Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Mallampati class is not useful in the clinical assessment of sleep clinic patients.

STUDY OBJECTIVES To assess the utility of Mallampati class, a simple grade of oropharyngeal appearance used to assess difficulty of intubation, to predict severe obstructive sleep apnea and absence of OSA (rule in severe OSA and rule out OSA). METHOD Retrospective review of consecutive patients undergoing diagnostic polysomnography in a tertiary referral sleep disorders center. Modified Mallampati class and other simple patient characteristics (age, gender, body mass index) were compared to apnea-hypopnea index (AHI). The sensitivity, specificity, and the positive and negative likelihood ratios (LR+ and LR-) were calculated for Mallampati class IV to detect an AHI > 30 (rule in severe OSA) and Mallampati class I to detect an AHI < 5 (rule out OSA). RESULTS A total of 953 consecutive patients (619 male) undergoing diagnostic polysomnography were included. The age of the cohort was 50.0 ± 6.4 years, with a BMI of 33.8 ± 8.6 kg/m² and AHI of 26.1 ± 25.1 /h (95% CI 1.4-78.8). Mallampati class was significantly associated with AHI (r = 0.13, p < 0.001), but there were no differences in AHI between Mallampati classes. A Mallampati class IV had a sensitivity of 40%, specificity of 67%, LR+ of 1.21, and LR- of 0.90 for an AHI > 30. A Mallampati class I was only 13% sensitive but 92% specific for an AHI < 5, with LR+ of 1.63 and LR- 0.90. CONCLUSIONS Mallampati class is associated with AHI but does not significantly modify likelihood of severe OSA or absence of OSA. As such, it is of limited use to "rule in" severe OSA or "rule out OSA" in the sleep clinic population.
Objectively Verified Parental Hip Fracture Is an Independent Risk Factor for Fracture: a Linkage Analysis of 478,792 Parents and 261,705 Offspring

Parental hip fracture (HF) is considered a major risk factor for offspring major osteoporotic fracture (MOF), but all studies to date have relied on self‐reported information of uncertain accuracy. We tested the association of objectively verified parental HF with offspring MOF and HF. We used a population‐based historical cohort study of 261,705 offspring (age ≥40 years) with at least one linked parent (total 478,792 parents) for the province of Manitoba, Canada. Cox proportional hazards models were developed to test hazard ratio (HR) for offspring MOF and HF for 1997 to 2014 according to prior parental HF dating back to 1970. The median age of offspring at study entry was 40 years (range, 40 to 50 years), and 48.3% were women. During 2.9 million person‐years of offspring follow‐up (median per offspring, 12 years), we identified 7323 incident MOF (4.4% versus 2.7% for those with and without a parental HF, p < 0.001), including 331 HF (0.3% versus 0.1%, p < 0.001). Parental HF was independently associated with increased risk of offspring MOF (HR, 1.30; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.20 to 1.41). The strength of the association decreased with older parental age at HF (ptrend < 0.001), and was no longer significant if parental HF occurred after age 80 years (adjusted HR, 1.07; 95% CI, 0.96 to 1.19). The relationship between parental HF and offspring HF was even stronger than for MOF (adjusted HR, 1.64; 95% CI, 1.21 to 2.23). Associations with MOF or HF were not affected by either the gender of the parent with HF or the gender of the offspring. Parental HF increased the risk for offspring MOF and HF but not when parental HF occurred after age 80 years. This suggests a more nuanced approach for clinicians trying to stratify fracture risk, and illustrates the enormous potential of parent‐offspring record linkage for other familial disorders. © 2016 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.
Auto-scaling for deadline constrained scientific workflows in cloud environment

Cloud computing is an ideal platform for scientists to realize large-scale deadline constrained Scientific Workflows (SWf), since it often require hours to complete its execution. Efficient resource provisioning and task scheduling of SWf play a vital role in cloud computing. Moreover, mapping of computing resources and precedence constrained task's of SWf to meet user specified deadline with minimum execution cost is crucial. Therefore, an efficient auto-scaling mechanism is extremely essential. In this paper, a task scheduling strategy, auto-scaling architecture and auto-scaling method for SWf are proposed, that guarantees the execution of different SWf within deadline in a cloud environment. Slot time and idle-time of the VM, and sub-deadline of the SWf tasks is considered to achieve the objective. Experiments include two well known SWf, namely, Epigenome and Cybershake of different dependencies and data file sizes. We evaluate our approach by analysing failure of tasks at different intervals of deadline, makespan and total cost incurred to execute SWf of different workflow sizes. Simulation results proved that the proposed auto-scaling method not only reduces total number of failure tasks, but also minimizes makespan and total execution cost of SWf.
Learning attentional recurrent neural network for visual tracking

We propose a novel online Attentional Recurrent Neural Network (ARNN) model for visual tracking, which exploits the feature maps of Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) inside a bounding box to identify whether this target is the one appeared in previous frames. Attention mechanism is adopted for both different parts of targets and different scales of object features. The former attention model is able to select important regions to better trace the target while the latter one learns to weight the multiple scale features for accurate object location. We jointly train the recurrent network with the region based and scale based attention mechanism. The outstanding performances in the experiments validate the effectiveness of our proposed ARNN and show that ARNN outperforms the state-of-the-art tracking methods.
Probabilistic Multistage PMU Placement in Electric Power Systems

This paper presents an optimization model for the calculation of the minimum number of phasor measurement units (PMUs) in electrical power networks. The problem constraint is a predefined probability of observability associated with each bus. The mixed-integer programming is used for the proposed optimization and an efficient linearization technique is proposed to convert the nonlinear function representing the probability of observability into a set of linear expressions. The PMU placement is staged in a multi-year planning horizon due to financial and physical constraints. The average probability of observability is maximized at the intermediate planning stages, subject to a limited number of PMU placements, that would satisfy the horizon year schedule. In addition, network expansion scenarios associated with intermediate stages are taken into account. Numerical studies are conducted on a nine-bus system and the IEEE 57-bus system and the results are analyzed.
Insertion of Green Fluorescent Protein into Nonstructural Protein 5A Allows Direct Visualization of Functional Hepatitis C Virus Replication Complexes

ABSTRACT Hepatitis C virus (HCV) replicates its genome in a membrane-associated replication complex, composed of viral proteins, replicating RNA and altered cellular membranes. We describe here HCV replicons that allow the direct visualization of functional HCV replication complexes. Viable replicons selected from a library of Tn7-mediated random insertions in the coding sequence of nonstructural protein 5A (NS5A) allowed the identification of two sites near the NS5A C terminus that tolerated insertion of heterologous sequences. Replicons encoding green fluorescent protein (GFP) at these locations were only moderately impaired for HCV RNA replication. Expression of the NS5A-GFP fusion protein could be demonstrated by immunoblot, indicating that the GFP was retained during RNA replication and did not interfere with HCV polyprotein processing. More importantly, expression levels were robust enough to allow direct visualization of the fusion protein by fluorescence microscopy. NS5A-GFP appeared as brightly fluorescing dot-like structures in the cytoplasm. By confocal laser scanning microscopy, NS5A-GFP colocalized with other HCV nonstructural proteins and nascent viral RNA, indicating that the dot-like structures, identified as membranous webs by electron microscopy, represent functional HCV replication complexes. These findings reveal an unexpected flexibility of the C-terminal domain of NS5A and provide tools for studying the formation and turnover of HCV replication complexes in living cells.
Giving low priority to oral health care. Voices from people with disabilities in a grounded theory study

Objective. Our knowledge of how people with disabilities look upon oral health and dental care is limited. The aim of this study was thus to explore how the people with disabilities experience the encounter with dental health care. Material and Methods. With a focus on dental care and oral health, qualitative interviews with 16 informants with cognitive and/or physical disabilities were analysed in accordance with the qualitative method of grounded theory. Results. A core category identified and labeled “giving low priority to oral health care” was found to be related to four other categories: “being afraid of losing control”, “having difficulties complying with instructions”, “having a desire for continuity”, and “wishing to be just like everyone else”. The results show that oral health and dental care are important, but are not considered a priority by the people with disabilities. General health issues have much higher priority but do not include oral health, which consequently can affect oral health negatively. Conclusions. Of several factors identified that could be improved to make dental visits more pleasant for patients are enhancing a sense of control in the patient and improving continuity.
Metamaterial lens antenna using dielectric resonators for wide angle beam scanning

Recently, a negative refractive index (NRI) lens using composite right/left handed transmission line (CRLH-TL) has been studied [1]. Negative refraction phenomenon has been investigated by a flat [2], and a concave lens [3]. And the CRLH-TL composed of the cut-off parallel plate waveguide and dielectric resonators was proposed as low-loss structure [4]. Authors has been investigated the potential of the shaped NRI lens for wide angle beam scanning [5]. And effects of the improvement of wide angle scanning characteristics and the miniaturization of the lens antenna using the NRI material were clarified. In this paper, a metamaterial lens antenna using dielectric resonators for wide angle beam scanning is presented. The lens antenna is composed of the radiator, the parallel plate waveguide and the NRI lens. Radiation characteristics and the loss of the NRI lens are discussed.
A 400 Mbps radiation hardened by design LVDS compliant driver and receiver

A Radiation Hardened By Design (RHBD) LVDS driver and receiver are designed and simulated in a standard 150 nm CMOS technology. The driver and receiver can reach data rates up to 400 Mbps, with respective power consumptions of 15 mW and 12.5 mW from a single 3.3 V power supply. The driver makes use of a standard H-bridge topology, while the receiver consists of the cascade of two stages, a preamplifier and a positive feedback comparator. RHBD is implemented using ELT transistors for Total Ionizing Dose (TID) effects mitigation up to 300 krad and guard-rings to minimize the probability of a Single Event Latchup (SEL). The final test chip contains two drivers and two receivers, with their relative bandgap circuitries, and it has an overall area of 1.913 mm2. Post layout simulation results show complete compatibility of the driver and the receiver with the LVDS standard.
Pharmacokinetics and metabolism of a novel antifibrotic drug pirfenidone, in mice following intravenous administration

The present study describes the pharmacokinetics and metabolism of pirfenidone (PD), a compound which has been shown to have significant antifibrotic effects in rodent models of pulmonary and cardiac fibrosis. Despite the fact that this compound is currently in phase II clinical trials, little data are available on the metabolism and disposition of this agent in rodents or humans. Radioactive PD [benzene ring 14C(U)] was administered i.v. to mice at 40 mg PD/kg body weight, and animals were killed at varying times for determination of parent compound and metabolites in various tissues. The disappearance of parent compound from the plasma followed apparent 2‐compartment elimination kinetics with a terminal elimination half‐life of 8.6 min. Cl (0.10 ml/min/g) and Vd(ss) (0.67 ml/g) indicated that PD was rapidly distributed in body water. This is consistent with the finding that peak tissue radioactivity occurred within 5 min following the i.v. administration of [14C]‐PD and that well‐perfused tissues, kidney>liver>lung have much higher levels of parent compound and metabolites than did fat. Two peaks isolated from plasma samples by HPLC yielded mass spectra that were consistent with initial oxidation to the alcohol followed by further metabolism to the carboxylic acid. The radioactivity recovered in the 24 h urine samples averaged 97% of the administered dose and none of that was associated with the parent compound. The short plasma half‐life of parent compound in mice supports the need for additional studies in humans where the compound has been shown to have clinical benefits. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Analyzing internet censorship in Pakistan

Internet Censorship is unceasingly increasing in many countries worldwide in order to restrict web contents within the country premises. According to latest Open Net Initiative (ONI) report, almost 50 countries are involved in web censorship, including Pakistan. This paper presents the methodology and the measurement analysis based on publicly available censored URLs in Pakistan, providing both qualitative and quantitative results to gauge how major ISPs are censoring web content in Pakistan. This is the first study in literature analyzing and comparing the behaviour of five ISPs in Pakistan using automated detection methods based on active probing measurements. Our results show that (i) WiTribe, PTCL, and Nayatel block content by using DNS tampering while (ii) Wateen and Qubee apply filtering, using HTTP tampering. We comment on these results by considering the evolution over time of the forced censorship mechanisms. Finally, we performed a University closed survey in order to find out circumvention techniques adopted by users in Pakistan and we report that Pakistani users try to evade censorship by using web proxies, Tor and VPN.
Morphology, molecular and systematic analyses of Bychowskyella (Monogenea: Dactylogyridae) in siluriform fish from India

Abstract Three species of genus Bychowskyella Akhmerov (1952), i.e. B. fossilisi Majumdar & Agarwal, 1989, B. tchangi Gusev, 1976 and B. wallagonia (Jain, 1959a) Gusev, 1961, were found to parasitize the gill filaments of siluriform fish in India. This redescription based on light microscopic examination of B. fossilisi, B. tchangi and B. wallagonia provides detailed taxonomic data for these species. We also amplified the 18S ribosomal RNA gene to evaluate the phylogenetic relationships of these three species. The morphological and genetic profiles confirmed the validation and taxonomical relationships of the above-mentioned species belonging to the genus Bychowskyella.
Phospholipid transfer protein (PLTP) causes proteolytic cleavage of apolipoprotein A-I.

Plasma phospholipid transfer protein (PLTP) is a factor that plays an important role in HDL metabolism. In this study we present data suggesting that PLTP has an inherent protease activity. After incubation of HDL3 in the presence of purified plasma PLTP, the d < 1.25 g/ml particles (fusion particles) contained intact 28.2 kDa apoA-I while the d > 1.25 g/ml fraction (apoA-I-PL complexes) contained, in addition to intact apoA-I, a cleaved 23 kDa form of apoA-I. Purified apoA-I was also cleaved by PLTP and produced a similar 23 kDa apoA-I fragment. The cleavage of apoA-I increased as a function of incubation time and the amount of PLTP added. The process displayed typically an 8-10 h lag or induction period, after which the cleavage proceeded in a time-dependent manner. This lag-phase was necessary for the development of the cleavage activity during incubation at 37 degrees C. The specific apoA-I cleavage activity of different PLTP preparations varied between 0.4-0.8 microg apoA-I degraded/h per 1000 nmol per h of PLTP activity. The 23 kDa apoA-I fragment reacted with monoclonal antibodies specific for the N-terminal part of apoA-I, indicating that the apoA-I cleavage occurred in the C-terminal portion. The apoA-I cleavage products were further characterized by mass spectrometry. The 23 kDa fragment yielded a mass of 22.924 kDa, demonstrating that the cleavage occurs in the C-terminal portion of apoA-I between amino acid residues 196 (alanine) and 197 (threonine). The intact apoA-I and the 23 kDa fragment revealed identical N-terminal amino acid sequences. The cleavage of apoA-I could be inhibited with APMSF and chymostatin, suggesting that it is due to a serine esterase-type of proteolytic activity. Recombinant PLTP produced in CHO cells or using the baculovirus-insect cell system caused an apoA-I cleavage pattern identical to that obtained with plasma PLTP. The present results raise the question of whether PLTP-mediated proteolytic cleavage of apoA-I might affect plasma HDL metabolism by generating a novel kinetic compartment of apoA-I with an increased turnover rate.
Worm Analysis and Changes in Host Behaviors During Worm Outbreaks

NetFlow analysis can provide insight into worm behaviors. In this paper, we report the results of a detailed analysis of a publicly available dataset, the 2003 / 2004 wireless traces from the CRAWDAD repository at Dartmouth. This dataset contains packet headers captured from the Dartmouth wireless network between November 2003 and February 2004, a period in which numerous worms were being observed in the wild. IP packet headers were converted to “degenerate” NetFlow records (1 flow record per packet) and the resulting flow files analyzed using the SiLKtools. Our approach was to use information available on worm and virus outbreaks during the period covered by the data and to use this information to develop profiles for each worm that could be used detect the presence of the wormin the traffic. The initial analysis involved manually studying the traffic for some key ports exploited by worms and looking for changes in network traffic which would give us time windows to filter the traffic for more detailed analysis. In addition to identifying many of the worms active during the period, we observed a number of related phenomena. The initial analysis showed heavy ICMP traffic from early November till second week of January after which it suddenly drops. We also observed sudden appearance of peaks in the SMTP traffic (possibly the result of Mass mailing worms, but more likely due to other causes) throughout the Dataset. In addition to reporting our findings for this data set, we hope that the description of our techniques will serve as a guide for others undertaking similar analyses. We note that the anonymization of the IP addresses and the requirement that we not attempt to break it resulted in our inability to investigate some behaviours in the traffic completely.
Predicting coronary heart disease in renal transplant recipients: a prospective study.

BACKGROUND Current cardiovascular risk calculators, widely used in the general population, have not yet been validated in renal transplant recipients. We conducted a prospective study to determine the incidence and risk factors for ischemic heart disease in renal transplant recipients and to assess the relevance of the Framingham Heart Study risk calculator in this population. METHODS Three hundred and forty four consecutive renal transplant recipients free of vascular disease were enrolled. Coronary events were registered and analyzed with respect to traditional and nontraditional cardiovascular risk factors. The risk of coronary events was assessed through the Framingham Heart Study formula and the relevance of this equation was then analyzed. RESULTS The patients were followed for a mean duration of 72 +/- 14 months. Twenty seven coronary events occurred in 27 patients (7.8%). In addition to risk factors included in the Framingham Heart Study score, C-reactive protein (CRP) level (P= 0.009), and hyperhomocysteinemia (P= 0.01) were found to be independent risk factors for ischemic heart disease events in renal transplant recipients. The Framingham Heart Study model did not predict absolute ischemic heart disease risk in the transplant population as a whole. CONCLUSION Nontraditional cardiovascular risk factors greatly contribute to increased incidence of ischemic heart disease events in renal transplant recipients. They should therefore be considered in preventive care of these patients which relies on reduction of overall absolute risk. Although the Framingham Heart Study score has an excellent predictive value in low-risk renal transplant recipients, it tends to underestimate the real cardiovascular risk in high-risk patients.
Essential oils and metal ions as alternative antimicrobial agents: a focus on tea tree oil and silver

The increasing occurrence of hospital‐acquired infections and the emerging problems posed by antibiotic‐resistant microbial strains have both contributed to the escalating cost of treatment. The presence of infection at the wound site can potentially stall the healing process at the inflammatory stage, leading to the development of a chronic wound. Traditional wound treatment regimes can no longer cope with the complications posed by antibiotic‐resistant strains; hence, there is a need to explore the use of alternative antimicrobial agents. Pre‐antibiotic compounds, including heavy metal ions and essential oils, have been re‐investigated for their potential use as effective antimicrobial agents. Essential oils have potent antimicrobial, antifungal, antiviral, anti‐inflammatory, antioxidant and other beneficial therapeutic properties. Similarly, heavy metal ions have also been used as disinfecting agents because of their broad spectrum activities. Both of these alternative antimicrobials interact with many different intracellular components, thereby resulting in the disruption of vital cell functions and eventually cell death. This review will discuss the application of essential oils and heavy metal ions, particularly tea tree oil and silver ions, as alternative antimicrobial agents for the treatment of chronic, infected wounds.