Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Iyengar Yoga versus Enhanced Usual Care on Blood Pressure in Patients with Prehypertension to Stage I Hypertension: a Randomized Controlled Trial

The prevalence of prehypertension and Stage 1 hypertension continues to increase despite being amenable to non-pharmacologic interventions. Iyengar yoga (IY) has been purported to reduce blood pressure (BP) though evidence from randomized trials is lacking. We conducted a randomized controlled trial to assess the effects of 12 weeks of IY versus enhanced usual care (EUC) (based on individual dietary adjustment) on 24-h ambulatory BP in yoga-naïve adults with untreated prehypertension or Stage 1 hypertension. In total, 26 and 31 subjects in the IY and EUC arms, respectively, completed the study. There were no differences in BP between the groups at 6 and 12 weeks. In the EUC group, 24-h systolic BP (SBP), diastolic BP (DBP) and mean arterial pressure (MAP) significantly decreased by 5, 3 and 3 mmHg, respectively, from baseline at 6 weeks (P < .05), but were no longer significant at 12 weeks. In the IY group, 24 h SBP was reduced by 6 mmHg at 12 weeks compared to baseline (P = .05). 24 h DBP (P < .01) and MAP (P < .05) decreased significantly each by 5 mmHg. No differences were observed in catecholamine or cortisol metabolism to explain the decrease in BP in the IY group at 12 weeks. Twelve weeks of IY produces clinically meaningful improvements in 24 h SBP and DBP. Larger studies are needed to establish the long term efficacy, acceptability, utility and potential mechanisms of IY to control BP.
3rd Generation Partnership Project; Technical Specification Group Radio Access Network; Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (e-utra); Further Advancements for E-utra Physical Layer Aspects (release 9)

The present document has been developed within the 3 rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP TM) and may be further elaborated for the purposes of 3GPP. The present document has not been subject to any approval process by the 3GPP Organizational Partners and shall not be implemented. This Specification is provided for future development work within 3GPP only. The Organizational Partners accept no liability for any use of this Specification. Specifications and reports for implementation of the 3GPP TM system should be obtained via the 3GPP Organizational Partners' Publications Offices. No part may be reproduced except as authorized by written permission. The copyright and the foregoing restriction extend to reproduction in all media. UMTS™ is a Trade Mark of ETSI registered for the benefit of its members 3GPP™ is a Trade Mark of ETSI registered for the benefit of its Members and of the 3GPP Organizational Partners LTE™ is a Trade Mark of ETSI currently being registered for the benefit of its Members and of the 3GPP Organizational Partners GSM® and the GSM logo are registered and owned by the GSM Association
Quadtree-based multiregion multiquality image coding

Region-based video coding schemes employed in MPEG-4 are also promising for still image coding applications where images contain a number of objects that can be encoded at different bit rates, such as compression of medical images for archiving and transmission. Motivated by this fact, in this letter we investigate multiregion multiquality (MRMQ) coding with quadtree-based wavelet coders. We present a novel scheme which addresses the region size sensitivity problem in region-based coding. The proposed method outperforms the region-of-interest (ROI) coding unit of JPEG-2000; it is possible to save 0.3 bits per pixel to attain the same ROI/background fidelity without sacrificing the additional features provided by JPEG-2000, such as resolution scalability and error resilience.
Observational Learning in Broad Choice Sets

We study the formation of market shares in environments where customers choose from among multiple options for which they observe the aggregate choices of previous customers (the sales of each option). With imperfect information regarding the true quality of the different options, the choices of better informed customers turn sales into informative signals, allowing less informed customers to learn about the options' quality. Besides such informational externalities, we consider possible direct negative externalities that characterize many economic environments - customers often derive lower utility from options chosen by more other customers, ceteris paribus. Our equilibrium analyses demonstrate a moderating, and counterintuitive, effect of negative externalities on observational learning. For example, when negative externalities are negligible, the "majority" option with the highest sales might seem like the obvious choice as it is a cheap signal of quality, but we find that rational uninformed customers instead choose a "minority" option with lower sales. We test our theory in a controlled laboratory environment with human subjects, and find strong evidence for observational learning predicted by our equilibrium analyses, with one notable exception: With negligible negative externalities, uninformed subjects ignore minority options and choose majority options instead. We explain this behavior via random choice theory.
Modelling survival prediction in medical data

The analysis of data that corresponds to the time from when an individual enter a study until the occurrence of some particular event or end-point. Concerned with the comparison of survival curves for different combinations of risk factors. Data contains uncensored (reach until end point) and censored (lost to follow-up or die from unrelated cause) observations.
Developing an Empirical Algorithm for Protecting Text-Based CAPTCHAs against Segmentation Attacks

In this paper, we aim to provide an effective and efficient method to generate text-based Captchas which are resilient against segmentation attack. Different to the popular industry practice of using very simple color schemes, we advocate to use multiple colors in our Captchas. We adopt the idea of brush and canvas when coloring our Captchas. Furthermore, we choose to use simple accumulating functions to achieve diffusion on painted colors and DES encryption to achieve a good level of confusion on the brush pattern. To facilitate ordinary users and developers, we propose an empirical algorithm with support of Taguchi method to guarantee the quality of the chosen color schemes. Our proposed methodology has at least three advantages -- 1) the settings of color schemes can be fully customized by the user or developer, 2) the quality of selected colors have desirable statistical features that are ensured by Taguchi method, 3) the algorithm can be fully automated into computer programs. Moreover, our included examples and experiments prove the practicality and validity of our algorithm.
CACA: Link-Based Channel Allocation Exploiting Capture Effect for Channel Reuse in Wireless Sensor Networks

In this paper, we exploit the capture-effect for channel allocation. We experimentally show the characteristics of capture-effect across different channels, over time, and in different network densities. Then, we introduce CACA, an effective channel assignment protocol for wireless sensor networks. Traditional channel assignment protocols utilize all available channels to minimize interferences between any adjacent links. However, their performances are often not much better than the case of using single channel only. This is mainly due to an assumption that all channels are independent and quality of all channels are similar. However, this is a false assumption. In fact, there are only a few channels that show very good quality at any given time. The CACA avoids this problem by utilizing a few good channels and reuse these channels. When the channels are reused it relies on the capture-effect to ensure at least one of the contending nodes to transmit successfully. Maximizing this capture probability is a main objective of the CACA whenever the channels need to be reused. We evaluate the CACA on a 140-node wireless sensor network testbed and compare its performance with another benchmark protocol. Our results indicate that the CACA can improve the packet reception ratio of every link. As a result of this improvement, end-to-end throughput increases upto 100% in the case of a wireless sensor network with bursty traffic.
Topological routing to maximize routability for package substrate

Compared with on-chip routers, the existing commercial tools for off-chip routing have a much lower routability and often result in a large number of unrouted nets for manual routing. In this paper, we develop an effective, yet efficient, substrate routing algorithm, applying dynamic pushing to alleviate the net ordering problem and reordering and rerouting for further wire length and congestion reduction. Compared with an industrial design tool that leaves 936 nets unrouted for nine industrial designs with a total of 6100 nets, our algorithm reduces the unrouted nets to 212, a 4.5-times net number reduction and practically more design time reduction.
Performance of MALDI biotyper compared with Vitek™ 2 compact system for fast identification and discrimination of Staphylococcus species isolated from bovine mastitis

This study was designed to evaluate the ability of MALDI Biotyper (MBT) compared with Vitek™ 2 compact system for accurate identification of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and coagulase‐negative staphylococci (CNS) strains and discriminate methicillin‐sensitive S. aureus (MSSA) from methicillin‐resistant S. aureus (MRSA). Throughout Al‐Qassim region, Saudi Arabia, a total of 198 isolates of S. aureus (132 MSSA and 66 MRSA) and 44 CNS were collected from five dairy farms where the prevalence of staphylococcal mastitis was reported. The results produced by Vitek™ 2 compact system demonstrated that 123/132 MSSA isolates (93.18%), 61/66 MRSA (92.42%), and 37/44 CNS species (84.09%) were correctly identified. However; 130/132 MSSA (98.48%), 64/66 MRSA (96.96%), and 44/44 CNS (100%) were correctly identified by MBT with score ≥2. 00. The principal component analysis (PCA) dendrogram generated by MBT illustrated that the tested isolates were classified into two groups of Staphylococcus species at the distance level of 600. S. aureus isolates were found to be closely related with higher peak intensities in the mass of 3,993 Da, 4,121 Da and 5,845 Da were detected in MRSA, whereas, that were lost in MSSA. Conclusion: This study verified that MBT is an alternative powerful tool for precise identification and discrimination of Staphylococcus species.
Joint Opportunities for Real-Time Linux and Real-Time Systems Research

Based on lessons learned in developing and maintaining LITMUS, arguments in favor of an intensified collaboration between the academic and the open-source real-time communities are presented, and several ways in which ongoing efforts in these two communities may benefit each other are outlined. Some (unfortunately) commonlyencountered sources of friction and mutual misconceptions, which result from differing backgrounds and objectives in these two communities, are exposed, with the goal of finding common ground. Further, a “wish list” is presented of possible additions and changes to PREEMPT-RT that would enhance Linux’s viability as the “platform of choice” for real-time-systems research. These improvements are substantiated by examining EDF-HSB, a candidate algorithm for earliest-deadline-first (EDF) scheduling support in Linux that integrates hard and soft real-time guarantees as well as best-effort scheduling with bandwidth reservations.
Investigation of FOXM1 as a Potential New Target for Melanoma

Recent studies have shown that immunotherapies and molecular targeted therapies are effective for advanced melanoma. Non-antigen-specific immunotherapies such as immunocheckpoint blockades have been shown to be effective in the treatment of advanced melanoma. However, the response rates remain low. To improve their efficacy, they should be combined with antigen-specific immunotherapy. Elevated expression of the transcription factor, Forkhead box M1 (FOXM1), has been reported in various human cancers, and it has been shown to have potential as a target for immunotherapy. The purpose of this study was to investigate the FOXM1 expression in human melanoma samples and cell lines, to evaluate the relationship between the FOXM1 expression and the clinical features of melanoma patients and to investigate the association between the FOXM1 and MAPK and PI3K/AKT pathways in melanoma cell lines. We conducted the quantitative reverse transcription PCR (qRT-PCR) and Western blotting analyses of melanoma cell lines, and investigated melanoma and nevus tissue samples by qRT-PCR and immunohistochemistry. We performed MEK siRNA and PI3K/AKT inhibitor studies and FOXM1 siRNA studies in melanoma cell lines. We found that FOXM1 was expressed in all of the melanoma cell lines, and was expressed in 49% of primary melanomas, 67% of metastatic melanomas and 10% of nevi by performing immunohistochemical staining. Metastatic melanoma samples exhibited significantly higher mRNA levels of FOXM1 (p = 0.004). Primary melanomas thicker than 2 mm were also more likely to express FOXM1. Patients whose primary melanoma expressed FOXM1 had a significantly poorer overall survival compared to patients without FOXM1 expression (p = 0.024). Downregulation of FOXM1 by siRNA significantly inhibited the proliferation of melanoma cells, and blockade of the MAPK and PI3K/AKT pathways decreased the FOXM1 expression in melanoma cell lines. In conclusion, FOXM1 is considered to be a new therapeutic target for melanoma.
Approach to Fault Identification for Electronic Products Using Mahalanobis Distance

This paper presents a Mahalanobis distance (MD) based diagnostic approach that employs a probabilistic approach to establish thresholds to classify a product as being healthy or unhealthy. A technique for detecting trends and biasness in system health is presented by constructing a control chart for the MD value. The performance parameters' residuals, which are the differences between the estimated values (from an empirical model) and the observed values (from health monitoring), are used to isolate parameters that exhibit faults. To aid in the qualification of a product against a specific known fault, we suggest that a fault-specific threshold MD value be defined by minimizing an error function. A case study on notebook computers is presented to demonstrate the applicability of this proposed diagnostic approach.
ChIP-seq reveals the global regulator AlgR mediating cyclic di-GMP synthesis in Pseudomonas aeruginosa

AlgR is a key transcriptional regulator required for the expression of multiple virulence factors, including type IV pili and alginate in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. However, the regulon and molecular regulatory mechanism of AlgR have yet to be fully elucidated. Here, among 157 loci that were identified by a ChIP-seq assay, we characterized a gene, mucR, which encodes an enzyme that synthesizes the intracellular second messenger cyclic diguanylate (c-di-GMP). A ΔalgR strain produced lesser biofilm than did the wild-type strain, which is consistent with a phenotype controlled by c-di-GMP. AlgR positively regulates mucR via direct binding to its promoter. A ΔalgRΔmucR double mutant produced lesser biofilm than did the single ΔalgR mutant, demonstrating that c-di-GMP is a positive regulator of biofilm formation. AlgR controls the levels of c-di-GMP synthesis via direct regulation of mucR. In addition, the cognate sensor of AlgR, FimS/AlgZ, also plays an important role in P. aeruginosa virulence. Taken together, this study provides new insights into the AlgR regulon and reveals the involvement of c-di-GMP in the mechanism underlying AlgR regulation.
Low complexity sequence detection for MIMO ISI channel with decision feedback MLSE

A reduced complexity decision feedback maximum likelihood sequence estimation (DF-MLSE) for MIMO frequency selective fading channels has been proposed. The BER performance of the proposed algorithm is the same as for the standard MLSE, yet computational complexity is significantly reduced. For a typical MIMO system with 4 transmitter antennas and 4 receiver antennas the computational complexity reduction is 20-fold. The complexity reduction in previously proposed receivers is even higher at the cost of 2 dB SNR loss for the same BER performance as for the standard MLSE. Unlike previous approaches we are taking advantage of the a priori knowledge hidden in the time domain received signal structure to produce receivers with the same BER performance as the standard MLSE detector and significantly lower computational cost.
R-MAT: A Recursive Model for Graph Mining

How does a ‘normal’ computer (or social) network look like? How can we spot ‘abnormal’ sub-networks in the Internet, or web graph? The answer to such questions is vital for outlier detection (terrorist networks, or illegal money-laundering rings), forecasting, and simulations (“how will a computer virus spread? ”). The heart of the problem is finding the properties of real graphs that seem to persist over multiple disciplines. We list such “laws” and, more importantly, we propose a simple, parsimonious model, the “recursive matrix” (R-MAT) model, which can quickly generate realistic graphs, capturing the essence of each graph in only a few parameters. Contrary to existing generators, our model can trivially generate weighted, directed and bipartite graphs; it subsumes the celebrated Erdős-Renyi model as a special case; it can match the power law behaviors, as well as the deviations from them (like the “winner does not take it all” model of Pennock et al. [20]). We present results on multiple, large real graphs, where we show that our parameter fitting algorithm (AutoMAT-fast) fits them very well.
A Dynamic Model of Software Product Generative Process

We analyze the process of software development for large, object oriented, open source software systems. Such systems may be described as complex networks when suitable variables are properly identified. In particular we model the system growth through a Yule process which enable us to fit data extracted from freely available repositories. We consider quantities related to relevant properties of the software system itself, like methods names, instance variable names, number of subclasses of each class. As opposite to a plain analysis of a final product, we perform a dynamic analysis of the product evolution, since we look at how system properties change during the development along different releases. The final goal is to detect statistical features that may be related to software dependability.
Elucidating the CXCL12/CXCR4 Signaling Network in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia through Phosphoproteomics Analysis

Background Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) pathogenesis has been linked to the prolonged survival and/or apoptotic resistance of leukemic B cells in vivo, and is thought to be due to enhanced survival signaling responses to environmental factors that protect CLL cells from spontaneous and chemotherapy-induced death. Although normally associated with cell migration, the chemokine, CXCL12, is one of the factors known to support the survival of CLL cells. Thus, the signaling pathways activated by CXCL12 and its receptor, CXCR4, were investigated as components of these pathways and may represent targets that if inhibited, could render resistant CLL cells more susceptible to chemotherapy. Methodology/Principal Findings To determine the downstream signaling targets that contribute to the survival effects of CXCL12 in CLL, we took a phosphoproteomics approach to identify and compare phosphopeptides in unstimulated and CXCL12-stimulated primary CLL cells. While some of the survival pathways activated by CXCL12 in CLL are known, including Akt and ERK1/2, this approach enabled the identification of additional signaling targets and novel phosphoproteins that could have implications in CLL disease and therapy. In addition to the phosphoproteomics results, we provide evidence from western blot validation that the tumor suppressor, programmed cell death factor 4 (PDCD4), is a previously unidentified phosphorylation target of CXCL12 signaling in all CLL cells probed. Additionally, heat shock protein 27 (HSP27), which mediates anti-apoptotic signaling and has previously been linked to chemotherapeutic resistance, was detected in a subset (∼25%) of CLL patients cells examined. Conclusions/Significance Since PDCD4 and HSP27 have previously been associated with cancer and regulation of cell growth and apoptosis, these proteins may have novel implications in CLL cell survival and represent potential therapeutic targets. PDCD4 also represents a previously unknown signaling target of chemokine receptors; therefore, these observations increase our understanding of alternative pathways to migration that may be activated or inhibited by chemokines in the context of cancer cell survival.
Effect of proton pump inhibitor pretreatment on resistance of solid tumors to cytotoxic drugs.

BACKGROUND Resistance to antitumor agents is a major cause of treatment failure in patients with cancer. Some mechanisms of tumor resistance to cytotoxic drugs may involve increased acidification of extracellular compartments. We investigated whether proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), currently used in the anti-acid treatment of peptic disease, could inhibit the acidification of the tumor microenvironment and increase the sensitivity of tumor cells to cytotoxic agents. METHODS We pretreated cell lines derived from human melanomas, adenocarcinomas, and lymphomas with the PPIs omeprazole, esomeprazole, or pantoprazole and tested their response to cytotoxic drugs in cell death assays. We also evaluated extracellular and intracellular pH and vacuolar-H+-ATPase (V-H+-ATPase) expression, distribution, and activity in PPI-pretreated cells by using western blot analyses, immunocytochemistry, laser scanning confocal analysis, and bioluminescence assays. Finally, we evaluated human melanoma growth and cisplatin sensitivity with or without omeprazole pretreatment in xenografted SCID/SCID mice. RESULTS PPI pretreatment sensitized tumor cell lines to the effects of cisplatin, 5-fluorouracil, and vinblastine, with an IC50 value reduction up to 2 logs. PPI pretreatment was associated with the inhibition of V-H+-ATPase activity and increases in both extracellular pH and the pH of lysosomal organelles. PPI pretreatment induced a marked increase in the cytoplasmic retention of the cytotoxic drugs, with clear targeting to the nucleus in the case of doxorubicin. In in vivo experiments, oral pretreatment with omeprazole was able to induce sensitivity of human solid tumors to cisplatin. CONCLUSION Our results open new possibilities for the treatment of drug-resistant tumors through combination strategies based on the use of well-tolerated pH modulators such as PPIs.