Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Accelerated muscle and adipose tissue loss may predict survival in pancreatic cancer patients: the relationship with diabetes and anaemia

Weight loss leading to cachexia is associated with poor treatment response and reduced survival in pancreatic cancer patients. We aim to identify indicators that allow for early detection that will advance our understanding of cachexia and will support targeted anti-cachexia therapies. A total of fifty pancreatic cancer patients were analysed for skeletal muscle and visceral adipose tissue (VAT) changes using computed tomography (CT) scans. These changes were related to physical characteristics, secondary disease states and treatment parameters. Overall, patients lost 1·72 (sd 3·29) kg of muscle and 1·04 (sd 1·08) kg of VAT during the disease trajectory (413 (sd 213) d). After sorting patients into tertiles by rate of VAT and muscle loss, patients losing VAT at > − 0·40 kg/100 d had poorer survival outcomes compared with patients with < − 0·10 kg/100 d of VAT loss (P= 0·020). Patients presenting with diabetes at diagnosis demonstrated significantly more and accelerated VAT loss compared with non-diabetic patients. In contrast, patients who were anaemic at the first CT scan lost significantly more muscle tissue and at accelerated rates compared with non-anaemic patients. Accelerated rates of VAT loss are associated with reduced survival. Identifying associated features of cachexia, such as diabetes and anaemia, is essential for the early detection of cachexia and may facilitate the attenuation of complications associated with cachexia.
A case study in working with cell-centered data

This case study provides examples of how some simple decisions the authors made in structuring their algorithms for handling cell-centered data can dramatically influence the results. Although they all know that these decisions produce variations in results, they think that they underestimate the potential magnitude of the differences. More importantly, the users of the codes may not be aware that these choices have been made or what they mean to the resulting visualizations of their data. This raises the question of whether or not these decisions are inadvertently distorting user interpretations of data sets.
Theiler’s virus infection chronically alters seizure susceptibility

Purpose: Central nervous system infections greatly increase the risk for the development of seizures and epilepsy (recurrent unprovoked seizures). We have previously shown that Theiler’s murine encephalomyelitis virus (Theiler’s virus or TMEV) infection causes acute symptomatic seizures in C57BL/6 (B6) mice. The objective of the present study was threefold: (1) to assess pathologic changes associated with acute TMEV infection and infection‐induced seizures, (2) to determine whether Theiler’s virus infection and associated acute seizures lead to chronically altered seizure susceptibility, and (3) to determine whether genetic background influences seizure susceptibility following Theiler’s virus infection.
Orphanin FQ: an endogenous antagonist of rat brain dopamine transporter

Orphanin FQ, also known as nociceptin (NC),is a well-known ligand for opioid receptor-like ORL1 receptor. This heptadecapeptide was identified as potently inhibiting the uptake of rat dopamine transporter (rDAT) which is stably expressed in CHO cells (designated D8 cells). Further kinetic analysis proved that this occurs through competitive inhibition with an IC50 of about 1.9 μM. Orphanin FQ also inhibits [3H]dopamine uptake by rat striatal synaptosomes, which confirmed the effect of orphanin FQ on D8 cells. Orphanin FQ was also found to inhibit GABA transporter type 1 (GAT1) but not the serotonin transporter. These results suggest that orphanin FQ is an endogenous antagonist of dopamine transport and that it affects locomotion and other activities at least partly by inhibiting dopamine transporter and directly affecting dopamine transmission or by inhibiting GABA transporter to indirectly change dopaimne transmission.
Insertion of Bicaval Dual Lumen Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Catheter with Image Guidance

Correct placement of the Avalon Elite Bicaval Dual Lumen catheter (Avalon Laboratories, LLC, CA) for single-site venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VV ECMO) is safe using image guidance. Using this technique, 26 of 27 patients (96%) had uneventful placement of the cannula in the right internal jugular vein. One patient had a superior vena cava injury during serial dilation, and another patient required cannula repositioning for improved flows. We recommend using both fluoroscopy and transesophageal echocardiogram (TEE) for training purposes or during initial use of the Avalon Elite. As proficiency improves, TEE at the bedside provides an excellent standard of care. Double-lumen ECMO catheters can be effectively placed under image guidance with minimal need for repositioning.
College Students' Facebook Stalking of Ex-Partners

There are abundant anecdotes and warnings of inappropriate behaviors on social networking sites, particularly about Facebook. The purpose of the present study was to examine whether individuals obsessively monitor or harass their ex-partners on Facebook (related to general "Facebook stalking") and, if so, whether those individuals would also engage in cyber obsessional pursuit (COP) and obsessive relational pursuit (ORI), which are categories of cyberstalking and stalking. A total of 411 valid participants answered questions about the ways they communicated with their ex-romantic partners using Facebook, resulting in three factors: Covert Provocation, Public Harassment, and Venting. Each category of Facebook harassment was related to perpetration of COP and ORI. Additionally, participants who engaged in COP were almost six times more likely to also perpetrate ORI. If participants admitted to engaging in some types of stalking behaviors, they did so online, offline, and on Facebook. Implications for social networking site usage and stalking laws are discussed. There is a kernel of truth to the popular term "Facebook stalking. "
Predictive value of alarm features in a rapid access upper gastrointestinal cancer service

Aims: (i) To determine the value of individual alarm features for predicting cancer in subjects referred to a rapid access upper gastrointestinal cancer service; and (ii) to develop a clinical prediction model for cancer and to prospectively validate this model in a further patient cohort. Methods: Patient demographics, referral indications, and subsequent diagnosis were recorded prospectively. Logistic regression analyses were employed to determine the predictive value of individual alarm features in an evaluation cohort of 1852 consecutive cases. The potential impact of applying a modified set of referral criteria was then examined in a validation cohort of 1785 patients. Results: Evaluation cohort: mean age was 59 years; cancer prevalence 3.8%; and serious benign pathology 12.8%. Dysphagia (odds ratio (OR) 3.1), weight loss (OR 2.6), and age >55 years (OR 9.5) were found to be significant predictive factors for cancer but the value of other accepted alarm features was more limited. In particular, uncomplicated dyspepsia in those over 55 years was a negative predictive factor for cancer within this high risk cohort (OR 0.1). Validation cohort: the clinical prediction model would have selected 92% of cancer patients for fast track investigation while reducing the “two week rule” workload by 572 cases (31%). Conclusions: Fast track endoscopy in subjects fulfilling current criteria for suspected upper gastrointestinal malignancy results in a significant yield of cancer (∼4%) and serious benign diseases such as peptic ulceration, strictures, and severe oesophagitis (13%). However, the predictive value of individual features for cancer varies widely. Uncomplicated dyspepsia in older subjects was a poor predictor of cancer. Application of narrower referral criteria for accessing fast track services may reduce pressures while retaining high sensitivity for cancer.
Damping power system oscillation using elitist differential search algorithm in multi machine power system

In this paper, damping power system oscillations is presented using the Elitist differential search algorithm (Elitist-DSA) in a multi-machine system. The tuning of power system stabilizers (PSSs) are presumed as the complex optimization problem for the security of power system. The linearized model of power system is transformed into a multimodal objective function and proposed algorithm is applied to search the best solution. Simulations are conducted in linear and non-linear models of power system to verify the robustness of proposed algorithm. Detailed comparative studies are conducted to compare the performance of Elitist-DSA based PSSs with the tuned PSSs using bacteria foraging optimization algorithm (BFOA) and particle swarm optimization (PSO) in terms of statistical analyses, improvement of eigenvalues and system damping over oscillations. The findings show the presented Elitist-DSA technique is far superior as compared to BFOA and PSO in terms of quality solution of multi-machine PSSs optimization. Thus, the proposed technique is efficient for the safety of multi-machine power system against unwanted power system oscillations.
Aminoacyl tRNA Synthetase–Interacting Multifunctional Protein 1 Acts as a Novel B Cell–Activating Factor In Vitro and In Vivo

Endogenous B cell–activating factors play pivotal roles in defense mechanisms by regulating B cell responses. We previously reported that aminoacyl tRNA synthetase–interacting multifunctional protein 1 (AIMP1) functions as a novel proinflammatory cytokine that activates macrophages and dendritic cells. However, roles of AIMP1 in B cell responses have not been studied. In this study, we investigated the effects of AIMP1 on B cell responses and their underlying mechanisms. AIMP1 induced the expression of surface activation markers on murine B cells and the proliferation of B cells. Additionally, AIMP1 increased the expression of activation-induced deaminase and class switch recombination in B cells. AIMP1 also had synergistic effects on B cell activation when combined with CD40 stimulus. Intracellular signaling experiments showed that AIMP1 activated B cells through a protein kinase C/NF-κB signaling pathway. Importantly, i.v. injection of AIMP1 into mice increased the expression of CD69 on splenic B cells and significantly enhanced Ag-specific Ab production. Taken together, our results show that AIMP1 acts as a novel B cell–activating factor. AIMP1-mediated B cell activation and the involvement of AIMP1 in diseases will provide additional information for therapeutic strategies.
Rapid methods for the microbiological surveillance of pharmaceuticals.

The use of rapid microbiological methods in pharmaceutical laboratories has improved the quality control analysis of water, products, raw materials, and enhanced the antimicrobial effectiveness testing of pharmaceutical finished products. Rapid release of samples has resulted in the optimization of manufacturing, product testing, and release allowing high throughput and simultaneous analysis of pharmaceutical formulations. ATP Bioluminescence, Impedance, Direct Viable Counts, and Flow Cytometry determine the total microbial content in a given pharmaceutical sample while PCR and Immunoassays detect the presence or absence of specific microbial species. Rapid methods provide reliable and cost effective analysis for the microbiological evaluation of pharmaceutical environments. The dramatic reduction in detection times and analysis, e.g., from 30 hours to 90 minutes, by using rapid methods will ultimately lead the pharmaceutical industry closer to real time monitoring of processes and samples.
Human Work Support Technology Utilizing Sensor Data

In response to problems associated with the shortage of factory workers, the demand for efficiency maximization by eliminating wasted work has recently become stronger. Moreover, to ensure compliance with product quality, the demand for reliable work execution is also increasing. Conventionally, productivity has fallen because workers must manually enter a system to start and finish work. To circumvent this, we have developed advanced human work techniques, “automatic switching of work instruction screen” and “real-time work deviation detection”, by utilizing deep learning technology. Compared to conventional approaches, we achieved a 15% reduction in product assembly time and a deviation detection leak of almost zero (more than 95% work identification accuracy).
Management team change in venture capital-backed firms

In this paper we elaborate on several theoretical explanations that underlie past empirical work on top management teams (TMT) and explore the factors driving TMT changes in new venture-capital backed firms. We found demographic and functional team heterogeneity, CEO tenure and prior start-up experience, and the presence of dismissal covenant to be positively related to the TMT change. We also examined and did not find support for team size and team conflict’s relation to TMT change. We attempt to integrate our empirical results with well established TMT literature and suggest future research directions that may be helpful to researchers seeking to further explore these issues.
Forecasting Realized Volatility Based on Sentiment Index and GRU Model

Numerous studies have proven that news media sentiment has an impact on stock market volatility, making topics such as how to quantify news media sentiment and use it to predict stock market volatility increasingly relevant. In this paper, a Chinese financial sentiment lexicon was constructed to quantify the emotions in the news media as a sentiment index to be added to the model and establish new prediction models HAR-RV-AI and GRU-AI. To compare the prediction ability of the models, we consider the loss function and model confidence set (MCS) test as the evaluation criterion and employ the rolling window strategy for out-of-sample forecasting. The prediction results of the GRU model are found to be better than the HAR-RV model, and the prediction effect of the model improved after the addition of the news media sentiment index.
Facilitation Support for On-Line Focus Group Discussions by Message Feature Map

A scotch yoke radial compressor especially adapted for use in automotive airconditioners having a cast aluminum crankcase which is split along a plane axially passing through the center lines of the radially oriented cylinders. Each of the crankcase halves has a plurality of radially extending semicylindrical recesses which, when assembled, form the cylinders. Cylindrical cylinder liners are preassembled to the pistons and this assembly is then placed in one of the crankcase halves with the liners being received in their respective semicylindrical recesses. The second crankcase half is then secured to the first, again with the semicylindrical recesses overlying the cylinder liners. The distal ends of the liners are sealed by means of annular flanges which are clamped between the crankcase and the valve plate assemblies located at the ends of the cylinders.
Comparison of effects of desflurane and sevoflurane on postoperative nausea, vomiting, and pain in patients receiving opioid-based intravenous patient-controlled analgesia after thyroidectomy

Abstract In this study, we aimed to compare the effect of desflurane and sevoflurane on postoperative nausea and vomiting and pain in patients receiving opioid-based intravenous patient-controlled analgesia (IV-PCA) after thyroidectomy. We reviewed the electronic medical records of 1042 patients administered opioid-based IV-PCA after a thyroidectomy at Chung-Ang University Hospital between January 1, 2010 and June 30, 2016. We classified the patients into 2 groups according to the inhalation anesthetic used for anesthesia: desflurane versus sevoflurane (groups D and S, n = 587 and 455, respectively). Then, propensity scoring was used to select 234 matched subjects between both groups based on their confounding factors. A propensity score matching method was used to match patients from the 2 groups in a 1:1 ratio. Before the propensity score analysis, there was no significant difference between the 2 groups. However, after the propensity score matching, the frequency of complete remission (CR, defined as no nausea and vomiting) was significantly higher in group S than it was in group D. The number of patients administered rescue antiemetics on day 0 in group S was lower than that in group D, although it was not statistically significant. In patients receiving opioid-based IV-PCA after thyroidectomy, sevoflurane seems to be more beneficial in achieving CR than desflurane was. However, further randomized controlled studies are needed to confirm this conclusion.
Infectious Diseases in Transplantation—Report of the 20th Nantes Actualités Transplantation Meeting

Abstract The 20th Nantes Actualités Transplantation (NAT) meeting was held on June 11, 2015, and June 12, 2015. This year, the local organizing committee selected an update on infectious diseases in solid organ and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. With an attendance of close to 170 clinicians, researchers, students, engineers, technicians, invited speakers, and guests from North and South America, Germany, Switzerland, Netherlands, and France, the meeting was well attended. Invited speakers' expertise covered basic as well as translational microbiology, immunology, transplantation, and intensive care medicine. This report identifies a number of advances presented during the meeting in the care and management of infectious diseases in transplantation and immunocompromised patients. New antiviral immune responses and their modulation by pathogens in addition to novel antimicrobial therapeutic strategies, cell therapies, and genomic analysis were discussed.
Diagnóstico e controle de espécies exóticas invasoras em áreas protegidas

Trazemos, neste sexto numero de Biodiversidade Brasileira, 17 artigos que tratam de especies exoticas invasoras em areas protegidas. O objetivo desta compilacao e consolidar informacoes, registrar experiencias de manejo e fomentar o debate e a tomada de decisao visando conservar a biodiversidade nessas areas. Manejar especies exoticas e proteger os ecossistemas nativos, com suas funcoes e diversidade, o que e essencial no caso de unidades de conservacao e outras areas protegidas. Entretanto, em termos geopoliticos e de acoes estrategicas em nivel nacional, o manejo proporciona tambem a protecao de lavouras e da saude humana, uma vez que mesmo os sistemas antropizados persistem como sistemas ecologicos e estao sujeitos a processos analogos aos que ocorrem nos locais mais preservados. Em diferentes graus, todos estes sistemas estao fortemente afetados pela degradacao de processos ecologicos e pela homogeneizacao biologica. A dinâmica de chegada de especies exoticas ocasionada pelo intenso transporte de bens e pessoas oriundos de todos os cantos do planeta, aumenta a chance de introducao de especies invasoras. Associado a isso esta a alteracao acelerada dos ecossistemas, o que facilita ainda mais o estabelecimento de invasoras. Alem da constante introducao e estabelecimento de novas invasoras, ha as invasoras ja estabelecidas e amplamente disseminadas que sao de dificil controle como javalis, bufalos, capins africanos e pinheiros, e centenas de outras com impactos mais ou menos perceptiveis ou percebidos. Se ha alguns anos havia a expectativa do controle efetivo e erradicacao de especies exoticas em areas protegidas, atualmente as palavras mais frequentes sao prevencao, convivencia e manejo adaptativo. O editorial traz breve apresentacao do conteudo do numero tematico, com que esperamos contribuir significativamente com o reposicionamento das exoticas invasoras no leque de desafios centrais de manejo das unidades de conservacao.
Cross‐layer optimization for fair end‐to‐end rate allocation in WMNs with MIMO links

Multiple‐input multiple‐output (MIMO) technology can bring substantial throughput improvement in wireless mesh networks (WMNs) via a combination of interference suppression and spatial multiplexing. In this paper, we investigate a cross‐layer design problem in MIMO‐based WMNs, which involves end‐to‐end rate allocation, routing, and stream control scheduling. Scheduling is addressed by using a set of transmission configurations (TCs), and a greedy heuristic algorithm is proposed to identify a good subset of all possible TCs. We define three optimization problems to find the maximum throughput, max–min fair and proportional fair rate allocation solutions. We propose a cross‐layer scheme to solve these problems. We also discuss how the proposed cross‐layer scheme can be implemented on the basis of the IEEE 802.16 mesh mode. Simulation results show that the performance of the proposed schemes with the heuristic algorithm is close to the optimal. The computational complexity of obtaining the solution using the proposed heuristic algorithm is substantially less than that of finding the optimal solution. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The decline in fitness with inbreeding: evidence for negative dominance‐by‐dominance epistasis in Drosophila melanogaster

Genetic interactions can play an important role in the evolution of reproductive strategies. In particular, negative dominance‐by‐dominance epistasis for fitness can theoretically favour sex and recombination. This form of epistasis can be detected statistically because it generates nonlinearity in the relationship between fitness and inbreeding coefficient. Measures of fitness in progressively inbred lines tend to show limited evidence for epistasis. However, tests of this kind can be biased against detecting an accelerating decline due to line losses at higher inbreeding levels. We tested for dominance‐by‐dominance epistasis in Drosophila melanogaster by examining viability at five inbreeding levels that were generated simultaneously, avoiding the bias against detecting nonlinearity that has affected previous studies. We find an accelerating rate of fitness decline with inbreeding, indicating that dominance‐by‐dominance epistasis is negative on average, which should favour sex and recombination.
State estimation for switched linear systems

In this paper, we address the problem of state estimation of linear switched discrete time models from a finite set of input-output data. This is a challenging problem since it requires estimating the active discrete state and its continuous observer. In fact, we propose a hybrid state observer design which consists of two stages. The first allows to determine the active discrete state using a classification algorithm that associated the current data to its appropriate submodel. The second stage is used to estimate the corresponding continuous observer. Simulation results are presented to illustrate the performance of the proposed method.