Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Extending positron emission tomography scan utility to high-risk neuroblastoma: fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography as sole imaging modality in follow-up of patients.

PURPOSE Although positron emission tomography (PET) with fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose ((18)F-FDG) has a major impact on the treatment of adult cancer, the reported experience with extracranial tumors of childhood is limited. We describe a role for PET in patients with neuroblastoma (NB). PATIENTS AND METHODS In 51 patients with high-risk NB, 92 PET scans were part of a staging evaluation that included iodine-123 or iodine-131 metaiodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) scan, bone scan, computed tomography (and/or magnetic resonance imaging), urine catecholamine measurements, and bone marrow (BM) examinations. The minimum number of tests sufficient to detect NB was determined. RESULTS Of 40 patients who were not in complete remission, only 1 (2.5%) had NB that would have been missed had a staging evaluation been limited to PET and BM studies, and 13 (32.5%) had NB detected by PET but not by BM and urine tests. PET was equal or superior to MIBG scans for identifying NB in soft tissue and extracranial skeletal structures, for revealing small lesions, and for delineating the extent and localizing sites of disease. In 36 evaluations of 22 patients with NB in soft tissue, PET failed to identify only two long-standing MIBG-negative abdominal masses. PET and MIBG scans showed more skeletal lesions than bone scans, but the normally high physiologic brain uptake of FDG blocked PET visualization of cranial vault lesions. Similar to MIBG, FDG skeletal uptake was diffusely increased with extensive or progressing BM disease but faint or absent with minimal or nonprogressing BM disease. CONCLUSION In the absence or after resolution of cranial vault lesions, and once the primary tumor is resected, PET and BM tests suffice for monitoring NB patients at high risk for progressive disease in soft tissue and bone/BM.
Smart meter data analytics: Prediction of enrollment in residential energy efficiency programs

Massive rollout of residential smart meters has spurred interest in processing the highly granular data available from these devices. Whereas the majority of smart meter data analytics is devoted to characterization of household electric appliances and their operational schedules, little work has been done to leverage these data to predict household propensity to enroll in energy efficiency and demand response programs. The state-of-the-art methodology for household enrollment prediction involves measurable household characteristics (e.g., age, household income, education, presence of children, average energy bill) and a multivariate logistic regression that connects these predictor variables with the probability to enroll. Unfortunately, the prediction accuracy of this method is just slightly better than 50%, and the required household data are not freely available to utilities/ program contractors. We developed a new method for prediction of household propensity to enroll using only hourly electricity consumption data from households' smart meters, collected over twelve months. The method implements advanced machine learning algorithms to reach an unprecedented prediction accuracy of about 90%. This level of accuracy was obtained in our study of a US West Coast behavior-based residential program.
ROLE OF INTERLEUKIN 18 IN NITRIC OXIDE PRODUCTION AND PANCREATIC DAMAGE DURING ACUTE PANCREATITIS

The release of the immunomodulator, interleukin 18 (IL-18) into sera early in acute pancreatitis (AP) corresponds to disease severity. IL-18 induces nitric oxide (NO), which is involved in the pathophysiology of pancreatitis. The objective of this study was to clarify the role of IL-18 in pathogenesis and NO production during early AP using recombinant mouse (rm) IL-18 protein and IL-18 gene knockout (KO) mice. After pretreatment with phosphate-buffered saline or rmIL-18, wild-type (WT) or KO mice were injected intraperitoneally with phosphate-buffered saline (sham) or cerulein (AP) hourly for 3 h. Blood, pancreas, spleen, and liver were collected until 24 h after the first dose. Main outcome measures were serum IL-18, amylase and lipase levels, histological evaluation of the pancreas with parenchyma vacuolization of acinar cells, mRNA expression of inducible NO synthase (iNOS) in the pancreas, and spleen, liver, and plasma NO metabolite level. Serum IL-18 was significantly increased immediately after induction of AP in WT mice. Serum amylase, lipase, and the numbers of acinar cells with parenchyma vacuolization were significantly higher in the group AP/KO than in the group AP/WT, but these parameters were improved by dose-dependent pretreatment with rmIL-18 administration in both groups. Pancreatic iNOS gene expression and plasma NO metabolites were significantly increased by 6 h after the initiation of AP, but were significantly lower in the group AP/KO than in the AP/WT mice. Pretreatment with rmIL-18 also significantly increased these levels in both groups. Splenic and hepatic iNOS expression was not changed after the initiation of AP in WT mice, whereas pretreatment with rmIL-18 also increased these levels. Administration of aminoguanidine, a selective iNOS inhibitor, before AP induction abolished the protective effect of pretreatment with rmIL-18 on pancreatic injury. IL-18 appears to protect the pancreas during early induced-induced AP in mice, probably through induction of NO release from an iNOS source. IL-18 may be a target for new AP therapeutics.
The CYC8 and TUP1 proteins involved in glucose repression in Saccharomyces cerevisiae are associated in a protein complex

Mutations of yeast CYC8 or TUP1 genes greatly reduce the degree of glucose repression of many genes and affect other regulatory pathways, including mating type. The predicted CYC8 protein contains 10 copies of the 34-amino-acid tetratricopeptide repeat unit, and the predicted TUP1 protein has six repeated regions found in the beta subunit of heterotrimeric G proteins. The absence of DNA-binding motifs and the presence of these repeated domains suggest that the CYC8 and TUP1 proteins function via protein-protein interaction with transcriptional regulatory proteins. We raised polyclonal antibodies against TrpE-CYC8 and TrpE-TUP1 fusion proteins expressed in Escherichia coli. The CYC8 and TUP1 proteins from yeast cells were detected as closely spaced doublets on Western immunoblots of sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gels. Western blots of nondenaturing gels revealed that both proteins are associated in a high-molecular-weight complex with an apparent size of 1,200 kDa. In extracts from delta cyc8 strains, the size of the complex is reduced to 830 kDa. The CYC8 and TUP1 proteins were coprecipitated by either antiserum, further supporting the conclusion that they are associated with each other. The complex could be reconstituted in vitro by mixing extracts from strains with complementary mutations in the CYC8 and TUP1 genes.
Protists decrease in size linearly with temperature: ca. 2.5% °C−1

An inverse relationship between organism size and rearing temperature is widely observed in ectotherms (‘the temperature–size rule’, TSR). This has rarely been quantified for related taxa, and its applicability to protists also required testing. Here, we quantify the relationship between temperature and mean cell volume within the protists by a meta–analysis of published data covering marine, brackish water and freshwater autotrophs and heterotrophs. In each of 44 datasets, a linear relationship between temperature and size could not be rejected, and a negative trend was found in 32 cases (20 gave significant negative regressions, p < 0.05). By combining 65 datasets, we revealed, for each 1 °C increase, a cell–size reduction of 2.5% (95% CI of 1.7–3.3%) of the volume observed at 15 °C. The value did not differ across taxa (amoebae, ciliates, diatoms, dinoflagellates, flagellates), habitats, modes of nutrition or combinations of these. The data are consistent with two hypotheses that are capable of explaining the TSR in ectotherms generally: (i) resource, especially respiratory gas, limitation; and (ii) fitness gains from dividing earlier as population growth increases. Using the above relationship we show how changes in cell numbers with temperature can be estimated from changes in biomass and vice versa; ignoring this relationship would produce a systematic error.
Discrimination between benign, primary and secondary malignancies in lymph nodes from the head and neck utilising Raman spectroscopy and multivariate analysis.

BACKGROUND The potential use of Raman spectroscopy (RS) for the detection of malignancy within lymph nodes of the head and neck was evaluated. RS measures the presence of biomolecules by the inelastic scattering of light within cells and tissues. This can be performed in vivo in real-time. METHODS 103 lymph nodes were collected from 23 patients undergoing surgery for suspicious lymph nodes. Five pathologies, defined by consensus histopathology, were collected including reactive nodes (benign), Hodgkin's and non-Hodgkin's lymphomas, metastases from both squamous cell carcinomas and adenocarcinomas. Raman spectra were measured with 830 nm excitation from numerous positions on each biopsy. Spectral diagnostic models were constructed using principal component analysis followed by linear discriminant analysis (PCA-LDA), and by partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) for comparison. Two-group models were constructed to distinguish between reactive and malignant nodes, and three-group models to distinguish between the benign, primary and secondary conditions. RESULTS Results were validated using a repeated subsampling procedure. Sensitivities and specificities of 90% and 86% were obtained using PCA-LDA, and 89% and 88% using PLS-DA, for the two-group models. Both PCA-LDA and PLS-DA models were also found to be very successful at discriminating between pathologies in the three-group models achieving sensitivities and specificities of over 78% and 89% for PCA-LDA, and over 81% and 89% for PLS-DA for all three pathology groups. CONCLUSION Raman spectroscopy and chemometric techniques can be successfully utilised in combination for discriminating between different cancerous conditions of lymph nodes from the head and neck.
Evolutionary Relationships and Biogeography of the Ant-Epiphytic Genus Squamellaria (Rubiaceae: Psychotrieae) and Their Taxonomic Implications

Ecological research on ant/plant symbioses in Fiji, combined with molecular phylogenetics, has brought to light four new species of Squamellaria in the subtribe Hydnophytinae of the Rubiaceae tribe Psychotrieae and revealed that four other species, previously in Hydnophytum, need to be transferred to Squamellaria. The diagnoses of the new species are based on morphological and DNA traits, with further insights from microCT scanning of flowers and leaf δ13C ratios (associated with Crassulacean acid metabolism). Our field and phylogenetic work results in a new circumscription of the genus Squamellaria, which now contains 12 species (to which we also provide a taxonomic key), not 3 as in the last revision. A clock-dated phylogeny and a model-testing biogeographic framework were used to infer the broader geographic history of rubiaceous ant plants in the Pacific, specifically the successive expansion of Squamellaria to Vanuatu, the Solomon Islands, and Fiji. The colonization of Vanuatu may have occurred from Fiji, when these islands were still in the same insular arc, while the colonization of the Solomon islands may have occurred after the separation of this island from the Fiji/Vanuatu arc. Some of these ant-housing epiphytes must have dispersed with their specialized ants, for instance attached to floating timber. Others acquired new ant symbionts on different islands.
Mating Pair Formation Homologue TraG Is a Variable Membrane Protein Essential for Contact-Independent Type IV Secretion of Chromosomal DNA by Neisseria gonorrhoeae

ABSTRACT Neisseria gonorrhoeae uses a type IV secretion system (T4SS) to secrete chromosomal DNA into the surrounding milieu. The DNA is effective in transforming gonococci in the population, and this mechanism of DNA donation may contribute to the high degree of genetic diversity in this species. Similar to other F-like T4SSs, the gonococcal T4SS requires a putative membrane protein, TraG, for DNA transfer. In F-plasmid and related systems, the homologous protein acts in pilus production, mating pair stabilization, and entry exclusion. We characterized the localization, membrane topology, and variation of TraG in N. gonorrhoeae. TraG was found to be an inner-membrane protein with one large periplasmic region and one large cytoplasmic region. Each gonococcal strain carried one of three different alleles of traG. Strains that carried the smallest allele of traG were found to lack the peptidoglycanase gene atlA but carried a peptidoglycan endopeptidase gene in place of atlA. The purified endopeptidase degraded gonococcal peptidoglycan in vitro, cutting the peptide cross-links. Although the other two traG alleles functioned for DNA secretion in strain MS11, the smallest traG did not support DNA secretion. Despite the requirement for a mating pair stabilization homologue, static coculture transformation experiments demonstrated that DNA transfer was nuclease sensitive and required active uptake by the recipient, thus demonstrating that transfer occurred by transformation and not conjugation. Together, these results demonstrate the TraG acts in a process of DNA export not specific to conjugation and that different forms of TraG affect what substrates can be transported.
An Economic Evaluation of Home Versus Laboratory-Based Diagnosis of Obstructive Sleep Apnea.

STUDY OBJECTIVES We conducted an economic analysis of the HomePAP study, a multicenter randomized clinical trial that compared home-based versus laboratory-based testing for the diagnosis and management of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). DESIGN A cost-minimization analysis from the payer and provider perspectives was performed, given that 3-mo clinical outcomes were equivalent. SETTING Seven academic sleep centers. PARTICIPANTS There were 373 subjects at high risk for moderate to severe OSA. INTERVENTIONS Subjects were randomized to either home-based limited channel portable monitoring followed by unattended autotitration with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), versus a traditional pathway of in-laboratory sleep study and CPAP titration. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS From the payer perspective, per subject costs for the laboratory-based pathway were $1,840 (95% confidence interval [CI] $1,660, $2,015) compared to $1,575 (95% CI $1,439, $1,716) for the home-based pathway under the base case. Costs were $264 (95% CI $39, $496, P = 0.02) in favor of the home arm. From the provider perspective, per subject costs for the laboratory arm were $1,697 (95% CI $1,566, $1,826) compared to $1,736 (95% CI $1,621, $1,857) in the home arm, for a difference of $40 (95% CI -$213, $142, P = 0.66) in favor of the laboratory arm under the base case. The provider operating margin was $142 (95% CI $85, $202,P < 0.01) in the laboratory arm, compared to a loss of -$161 (95% CI -$202, -$120, P < 0.01) in the home arm. CONCLUSIONS For payers, a home-based diagnostic pathway for obstructive sleep apnea with robust patient support incurs fewer costs than a laboratory-based pathway. For providers, costs are comparable if not higher, resulting in a negative operating margin. CLINICALTRIALSGOV IDENTIFIER NCT00642486.
Cost-effectiveness of cardiac resynchronisation therapy for patients with moderate-to-severe heart failure: a lifetime Markov model

Objective To assess the cost-effectiveness of cardiac resynchronisation therapy (CRT) both with CRT-P (biventricular pacemaker only) and with CRT-D (biventricular pacemaker with defibrillator) in patients with New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional class III/IV from a Belgian healthcare-payer perspective. Methods A lifetime Markov model was designed to calculate the cost–utility of both interventions. In the reference case, the treatment effect was based on the Comparison of Medical Therapy, Pacing and Defibrillation in Heart Failure trial. Costs were based on real-world data. Pharmacoeconomic guidelines were applied, including probabilistic modelling and sensitivity analyses. Results Compared with optimal medical treatment, on average 1.31 quality-adjusted life-years (QALY) are gained with CRT-P at an additional cost of €14 700, resulting in an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of about €364;11 200/QALY. As compared with CRT-P, CRT-D treatment adds on average an additional 0.55 QALYs at an extra cost of €30 900 resulting in an ICER of €57 000/QALY. This result was very sensitive to the incremental clinical benefit of the defibrillator function on top of CRT. Conclusions Based on efficiency arguments, CRT-P can be recommended for NYHA class III and IV patients if there is a willingness to pay more than €11 000/QALY. Even though CRT-D may offer a survival benefit over CRT-P, the incremental clinical benefit appears to be too marginal to warrant a threefold-higher device price for CRT-D. Further clinical research should focus on the added value of CRT-D over CRT-P.
Broadband Giant Group Velocity Dispersion in Asymmetric InP Dual Layer, Dual Width Waveguides

Highly dispersive components enable photonic-integrated circuits for ultrafast optical pulse processing. This paper presents the design of an InP device with resonant giant group velocity dispersion. The waveguides have a dual layer, dual width geometry that enables tailoring of the group velocity resonance wavelength. By cascading sections with different resonance wavelengths we show how constant group velocity dispersion can be achieved over a 50-nm wavelength range. Depending on which one of two super modes is excited in this device, the dispersion can be either normal or anomalous with values of <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$-$</tex-math></inline-formula>23200 ps/(nm <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\cdot$</tex-math></inline-formula> km) or 8200 ps/(nm <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\cdot$</tex-math></inline-formula> km), respectively. Mode converters with <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$>{90}{\%}$</tex-math></inline-formula> efficiency are designed to facilitate selective excitation of one or the other mode. The complete device is expected to be compatible with existing active/passive photonic integration technology in the InP/InGaAsP material system that should allow the creation of monolithic ultrafast optical pulse processing systems.
Haemoglobinopathies in the West of Scotland

METHODS Standard haematological investigations have been performed by the methods of Dade (1956) and Dacie and Lewis (1963). ElectroR E C E N T L Y there has been an increased awareness of the existence of haemoglobinopathies in Britain, partly, as a result of their discovery in native Britons, and partly, because of increased immigration from overseas countries where haemoglobinopathies are common. Thus ,8-thalassaemia minor (heterozygous classical thalassaemia), although infrequent, is not rare in natives of this country (Israels & Turner, 1955; Callender, et al., 1961; Buchanan, et al., 1963; and others); and recently c-thalassaemia (haemoglobin H disease) has been described in an English family (Woodrow et al., 1964). A number of other haemoglobin variants have also been found in natives of Britain; for example, haemoglobin Norfolk (Ager et al., 1958), haemoglobins G Norfolk and D Norfolk (Huntsman et al., 1963), haemoglobins M Boston and M Saskatoon (Farmer et al., 1964); haemoglobin J Baltimore (Holman et al., 1964) and haemoglobin Koln (Hutchison et al., 1964). Haemoglobinopathies are more common among the recent immigrant population of this country so that for two reasons once awareness is present and the condition is sought, it is remarkable how many may be found. In illustration of this, we present a summary of 72 cases met within the course of the last 4 years (Table I), together with a brief description of illustrative examples of the different types.
Evaluation of ADHD typology in three contrasting samples: a latent class approach.

OBJECTIVE To identify subtypes of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and characterize them as either categorical or continuous; to investigate familial resemblance for ADHD among sibling pairs; and to test the robustness of all results by using contrasting data sets. METHOD Latent class analysis was applied to the ADHD symptom profiles obtained from parents or best informant about their offspring in 3 samples: a population-based set of female adolescent twins (724 monozygotic pairs, 594 dizygotic pairs) and male (N = 425) and female (N = 430) child and adolescent offspring ascertained from high-risk alcoholic families. RESULTS Latent class analysis revealed 2 categories of clinically significant ADHD which were replicated in all 3 study groups: a subtype with high endorsements of ADHD inattention symptoms and a second combined type with high endorsements of both inattention and hyperactivity-impulsivity items. Both appeared to be continuous across all 3 data groups. The high-risk families contained a class in which members heavily endorsed the ADHD "fidget" item but not other ADHD items. A large proportion of the monozygotic sibs (80%) versus a smaller proportion of dizygotic sibs (52%) were assigned to the same latent class. Among the high-risk children and adolescents, 51% of the female and 41% of the male siblings were concordant for class membership. CONCLUSIONS The pattern of latent classes suggested that ADHD consists of an inattentive and a combined subtype, within each of which lies a dimensional domain. These analyses further support that genetic factors are significant determinants of latent class membership.
Prototype development and real-time trot-running implementation of a quadruped robot: RoboCat-1

This paper is written to report our research group's recent activities that are concerning quadruped locomotion control. To this end, we primarily constructed an electrically-actuated quadruped robot which is employed as an experimentation platform to test the locomotion control algorithm. An overall motion control scheme is introduced to reveal the main principles for achieving fast and agile locomotion scenarios. Having disclosed prototype development and real-time control procedures, trot-running locomotion experimental results are presented. In these experiments, the robot exhibited successful trot-running cycles in a repetitive, dynamically-equilibrated, agile, and compliant manner; demonstrating that the control algorithm has potentials to be utilized in fast locomotion tasks.