Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Discriminative Distance-Based Network Indices with Application to Link Prediction

In large networks, using the length of shortest paths as the distance measure has shortcomings. A well-studied shortcoming is that extending it to disconnected graphs and directed graphs is controversial. The second shortcoming is that a huge number of vertices may have exactly the same score. The third shortcoming is that in many applications, the distance between two vertices not only depends on the length of shortest paths, but also on the number of shortest paths. In this paper, first we develop a new distance measure between vertices of a graph that yields discriminative distance-based centrality indices. This measure is proportional to the length of shortest paths and inversely proportional to the number of shortest paths. We present algorithms for exact computation of the proposed discriminative indices. Second, we develop randomized algorithms that precisely estimate average discriminative path length and average discriminative eccentricity and show that they give $(\epsilon,\delta)$-approximations of these indices. Third, we perform extensive experiments over several real-world networks from different domains. In our experiments, we first show that compared to the traditional indices, discriminative indices have usually much more discriminability. Then, we show that our randomized algorithms can very precisely estimate average discriminative path length and average discriminative eccentricity, using only few samples. Then, we show that real-world networks have usually a tiny average discriminative path length, bounded by a constant (e.g., 2). Fourth, in order to better motivate the usefulness of our proposed distance measure, we present a novel link prediction method, that uses discriminative distance to decide which vertices are more likely to form a link in future, and show its superior performance compared to the well-known existing measures.
The Upper Bound of Coverage on Fixed Energy Budget in Wireless Sensor Networks

Wireless sensor networks have a wide variety of applications in both military and civil environment. Sensor nodes monitor some surrounding environmental phenomenon, process the data obtained and forward this data towards a base station located on the periphery of the sensor network. Base station(s) collect the data from the sensor nodes and transmit this data to some remote control station. Sensor network models considered by most researchers have a single static base station located on the periphery of the sensor network. Most sensors are equipped with non-rechargeable batteries that have limited lifetime. Following development of technology, the upper bound of coverage becoming more and more important. In this work, we develop closed-form expressions of the upper bound of coverage in energy-efficient wireless sensor networks.
A Regularized Optimization Model for Community Identification in Complex Networks

Identifying community structure is an important step to reveal the functional characteristics of complex networks. Recently, many models and algorithms have been designed to identify communities in a given network. Here, we propose a general mathematical programming framework to optimize some modularity criteria under certain constraints. We then show that several existing models are special cases of our framework by taking different kinds of modularity criteria and constraints. In addition, a regularization term is introduced as an additional objective to consider the parsimony principle in community structure. Experiments on several toy networks show that our new model is simple yet insightful for the community identification problem.
IgA measurements in over 12 000 Swedish twins reveal sex differential heritability and regulatory locus near CD30L.

In a broad attempt to improve the understanding of the genetic regulation of serum IgA levels, the heritability was estimated in over 12 000 Swedish twins, and a genome-wide association study was conducted in a subsample of 9617. Using the classical twin model the heritability was found to be significantly larger among females (61%) compared with males (21%), while contribution from shared environment (20%) was only seen for males. By modeling the genetic relationship matrix with IgA levels, we estimate that a substantial proportion (31%) of variance in IgA levels can ultimately be explained by the investigated SNPs. The genome-wide association study revealed significant association to two loci: (i) rs6928791 located on chromosome 6, 22 kb upstream of the gene SAM and SH3 domain containing 1 (SASH1) and (ii) rs13300483 on chromosome 9, situated 12 kb downstream the CD30 ligand (CD30L) encoding gene. The association to rs13300483 was replicated in two additional independent Swedish materials. The heritability of IgA levels is moderate and can partly be attributable to common variation in the CD30L locus.
Can Patients With Low Back Pain Be Satisfied With Less Than Expected?

Study Design. A prospective cohort study within care as usual. Objective. (1) To explore the psychometric properties of a baseline disability questionnaire designed to collect patients’ expectation. (2) To analyze relations between satisfaction with care and treatment success in patients with chronic low back pain (CLBP). (3) To determine the chances of being satisfied with the received care in absence of treatment success. Summary of Background Data. There is a lack of evidence on determinants of treatment satisfaction in patients with CLBP, specifically the role of patient's expectation of disability reduction after treatment. Methods. Treatment expectation was measured with questions inspired by the Pain Disability Index (PDI) at baseline. Treatment success was considered if disability at the end of therapy was lower than, or equal to pretreatment expectation. An exploratory factor analysis was performed on the new questionnaire. Binary logistic regression models were used to analyze how much variance of satisfaction with care was explained by treatment success, pain disability at baseline, sex, age, duration of complaints, and pain intensity. The odds ratio of being satisfied when treatment was successful was calculated. Results. Six hundred nine patients were included. The factor structure of the PDI-expectancy had optimal fit with a one factor structure. There were low correlations between the expected and baseline disability, pain intensity, and duration of pain. Correlation between treatment success and satisfaction with care was low (&khgr;2 = 0.13; P < 0.01). Treatment success had a low contribution to satisfaction with care. Of all participating patients, 51.4% were satisfied with care even when treatment was not successful. The odds ratio for being satisfied was 2.42 when treatment was successful compared to when treatment was not successful. Conclusion. The PDI-expectancy is internally consistent. Pretreatment expectation contributes uniquely but slightly to satisfaction with care; patients whose treatment was considered successful have 1.38 to 4.24 times higher chance of being satisfied at the end of treatment. Even when treatment was not successful, 51.4% of the patients with CLBP are satisfied with care. Level of Evidence: 2
Developmental changes in genetic and environmental influences on Chinese child and adolescent anxiety and depression

Background Twin and family studies using Western samples have established that child and adolescent anxiety and depression are under substantial genetic, modest shared environmental, and substantial non-shared environmental influences. Generalizability of these findings to non-Western societies remains largely unknown, particularly regarding the changes of genetic and environmental influences with age. The current study examined changes in genetic and environmental influences on self-reported anxiety and depression from late childhood to mid-adolescence among a Chinese twin sample. Sex differences were also examined. Method Self-reported anxiety and depression were collected from 712 10- to 12-year-old Chinese twins (mean = 10.88 years, 49% males) and again 3 years later. Quantitative genetic modeling was used to examine developmental changes in genetic and environmental influences on anxiety and depression, and sex differences. Results Heritability of anxiety and depression in late childhood (23 and 20%) decreased to negligible in mid-adolescence, while shared environmental influences increased (20 and 27% to 57 and 60%). Shared environmental factors explained most of the continuity of anxiety and depression (75 and 77%). Non-shared environmental factors were largely time-specific. No sex differences were observed. Conclusions Shared environmental influences might be more pronounced during the transition period of adolescence in non-Western societies such as China. Future research should examine similarities and differences in the genetic and environmental etiologies of child and adolescent internalizing and other psychopathology in development between Western and non-Western societies.
A Randomized Controlled Trial Exploring the Effects of Brief Anger Management on Community-Based Offenders in Malta

The aim of this article is to examine the effects of a short-term one-to-one anger management program delivered to community-based offenders in Malta. The program delivered was the Individual Managing Anger Program (I-MAP), a Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and mindfulness-based anger management intervention developed as an EU project. A randomized control trial (RCT)with waitlist controls was carried out to investigate the effects of I-MAP on the reduction in anger dysfunction among offenders serving a community-based sanction. Participants were 24 male offenders aged between 18 and 57. Eligibility for treatment was based on screening for anger dysfunction and success of interventions was determined through psychometric measures. All the statistical analyses carried out showed significant reduction in psychometric scores on anger symptoms. Results of the interventions show clinical significance. These results are discussed in light of recent research.
- Lundborg Disease ( EPM 1 ) Päivi Koskenkorva Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Unverricht-Lundborg Disease ( EPM 1 )

Unverricht-Lundborg disease (EPM1), caused by mutations in the cystatin B gene (CSTB), is an autosomal recessively inherited disorder. It is the most common form of progressive myoclonus epilepsy. The prevalence of EPM1 is increased particularly in Finland where it is 4:100 000, offering a unique opportunity to study a large patient population. EPM1 is characterized by stimulus-sensitive and action-activated myoclonus, tonic-clonic seizures and ataxia. During the first 5-10 years, the symptoms progress and stabilize thereafter. About one-third of the patients become severely incapacitated. At the time of diagnosis, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain is usually normal. Cerebral and cerebellar atrophy may develop subsequently. No large scale imaging studies of EPM1 have been reported thus far. The aim of this study was to explore whether advanced imaging techniques could reveal previously undetected morphological changes in the brains of patients with EPM1. The brains of altogether 62 patients with EPM1 were imaged with MRI and their findings were compared with those of healthy controls. Voxel-based morphometry (VBM) revealed regional bilateral gray matter volume loss in the motor cortex and thalamus of patients with EPM1, consistent with the motor symptoms of the disease. In addition, thinning of the sensorimotor, visual and auditory cortices was found by applying cortical thickness analysis. Cortical thickness correlated negatively with age, the duration of EPM1, and the severity of myoclonus. The findings parallel the stimulus-sensitive nature of the symptoms in EPM1. Diffusion tensor imaging with tractbased spatial statistics revealed widespread changes both in the supratentorial and infratentorial white matter (WM) of patients with EPM1, consistent with chronic WM degeneration. Directional diffusivity parameters indicate that the WM changes may reflect axonal and myelin loss. When comparing the clinical and imaging findings of patients who are compound heterozygous for the dodecamer repeat expansion and the c.202C>T mutation in the CSTB gene with those of patients who are homozygous for the dodecamer repeat expansion, the age at onset of symptoms seemed to be earlier in the compound heterozygotes. Furthermore, their myoclonic symptoms seemed to be more severe and the epileptic seizures were more drug-resistant than those of the homozygous patients. No differences were found between the MRI findings of the two groups. To summarize, previously undetected regional morphological changes in the brains of patients with EPM1 were discovered with modern imaging techniques. The changes are consistent with the clinical symptoms of EPM1, and combined with detailed neurophysiological evaluation, they offer new insight into the pathogenesis of EPM1. National Library of Medical Classification: WL 385, WN 185 Medical Subject Headings: Unverricht-Lundborg Syndrome; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Cystatin B/genetics; Myoclonic Epilepsies, Progressive; Mutation/genetics; Brain Mapping; Finland
Evaluation of the push-out bond strength of root canal obturation materials filled by four different obturation techniques

The aim of this study was to comparatively evaluate the push out bond strength (PBS) of root canal fillings using four different obturation techniques (single cone (SC), cold lateral compaction (CLC), continuous wave (CW), and carrier based gutta percha (CBG)). Materials and Methods: Forty mandibular premolar decoronated and instrumented with rotary ProTaper to F3 then teeth were divided randomly into 4 groups of 10 teeth for each as follow: group (I) single- cone obturation with matched-taper gutta-percha, group (II) cold lateral compaction technique, group (III) continuous wave of obturation technique, and group( IV) carrier based gutta-percha technique. Zinc oxide eugenol (ZOE) sealer was used as a root canal sealer for the four groups. After obturation of the root canals, all the roots were sectioned horizontally at three levels in the apical, middle, and cervical thirds of each group. PBS test was performed using digital universal testing machine. Mode of failures was evaluated using digital stereomicroscope (40 X). Collected data were analyzed statistically using one way ANOVA and Tukey test. Results: PBS of CW and CBG significantly higher than SC and CLC, but significantly there were no differences between CW and CBG, and between SC and CLC. Conclusion: Under the condition of this study it can be concluded that thermoplasticized techniques obtain superior PBS of the filling materials in comparisons with cold gutta percha obturation techniques.
Iron status in relation to cancer risk and mortality: Findings from a population‐based prospective study

While experimental evidence suggests potential carcinogenic effects of increased iron load, there is a lack of data on iron status and cancer risk from epidemiological studies. Here, we evaluated prediagnostic serum concentrations of ferritin, iron and transferrin as well as transferrin saturation (TSAT) in relation to cancer risk and mortality in a prospective study by multivariable Cox regression analyses. A case–cohort sample of the population‐based EPIC‐Heidelberg Study including a random subcohort (n = 2738) and incident cases of breast cancer (n = 627), prostate cancer (n = 554), lung cancer (n = 195), colorectal cancer (n = 256) and cancer death (n = 759) was used. Ferritin levels were inversely associated with breast cancer risk in the multivariable Cox regression model, with a hazard ratio (HR) of 0.67 [95% confidence interval: 0.49, 0.92] for women in the highest quartile compared to those in the lowest quartile. Neither ferritin nor the other markers of iron status were significantly associated with colorectal, prostate or lung cancer risk. An inverse association was observed between ferritin and total cancer mortality (HR: 0.70 [0.53, 0.92]). There were no significant overall associations between serum iron, transferrin or TSAT and cancer mortality. The present findings do not support the notion of increased iron load constituting a cancer risk factor in the general population. By contrast, our analyses revealed inverse associations between ferritin levels and breast cancer risk as well as cancer mortality.
The elbow.

Elbow disorders in the athletic population comprise a wide range of injuries from acute trauma to those caused by chronic overuse of the joint. Certain injuries are orthopedic emergencies that must be recognized immediately by the team physician to avoid potential complications. Other overuse injuries need to be accurately diagnosed and treated so further injury can be prevented and the athlete can return to competition as expediently as possible. Finally, the decision to refer an athlete for surgical treatment often rests with the team physician; only with an adequate understanding of the elbow disorders in the athlete can these decisions be made.
Alterations in estrogen signalling pathways upon acquisition of anthracycline resistance in breast tumor cells

Intrinsic or acquired drug resistance is a major impediment to the successful treatment of women with breast cancer using chemotherapy. We have observed that MCF-7 breast tumor cells selected for resistance to doxorubicin or epirubicin (MCF-7DOX2 and MCF-7EPI cells, respectively) exhibited increased expression of several members of the aldo-keto reductase (AKR) gene family (in particular AKR1C3 and AKR1B10) relative to control MCF-7CC cells selected by propagation in the absence of drug. Normal cellular roles for the AKRs include the promotion of estrogen (E2) synthesis from estrone (E1) and the hydroxylation and detoxification of exogenous xenobiotics such as anthracycline chemotherapy drugs. While hydroxylation of anthracyclines strongly attenuates their cytotoxicity, it is unclear whether the enhanced AKR expression in the above anthracycline-resistant cells promotes E2 synthesis and/or alterations in E2 signalling pathways and whether such changes contribute to enhanced survival and anthracycline resistance. To determine the role of AKRs and E2 pathways in doxorubicin resistance, we examined changes in the expression of E2-related genes and proteins upon acquisition of doxorubicin resistance. We also assessed the effects of AKR overexpression or downregulation or the effects of activators or inhibitors of E2-dependent pathways on previously acquired resistance to doxorubicin. In this study we observed that the enhanced AKR expression upon acquisition of anthracycline resistance was, in fact, associated with enhanced E2 production. However, the expression of estrogen receptor α (ERα) was reduced by 2- to 5-fold at the gene transcript level and 2- to 20-fold at the protein level upon acquisition of anthracycline resistance. This was accompanied by an even stronger reduction in ERα phosphorylation and activity, including highly suppressed expression of two proteins under E2-dependent control (Bcl-2 and cyclin D1). The diminished Bcl-2 and cyclin D1 expression would be expected to reduce the growth rate of the cells, a hypothesis which was confirmed in subsequent cell proliferation experiments. AKR1C3 or AKR1B10 overexpression alone had no effect on doxorubicin sensitivity in MCF-7CC cells, while siRNA-mediated knockdown of AKR1C3 and/or AKR1B10 expression had no significant effect on sensitivity to doxorubicin in MCF-7DOX2 or MCF-7EPI cells. This suggested that enhanced or reduced AKR expression/activity is insufficient to confer anthracycline resistance or sensitivity to breast tumor cells, respectively. Rather, it would appear that AKR overexpression acts in concert with other proteins to confer anthracycline resistance, including reduced E2-dependent expression of both an important apoptosis inhibitor (Bcl-2) and a key protein associated with activation of cell cycle-dependent kinases (cyclin D1).
The prospect of carbon fiber implants in radiotherapy

Because of their superior characteristics, carbonaceous materials, which are still at their early stage of development, have garnered significant interest. Because of their low atomic number, carbonaceous orthopedic implants possess radiation properties similar to biological tissues and, therefore, they are more suitable to patients in need of radiotherapy. The effects of stainless steel, titanium, and carbon plates on radiation dose distributions were investigated in this work using Monte Carlo simulations and TLD measurements for 6 MV photon beams. It is found that carbon plates will neither increase the incident surface dose, nor lead to the decrease of exit surface dose (the effect of a second build‐up). Carbon fiber orthopedic implants have a good prospect for radiotherapy patients because they have minimal perturbation effects on the radiotherapy dose distribution. PACS number: 87.55. K‐,87.55. Gh, 87.55. ne
The role of the miR‐148/‐152 family in physiology and disease

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are endogenously encoded ∼22 nt small non‐coding RNAs. They function as key players of many cellular processes by base pairing with target mRNAs and thereby impairing gene expression at the post‐transcriptional level. Recent findings demonstrate a critical role of many miRNAs in immune cell differentiation and immune responses, which is also associated with the development and progression of many tumor and non‐tumor diseases. Here we review the multifaceted miRNA‐148/‐152 family members consisting of miR‐148a, miR‐148b and miR‐152. Next to regulation mechanisms that control the expression of this miRNA family, we will focus on (i) the role of miR‐148a in regulating B and T lymphocyte function and its role in associated diseases and (ii) the importance of miR‐148/‐152 family members for cancer initiation, tumor growth and metastasis formation. In addition, this review aims to highlight some selected targets of the miRNA‐148/‐152 family members, which are involved in the biology of cancer and maintenance of epigenetic patterns. In conclusion, members of the miR‐148/‐152 family might represent prognostic markers and/or potential therapeutic targets for treatment of autoimmune disorders, chronic inflammatory diseases and multiple types of cancer.
Simon Peter Mekhail , Gordon Arbuthnott , and Síle Nic Chormaic * Advances in Fibre Microendoscopy for Neuronal Imaging

Traditionally, models for neural dynamics in the brain have been formed through research conducted on slices, with electrodes, or by lesions to functional areas. Recent developments in functional dyes and optogenetics has made brain research more accessible through the use of light. However, this improved accessibility does not necessarily apply to deep regions of the brain which are surrounded by scattering tissue. In this article we give an overview of some of the latest methods in development for neuralmeasurement and imaging.We speci cally address methods designed to overcome the problem of imaging invivo for regions far beyond the mean free path of photons in brain tissue. Thesemethodswouldpermit previously restricted neural research.