Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Initial Results on Wrapping Semistructured Web Pages with Finite-State Transducers and Contextual Rules

This paper presents SoftMealy, a novel Web wrapper representation formalism. This representation is based on a finite-state transducer (FST) and contextual rules, which allow a wrapper to wrap semistructured Web pages containing missing attributes, multiple attribute values, variant attribute permutations, exceptions and typos, the features that no previous work can handle. A SoftMealy wrapper can be learned from labeled example items using a simple induction algorithm. Learnability analysis shows that SoftMealy scales well with the number of attributes and the number of different attribute permutations. Experimental results show that the learning algorithm can learn correct wrappers for a wide range of Web pages with a handful of examples and generalize well over unseen pages and structural patterns.
Standardization in human cytogenetics.

A force actuated electrical switch which discriminates between forces having varying time duration. A pendulum, including a conductive wire secured at one end and fastened to a conductive bob at the other end. The pendulum is enclosed in a cylindrical insulator containing a thick viscous fluid. At the lower end of the cylinder a metal ring is positioned adjacent to the bob and surrounding it. Under normal conditions the bob remains at the center of the ring and there is no contact. When the cylinder is moved in a horizontal direction for an extended time interval, contact is made between the bob and the ring and the switch is closed.
Pharmacotherapy and interventional treatments for secondary hyperparathyroidism: current therapy and future challenges

Importance of the field: Chronic kidney disease is frequently complicated by secondary hyperparathyroidism, which causes bone disease and vascular calcification, leading to increased risk of morbidity and mortality. Areas covered in this review: This review covers treatment options for secondary hyperparathyroidism in patients receiving dialysis, particularly focusing on active vitamin D derivatives, calcimimetics and direct injection therapy into parathyroid glands. In addition, the potential of gene therapy is also described. What the reader will gain: The reader will gain a comprehensive review of the effectiveness and role of available therapies for patients with secondary hyperparathyroidism, as well as the results of observational studies that address the effect of these treatments on clinical outcomes. Take home message: Treatment with active vitamin D derivatives and calcimimetics allows adequate control of secondary hyperparathyroidism, which it is hoped will translate into improved clinical outcomes. These treatments appear to be effective even in patients with advanced disease, but patients who develop resistance to therapy should undergo parathyroid intervention, such as surgical parathyroidectomy and direct injection therapy. Gene therapy is not applicable to humans at present, but they will help clarify the molecular pathogenesis of secondary hyperparathyroidism.
The bidirectional relationship between weight, height and dental caries among preschool children in China

There is evidence of a bidirectional association between dental caries and anthropometric measures among children. This dual relationship has not been examined in the same population. The objectives of this study are (1) to examine the relationship between baseline caries and changes in weight and height; and (2) to assess whether baseline weight and height are associated with changes in dental caries in a sample of preschool Chinese children. Children were recruited from 15 kindergarten in Liaoning Province at baseline (8 in rural area and 7 in urban area), a total of 1,111 of children were included at baseline. The mean age of children at baseline was 50.82 months. Data were collected through clinical oral examination, assessment of anthropometric measures and structured questionnaire. Dental caries was assessed according World Health Organization (WHO) methods by one dentist. Sociodemographic and behaviour data were also collected. At follow-up, 772 children were included (attrition rate: 30%), dental caries and anthropometric measures were assessed again. Z-score for weight-for-age and height-for-age were calculated using the 2006 and 2007 WHO Child Growth Standards. The sum of decayed, missing and filled primary teeth (dmft) were used in the analysis. Multilevel analysis for longitudinal data was conducted to explore the relationship between z-score for weight-for-age and height-for-age, and dental caries among children. The median follow-up time was 10.12 months. There was a significant negative association between dmft at baseline and change in height-for-age. On the other hand, weight-for-age at baseline was negatively associated with change in dmft at follow-up. The findings suggest that dental caries impedes children’s growth indicated by height for age. Low weight children appear to be more susceptible to dental caries in the same population.
Heterotic supersymmetric backgrounds with compact holonomy revisited

We simplify the classification of supersymmetric solutions with compact holonomy of the Killing spinor equations of heterotic supergravity using the field equations and the additional assumption that the 3-form flux is closed. We determine all the fractions of supersymmetry that the solutions preserve and find that there is a restriction on the number of supersymmetries which depends on the isometry group of the background. We examine the geometry of spacetime in all cases. We find that the supersymmetric solutions of heterotic supergravity are associated with a large number of geometric structures which include seven-dimensional manifolds with G2 structure, six-dimensional complex and almost complex manifolds, and four-dimensional hyper-Kähler, Kähler and anti-self-dual Weyl manifolds.
Trends in stroke incidence, mortality and case fatality rates in Joinville, Brazil: 1995–2006

Background: Studying stroke rates in a whole community is a rational way to assess the quality of patient care and primary prevention. However, there are few studies of trends in stroke rates worldwide and none in Brazil. Objective: Established study methods were used to define the rates for first ever stroke in a defined population in Brazil compared with similar data obtained and published in 1995. Methods: All stroke cases occurring in the city of Joinville during 2005–2006 were prospectively ascertained. Crude incidence and mortality rates were determined, and age adjusted rates and 30 day case fatality were calculated and compared with the 1995 data. Results: Of the 1323 stroke cases registered, 759 were first ever strokes. The incidence rate per 100 000 was 105.4 (95% CI 98.0 to 113.2), mortality rate was 23.9 (95% CI 20.4 to 27.8) and the 30 day case fatality was 19.1%. Compared with the 1995 data, we found that the incidence had decreased by 27%, mortality decreased by 37% and the 30 day case fatality decreased by 28%. Conclusions: Using defined criteria we showed that in an industrial southern Brazilian city, stroke rates are similar to those from developed countries. A significant decrease in stroke rates over the past decade was also found, suggesting an improvement in primary prevention and inpatient care of stroke patients in Joinville.
A new hero emerges: another exceptional mammalian spine and its potential adaptive significance

The hero shrew's (Scutisorex somereni) massive interlocking lumbar vertebrae represent the most extreme modification of the vertebral column known in mammals. No intermediate form of this remarkable morphology is known, nor is there any convincing theory to explain its functional significance. We document a new species in the heretofore monotypic genus Scutisorex; the new species possesses cranial and vertebral features representing intermediate character states between S. somereni and other shrews. Phylogenetic analyses of DNA sequences support a sister relationship between the new species and S. somereni. While the function of the unusual spine in Scutisorex is unknown, it gives these small animals incredible vertebral strength. Based on field observations, we hypothesize that the unique vertebral column is an adaptation allowing these shrews to lever heavy or compressive objects to access concentrated food resources inaccessible to other animals.
Dependence on Phosphoinositide 3-Kinase and RAS-RAF Pathways Drive the Activity of RAF265, a Novel RAF/VEGFR2 Inhibitor, and RAD001 (Everolimus) in Combination

Activation of phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K)-AKT and Kirsten rat sarcoma viral oncogene homologue (KRAS) can induce cellular immortalization, proliferation, and resistance to anticancer therapeutics such as epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitors or chemotherapy. This study assessed the consequences of inhibiting these two pathways in tumor cells with activation of KRAS, PI3K-AKT, or both. We investigated whether the combination of a novel RAF/vascular endothelial growth factor receptor inhibitor, RAF265, with a mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitor, RAD001 (everolimus), could lead to enhanced antitumoral effects in vitro and in vivo. To address this question, we used cell lines with different status regarding KRAS, PIK3CA, and BRAF mutations, using immunoblotting to evaluate the inhibitors, and MTT and clonogenic assays for effects on cell viability and proliferation. Subcutaneous xenografts were used to assess the activity of the combination in vivo. RAD001 inhibited mTOR downstream signaling in all cell lines, whereas RAF265 inhibited RAF downstream signaling only in BRAF mutant cells. In vitro, addition of RAF265 to RAD001 led to decreased AKT, S6, and Eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E binding protein 1 phosphorylation in HCT116 cells. In vitro and in vivo, RAD001 addition enhanced the antitumoral effect of RAF265 in HCT116 and H460 cells (both KRAS mut, PIK3CA mut); in contrast, the combination of RAF265 and RAD001 yielded no additional activity in A549 and MDAMB231 cells. The combination of RAF and mTOR inhibitors is effective for enhancing antitumoral effects in cells with deregulation of both RAS-RAF and PI3K, possibly through the cross-inhibition of 4E binding protein 1 and S6 protein. Mol Cancer Ther; 9(2); 358–68
Bis[(4-cyanobenzyl)ammonium] bis(perchlorate) monohydrate

The asymmetric unit of the title compound, 2C8H9N2 +·2ClO4 −·H2O, consists of two (4-cyanobenzyl)>ammonium cations, two disordered ClO4 − anions and one water molecule. The differences in the two cations are reflected in the N—C—C—C torsion angles [−94.7 (3) and −115.9 (3)°]. In addition, the cations show different hydrogen-bonding patterns as one N atom bonds to two O atoms of ClO4 − ions, while the other N atom is involved in hydrogen bonding with the O atoms of the ClO4 − ions and water molecules. In the crystal, N—H⋯O and O—H⋯O hydrogen bonds result in a three-dimensional network. An O atom in each of the anions is disordered over two positions of equal occupancy.
Loss of MCU prevents mitochondrial fusion in G1-S phase and blocks cell cycle progression and proliferation

The mitochondrial Ca2+ uniporter enables ATP production to match energy demands during the cell cycle. Balancing Ca2+ pools in proliferating cells Cell proliferation is an energetically demanding process. During the cell cycle, mitochondrial fusion and mitochondrial Ca2+ uptake increase, both of which correlate with increased ATP production. Koval et al. found that the mitochondrial Ca2+ uniporter (MCU) was required to balance Ca2+ concentrations in the cytosol and mitochondria. Without the MCU, the excess cytosolic Ca2+ resulted in mitochondrial fission mediated by Drp1, reduced ATP output, and decreased cellular proliferation. Thus, the MCU enables ATP production to match energy demands during the cell cycle. The role of the mitochondrial Ca2+ uniporter (MCU) in physiologic cell proliferation remains to be defined. Here, we demonstrated that the MCU was required to match mitochondrial function to metabolic demands during the cell cycle. During the G1-S transition (the cycle phase with the highest mitochondrial ATP output), mitochondrial fusion, oxygen consumption, and Ca2+ uptake increased in wild-type cells but not in cells lacking MCU. In proliferating wild-type control cells, the addition of the growth factors promoted the activation of the Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent kinase II (CaMKII) and the phosphorylation of the mitochondrial fission factor Drp1 at Ser616. The lack of the MCU was associated with baseline activation of CaMKII, mitochondrial fragmentation due to increased Drp1 phosphorylation, and impaired mitochondrial respiration and glycolysis. The mitochondrial fission/fusion ratio and proliferation in MCU-deficient cells recovered after MCU restoration or inhibition of mitochondrial fragmentation or of CaMKII in the cytosol. Our data highlight a key function for the MCU in mitochondrial adaptation to the metabolic demands during cell cycle progression. Cytosolic CaMKII and the MCU participate in a regulatory circuit, whereby mitochondrial Ca2+ uptake affects cell proliferation through Drp1.
Circadian Integration of Metabolism and Energetics

Circadian clocks align behavioral and biochemical processes with the day/night cycle. Nearly all vertebrate cells possess self-sustained clocks that couple endogenous rhythms with changes in cellular environment. Genetic disruption of clock genes in mice perturbs metabolic functions of specific tissues at distinct phases of the sleep/wake cycle. Circadian desynchrony, a characteristic of shift work and sleep disruption in humans, also leads to metabolic pathologies. Here, we review advances in understanding the interrelationship among circadian disruption, sleep deprivation, obesity, and diabetes and implications for rational therapeutics for these conditions.
To Optimally Design Microstrip Nonuniform Transmission Lines as Lowpass Filters

A method is proposed to optimally design the Microstrip Nonuniform Transmission Line (MNTLs) as lowpass filters. Some electrical and physical restrictions are used to design MNTLs. To optimally design the MNTLs, their strip width is expanded as truncated Fourier series, firstly. Then, the optimum values of the coefficients of the series are obtained through an optimization approach. The performance of the proposed structure is studied by design and fabrication of two lowpass filters of cutoff frequency 2.0 GHz.
Regulation of Translational Efficiency by Disparate 5′ UTRs of PPARγ Splice Variants

The PPAR-γ gene encodes for at least 7 unique transcripts due to alternative splicing of five exons in the 5′-untranslated region (UTR). The translated region is encoded by exons 1–6, which are identical in all isoforms. This study investigated the role of the 5′-UTR in regulating the efficiency with which the message is translated to protein. A coupled in vitro transcription-translation assay demonstrated that PPAR-γ1, -γ2, and -γ5 are efficiently translated, whereas PPAR-γ4 and -γ7 are poorly translated. An in vivo reporter gene assay using each 5′-UTR upstream of the firefly luciferase gene showed that the 5′-UTRs for PPAR-γ1, -γ2, and -γ4 enhanced translation, whereas the 5′-UTRs for PPAR-γ5 and -γ7 inhibited translation. Models of RNA secondary structure, obtained by the mfold software, were used to explain the mechanism of regulation by each 5′-UTR. In general, it was found that the translational efficiency was inversely correlated with the stability of the mRNA secondary structure, the presence of base-pairing in the consensus Kozak sequence, the number of start codons in the 5′-UTR, and the length of the 5′-UTR. A better understanding of posttranscriptional regulation of translation will allow modulation of protein levels without altering transcription.
Estimation of resonant characteristics based on AR-HMM modeling and spectral envelope conversion of vowel sounds

A new method was developed for accurately separating source and articulation filter characteristics of speech. This method is based on the AR-HMM modeling, where the residual waveform is expressed as the output sequence from an HMM. To realize an accurate analysis, a scheme of dividing HMM state was newly introduced. Using the AR-filter parameter values obtained through the analysis, we can construct a vocoder-type formant synthesizer, where the residual waveform is used as the excitation source. Through the listening test on the vowel sounds synthesized using AR-filter from a vowel and excitation waveform from another vowel, it was shown that a “flexible” synthesis with a high controllability on the acoustic parameters were possible by our formant synthesis configuration.
Influence-Based Policy Abstraction for Weakly-Coupled Dec-POMDPs

Decentralized POMDPs are powerful theoretical models for coordinating agents' decisions in uncertain environments, but the generally-intractable complexity of optimal joint policy construction presents a significant obstacle in applying Dec-POMDPs to problems where many agents face many policy choices. Here, we argue that when most agent choices are independent of other agents' choices, much of this complexity can be avoided: instead of coordinating full policies, agents need only coordinate policy abstractions that explicitly convey the essential interaction influences. To this end, we develop a novel framework for influence-based policy abstraction for weakly-coupled transition-dependent Dec-POMDP problems that subsumes several existing approaches. In addition to formally characterizing the space of transition-dependent influences, we provide a method for computing optimal and approximately-optimal joint policies. We present an initial empirical analysis, over problems with commonly-studied flavors of transition-dependent influences, that demonstrates the potential computational benefits of influence-based abstraction over state-of-the-art optimal policy search methods.
Improvement of schizophrenia negative and positive symptoms with amantadine as add-on therapy to antipsychotics: a case series.

Melhora dos sintomas positivos e negativos da esquizofrenia com o uso coadjuvante de amantadina aos antipsicóticos: série de casos Dear Editor, It has been suggested that glutamate deregulation may be involved in the neuropathology of schizophrenia (SZ), mainly through N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor (NMDA) dysfunction. Memantine, a drug approved by the FDA for the treatment of moderate to severe Alzheimer’s disease, acts as weak non-selective NMDA receptor antagonist. Our group conducted the first randomized placebo-controlled clinical trial with memantine adjunctive to clozapine for the treatment-refractory SZ. To our surprise, the improvement was not only in negative symptoms, and we have also found improvement in positive symptoms and cognition. We report the results of Amantadine, a memantine’s derivate, as adjunctive therapy to antipsychotics in four cases of DSM-IV SZ. The four subjects were clinically stabilized, but presented with a pronounced motor retardation, blunted affect, emotional withdrawal and anxiety, scoring at least 3 for each of these items at The Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS). The subjects gave informed consent for experimental use of amantadine with the dose increased up to 400mg/day over 6 weeks. Clinical response was assessed using BPRS at baseline and at sixth week and Clinical Global Impression Improvement scale (CGI-I) at the sixth week considering: -3 = very much worse, -2 = much worse,
Genetic Predisposition to Higher Body Mass Index or Type 2 Diabetes and Leukocyte Telomere Length in the Nurses' Health Study

Background Although cross-sectional studies have linked higher body mass index (BMI) and type 2 diabetes (T2D) to shortened telomeres, whether these metabolic conditions play a causal role in telomere biology is unknown. We therefore examined whether genetic predisposition to higher BMI or T2D was associated with shortened leukocyte telomere length (LTL). Methodology We conducted an analysis of 3,968 women of European ancestry aged 43–70 years from the Nurses' Health Study, who were selected as cases or controls in genome-wide association studies and studies of telomeres and disease. Pre-diagnostic relative telomere length in peripheral blood leukocytes, collected in 1989–1990, was measured by quantitative PCR. We combined information from multiple risk variants by calculating genetic risk scores based on 32 polymorphisms near 32 loci for BMI, and 36 polymorphisms near 35 loci for T2D. Findings After adjustment for age and case-control status, there was no association between the BMI genetic risk score and LTL (β per standard deviation increase: −0.01; SE: 0.02; P = 0.52). Similarly, the T2D genetic score was not associated with LTL (β per standard deviation increase: −0.006; SE: 0.02; P = 0.69). Conclusions In this population of middle-aged and older women of European ancestry, those genetically predisposed to higher BMI or T2D did not possess shortened telomeres. Although we cannot exclude weak or modest effects, our findings do not support a causal relation of strong magnitude between these metabolic conditions and telomere dynamics.
Early visual experience and the recognition of basic facial expressions: involvement of the middle temporal and inferior frontal gyri during haptic identification by the early blind

Face perception is critical for social communication. Given its fundamental importance in the course of evolution, the innate neural mechanisms can anticipate the computations necessary for representing faces. However, the effect of visual deprivation on the formation of neural mechanisms that underlie face perception is largely unknown. We previously showed that sighted individuals can recognize basic facial expressions by haptics surprisingly well. Moreover, the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) and posterior superior temporal sulcus (pSTS) in the sighted subjects are involved in haptic and visual recognition of facial expressions. Here, we conducted both psychophysical and functional magnetic-resonance imaging (fMRI) experiments to determine the nature of the neural representation that subserves the recognition of basic facial expressions in early blind individuals. In a psychophysical experiment, both early blind and sighted subjects haptically identified basic facial expressions at levels well above chance. In the subsequent fMRI experiment, both groups haptically identified facial expressions and shoe types (control). The sighted subjects then completed the same task visually. Within brain regions activated by the visual and haptic identification of facial expressions (relative to that of shoes) in the sighted group, corresponding haptic identification in the early blind activated regions in the inferior frontal and middle temporal gyri. These results suggest that the neural system that underlies the recognition of basic facial expressions develops supramodally even in the absence of early visual experience.
Logic in Software, Dynamical and Biological Systems

Formal methods is concerned with analyzing systems formally. Here, we focus on three different systems:software systems, dynamical control systems, and biological systems. The analysis questions can be broadly classified into verification and synthesis questions. We focus on both these aspects here. Logic and logical methods play a key role in the tool sand techniques across this whole range of systems and analyses.
Ensemble Approaches to Parametric Decision Fusion for Bimodal Emotion Recognition

: In this paper, we present a novel multi-ensemble technique for decision fusion of bimodal information. Exploiting the dichotomic property of 2D emotion model, various ensembles are built from given bimodal dataset containing multichannel physiological measures and speech. Through synergistic combination of the ensembles we investigated parametric schemes of decision-level fusion. Up to 18% of improved recognition accuracies are achieved compared to the results from unimodal classiﬁcation.