiation Oncology analyzed its multi-institutional database of more than 700 patients who received SBRT for pulmonary metastases. Treatment was performed at 10 centers between 2001 and 2016. Patients with metastatic RCC were included in the study. Tumor characteristics, treatment details, and follow-up data including survival, local control (LC), distant metastases, and toxicity were evaluated. Results A total of 46 RCC patients treated with SBRT for 67 lung metastases were identified, who received a median total biologically effective dose (BEDiso) at planning target volume (PTV) isocenter of 117.0 Gy (range, 48.0-189.0 Gy). A median fractional dose of 20.8 Gy at isocenter (range, 6.0-37.9 Gy) was administered in a median number of 3 fractions (1-8 fractions). After a median follow-up time of 28.3 months for all patients, 1- and 3-year LC rates were 98.1% and 91.9%, with corresponding 1- and 3-year overall survival (OS) of 84.3% and 43.8%, respectively. Pulmonary metastases treated with BEDiso ≥130 Gy showed a trend for superior LC (P=0.054). OS was significantly improved in both uni- and multivariate analysis for patients with higher Karnofsky performance scale, lower maximum pulmonary metastasis diameter and lack of post-SBRT systemic therapy due to progression (P=0.014; P=0.049; P=0.006). Only mild acute and late toxicity was reported. Conclusions SBRT for pulmonary metastases from RCC was associated with low treatment-associated toxicity, promising survival, and excellent LC, especially in those patients receiving a BEDiso ≥130 Gy.
An ingestible wireless capsule for treatment of obesity

Intragastric balloon has become a popular method for treatment of obesity due to its less-invasive and non-pharmaceutical procedure. In this method, a gas (or liquid)-filled balloon is inserted into the stomach using endoscopy or surgery. The balloon stays in and partially fills the stomach for a desired period of time to induce the feeling of satiety in the patient. At the end of the treatment period, the balloon is removed from the body using endoscopy or surgery. Although proven effective in treatment of obesity, this method suffers from several drawbacks. Requiring an endoscopic procedure or surgery to insert and exert the balloon from the stomach is the most important disadvantage of this method. These procedures are usually costly and may cause the patient to feel uncomfortable. Here, we propose a non-invasive method to overcome these drawbacks. In this method, an intragastric balloon is introduced into the body using an ingestible capsule. The volume of the capsule can be adjusted wirelessly after being swallowed by the patient. Using this method, a non-invasive and patient-specific treatment is possible.
Forecast emergency room visits – a major diagnostic categories based approach

This work is a case study intended to explore the capability of three forecasting techniques to predict emergency department (ED) visits based on Major Diagnostic Categories. It is a part of a larger work aimed to improve ED patients’ throughput time. The ED in this case is considered as a part of the health chain and the process of arrival and departure of patients are included. The prediction models presented in this work are initially established and validated from the historical 3-year emergency room visits at Sherbrook University Hospitals and uses the week as the period unit. Given that resources are consumed differently for each disease, a group of patients has been considered according to the major diagnostic categories (MDC). Three predictive models of the number of visits are considered and compared: linear regression model, SARIMA and multivariate SARIMA. The accuracy of the prediction models is evaluated by calculating the mean percentage error (MAPE) and the mean absolute error (MAE) between forecast and observed data. The medium term forecasting model for the number of admissions is determined according to the estimated admission ratio for each patient group, while the short term model is established according to a regression model based on age groups. SARIMAX offers the most accurate model with a MAPE ranging from 6% to 49% (group of a small number of visits). Twelve of the twenty-seven groups of patients account for nearly 90% of the total of emergency room visits and the weighted mean average percentage error (WMAPE) stands at 8%. The admission rates for each group of patients is based on Gauss’ distribution and is different from one group to another. For many MDCs, strong correlations can be demonstrated between the admission rates and the patient age groups by using a quadratic regression. The prediction models explored in this paper aims to help managers to plan more efficiently the emergency department resources. The models can also be used to plan resources of other hospital departments since they give information about the number of admitted patients for each MDC.
Sex- and Age-Related Differences in Mathematics

This study examined sex differences and age-related changes in mathematics based on Eccles's 1985 expectancy-value model of “achievement-related choices” and Dweck's 1986 motivation-process model. We have assessed motivational variables and performance in mathematics for youth in Grades 5, 7, and 9 in a German comprehensive secondary school. Significant sex differences in Grades 7 and 9 were observed even when school marks were controlled for. Furthermore, the results indicated differences between Grade 7 and Grade 9 on most of the motivational variables. Older students show a less favorable motivational pattern. Our results give evidence of the importance of motivational encouragement in mathematics classes, especially for girls and low achieving learners.
Virus Detection and Semiquantitation in Explanted Heart Tissues of Idiopathic Dilated Cardiomyopathy Adult Patients by Use of PCR Coupled with Mass Spectrometry Analysis

ABSTRACT Viral detection in heart tissues has become a central issue for the diagnosis and exploration of the pathogenesis of idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (IDCM). In the present study, common cardiotropic viruses in 67 explanted heart samples of 31 IDCM adult patients were detected and semiquantified by using for the first time a new technology based on PCR assay coupled to electrospray ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry analysis (PCR-MS), with comparison to reference quantitative real-time PCR (RT-qPCR) assay. PCR-MS identified single or mixed enterovirus (EV) and parvovirus B19 (PVB19) infections in 27 (40.2%) of 67 samples, corresponding to 15 (48.3%) of the 31 patients, whereas RT-qPCR identified viral infections in 26 (38.8%) samples, corresponding to 16 (51.6%) of the patients. The PCR-MS results correlated well with EV and PVB19 detection by RT-qPCR (kappa = 0.85 [95% confidence interval {CI}, 0.72 to 1.00] and kappa = 0.82 [95% CI, 0.66 to 0.99], respectively). The levels of EV RNA (median, 550 [range, 178 to 3,200] copies/μg of total extracted nucleic acids) and of PVB19 DNA (median, 486 [range, 80 to 1,157] copies/μg of total extracted nucleic acids) were measured using PCR-MS and correlated with those obtained by RT-qPCR (r 2 = 0.57, P = 0.002 and r 2 = 0.64, P < 0.001 for EV and PVB19, respectively). No viruses other than EV and PVB19 strains were detected using the new PCR-MS technology, which is capable of simultaneously identifying 84 known human viruses in one assay. In conclusion, we identified single or mixed EV and PVB19 cardiac infections as potential causes of IDCM. The PCR-MS analysis appeared to be a valuable tool to rapidly detect and semiquantify common viruses in cardiac tissues and may be of major interest to better understand the role of viruses in unexplained cardiomyopathies.