Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Moderately intensive exercise in a temperate pool for patients with rheumatoid arthritis: a randomized controlled study.

OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of moderately intensive pool exercise therapy on patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS Forty-six patients with chronic RA were randomly assigned to a treatment group and a control group. The treatment group (n = 20) exercised in a temperate pool twice a week for 12 weeks. The control group (n = 23) continued with their previous activities. Aerobic capacity, measured by means of a submaximum bicycle test, and the physical component of the SF-36 were chosen as the primary outcome measures. Two tests of muscle endurance were chosen as the secondary outcome measure. Additional functional tests and instruments were included. RESULTS No significant differences between the groups were found for the primary outcome measures. Significant improvements in the following aspects of muscular function (P < 0.05) were found in the treatment group when their performance was compared with that of the control group: isometric shoulder endurance, grip force, dynamic endurance of lower extremities (chair test) and muscle function of lower extremities. Significant improvements were also found for vitality (SF-36) compared with the control group. The improvements in the training group were maintained for 3 months. CONCLUSIONS Pool exercise therapy of moderate intensity significantly improved muscle endurance in the upper and lower extremities in patients with RA, while no impact on aerobic capacity was found. However, the study population was small and there is a need for further studies with larger populations.
Phonology is not accessed earlier than orthography in Chinese written production: evidence for the orthography autonomy hypothesis

The contribution of orthographic and phonological codes to written production remains controversial. We report results using a picture–word interference task in which participants were asked to write (Experiments 1 and 2) or to speak (Experiment 3) the names of pictures while trying to ignore visual distractors, and the interval between the target and distractor onset was varied. Distractors were orthographically plus phonologically related, orthographically related, phonologically related, or unrelated to picture names. For written production, we found an exclusive orthographic effect at an early stage, reflecting a fast and direct link between meaning and graphemic lexicon, and we demonstrated that orthographic codes can be accessed directly from meaning in healthy adults. We also found orthographic and phonological effects at a later stage, reflecting a slow and indirect link between meaning and graphemic lexicon via phonology. Furthermore, the absence of an interaction effect of orthographic and phonological facilitation on written latencies suggests that the two effects are additive in general and that they might occur independently in written production in Chinese. For spoken production, we found that orthographic and phonological effects occur simultaneously in spoken production and that the two effects are additive at an early stage but interactive at a later stage. The temporal courses and their interplay of orthographic and phonological effects are dissociative in written and spoken production. Our findings thus support the orthography autonomy hypothesis, rather than the obligatory phonological mediation hypothesis, in written production in Chinese (as a non-alphabetic script).
Dural Puncture with a 26-Gauge Spinal Needle Affects Spread of Epidural Anesthesia

Combined spinal and epidural anesthesia may increase the risk of epidurally administered drugs spreading into the subarachnoid space through the dural hole.We studied the effect of dural puncture with a 26-gauge needle on the spread of analgesia induced by epidural injection of local anesthetics. Forty patients were randomly assigned to control and dural puncture groups. In the dural puncture group, the dura was punctured with a 26-gauge Whitacre spinal needle at L2-3 but no drug was injected. In both groups, an 18-gauge epidural catheter was inserted 4 cm cephalad into the epidural space at L2-3 and 15 mL of 2% mepivacaine without epinephrine was injected. Analgesia was assessed by pinprick at 5, 10, 15, and 20 min after injection and at the end of surgery. The caudal spread of analgesia was significantly greater in the dural puncture group than in the control group 15 and 20 min after injection (P < 0.01), but the cranial spread of analgesia was not different between the two groups. We conclude that dural puncture (without drugs) using a 26-gauge Whitacre spinal needle before epidural injection increases caudal spread of analgesia induced by epidural local anesthetics. (Anesth Analg 1996;82:1040-2)
Discourse-level relations for opinion analysis

Opinion analysis deals with subjective phenomena such as judgments, evaluations, feelings, emotions, beliefs and stances. The availability of public opinion over the Internet and in face to face conversations, coupled with the need to understand and mine these for end applications, has motivated a great amount of research in this field in recent times. Researchers have explored a wide array of knowledge resources for opinion analysis, from words and phrases to syntactic dependencies and semantic relations. In this thesis, we investigate a discourse-level treatment for opinion analysis. In order to realize the discourse-level analysis, we propose a new linguistic representational scheme designed to support interdependent interpretations of opinions in the discourse. We adapt and extend an existing subjectivity annotation scheme to capture discourse-level relations in a multi-party meeting corpus. Human inter-annotator agreement studies show that trained human annotators can recognize the elements of our linguistic scheme. Empirically, we test the impact of our discourse-level relations on fine-grained polarity classification. In this process, we also explore two different global inference models for incorporating discourse-based information to augment word-based information. Our results show that the discourse-level relations can augment and improve upon word-based methods for effective fine-grained opinion polarity classification. Further, in this thesis, we explore linguistically motivated features and a global inference paradigm for learning the discourse-level relations form the annotated data. We employ the ideas from our linguistic scheme for recognizing stances in dual-sided debates from the product and political domains. For product debates, we use web mining and rules to learn and employ elements of our discourse-level relations in an unsupervised fashion. For political debates, on the other hand, we take a more exploratory, supervised approach, and encode the building blocks of our discourse-level relations as features for stance classification. Our results show that the ideas behind the discourse level relations can be learned and employed effectively to improve overall stance recognition in product debates. Keywords. Opinion analysis, sentiment, arguing, linguistic scheme, annotation scheme, computational modeling, fine-grained polarity analysis, stance recognition.
Mobile Agent and Web Service Integration Security Architecture

Mobile agent technology and Web service technology compensate each other and play very important roles in e-service applications. The mechanism of Web services technology naturally provides a platform for deploying mobile agent technology. Therefore, the integration of the mobile agent technology and Web Service technology has been actively investigated in recent years. On the other hand, the security issues of the integration system have not drawn much attention. In this paper, we present a new security architecture for the integration of mobile agent and the Web services technology. This architecture provides a new authentication scheme for Web service provider to verify the mobile agent owner's identity by employing an identity-based signature protocol without using the username/password pair, which is infeasible for mobile agent. We also propose a new Web services and mobile agent system confidentiality protocol, which provides an alternative method to current security mechanisms without using certification authorities (CA) based public key infrastructure. With this scheme, it can simplify the key management and reduce the computation load particularly for group-oriented web services. In addition, this scheme also inherently has the non-repudiation property.
Directed broadcast with overhearing for sensor networks

The efficient management of scarce network resources, including energy and bandwidth, represents a central challenge for wireless sensor networks. The current trend in resource management relies on the introduction of control mechanisms, such as control message exchanges, node-specific addressing, and storage of partial network state information. These mechanisms typically incur communication and processing overhead that does not scale well for larger or denser networks. Instead of introducing control mechanisms for network resource management, this article proposes and evaluates a Directed Broadcast with Overhearing (DBO) approach for sensor networks that combines directed broadcast at the network layer with CSMA and packet overhearing at the MAC layer. Through avoidance of control messaging and exchange of network state information, DBO trades off limited packet duplication overhead for control messaging overhead. This article introduces an analytical model that provides the basis for DBO evaluation and for analysis of the approach's transient packet retransmissions, route convergence, and energy consumption in the average and worst cases. We also present the model implementation details and the simulation experiments that explore the suitability of DBO for networks of different sizes with three different radio models that vary the width of grey regions, and we compare DBO's energy consumption against conventional unicast beacon-based and snooping-based routing protocols. The results indicate that that DBO's route convergence requires an average of five hops for ideal radio reception, seven hops for narrow grey regions, and twelve hops for wide grey regions. These results confirm that DBO shifts energy consumption from critical nodes near the base station to nodes near the source. The overall energy consumption of limited packet duplication overhead with DBO compared to unicast routing shrinks for medium- to large-size networks, rendering it more favorable than conventional communication approaches for large and dense sensor networks.
Molecular characterization of carnitine‐dependent transport of acetyl‐CoA from peroxisomes to mitochondria in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and identification of a plasma membrane carnitine transporter, Agp2p

In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, β‐oxidation of fatty acids is confined to peroxisomes. The acetyl‐CoA produced has to be transported from the peroxisomes via the cytoplasm to the mitochondrial matrix in order to be degraded to CO2 and H2O. Two pathways for the transport of acetyl‐CoA to the mitochondria have been proposed. The first involves peroxisomal conversion of acetyl‐CoA into glyoxylate cycle intermediates followed by transport of these intermediates to the mitochondria. The second pathway involves peroxisomal conversion of acetyl‐CoA into acetylcarnitine, which is subsequently transported to the mitochondria. Using a selective screen, we have isolated several mutants that are specifically affected in the second pathway, the carnitine‐dependent acetyl‐CoA transport from the peroxisomes to the mitochondria, and assigned these CDAT mutants to three different complementation groups. The corresponding genes were identified using functional complementation of the mutants with a genomic DNA library. In addition to the previously reported carnitine acetyl‐CoA transferase (CAT2), we identified the genes for the yeast orthologue of the human mitochondrial carnitine acylcarnitine translocase (YOR100C or CAC) and for a transport protein (AGP2) required for carnitine transport across the plasma membrane.
The HIRA histone chaperone complex subunit UBN1 harbors H3/H4- and DNA-binding activity

The HIRA histone chaperone complex is composed of the proteins HIRA, UBN1, and CABIN1 and cooperates with the histone chaperone ASF1a to specifically bind and deposit H3.3/H4 into chromatin. We recently reported that the UBN1 Hpc2-related domain (HRD) specifically binds to H3.3/H4 over H3.1/H4. However, the mechanism for HIRA complex deposition of H3.3/H4 into nucleosomes remains unclear. Here, we characterize a central region of UBN1 (UBN1 middle domain) that is evolutionarily conserved and predicted to have helical secondary structure. We report that the UBN1 middle domain has dimer formation activity and binds to H3/H4 in a manner that does not discriminate between H3.1 and H3.3. We additionally identify a nearby DNA-binding domain in UBN1, located between the UBN1 HRD and middle domain, which binds DNA through electrostatic contacts involving several conserved lysine residues. Together, these observations suggest a mechanism for HIRA-mediated H3.3/H4 deposition whereby UBN1 associates with DNA and dimerizes to mediate formation of an (H3.3/H4)2 heterotetramer prior to chromatin deposition.
Covariance in species diversity and facilitation among non-interactive parasite taxa: all against the host

Different parasite taxa exploit different host resources and are often unlikely to interact directly. It is unclear, however, whether the diversity of any given parasite taxon is indirectly influenced by that of other parasite taxa on the same host. Some components of host immune defences may operate simultaneously against all kinds of parasites, whereas investment by the host in specific defences against one type of parasite may come at the expense of defence against other parasites. We investigated the relationships between the species diversity of 4 higher taxa of ectoparasites (fleas, sucking lice, mesostigmatid mites, and ixodid ticks), and between the species richness of ectoparasites and endoparasitic helminths, across different species of rodent hosts. Our analyses used 2 measures of species diversity, species richness and taxonomic distinctness, and controlled for the potentially confounding effects of sampling effort and phylogenetic relationships among host species. We found positive pairwise correlations between the species richness of fleas, mites and ticks; however, there was no association between species richness of any of these 3 groups and that of lice. We also found a strong positive relationship between the taxonomic distinctness of ecto- and endoparasite assemblages across host species. These results suggest the existence of a process of apparent facilitation among unrelated taxa in the organization of parasite communities. We propose explanations based on host immune responses, involving acquired cross-resistance to infection and interspecific variation in immunocompetence among hosts, to account for these patterns.
A branch-and-price approach to k-clustering minimum biclique completion problem

Given a bipartite graph G = (S, T, E), we consider the problem of finding k bipartite subgraphs, called ”clusters”, such that each vertex i of S appears in exactly one of them, every vertex j of T appears in each cluster in which at least one of its neighbors appears, and the total number of edges needed to make each cluster complete (i.e., to become a biclique) is minimized. This problem is known as k-clustering Minimum Biclique Completion Problem and has been shown strongly NP-hard. It has applications in bundling channels for multicast transmissions. Given a set of demands of services from clients, the application consists of findin g k multicast sessions that partition the set of demands. Each service has to belong to a single multicast session, while ea ch client can appear in more sessions. We extend previous work by developing a Branch and Price algorithm that embeds a new metaheuristic based on Variable Neighborhood Infeasible Search and a non-trivial branching rule. The metaheuristic is also adapted to solve effi ciently the pricing subproblem. In addition to the random instances used in the literature, we present structured instances generated usin g the MovieLens data set collected by the GroupLens Research Project. Extensive computational results show that our Branch and Price algorithm outperforms the approaches proposed in the literature.
The Power of Asymmetry in Constant-Depth Circuits

The threshold degree of a Boolean function f is the minimum degree of a real polynomial p that represents f in sign: f(x) = sgn p(x). Introduced in the seminal work of Minsky and Papert (1969), this notion is central to some of the strongest algorithmic and complexity-theoretic results for constant-depth circuits. One problem that has remained open for several decades, with applications to computational learning and communication complexity, is to determine the maximum threshold degree of a polynomial-size constant-depth circuit in n variables. The best lower bound prior to our work was Ω(n(d-1)/(2d-1)) for circuits of depth d. We obtain a polynomial improvement for every depth d, with a lower bound of Ω(n3/7) for depth 3 and Ω(√n) for depth d ≥4. The proof contributes a novel approximation-theoretic technique of independent interest, which exploits asymmetry in circuits to prove their hardness for polynomials.
PATTERNING OF PHYSIOLOGICAL AND AFFECTIVE RESPONSES DURING A GRADED EXERCISE TEST IN SEDENTARY MEN AND BOYS

Understanding the impact of acute bouts of exercise on affective valence responses is potentially very important, as the affective response may determine the exercise intensity-adherence relationship. This study examined the relationship between exercise intensity and affective responses in two different sedentary populations via a graded maximal exercise test (GXT). All participants completed two GXTs, set approximately 1 week apart. During the test, at the end of every incremental step, participants reported their activation, affective valence and perceived exertion assessed with the Borg 6-20 Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE) or Cart and Load Effort Rating (CALER) scale. Patterning of responses was examined using separate repeated measures analyses of variance, looking for linear and nonlinear trends in % HRpeak, RPE/CALER, activation and affective valence. Significant (quadratic) increases in % HRpeak, perceived exertion and activation were found in both groups. Affective valence showed a significantly curvilinear decline after the ventilatory threshold (VT) in both groups. However, the men’s data showed a significant curvilinear decline in affective valence from the onset of exercise until the point of VT, a pattern not present in the boys. The data show that exercise above the VT brings about significant declines in affective valence, although it is important to recognize that the interindividual differences and variations in the magnitude of responses were large. Boys and men were found to respond affectively in a similar manner to exercise intensity above the VT but not below the VT. [ J Exerc Sci Fit  Vol 6  No 2  121–129  2008]
Role of Cyclin B1/Cdc2 Up-Regulation in the Development of Mitotic Prometaphase Arrest in Human Breast Cancer Cells Treated with Nocodazole

Background During a normal cell cycle, the transition from G2 phase to mitotic phase is triggered by the activation of the cyclin B1-dependent Cdc2 kinase. Here we report our finding that treatment of MCF-7 human breast cancer cells with nocodazole, a prototypic microtubule inhibitor, results in strong up-regulation of cyclin B1 and Cdc2 levels, and their increases are required for the development of mitotic prometaphase arrest and characteristic phenotypes. Methodology/Principal Findings It was observed that there was a time-dependent early increase in cyclin B1 and Cdc2 protein levels (peaking between 12 and 24 h post treatment), and their levels started to decline after the initial increase. This early up-regulation of cyclin B1 and Cdc2 closely matched in timing the nocodazole-induced mitotic prometaphase arrest. Selective knockdown of cyclin B1or Cdc2 each abrogated nocodazole-induced accumulation of prometaphase cells. The nocodazole-induced prometaphase arrest was also abrogated by pre-treatment of cells with roscovitine, an inhibitor of cyclin-dependent kinases, or with cycloheximide, a protein synthesis inhibitor that was found to suppress cyclin B1 and Cdc2 up-regulation. In addition, we found that MAD2 knockdown abrogated nocodazole-induced accumulation of cyclin B1 and Cdc2 proteins, which was accompanied by an attenuation of nocodazole-induced prometaphase arrest. Conclusions/Significance These observations demonstrate that the strong early up-regulation of cyclin B1 and Cdc2 contributes critically to the rapid and selective accumulation of prometaphase-arrested cells, a phenomenon associated with exposure to microtubule inhibitors.
Experimental Study of Adaptive-$Q$ Control for Disk Drive Track-Following Servo Problem

This paper presents the design of an adaptive-Q control algorithm for minimizing the position error signal (PES) in a hard-disk-drive track-following servo. Also, we discuss the results obtained from experiments done on a commercial disk drive using the said scheme. The adaptive- Q control algorithm approach uses the well-known result that all stabilizing controllers for a plant can be synthesized by conveniently parametrized augmentation to a nominal controller. The augmentation to a linear quadratic Gaussian (LQG) optimal control is parametrized by a stable filter Q. The Q filter is restricted to a finite-impulse response filter, which minimizes the rms value of the track following error. Experiments done with a fifth-order adaptive filter that uses PES signal as feedback show a 15% improvement in the achievable track misregistration over a model-based LQG controller. The adaptive-Q algorithm implemented via a recursive least squares numerically stable adaptive algorithm shows fast convergence rate and a consistent performance improvement over a fixed controller for various track locations. Also, the tracking performance improves with increase in the adaptive filter order.
Local Spectral Diffusion for Robust Community Detection

We address a semi-supervised learning problem of identifying all latent members of a local community from very few labeled seed members in large networks. By a simple and efficient sampling method, we conduct a comparatively small subgraph encompassing most of the latent members such that the follow-up membership identification could focus on an accurate local region instead of the whole network. Then we look for a sparse vector, a relaxed indicator vector representing the subordinative probability of the corresponding nodes, that lies in a local spectral subspace defined by an order-d Krylov subspace. The subspace serves as a local proxy for the invariant subspace spanned by leading eigenvectors of the Laplacian matrices. Based on Rayleigh quotients, we relate the local membership identification task as a local RatioCut or local normalized cut optimization problem, and provide some theoretical justifications. We thoroughly explore different probability diffusion methods for the subspace definition and evaluate our method on four groups with a total of 28 representative LFR benchmark datasets, and eight publicly available real-world networks with labeled ground truth communities across multiple domains. Experimental results exhibit the effectiveness and robustness of the proposed algorithm, and the local spectral communities perform better than those from the celebrated Heat Kernel diffusion [10] and the PageRank diffusion [1].