Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Surrogacy assessment using principal stratification with multivariate normal and Gaussian copula models

Background The validation of intermediate markers as surrogate markers (S) for the true outcome of interest (T) in clinical trials offers the possibility for trials to be run more quickly and cheaply by using the surrogate endpoint in place of the true endpoint. Purpose Working within a principal stratification framework, we propose causal quantities to evaluate surrogacy using a Gaussian copula model for an ordinal surrogate and time-to-event final outcome. The methods are applied to data from four colorectal cancer clinical trials, where S is tumor response and T is overall survival. Methods For the Gaussian copula model, a Bayesian estimation strategy is used and, as some parameters are not identifiable from the data, we explore the use of informative priors that are consistent with reasonable assumptions in the surrogate marker setting to aid in estimation. Results While there is some bias in the estimation of the surrogacy quantities of interest, the estimation procedure does reasonably well at distinguishing between poor and good surrogate markers. Limitations Some of the parameters of the proposed model are not identifiable from the data, and therefore, assumptions must be made in order to aid in their estimation. Conclusions The proposed quantities can be used in combination to provide evidence about the validity of S as a surrogate marker for T.
On-the-job training of health professionals for electronic health record and electronic medical record use: A scoping review

The implementation of electronic health records (EHRs) or electronic medical records (EMRs) is well documented in health informatics literature yet, very few studies focus primarily on how health professionals in direct clinical care are trained for EHR or EMR use. Purpose: To investigate how health professionals in direct clinical care are trained to prepare them for EHR or EMR use. Methods: Systematic searches were conducted in CINAHL, EMBASE, Ovid MEDLINE, PsycINFO, PubMed and ISI WoS and, the Arksey and O’Malley scoping methodological framework was used to collect the data and analyze the results. Results: Training was done at implementation, orientation and post-implementation. Implementation and orientation training had a broader scope while post-implementation training focused on proficiency, efficiency and improvement. The multiplicity of training methods, types and levels of training identified appear to suggest that training is more effective when a combination of training methods are used. https://doi.org/10.34105/j.kmel. 2015.07. 029
Cellular Transplantation Alters the Disease Progression in Becker's Muscular Dystrophy

Becker's Muscular Dystrophy (BMD) is a dystrophinopathy manifested as progressive muscle degeneration. Autologous Bone Marrow Mononuclear Cells (BMMNCs) have shown some myogenic potential. The paracrine effects of the BMMNCs reduce the inflammation and are thought to reduce muscle degeneration. We treated a 39 year old dental surgeon suffering from BMD. Muscle strength was reduced when measured using modified Medical Research Council's Manual Muscle Testing (mMRC-MMT). Static sitting balance was poor. He was wheelchair dependent for ambulation and moderately independent in Activities of Daily Living (ADL). Functional Independence Measure (FIM) score was 93. Musculoskeletal Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI-MSK) showed moderate fatty infiltration in the muscles. Three cellular transplantations were carried out. Clinical assessment and the investigations were repeated. Progressive increase in the muscle strength was noted. Ambulation was independent using push-knee splints and minimal assistance when weary. Static and dynamic balance in sitting and standing improved. FIM score increased from 93 to 105. There was no increase in the degree of fatty infiltration, as seen on the MRI-MSK. The case study provides evidence for the putative benefits of cellular therapy in altering the disease progression in BMD. It also suggests augmented clinical benefits of combination of cellular therapy and rehabilitation.
Nonradiating Arbitrary Dual-Band Equal and Unequal 1 : 4 Series Power Dividers Based on CRLH-TL Structures

A dual-band equal 1 : 4 series power divider (SPD) and an unequal one with a power dividing ratio of 1 : 2 : 2 : 1 are presented in this paper. These dividers are based on the composite right- and left-handed transmission lines (TLs) that are used to replace the conventional TLs in the conventional series dividers in order to achieve dual-band operation. The proposed dividers were designed, fabricated, and measured at two arbitrary design frequencies: 0.915 and 2.440 GHz. Good agreement is achieved between the simulated and measured results. The experimental results show that both the equal and unequal dividers provide in-phase signals at the output ports. Also, the proposed dividers are scalable in size and present the capability of spacing the output ports arbitrarily apart. To the authors' knowledge, these are the first equal and unequal 1 : 4 SPDs with in-phase signals to each of the output ports. The concept of this paper can be easily extended to any number of output ports with arbitrary frequency and power dividing ratio.
A Way to More Effective Marketing Strategies

To create successful marketing strategies, it is essential to be familiar with consumers’ cognitive structures. In this article, the qualitative method of concept mapping is applied in a consumer survey (N = 132) to elicit cognitive structures and dimensionality of cognitive structures. The authors present methods to analyze dimensionality of cognitive structures descriptively and microeconometrically. An indicator for measuring cognitive structure dimensionality including weighted links is applied. To test the methodology, effects of sociodemographics on dimensionality are analyzed regarding a chosen food product. Results show that consumers’ age and education determine whether cognitive structures are more or less complex, whereas gender has no effect on the dimensionality of cognitive structures. To offer tailored marketing strategies based on dimensionality, emotional marketing strategies should be applied to reach customers with less complex cognitive structures. For consumers with more complex cognitive structures, marketers might focus on providing more detailed, information-based promotion.
Internal aggregation models on comb lattices

The two-dimensional comb lattice $\mathcal{C}_2$ is a natural spanning tree of the Euclidean lattice $\mathbb{Z}^2$. We study three related cluster growth models on $\mathcal{C}_2$: internal diffusion limited aggregation (IDLA), in which random walkers move on the vertices of $\mathcal{C}_2$ until reaching an unoccupied site where they stop; rotor-router aggregation in which particles perform deterministic walks, and stop when reaching a site previously unoccupied; and the divisible sandpile model where at each vertex there is a pile of sand, for which, at each step, the mass exceeding $1$ is distributed equally among the neighbours. We describe the shape of the divisible sandpile cluster on $\mathcal{C}_2$, which is then used to give inner bounds for IDLA and rotor-router aggregation.
Autophagy Inhibitor Chloroquine Enhanced the Cell Death Inducing Effect of the Flavonoid Luteolin in Metastatic Squamous Cell Carcinoma Cells

Background Flavonoids are widely proposed as very interesting compounds with possible chemopreventive and therapeutic capacities. Methods & Results In this study, we showed that in vitro treatment with the flavonoid Luteolin induced caspase-dependent cell death in a model of human cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) derived cells, representing a matched pair of primary tumor and its metastasis. Notably, no cytotoxic effects were observed in normal human keratinocytes when treated with similar doses of Luteolin. Luteolin-induced apoptosis was accompanied by inhibition of AKT signaling, and sensitivity decreased with tumor progression, as the primary MET1 SCC cells were considerably more sensitive to Luteolin than the isogenic metastatic MET4 cells. Extensive intracellular vacuolization was observed in Luteolin-treated MET4 cells, which were characterized as acidic lysosomal vacuoles, suggesting the involvement of autophagy. Transmission electron microscopy, mRFP-GFP-LC3 assay and p62 protein degradation, confirmed that Luteolin stimulated the autophagic process in the metastatic MET4 cells. Blocking autophagy using chloroquine magnified Luteolin-induced apoptosis in the metastatic SCC cells. Conclusion Together, these results suggest that Luteolin has the capacity to induce selectively apoptotic cell death both in primary cutaneous SCC cells and in metastatic SCC cells in combination with chloroquine, an inhibitor of autophagosomal degradation. Hence, Luteolin might be a promising agent for the treatment of cutaneous SCC.
Down-Regulation of the CSLF6 Gene Results in Decreased (1,3;1,4)-β-d-Glucan in Endosperm of Wheat1[C][W]

(1,3;1,4)-β-d-Glucan (β-glucan) accounts for 20% of the total cell walls in the starchy endosperm of wheat (Triticum aestivum) and is an important source of dietary fiber for human nutrition with potential health benefits. Bioinformatic and array analyses of gene expression profiles in developing caryopses identified the CELLULOSE SYNTHASE-LIKE F6 (CSLF6) gene as encoding a putative β-glucan synthase. RNA interference constructs were therefore designed to down-regulate CSLF6 gene expression and expressed in transgenic wheat under the control of a starchy endosperm-specific HMW subunit gene promoter. Analysis of wholemeal flours using an enzyme-based kit and by high-performance anion-exchange chromatography after digestion with lichenase showed decreases in total β-glucan of between 30% and 52% and between 36% and 53%, respectively, in five transgenic lines compared to three control lines. The content of water-extractable β-glucan was also reduced by about 50% in the transgenic lines, and the Mr distribution of the fraction was decreased from an average of 79 to 85 × 104 g/mol in the controls and 36 to 57 × 104 g/mol in the transgenics. Immunolocalization of β-glucan in semithin sections of mature and developing grains confirmed that the impact of the transgene was confined to the starchy endosperm with little or no effect on the aleurone or outer layers of the grain. The results confirm that the CSLF6 gene of wheat encodes a β-glucan synthase and indicate that transgenic manipulation can be used to enhance the health benefits of wheat products.
Efficient authentication and access control of scalable multimedia streams over packet-lossy networks

Securing scalable multimedia streams becomes an important issue with the emergence of various scalable multimedia coding standards and their wide spread applications. In this paper, we first propose two novel schemes for authenticating scalable multimedia streams over packet-lossy networks. The first scheme uses a digital signature to protect the integrity of a group of frames and uses erasure correction coding to combat packet loss. The second scheme employs message authentication code to protect integrity of individual frames, which is completely resilient to packet loss and greatly improves computational efficiency compared with the first scheme. With the second authentication scheme, we further present a scheme that provides both authentication and access control to scalable multimedia streams over packet-lossy networks. This third scheme uses symmetric encryption to enforce access control by allowing authorized users to decrypt substreams corresponding to their privileges and uses attribute-based encryption to disseminate secret keys to users. For the first two schemes, we analyze their performance in terms of computation cost, communication overhead, buffer size, and probability of successful authentication, whereas for the third scheme, we demonstrate its application to H.264 scalable video coding encoded streams. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Lean and Efficient Software: Whole-Program Optimization of Executables

Abstract : The objective of this project is to investigate the feasibility of improving the performance, size, and robustness of binary executables by using static and dynamic binary program analysis techniques to perform whole-program optimization directly on compiled programs. The scope includes analyzing the effectiveness of techniques for specializing library subroutines, removing redundant argument checking and interface layers, eliminating dead code, and improving computational efficiency. The contractor expects the optimizations to be applied at or immediately prior to deployment of software, allowing them to tailor the optimized software to its target platform. Today, machine-code analysis and binary-rewriting techniques have reached a sufficient maturity level to make whole-program, machine-code optimization feasible. These techniques open avenues for aggressive optimization that benefit from detailed knowledge of an application's composition and its environment.
The Impact of Methodological Choices When Using Qualitative and Ethnographic Approaches for Conducting Ethnic Community-based Research

Research approaches in the past few decades have provided many choices for researchers to design a research framework. Among these research approaches, this paper examines the impact of methodological choices when using qualitative and ethnographic approaches for conducting ethnic community-based research. This paper provides a review of three approaches to research (i.e., quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods approach) for preliminary considerations for the proper selection of a research approach or framework. In particular, the role of researchers within their own ethnic communities in the host society is discussed in order to establish and clarify the researcher's position both as a researcher and as a member of the ethnic community in the host society. Overall, this paper provides some insights for the practical and philosophical guide for conducting ethnic community-based research through the general review of research approaches, the concept of the ethnic community, qualitative research methods, and the role of researchers within their own ethnic communities in the host society.
Investigating Transitions in Affect and Activities for Online Learning Interventions

In this paper we investigated student online learning and non-learning related activities. The data collected in the research showed that students felt certain affective states when performing particular activity types and performed particular activity types when they felt certain affective states. These transitions were further investigated by generating transition likelihoods between all pairs of activity types and affective states. The transition likelihoods were used to create a model that could predict possible student behavior when they learn online. Certain transitions wherein students may need interventions were identified, so that feedback can be put in place to prevent them from transitioning to activity types and affective states that do not support learning.
New algorithm for minimax design of sparse IIR filters

Sparse digital filters are of importance as they offer improved implementation efficiency relative to their nonsparse counterparts. This paper examines the design of minimax sparse IIR filters from a sparse representation point of view. The result is a new algorithm that accomplishes a design with three phases - identification of the whereabouts of zero coefficients; optimal design subject to the sparsity constraint; and performance enhancement by further dimension reduction of the working subspace. A design example is presented for illustrating the new algorithm.
Angiotensin II stimulation of protein synthesis and cell growth in chick heart cells.

The octapeptide [Ile5]angiotensin II (ANG II), which is the principal circulating hormone of the renin-angiotensin system, could modulate or mediate cardiac hypertrophy via indirect effects, through increases in total peripheral vascular resistance, or by direct effects on cardiac cells, which result in increased protein synthesis and cell growth. In this study we determined whether ANG II stimulated protein synthesis and cell growth in cultures of embryonic chick myocytes. After 3 h of exposure to ANG II, there were significant increases in total cellular protein at 120, 144, and 168 h and in the relative rate of protein synthesis at 120 and 144 h. There was a significant increase in the fractional rate of protein synthesis of 32.2% (0.0119 +/- 0.0008 h-1 for ANG II stimulated and 0.0090 +/- 0.0003 h-1 for control). The stimulatory effects of ANG II on protein synthesis and cell growth were inhibited by the ANG II antagonist [Sar1,Ile8]ANG II and the hexapeptide ANG II-(3-8). ANG II significantly increased total RNA levels in myocytes, at 12 h after exposure to the peptide. The stimulatory effect of ANG II (32%) on total cellular protein was slightly greater than that seen with norepinephrine (20%) in contrast to the greater stimulatory effect seen with phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate (47%). ANG II and [Sar1,Ile8]ANG II each stimulated increases in cytosolic-free Ca2+, whereas ANG II-(3-8) did not. Growth-related effects of changes in the chronotropic state of the myocytes were excluded, in that, ANG II-stimulated increases in protein synthesis and cellular protein were not inhibited by potassium chloride depolarization of the cells. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Single session educational programme for caregivers of psychogeriatric in‐patients – results from a randomised controlled pilot study

Family caregivers of patients with psychiatric or medical disorders are at risk of developing psychological distress. Studies including family caregivers of patients with dementia have shown that psychoeducative programmes reduce distress and postpone institutionalisation. Little is known about the effect of psychoeducation of relatives of psychogeriatric patients. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of a single‐session educational intervention of relatives of psychogeriatric in‐patients.
Modelling and simulation of high density polyethylene liner installation in engineered landfill for optimum performance

Geomembrane liner is an important part of a landfill system that must be selected and installed properly to avoid high induced stresses and imperfections. Considering a fixed HDPE liner thickness of 2mm and variable masses in this study, the liner was modelled and simulated for 27 scenarios using Solidworks and Artificial Neural Networking approach. Static analysis was further performed on the Solidworks model under a distributed load of 4000kg in properly aligned and improperly aligned conditions to the base and side walls of a landfill system. The minimum stress and width of imperfection obtained from the Solidworks simulation was 77MPa and 34mm while 65MPa and 67mm was obtained from the ANN simulation. The liner failed outrageously in the improperly aligned condition with maximum induced stress of 3,606.521MPa, but no sign of failure was observed for the properly aligned condition which the maximum stress (0.018Mpa) was quite low. This investigation can serve as a guide towards proper installation of geomembrane liners for optimum performance in landfill applications. Keywords: Solid waste, engineered landfill, Geomembrane liner, Installation
Obfuscating DSP Circuits via High-Level Transformations

This paper presents a novel approach to design obfuscated circuits for digital signal processing (DSP) applications using high-level transformations, a key-based obfuscating finite-state machine (FSM), and a reconfigurator. The goal is to design DSP circuits that are harder to reverse engineer. High-level transformations of iterative data-flow graphs have been exploited for area-speed-power tradeoffs. This is the first attempt to develop a design flow to apply high-level transformations that not only meet these tradeoffs but also simultaneously obfuscate the architectures both structurally and functionally. Several modes of operations are introduced for obfuscation where the outputs are meaningful from a signal processing point of view, but are functionally incorrect. Examples of such modes include a third-order digital filter that can also implement a sixth-order or ninth-order filter in a time-multiplexed manner. The latter two modes are meaningful but represent functionally incorrect modes. Multiple meaningful modes can be exploited to reconfigure the filter order for different applications. Other modes may correspond to nonmeaningful modes. A correct key input to an FSM activates a reconfigurator. The configure data controls various modes of the circuit operation. Functional obfuscation is accomplished by requiring use of the correct initialization key, and configure data. Wrong initialization key fails to enable the reconfigurator, and a wrong configure data activates either a meaningful but nonfunctional or nonmeaningful mode. Probability of activating the correct mode is significantly reduced leading to an obfuscated DSP circuit. Structural obfuscation is also achieved by the proposed methodology via high-level transformations. Experimental results show that the overhead of the proposed methodology is small, while a strong obfuscation is attained. For example, the area overhead for a (31)th-order IIR filter benchmark is only 17.7% with a 128-bit configuration key, where 1 ≤ l ≤ 8, i.e., the order of this filter should be a multiple of 3, and can vary from 3 to 24.
Microalbuminuria as predictor of increased mortality in elderly people.

OBJECTIVE--Correlation of the urinary albumin excretion rate and the risk of death among elderly subjects. DESIGN--216 Subjects aged 60-74 whose urinary albumin excretion rate had been determined were followed up 62-83 months later. SETTING--Municipality of Fredericia, Denmark. SUBJECTS--223 People who had been selected as control subjects for diabetics found during a systematic screening for diabetes of all people aged 60-74 living in the municipality of Fredericia, Denmark. Of these subjects, 216 had an extensive clinical and biochemical examination within a few weeks of selection. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE--Death. RESULTS--The median urinary albumin excretion rate was 7.52 micrograms/min. Eight of those with a rate below the median died compared with 23 with a rate equal to or greater than the median (p = 0.0078). The median albumin excretion rate in the 31 who died was 15.00 micrograms/min. Cardiovascular disease was the most common cause of death in both groups. A multivariate regression analysis of survival data was performed using the proportional hazards model. Besides albumin excretion rate, male sex, serum creatinine concentration, and hypertension were found to be of prognostic value. CONCLUSIONS--The association between the albumin excretion rate and mortality that has been described in recent years in patients with diabetes mellitus may be present in elderly people in general, even when other known risk factors are taken into account.