Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Dynamic Predictions and Prospective Accuracy in Joint Models for Longitudinal and Time‐to‐Event Data

Summary In longitudinal studies it is often of interest to investigate how a marker that is repeatedly measured in time is associated with a time to an event of interest. This type of research question has given rise to a rapidly developing field of biostatistics research that deals with the joint modeling of longitudinal and time‐to‐event data. In this article, we consider this modeling framework and focus particularly on the assessment of the predictive ability of the longitudinal marker for the time‐to‐event outcome. In particular, we start by presenting how survival probabilities can be estimated for future subjects based on their available longitudinal measurements and a fitted joint model. Following we derive accuracy measures under the joint modeling framework and assess how well the marker is capable of discriminating between subjects who experience the event within a medically meaningful time frame from subjects who do not. We illustrate our proposals on a real data set on human immunodeficiency virus infected patients for which we are interested in predicting the time‐to‐death using their longitudinal CD4 cell count measurements.
Application of SFS algorithm in control of DC motor and comparative analysis

The authors present an application of Stochastic Fractal Search (SFS) algorithm in control of DC motor. SFS algorithm uses the concept of Fractal. Here, integration of time multiplied absolute error (ITAE) has been taken as an objective function for tuning the parameters of PID controller by SFS algorithm. Comparison of proposed scheme (SFS/PID) with other existing techniques has also been shown. It has been observed that proposed SFS/PID approach with ITAE as an objective function gives no overshoot and other parameters such as; settling time and rise time are also comparable with other existing techniques. Also, the robustness analysis of proposed SFS/PID scheme has also been carried out with parameters' variation of DC motor along with the comparative analysis.
Two-State Checkpointing for Energy-Efficient Fault Tolerance in Hard Real-Time Systems

Checkpointing with rollback recovery is a well-established technique to tolerate transient faults. However, it incurs significant time and energy overheads, which go wasted in fault-free execution states and may not even be feasible in hard real-time systems. This paper presents a low-overhead two-state checkpointing (TsCp) scheme for fault-tolerant hard real-time systems. It differentiates between the fault-free and faulty execution states and leverages two types of checkpoint intervals for these two different states. The first type is nonuniform intervals that are used while no fault has occurred. These intervals are determined based on postponing checkpoint insertions in fault-free states, with the aim of decreasing the number of checkpoint insertions. The second type is uniform intervals that are used from the time when the first fault occurs. They are determined so as to minimize execution time for faulty states, leaving more time available for energy management in fault-free states. Experimental evaluation on an embedded processor (LEON3) and an emerging nonvolatile memory technology (ReRAM) illustrates that TsCp significantly reduces the number of checkpoints (62% on average) compared with previous works, while preserving fault tolerance. This results in 14% and 13% reduced execution time and energy consumption, respectively. Furthermore, we combine TsCp with dynamic voltage scaling (DVS) and achieve up to 26% (21% on average) energy saving compared with the state-of-the-art techniques.
Coordinated Effects of Sequence Variation on DNA Binding, Chromatin Structure, and Transcription

DNA Differences The extent to which genetic variation affects an individual's phenotype has been difficult to predict because the majority of variation lies outside the coding regions of genes. Now, three studies examine the extent to which genetic variation affects the chromatin of individuals with diverse ancestry and genetic variation (see the Perspective by Furey and Sethupathy). Kasowski et al. (p. 750, published online 17 October) examined how genetic variation affects differences in chromatin states and their correlation to histone modifications, as well as more general DNA binding factors. Kilpinen et al. (p. 744, published online 17 October) document how genetic variation is linked to allelic specificity in transcription factor binding, histone modifications, and transcription. McVicker et al. (p. 747, published online 17 October) identified how quantitative trait loci affect histone modifications in Yoruban individuals and established which specific transcription factors affect such modifications. Human genetic variation results in coordinated allelic variation across molecular phenotypes. [Also see Perspective by Furey and Sethupathy] DNA sequence variation has been associated with quantitative changes in molecular phenotypes such as gene expression, but its impact on chromatin states is poorly characterized. To understand the interplay between chromatin and genetic control of gene regulation, we quantified allelic variability in transcription factor binding, histone modifications, and gene expression within humans. We found abundant allelic specificity in chromatin and extensive local, short-range, and long-range allelic coordination among the studied molecular phenotypes. We observed genetic influence on most of these phenotypes, with histone modifications exhibiting strong context-dependent behavior. Our results implicate transcription factors as primary mediators of sequence-specific regulation of gene expression programs, with histone modifications frequently reflecting the primary regulatory event.
Isolation, identification, and characterization of cancer stem cells: A review

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) or tumor‐initiating cells (TICs) as a small subset of neoplastic cells are able to produce a tumor (tumorigenesis), maintain the population of tumorigenic cells (self‐renewal), and generate the heterogeneous cells constructing the entire tumor (pluripotency). The research on stationary and circulating CSCs due to resistance to conventional therapies and inability in complete eradication of cancer is critical for developing novel therapeutic strategies for a more effective reduction in the risk of tumor metastasis and cancer recurrence. This review compiles information about different methods of detection and dissociation, side population, cellular markers, and establishment culture of CSCs, as well as characteristics of CSCs such as tumorigenicity, and signaling pathways associated with self‐renewal and the capability of the same histological tumor regeneration in various cancers.
Exercise therapy for patellofemoral pain syndrome.

BACKGROUND Patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS) is a common problem among adolescents and young adults, characterised by retropatellar pain (behind the kneecap) or peripatellar pain (around the kneecap) when ascending or descending stairs, squatting or sitting with flexed knees. Etiology, structures causing the pain and treatment methods are all debated in literature, but consensus has not been reached so far. Exercise therapy to strengthen the quadriceps is often prescribed, though its efficacy is still debated. OBJECTIVES This review aims to summarise the evidence of effectiveness of exercise therapy in reducing anterior knee pain and improving knee function in patients with PFPS. SEARCH STRATEGY We searched the Cochrane Musculoskeletal Injuries Group and Cochrane Rehabilitation and Related Therapies Field specialised registers, the Cochrane Controlled Trials Register, PEDro - The Physiotherapy Evidence Database, MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, up till December 2001 for controlled trials (randomised or not) comparing exercise therapy with control groups, or comparing different types of exercise therapy. SELECTION CRITERIA Only trials focusing on exercise therapy in patients with PFPS were considered. Trials in patients with other diagnoses such as tendinitis, Osgood Schlatter syndrome, bursitis, traumatic injuries, osteoarthritis, plica syndrome, Sinding-Larssen-Johansson syndrome and patellar luxations were excluded. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS From 750 publications 12 trials were selected. All included trials studied quadriceps strengthening exercises. Outcome assessments for knee pain and knee function in daily life were used in a best evidence synthesis to summarise evidence for effectiveness. MAIN RESULTS One high and two low quality studies used a control group not receiving exercise therapy. Significantly greater pain reduction in the exercise groups was found in one high and one low quality study, though at different time points. Only one low quality study reported significantly greater functional improvement with exercise. Five studies compared exercise therapies that could be designated closed kinetic chain exercise (foot in contact with a surface) versus open kinetic chain exercise (foot not in contact with a surface). Two of these studies were of high quality, but no significant differences in improvement of function or reduction of pain were apparent between the types of exercise in any of the studies. The remaining four studies, all of which were of low quality, focused on other treatment comparisons. REVIEWER'S CONCLUSIONS The evidence that exercise therapy is more effective in treating PFPS than no exercise was limited with respect to pain reduction, and conflicting with respect to functional improvement. There is strong evidence that open and closed kinetic chain exercise are equally effective. Further research to substantiate the efficacy of exercise treatment compared to a non-exercising control group is needed, and thorough consideration should be given to methodological aspects of study design and reporting.
Furthest k neighbors queries in spatial databases

Given a set of object O and a query point q, the furthest neighbor query returns an answer set such that the objects in the answer set are far from the query than any other objects in O. In this paper we have studied the furthest k neighbors queries for static and continuous datasets. We propose efficient RTree and grid based algorithms to answer the furthest k neighbors queries. We also define constrained furthest k neighbor query and proposed an algorithm for continuous data set.
Concerted control of Escherichia coli cell division

Significance The decisional process controlling cell division is a long-standing question in biology, but the answers were traditionally hindered by limited statistics on single cells. Contemporary experimental tools overcome this problem, but this progress must be combined with new theoretical tools to approach the data. This work introduces a quantitative method for estimating the variables controlling division rate and uses it to construct a minimal model from large-scale dynamic data on the size of dividing Escherichia coli cells. Cell size is found to be an important control variable of cell division, but not the sole one. Conversely, a description where division rate is determined jointly by cell size and time into the cell cycle reproduces well the available measurements. The coordination of cell growth and division is a long-standing problem in biology. Focusing on Escherichia coli in steady growth, we quantify cell division control using a stochastic model, by inferring the division rate as a function of the observable parameters from large empirical datasets of dividing cells. We find that (i) cells have mechanisms to control their size, (ii) size control is effected by changes in the doubling time, rather than in the single-cell elongation rate, (iii) the division rate increases steeply with cell size for small cells, and saturates for larger cells. Importantly, (iv) the current size is not the only variable controlling cell division, but the time spent in the cell cycle appears to play a role, and (v) common tests of cell size control may fail when such concerted control is in place. Our analysis illustrates the mechanisms of cell division control in E. coli. The phenomenological framework presented is sufficiently general to be widely applicable and opens the way for rigorous tests of molecular cell-cycle models.
Wind turbine control with active damage reduction through energy dissipation

In this paper we propose an active damage reduction control strategy for wind turbines based on dissipated energy. To this end we rely on the equivalences relating both damage in the rainflow counting sense and dissipated energy to the variations of Preisach hysteresis operators. Since dissipation theory is well suited for control systems, we adopt the dissipated energy of a Duhem hysteresis model that is described by a differential equation. Accordingly, we incorporate the dissipated energy into the optimal control problem formulation as a proxy to the damage. Lastly, the proposed strategy is evaluated with NREL's FAST high-fidelity non-linear wind turbine.
Development of a Classification System for Patients Referred to a Rehabilitation Program for Visual Impairment: A Method for Analysis and Budgetary Control

Abstract: Program evaluation makes assessments from various perspectives. In health care areas, evaluation generally focuses on the relationship between the care process and the clinical results. Our study is of particular interest because it adds a cost dimension to that relationship, thus introducing a method for evaluating visual impairment rehabilitation programs that integrates full operating costs. Starting from the functional level of patients on admission to a clinical program, an experimental approach was used to divide them into five homogeneous groups according to their consumption of financial resources during the care process. This method could be used in measuring and evaluating the financial performance of all rehabilitation programs and help improve budgetary control. With the added dimension of costs per client profile, it could provide a framework for other areas requiring program evaluations.
Asymptotic profiles of solutions for the isothermal Falk-Konopka system of shape memory alloys with weak damping

The aim of this paper is to investigate asymptotic behavior of solutions to the Cauchy problem of certain fourth-order semilinear elastic system with weak damping in three space dimension. The system corresponds to the isothermal case of the thermoelastic system representing the martensitic phase transitions on shape memory alloys. We give several asymptotic profiles of solutions. By considering the second-order expansion of solutions, we obtain more precise information about asymptotic behavior of solutions as t →∞ , and observe the contribution of the nonlinear term to solutions. Moreover, we give the third-order expansion formula which enable us to clarify the relation between the fourth- and the second-order derivative term.
The performance implications of demand-side diversification: evidence from the US telecommunications sector, 1990–1996

This article contributes to the emerging demand-side perspective in strategy by explaining the demand-side sources of the systematic performance differences (a) between firms that diversify to offer complementary products and those who choose not to diversify, and (b) across and within diversifying firms over time. The US Telecommunications Services sector during 1990–1996 provides a dynamic research setting to test our hypotheses concerning the value-generating effect of shared demand-side strategic assets across the diversifying firms' home- and target-market. We find that the overall quality of demand-side strategic assets of local telephone companies who chose to diversify to offer complementary long-distance services (to their local telephony customers) is higher than those who chose not to diversify. We also find that the variation in market-shares of the diversified local telephone companies in their respective target market(s) for complementary long-distance services is positively influenced by the quality of demand-side strategic assets deployed in the target markets.
Development and Evaluation of a Test for Tuberculosis in Live European Badgers (Meles meles) Based on Measurement of Gamma Interferon mRNA by Real-Time PCR

ABSTRACT A real-time PCR assay for the measurement of gamma interferon (IFN-γ) mRNA in European badger (Meles meles) blood cultures was developed. The levels of IFN-γ mRNA in blood cultures stimulated with either bovine or avian tuberculin or specific mycobacterial antigens were compared with those in a nonstimulated control blood culture as the basis for determining the tuberculosis (TB) status of live badgers. The assay was validated by testing 247 animals for which there were matching data from postmortem examination and culture of tissues. Relative changes in the levels of IFN-γ mRNA in response to bovine tuberculin and specific antigens were found to be greater among badgers with tissues positive for TB on culture. The test was at its most accurate (87% of test results were correct) by using blood cultures containing bovine tuberculin as the antigen and when the response to avian tuberculin was taken into account by subtracting the avian tuberculin response from the bovine tuberculin response. At a specificity of 90.7%, the test was 70.6% sensitive. At the same specificity, the current serological enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for TB in badgers was only 53% sensitive. This work demonstrates that measurement of IFN-γ mRNA by real-time PCR is a valid method for the detection of TB in live badgers and may provide an alternative to the current serological methods of diagnosis, the Brock test. The testing procedure can be completed within 5 h of receipt of the blood culture samples. In addition, the use of a molecular biology-based test offers the potential to fully automate the testing procedure through the use of robotics.
Natural observers for singularly perturbed mechanical systems

In this note, we consider vector second order mechanical systems having fast sensor dynamics, and the objective is to obtain accurate estimates of the unmeasurable slow system state variables that are generated by an appropriately designed model-based observer. Using a singular perturbation framework, the proposed observer is designed using the system dynamics that evolves on the slow manifold, and the dynamic behavior of the resulting estimation error is analyzed in the presence of the unmodel led fast sensor dynamics. We show that the observation error generated by neglecting the (unmodeled) fast sensor dynamics is of order 0(e), where e is the singular perturbation parameter and a measure of the relative speed/time-constant of the fast (sensor) and the slow component (vector second-order system) of the overall system dynamics. The performance of the proposed natural observer is evaluated in an example of a two-degree of freedom mechanical system.
Cord Blood 25-Hydroxyvitamin D 3 and Allergic Disease During Infancy

OBJECTIVE: There has been growing interest in vitamin D insufficiency as a predisposing factor for allergy development based on immunoregulatory properties and epidemiological studies. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between vitamin D exposure in utero and allergic outcomes in the first year of life. METHODS: Cord blood (CB) vitamin D was measured in 231 high-risk infants from an Australian prospective birth cohort. CB 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 (25[OH]D3) concentration was analyzed in relation to maternal vitamin D intake and the development of infant eczema, allergen sensitization, and immunoglobulin E-mediated food allergy. RESULTS: Maternal intake of supplemental vitamin D was significantly correlated with CB 25(OH)D3 concentration (r = 0.244, P = .003), whereas dietary vitamin D did not influence CB levels. There was significant seasonal variation in CB 25(OH)D3 concentration suggesting that sunlight exposure was an important determinant. Lower CB vitamin D status was observed in infants that developed eczema (P = .018), and eczema was significantly more likely in those with concentrations ,50 nmol/L in comparison with those with concentrations $75 nmol/L (odds ratio 2.66; 95% confidence interval 1.24–5.72; P = .012). This association remained significant after adjustment for multiple confounding factors. The associations between CB 25(OH)D3 concentration and allergen sensitization, immunoglobulin E-mediated food allergy, and eczema severity (SCORing Atopic Dermatitis) were not significant. CONCLUSIONS: Reduced vitamin D status in pregnancy may be a risk factor for the development of eczema in the first year of life, reinforcing the need to explore the role of vitamin D exposure during development for disease prevention. Pediatrics 2012;130:e1128–e1135 AUTHORS: Anderson P. Jones, PG Dip, Debra Palmer, PhD, Guicheng Zhang, PhD, and Susan L. Prescott, MBBS, PhD School of Paediatrics and Child Health, Centre for Child Health Research, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia
The politics of normalcy: Intersectionality and the construction of difference in Christian-Jewish relations

This article examines the workings of a discourse of normalcy for a group of black Christian fundamentalist students. Focusing on the intersection of religion and race the essay analyzes the representation of Jewish people as dark and other, while constructing Christians who are white and normal. The inversion of racial identities unfolds in contradictory ways, reinscribing a discourse of colorblindness while simultaneously reifying categories of race. Through discourse analysis the article discusses how the political moves in both centrifugal and centripetal directions to construct a "universal" (Eurocentric) Christian identity while suppressing subgroup differences.
Low dose, oral lorazepam: a safe and effective adjuvant to antiemetic therapy.

Twenty-five patients with acute nonlymphoblastic leukemia undergoing 41 cycles of chemotherapy with daunorubicin/cytosine arabinoside (ara-C) or with etoposide/ara-C received metoclopramide (MCP; 0.5 mg/kg 6 hourly i.v.) or MCP (same dose) plus oral lorazepam (1 mg/d) during and 24 hours following the chemotherapy as antiemetic medication. Control of vomiting was achieved is 55% (complete 5%, partial 50%) of the patients receiving MCP alone and in 100 percent (complete 76.1%; partial 23.8%) of those receiving MCP plus lorazepam (p less than 0.001). Eighteen of the 21 patients (85.7%) receiving MCP plus lorazepam opted for the same antiemetic regimen as compared to six of the 20 (30%) receiving MCP alone (p less than 0.01). One patient in each group developed mild sedation during the treatment. It is concluded that oral lorazepam is an effective and safe adjuvant to MCP for the control of vomiting during cancer chemotherapy.