Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Comparative study of autotitrating and fixed-pressure CPAP in the home: a randomized, single-blind crossover trial.

STUDY OBJECTIVES To compare compliance and treatment response between continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) and auto-titrating positive airway pressure (APAP) and to develop selection criteria for the use of APAP. DESIGN Randomized, single-blinded, parallel crossover study. SETTING Tertiary referral sleep disorders center. PATIENTS Consecutive patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome requiring treatment with CPAP. INTERVENTIONS 2-month treatment each of conventional CPAP and APAP in random order comparing objective compliance, Epworth Sleepiness Score, SF-36 Health Survey, visual-analog measures of ease of and attitude to treatment, side effects, and treatment pressures or system leaks obtained from the Autoset T device. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS There were no differences between treatment modes in overall compliance (CPAP 4.86 +/- 2.65, APAP 5.05 +/- 2.38 hours per night, P = .14), Epworth Sleepiness Scale scores (baseline 12.4 +/- 5.1, CPAP 8.4 +/- 5.2, APAP 7.9 +/- 4.8, P < .001 relative to baseline, NS between modes), SF-36 scores (significant improvements in Role Physical and Vitality domains relative to baseline, P < .001 but NS between modes). There were fewer reported side effects in APAP mode (CPAP 28, APAP 15 reports, P = .02) and compliance was greater with APAP in those reporting any side effect (95% confidence interval CPAP 0-6.8, APAP 2.9-7.8 hours per night, P < .001). APAP delivered significantly lower median and 95th centile airway pressures and fewer system leaks. CONCLUSIONS Compliance, subjective sleepiness, and quality of life are similar between patients who used CPAP and APAP. APAP delivers lower pressures and results in lower-pressure leaks and fewer reported side effects. Compliance is higher with APAP in subjects reporting any side effect. APAP may be indicated in patients reporting side effects with conventional CPAP.
Physiology of Soccer: The Role of Nutrition in Performance

Across all layers and entities of society, soccer participation is common practice, making it the most popular sport in the globe. Performance in soccer requires a multitude of factors including physical, technical, decision-making and psychological skills that ultimately impact competition. A substantial physical strain is associated with this activity that is not only a consequence of mere running, which may impact upon exercise tolerance and adherence. In turn, an appreciation of the activity profile and the physiological load of participating in this sport are important. Furthermore, an inherent relationship exists between physical activity and nutrition and thus manipulation of nutrition could improve training and competition. The current review aims to examine the activity profile and physiological demands of soccer. An investigation of the potential effects of carbohydrate ingestion on performance will also be discussed.
Relationship between angina pectoris and outcomes in patients with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction: an analysis of the Controlled Rosuvastatin Multinational Trial in Heart Failure (CORONA).

AIM Angina pectoris is common in patients with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction (HF-REF) but its relationship with outcomes has not been well defined. This relationship was investigated further in a retrospective analysis of the Controlled Rosuvastatin Multinational Trial in Heart Failure (CORONA). METHODS AND RESULTS Four thousand, eight hundred and seventy-eight patients were divided into three categories: no history of angina and no chest pain at baseline (Group A; n = 1240), past history of angina but no chest pain at baseline (Group B; n = 1353) and both a history of angina and chest pain at baseline (Group C; n = 2285). Outcomes were examined using Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression survival analysis. Compared with Group A, Group C had a higher risk of non-fatal myocardial infarction or unstable angina (HR: 2.36, 1.54-3.61; P < 0.001), this composite plus coronary revascularization (HR: 2.54, 1.76-3.68; P < 0.001), as well as HF hospitalization (HR: 1.35, 1.13-1.63; P = 0.001), over a median follow-up period of 33 months. There was no difference in cardiovascular or all-cause mortality. Group B had a smaller increase in risk of coronary events but not of heart failure hospitalization. CONCLUSION Patients with HF-REF and ongoing angina are at an increased risk of acute coronary syndrome and HF hospitalization. Whether these patients would benefit from more aggressive medical therapy or percutaneous revascularization is not known and merits further investigation.
Conceptual Framework for Assessing Organization’s Readiness to Big Data Adoption

The main aim of this paper is to explore the issue of big data and to propose a conceptual framework for big data, based on the temporal dimension. The Temporal Big Data Maturity Model (TBDMM) is a means for assessing organization’s readiness to fully profit from big data analysis. It allows the measurement of the current state of the organization’s big data assets and analytical tools, and to plan their future development. The framework explicitly incorporates a time dimension, providing a complete means for assessing also the readiness to process temporal data and/or knowledge that can be found in modern sources, such as big data ones. Temporality in the proposed framework extends and enhances the already existing maturity models for big data. This research paper is based on a critical analysis of literature, as well as creative thinking, and on the case-study approach involving multiple cases. The literature-based research has shown that the existing maturity models for big data do not treat the temporal dimension as the basic one. At the same time, dynamic analytics is crucial for a sustainable competitive advantage. This conceptual framework was well received among practitioners, to whom it has been presented during interviews. The participants in the consultations often expressed their need of temporal big data analytics, and hence the temporal approach of the maturity model was widely welcomed.
The role of behavioral data in HIV surveillance

This paper reviews the ways in which data on sexual behavior can contribute to the understanding of HIV prevalence trends based on sentinel surveillance, building on work presented at a meeting on new strategies for HIV/AIDS surveillance in resource-constrained countries, held in Addis Ababa in January 2004.A key component of second-generation surveillance is the collection of data on the behaviors and background characteristics that may influence the course of the HIV epidemic in a population. However, the most appropriate methods for the collection and analysis of these data for various types of epidemic have yet to be established.A conceptual framework is presented outlining the relationships between background characteristics, behaviors and HIV infection. The different methods used to collect data on HIV infection, risk behaviors and background characteristics in generalized and concentrated epidemics are reviewed, including population-based surveys, and surveillance in high- and low-risk groups. The various biases inherent in different approaches are discussed. The implications of linking data at the individual and community levels are explored and recommendations made concerning appropriate analytical approaches, drawing on an example of a pilot study that linked biological and behavioral surveillance in Tanzanian antenatal clinics.The paper concludes with recommendations for the methods and frequency with which to collect the data required for second-generation HIV surveillance.
Fast global motion estimation for sprite generation

In this paper, an efficient and fast global motion estimation method is proposed. This method is a generic one that can accommodate various global motion models, ranging from a simple translation model to an eight parameters perspective model. At the first stage, a simple filter is implemented to classify different parts of the frames. Since pixels from homogeneous regions and highly textured regions do not contribute much in global motion estimation, it is proposed that they-be excluded from processing. The remained pixels are fed into a three-level hierarchical motion estimation system and a dynamic sprite is eventually generated. From the experimental results, we can conclude that the proposed global motion estimation system manages to speed up the processing time for sprite generation while maintaining quality in the reconstructed frames.
Induction of centrosome amplification by formaldehyde, but not hydroquinone, in human lymphoblastoid TK6 cells

Benzene and formaldehyde (FA) are important industrial chemicals and environmental pollutants that cause leukemia by inducing DNA damage and chromosome aberrations in hematopoietic stem cells (HSC), the target cells for leukemia. Our previous studies showed that workers exposed to benzene and FA exhibit increased levels of aneuploidy in their blood cells. As centrosome amplification is a common phenomenon in human cancers, including leukemia, and is associated with aneuploidy in carcinogenesis, we hypothesized that benzene and FA would induce centrosome amplification in vitro. We treated human lymphoblastoid TK6 cells with a range of concentrations of hydroquinone (HQ, a benzene metabolite) or FA for 24 h, allowed the cells to recover in fresh medium for 24 h, and examined centrosome amplification; chromosomal gain, loss, and breakage; and cytotoxicity. We included melphalan and etoposide, chemotherapeutic drugs that cause therapy‐related acute myeloid leukemia and that have been shown to induce centrosome amplification as well as chromosomal aneuploidy and breakage, as positive controls. Melphalan and etoposide induced centrosome amplification and chromosome gain and breakage in a dose‐dependent manner, at cytotoxic concentrations. HQ, though cytotoxic, did not induce centrosome amplification or any chromosomal aberration. FA‐induced centrosome amplification and cytotoxicity, but did not induce chromosomal aberrations. Our data suggest, for the first time, that centrosome amplification is a potential mechanism underlying FA‐induced leukemogenesis, but not benzene‐induced leukemogenesis, as mediated through HQ. Future studies are needed to delineate the mechanisms of centrosome amplification and its association with DNA damage, chromosomal aneuploidy and carcinogenesis, following exposure to FA. Environ. Mol. Mutagen. 56:535–544, 2015. © Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Modelling of a Reverse Flow Catalytic Membrane Reactor for the Partial Oxidation of Methane

Gas-To-Liquid (GTL) processes have great potential as alternative to conventional oil and coal processing for the production of liquid fuels. In GTL-processes the partial oxidation of methane (POM) is combined with the Fischer-Tropsch reaction. An important part of the investment costs of a conventional GTL-plant is related to cryogenic air separation. These costs could be substantially reduced by separating air with recently developed oxygen perm-selective perovskite membranes, which operate at similar temperatures as a POM reactor. Integration of these membranes in the POM reactor seems very attractive because oxygen reacts at the membrane surface resulting in a high driving force over the membrane increasing the oxygen permeation.Because the POM-reaction is only slightly exothermic, the natural gas and air feed have to be preheated to high operating temperatures to obtain high syngas yields and because the Fischer-Tropsch reactor operates at much lower temperatures, recuperative heat exchange is essential for an air-based POM process. External heat transfer at elevated temperatures is expensive and therefore recuperative heat exchange is preferably carried out inside the reactor, which can be achieved with the reverse flow concept. To combine the POM reaction, air separation and recuperative heat exchange in a single apparatus a novel, multi-functional reactor is proposed, called the Reverse Flow Catalytic Membrane Reactor (RFCMR). In this reactor a relatively uniform temperature profile should be established at the membrane section and the temperature fronts should be located in the inert in- and outlet sections.To study the RFCMR concept, reactor models have been developed assuming a shell-and-tube geometry, based on models that are commonly used to describe conventional reverse flow reactors. Simulations of the novel reactor concept revealed that a small amount of methane has to combusted on the air side to create the reverse flow behaviour. Also a small amount of steam has to be injected distributively along the perovskite membrane section to maintain the centre of the reactor at nearly isothermal conditions. With these modifications it was found that the desired temperature profile could indeed be created in the RFCMR and that high overall syngas yields can be achieved.
Axial buckling behavior of single-walled carbon nanotubes with finite element modeling

Based on the three-dimensional finite element (FE) model, we perform the eigenvalue buckling analysis for armchair and zigzag single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) under axial compression. The effects of nanotube length and diameter on the buckling modes and the critical buckling loads are systematically studied. The lengths of SWCNTs vary from 1.5 to 30 nm and the diameters vary from 0.3 to 4.5 nm. The buckling modes and the critical buckling loads of different SWCNTs are obtained. The simulation results show that the diameter and the length evidently affect the buckling mode and the critical buckling load of SWCNTs. The critical buckling load decreases to a relatively stable value with the length increasing and in general increases with the diameter increasing. With the increase of length-diameter ratio, the buckling modes of SWCNTs change from shell-like buckling characteristics to space trusses-like buckling characteristics, especially for SWCNTs with small diameters. Therefore, the modeling method based on beam theory in nature can well simulate the buckling behaviors.
The Use of Cavitating Jets to Oxidize Organic Compounds in Water

This paper reports on the application of hydrodynamic cavitation by the use of submerged cavitating liquid jets to trigger widespread cavitation and induce oxidation of organic compounds in the bulk liquid solution with a two order of magnitude increase in energy efficiency compared to the ultrasonic means. The results are compared to a bubble dynamics model that includes heat and mass transport, collective bubble effects, and a first order Arrhenius reaction rate model. Comparison of model results with experiment indicated the reactions were limited by contaminant transport to the bubble surface rather than by radical generation or the intensity of bubble collapse. Other findings are the desirability of operating at atmospheric ambient pressure and low driving pressures and of maximizing cavity surface area. These results suggest a great potential for the use of jet cavitation in practical scale waste treatment and remediation systems.
“In our stories”: The perspectives of women living with HIV on an evidence-based group intervention

A qualitative study among women living with HIV assessed the aspects of an evidence-based intervention targeting HIV transmission risk reduction (Women Involved in Life Learning from Other Women [WiLLOW]) that women valued and how their lives were impacted. Thirty-one women (80.6% African American) completed interviews. Women valued the personal stories and positive group dynamics (i.e. safety, trust, openness, getting feedback, bonding, and socializing). As a result of WiLLOW, women embraced a strong woman image, joined groups, changed behaviors, accepted their HIV status, became optimistic, and spoke up/advocated in their relationships and communities. Interventions for HIV-positive women may benefit from incorporating the sharing of stories in their curricula and factors that build positive group dynamics.
Fiducial markers in prostate for kV imaging: quantification of visibility and optimization of imaging conditions

The purpose of this work is to investigate possible smaller, less-dense fiducial markers implantable into the prostate for target localization and patient repositioning verification in an on-board kV–kV imaging system on a proton gantry. The experiments used a pelvic phantom and a variety of commercially available fiducial markers: CIVCO carbon marker of ϕ; 1 × 3 mm, gold seed markers of ϕ; 0.8 × 3 mm and ϕ; 1.2 × 3 mm, and IBA Visicoil helical gold linear markers in diameters of 0.35, 0.50, 0.75 and 1.15 mm. Two orthogonal on-board kV imagers were arranged for digital radiographic imaging of the phantom through the lateral and anterior–posterior directions. The contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) for a given marker was calculated and used as a quantitative measure of its visibility. The patient entrance skin exposure (ESE) was measured and parameterized for kVp, mAs and source-to-surface distance. The ratio of CNR to ESE was first introduced to characterize the efficiency for imaging a marker using a given x-ray technique in order to optimize the marker's visibility and simultaneously minimize the x-ray imaging dose. If CNR > 2, which corresponds to a significance p < 0.05, is required for acceptable visibility, the carbon marker and the smallest Visicoil marker are not suitable for imaging through dense bone but the others are capable of being employed in the clinic. It is predicted that other markers in development should have a greater thickness than equivalent of 0.14 mm thick gold in order to produce the acceptable visibility in the lateral kV imaging. The linear Visicoil marker of ϕ; 0.50 × 5 mm is most suitable for kV imaging in the prostate for proton therapy as it induces the least proton dose perturbation amongst the acceptable markers. An optimal range of 120–130 kVp and 40–80 mAs is determined using the maximal CNR/ESE and CNR > 2 for laterally imaging this marker in the prostate.
Do not snoop my habits: preserving privacy in the smart grid

The recent deployment of smart grids has proven to bring numerous advantages in terms of energy consumption reduction in both homes and businesses. A more accurate measurement of up-to-date electricity necessities through smart meters utilization leads to an enhancement in the ability of monitoring, controlling and predicting energy use. Nevertheless, it has associated drawbacks related to the privacy of customers as well, since such management might reveal their personal habits and behavior, which electrical appliances they are using at each moment, whether they are at home or not, and so on. In this article we present a privacy enhanced architecture for smart metering aimed to tackle this threat by means of a new and novel protocol encrypting individual measurements while allowing the electricity supplier to access the aggregation of the corresponding decrypted values. The technique being used is named additively homomorphic encryption, and enables the direct connection and exchange of data between electricity suppliers and final users, while preserving the privacy of the latter.
[μ-N,N,N′,N′-Tetrakis(2-pyridylmethyl)butane-1,4-diamine]bis[dichloridocopper(II)] trihydrate

The title dinuclear copper complex, [Cu2Cl4(C28H32N6)]·3H2O, is located on a crystallographic inversion center. The unique CuII ion is coordinated in a slightly distorted square-pyramidal environment in which the N atoms of the dipicolylamine group and a chloride ligand form the basal plane. The apical position is occupied by a second chloride atom. While the Cu—N distances of the pyridine N atoms are the same within expermental error, the Cu—N distance to the tertiary N atom is slightly elongated. The apical Cu—Cl distance is elongated due to typical Jahn–Teller distortion. One of the water O atoms was refined as disordered over two sites with occupancies 0.734 (17):0.266 (17) and another with half occupancy. H atoms for the disordered solvent atoms were not included in the refinement.
Characterization of the Fasting-induced Adipose Factor FIAF, a Novel Peroxisome Proliferator-activated Receptor Target Gene*

Fasting is associated with significant changes in nutrient metabolism, many of which are governed by transcription factors that regulate the expression of rate-limiting enzymes. One factor that plays an important role in the metabolic response to fasting is the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α (PPARα). To gain more insight into the role of PPARα during fasting, and into the regulation of metabolism during fasting in general, a search for unknown PPARα target genes was performed. Using subtractive hybridization (SABRE) comparing liver mRNA from wild-type and PPARα null mice, we isolated a novel PPARα target gene, encoding the secreted protein FIAF (for fasting induced adipose factor), that belongs to the family of fibrinogen/angiopoietin-like proteins. FIAF is predominantly expressed in adipose tissue and is strongly up-regulated by fasting in white adipose tissue and liver. Moreover, FIAF mRNA is decreased in white adipose tissue of PPARγ +/− mice. FIAF protein can be detected in various tissues and in blood plasma, suggesting that FIAF has an endocrine function. Its plasma abundance is increased by fasting and decreased by chronic high fat feeding. The data suggest that FIAF represents a novel endocrine signal involved in the regulation of metabolism, especially under fasting conditions.
Un flot de conception pour applications de traitement du signal systématique implémentées sur FPGA à base d'Ingénierie Dirigée par les Modèles. (A Model Driven Engineering based design flow for systematic signal processing applications implemented on FPGA)

Dans cette these, nous proposons un flot de conception pour le developpement d'applications de traitement du signal systematique implementees sur FPGA. Nous utilisons une approche Ingenierie Dirigee par les Modeles (IDM) pour la mise en oeuvre de ce flot de conception, dont la specification des applications est decrite en UML. La premiere contribution de cette these reside dans la creation d'un metamodele isolant les concepts utilises au niveau RTL. Ces concepts sont extraits d'implementations materielles dediees de tâches a fort parallelisme de donnees. Par ailleurs, ce metamodele considere la technologie d'implementation FPGA et propose differents niveaux d'abstractions d'un meme FPGA. Ces multiples niveaux d'abstractions permettent un raffinement des implementations materielles. La seconde contribution est le developpement d'un flot de compilation permettant la transformation d'une application modelisee a haut niveau d'abstraction (UML) vers un modele RTL. En fonction des contraintes de surfaces disponibles (technologie FPGA), le flot de conception optimise le deroulement des boucles et le placement des tâches. Le code VHDL produit est directement simulable et synthetisable sur FPGA. A partir d'applications modelisees en UML, nous produisons automatiquement un code VHDL. Le flot de conception propose a ete utilise avec succes dans le cadre de securite automobile ; un algorithme de detection d'obstacles a ete automatiquement genere depuis sa specification UML.