Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Thunderstorm‐asthma and pollen allergy

Thunderstorms have been linked to asthma epidemics, especially during the pollen seasons, and there are descriptions of asthma outbreaks associated with thunderstorms, which occurred in several cities, prevalently in Europe (Birmingham and London in the UK and Napoli in Italy) and Australia (Melbourne and Wagga Wagga). Pollen grains can be carried by thunderstorm at ground level, where pollen rupture would be increased with release of allergenic biological aerosols of paucimicronic size, derived from the cytoplasm and which can penetrate deep into lower airways. In other words, there is evidence that under wet conditions or during thunderstorms, pollen grains may, after rupture by osmotic shock, release into the atmosphere part of their content, including respirable, allergen‐carrying cytoplasmic starch granules (0.5–2.5 μm) or other paucimicronic components that can reach lower airways inducing asthma reactions in pollinosis patients. The thunderstorm‐asthma outbreaks are characterized, at the beginning of thunderstorms by a rapid increase of visits for asthma in general practitioner or hospital emergency departments. Subjects without asthma symptoms, but affected by seasonal rhinitis can experience an asthma attack. No unusual levels of air pollution were noted at the time of the epidemics, but there was a strong association with high atmospheric concentrations of pollen grains such as grasses or other allergenic plant species. However, subjects affected by pollen allergy should be informed about a possible risk of asthma attack at the beginning of a thunderstorm during pollen season.
An escalating dose finding study of liposomal doxorubicin and vinorelbine for the treatment of refractory or resistant epithelial ovarian cancer.

BACKGROUND The aim of this study was to determine the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) of liposomal doxorubicin (LD)-vinorelbine (V) in patients with refractory or resistant ovarian cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS Thirty patients were eligible. Seven levels were studied [LD 25-V20 (three patients enrolled); LD 30-V20 (three); LD 35-V20 (three); LD 20-V25 (three); LD 25-V25 (three); LD 30-V25 (10); LD 35-V25 (five)]. LD was given on day 1, while V was given on days 1 and 8 every 21 days. Cohorts of three patients were enrolled at each level, and another three patients were planned, if one dose-limiting toxicity (DLT) was registered. RESULTS DLT was observed in four patients: two febrile neutropenia, one grade 4 thrombocytopenia and one grade 3 palmar-plantar erythrodysesthesia (PPE) at level 7 (LD 35-V25). Thus, liposomal doxorubicin 30 mg/m(2) plus vinorelbine 25 mg/m(2) was the MTD. The most frequent toxicity was neutropenia. Fifteen patients (50%) experienced grade 3 neutropenia and 10 (33.3%) grade 4 neutropenia. Non-hematological toxicity was mild. Mucositis and PPE were the most frequent toxicities, but in most cases were grade 1. Out of 29 assessable patients, six (20.7%; 95% confidence interval 10%-39%) experienced an objective response, with one complete response. CONCLUSIONS In patients with refractory or resistant ovarian cancer, the recommended doses for the combination studied are liposomal doxorubicin 30 mg/m(2) (day 1) plus vinorelbine 25 mg/m(2) (day 1 and 8). Neutropenia is the most frequent toxicity, while non-hematological toxicity is mild. Substantial activity was recorded and a phase II study is justified.
The multidisciplinary approach to defining the urologic chronic pelvic pain syndromes: report from a national institutes of health workshop, december 13-14, 2007, Baltimore, MD.

Interstitial cystitis and chronic prostatitis remain clinical enigmas, partly because the conditions are so ill-defined, partly because they overlap so much with each other and other local and systemic pain syndromes, and partly because our management strategies are rather poor. Recently, the condition traditionally identified as interstitial cystitis has become known as interstitial cystitis/painful bladder syndrome (IC/PBS), painful bladder syndrome, and/or bladder pain syndrome, whereas chronic nonbacterial prostatitis syndromes have become known as chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS) or simply chronic pelvic pain syndrome. The overall purpose of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Urologic Chronic Pelvic Pain Workshop was to begin to redefine these 2 major urologic pelvic pain syndromes in the context of the other major syndromes with which they are commonly associated (eg, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, irritable bowel syndrome). The specific aims of the workshop were to discuss disease definitions and diagnostic protocols of these major chronic pelvic pain disorders, discuss the interrelationships among these disorders, and identify common symptomatology and diagnostic assessment to ensure complete evaluation of all relevant comorbidities. Finally, it was hoped that the workshop would lead to development of a diagnostic algorithm that could be tested in a “pilot” study. The participants included a planning committee, a designated advisory panel, and interested researchers, clinicians, patients, and other stakeholders. The following is a brief synopsis of the discussion.
A compact 1 to 18 GHz planar spiral antenna for interferometer and other direction finding applications

This paper discusses the development of a compact light-weight planar spiral antenna for use in amplitude comparison and interferometer direction finding (DF) applications covering 1 to 18 GHz. The antenna uses a slow-wave (zigzag) spiral radiator which results in a cavity diameter which is only 68% of the wavelength at 1 GHz. The two-arm spiral is fed by a Marchand balun and achieves a VSWR of less than 1.5:1 over almost the entire 1 to 18 GHz frequency range. The spiral antennas are supplied in phase and amplitude tracking sets for wideband DF applications. Amplitude and phase tracking performance for a fully integrated linear interferometer DF panel which includes the radome and feed cable effects are presented. Phase DF performance for the panel with pulse receivers as measured in an anechoic chamber is discussed.
Willed action and the prefrontal cortex in man: a study with PET

We used positron emission tomography to contrast changes in cerebral blood flow associated with willed and routine acts. In the six tasks used, volunteers had to make a series of responses to a sequence of stimuli. For the routine acts, each response was completely specified by the stimulus. For the willed acts, the response was open-ended and therefore volunteers had to make a deliberate choice. Willed acts in the two response modalities studied (speaking a word, or lifting a finger) were associated with increased blood flow in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (Brodmann area 46). Willed acts were also associated with decreases in blood flow, but the location of these decreases was modality dependent.
Phonological constraints on the emergence of two-word utterances

ABSTRACT Considerable interest has been generated concerning linguistic and cognitive factors influencing the onset of early combinatorial speech. The present diary study provides evidence that, for some children, the transition between the single-word and two-word stages may be governed by phonological constraints. The presence of a phonological selection strategy and consonant harmony rule in one child's developing phonological system is described. Evidence is presented suggesting that this consonant harmony constraint operated across morpheme boundaries. This had the effect not only of delaying the onset of two-word utterances, but also of influencing the selection of words that could occur in word combinations. The implications of these findings for explaining individual variation in the transition from single-word to combinatorial speech are discussed.
A subclass of serum anti-ZnT8 antibodies directed to the surface of live pancreatic β-cells

The islet-specific zinc transporter ZnT8 is a major self-antigen found in insulin granules of pancreatic β-cells. Frequent insulin secretion exposes ZnT8 to the cell surface, but the humoral antigenicity of the surface-displayed ZnT8 remains unknown. Here we show that a membrane-embedded human ZnT8 antigen triggered a vigorous immune response in ZnT8 knock-out mice. Approximately 50% of serum immunoreactivities toward ZnT8 were mapped to its transmembrane domain that is accessible to extracellular ZnT8 antibody (ZnT8A). ZnT8A binding was detected on live rat insulinoma INS-1E cells, and the binding specificity was validated by a CRISPR/Cas9 mediated ZnT8 knock-out. Applying established ZnT8A assays to purified serum antibodies from patients with type 1 diabetes, we detected human ZnT8A bound to live INS-1E cells, whereas a ZnT8 knock-out specifically reduced the surface binding. Our results demonstrate that ZnT8 is a cell surface self-antigen, raising the possibility of a direct involvement in antibody-mediated β-cell dysfunction and cytotoxicity.
Clinicopathological Study for Gastric Cancer with Liver Metastasis

Clinicopathological characteristics, stromal volume (Vvf), nuclear DNA content and cell protein were retrospectively analyzed in order to scrutinize the risk factors of hepatic metastasis from carcinoma of the stomach. We conducted a clinicopathological study of 327 patients with gastric cancer, including 34 patients with liver metastasis (synchronous, 22; metachronous, 12) and 294 patients without liver metastasis. Univariate analysis revealed significant inter-group differences in tumor size (p<0.001), depth of invasion (p<0.001), lymph node metastasis (p<0.001), vascular involvement (p<0.001), lymphatic involvement (p<0.001), peritoneal dissemination (p<0.05), Vvf (p<0.01) and DNA content (p<0.01). Vvf and DNA content were estimated in the liver metastasis group (n=20) and in the group of patients with stage III-IVa carcinoma but without liver metastasis (n=11). In multivariate analysis, only Vvf and DNA content showed significant correlations with liver metastasis (p<0.01). A comparison of Vvf and expression of the amount of interstitial connective tissue showed that there as a significant correlation between them. Our results indicate that gastric cancer with low Vvf and high DNA content carries a high risk of hepatic metastasis. Therefore, mean DNA content and Vvf are useful indices for predicting liver metastasis from gastric carcinoma.
Optimizing Joins in Fragmented Database Systems on a Broadcast Local Network

The problem of optimizing joins between two fragmented relations on a broadcast local network is analyzed. Data redundancy is considered. Semantic information associated with fragments are used to eliminate necessary processing. More than one physical copies of a fragment is allowed to be used in a strategy to achieve more parallelism. Join-analysis graphs are introduced to represent joins on two fragmented relations. The problem of optimizing a join is mapped into an equivalent problem of finding a minimum-weight vertex cover for the corresponding join-analysis graph. This problem is proved to be NP-hard. A four-phase approach for processing joins is proposed. >
Research on driving force optimal distribution and fuzzy decision control system for a dual-motor electric vehicle

This paper focuses on realizing the full potential in efficiency of dual-motor electric vehicles by exploring control strategies of driving force split and driving-mode. First, the minimizing power loss is set as the target of optimization and the method of driving force split between the front and rear axles is established. Then an adaptive decision control system is designed by fuzzy logic to realize the switching of driving modes. In addition, the evaluation layer is added to the decision system in order to evaluate the quality of decision and realize feedback control. The motor performance and efficiency were measured by dynamometer and power analyzer. A simulation platform based on AMESim/Matlab have been built to provide theoretical support. The benchmark testing and computer simulation proved that the optimization of driving force split can contribute a 5~6% energy saving, as well as the decision control system can reduce almost all the undesirable driving-mode switching.
Adaptive averaging of multiresolution bilateral and median filtering for image denoising

In this paper the approach of denoising is solved by a new hybrid technique, which associates the different denoising methods. Wavelet threshold, bilateral filtering and median filtering are the three different filters employed in our hybrid technique. While doing image denoising, Spatial averaging and Edge preservation are the two different characteristics which will be considered and obviously each filter will have its own characteristics. The bilateral filter does the spatial averaging without smoothing the edges whereas a wavelet threshold filter removes the noise by removing the high frequency components with relatively lesser edge preservation. A median filter removes the noise with very good edge preservation. No filter gives the robust result in terms of both spatial averaging and edge preservation. Our new method proposes an adaptive combination of these three filtering methods, which outperforms the different denoising methods in terms of PSNR and edge preservation. Simulated experimental results were given for the proposed method.
Predicting Popularity of Fanfiction Stories Based on Title and Summary

Concisely and quickly conveying key information is crucial in online media interaction with users today. Most importantly is being able to grab readers attention with buzz words and popular phrases. Fanfiction sites serve as a prominent example of the importance of short summaries influencing potential readership and popularity of fan written stories. With millions of available stories to sift through, it is crucial for authors to create attractive titles and summaries. In this project, a variety of machine learning techniques are used to help automatically predict future attractiveness of short summarizations. Baseline classifiers include LogisticRegression, StochasticGradientDescent, and Support Vector Machine. Neural network architectures include Recursive Neural Network. The resulting classification holds good promise with 72.9% accuracy.
Adaptive and attribute-based trust model for service level agreement guarantee in cloud computing

In cloud computing, trust management is more important than ever before in the use of information and communication technologies. Owing to the dynamic nature of the cloud, continuous monitoring on trust attributes is necessary to enforce service-level agreements. This study presents Cloud-Trust, an adaptive trust management model for efficiently evaluating the competence of a cloud service based on its multiple trust attributes. In Cloud-Trust, two kinds of adaptive modelling tools (rough set and induced ordered weighted averaging (IOWA) operator) are organically integrated and successfully applied to trust data mining and knowledge discovery. Using rough set to discover knowledge from trust attributes makes the model surpass the limitations of traditional models, in which weights are assigned subjectively. Moreover, Cloud-Trust uses the IOWA operator to aggregate the global trust degree based on time series, thereby enabling better real-time performance. Experimental results show that Cloud-Trust converges more rapidly and accurately than do existing approaches, thereby verifying that it can effectively take on trust measurement tasks in cloud computing.
Plasticity in amino acid sensing of the chimeric receptor Taz

Taz is a chimeric receptor consisting of the periplasmic, transmembrane and most of the HAMP linker domains of the Escherichia coli aspartate receptor (TarEc) and the cytoplasmic signalling domain of the E. coli osmosensor EnvZ. Aspartate is one of several attractant ligands normally sensed by Tar and it interacts with Taz to induce OmpR‐dependent transcription from the ompC promoter – albeit with reduced sensitivity relative to the chemotactic response it evokes via Tar. By combining Taz with a reporter system that expresses green fluorescent protein (GFP) from the ompC promoter, we were able to examine the interaction of Taz with all 20 natural amino acids. Some amino acids (Leu, Met, Val and Ser) reduced GFP expression, which in the case of leucine is likely attributed to a direct effect on the receptor, rather than an indirect effect through the leucine responsive protein (Lrp). Surprisingly, amino acids like Met and Ser – which are also attractants for Tar –‘inhibited’ Taz. Moreover, Taz exhibits a higher sensitivity to Leu compared with Asp, which is the inverse of Tar. Our results show the exquisite sensitivity of chemotactic receptors. Small conformational changes induced by making the chimera may have changed the way it responds to different amino acids.
Multi-criteria model for evaluation of information security risk assessment methods and tools

Methods and tools for supporting the process of information security risk assessment are determined through several attributes. These attributes make a particular method and tool more or less suitable for solving risk assessment problems in companies. During the process of selecting these methods, companies have limitations such as financing, human resources, knowledge, time, etc. These limitations determine the approach to solving the problem of risk assessment. In respect to these limitations on one side and the attributes of risk assessment methods/tools on the other, we can establish a model for assisting the selection of a suitable method/tool. The experience gained in some Croatian companies when applying this model for the selection of their appropriate risk assessment support is also presented in this paper.
Integrating personal medicine into service delivery: empowering people in recovery.

OBJECTIVE Illness management and recovery strategies are considered evidence-based practices. The article describes how a web-based application, CommonGround, has been used to support implementation of such strategies in outpatient mental health services and assess its impact. The specific focus of this article is Personal Medicine, self-management strategies that are a salient component of the CommonGround intervention. METHOD With support from counties and a not-for-profit managed care organization, CommonGround has been introduced in 10 medication clinics, one Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) team, and one peer support center across Pennsylvania. Methods include analysis of data from the application's database and evaluation of health functioning, symptoms, and progress toward recovery. RESULTS Health functioning improved over time and use of self-management strategies was associated with fewer concerns about medication side effects, fewer concerns about the impact of mental health medicine on physical health, more reports that mental health medicines were helping, and greater progress in individuals' recovery. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE Using Personal Medicine empowers individuals to work with their prescribers to find a "right balance" between what they do to be well and what they take to be well. This program helps individuals and their service team focus on individual strengths and resilient self-care strategies. More research is needed to assess factors that may predict changes in outcomes and how a web-based tool focused on self-management strategies may moderate those factors.
The signal transduction mechanism responsible for gamma interferon-induced indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase gene expression

We examined the signal transduction mechanism responsible for the gamma interferon-induced indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) gene expression in a human monocytic cell line, THP-1. Our results suggest that gamma interferon-induced activation of protein tyrosine kinase is a prerequisite for gene expression and that activation of protein kinase C and another unknown signal(s), both of which are transduced by the protein tyrosine kinase, synergistically induce IDO gene expression. Neither Ca2+ influx nor cyclic nucleotide-dependent kinases were suggested to be involved in the signaling pathway.
Activism Among Older Women in Quebec, Canada: Changing the World After Age 65

ABSTRACT The aim of this article is to examine senior women's involvement experience in Quebec, Canada. Study results are based on a qualitative methodology, and shed light on family history and continuity in the involvement trajectory, diversity in terms of group type and involvement practices, and gender differences in involvement. The meaning that older women attribute to their involvement is also addressed, including attitudes toward feminism. The discussion highlights the extent to which older women's involvement has been marked by their life trajectories, above and beyond their age. In sum, their involvement in the private and public spheres is quite impressive.
Mothers' Partnership Instability and Coparenting among Fragile Families.

OBJECTIVES The rise in nonmarital childbearing has raised concerns about coparenting among unmarried parents with increasingly complicated relationship trajectories. We address this issue by examining associations between mothers' partnership transitions and coparenting and the moderating role of maternal race/ethnicity and child gender. METHODS Data from the Fragile Families Study and ordinary least squares regression techniques are used to examine whether mothers' partnership transitions are related to coparenting. Lagged and fixed effects models are employed to test the robustness of the findings to selection. RESULTS Coresidential and nonresidential, dating transitions are negatively associated with coparenting, but the association is stronger for coresidential transitions than for dating transitions. Coresidential transitions are stronger predictors of coparenting for White parents than for Black parents and for parents of sons than for parents of daughters. CONCLUSIONS Policies aimed at strengthening families should emphasize relationship stability, regardless of the type of union, to promote high quality coparenting among at-risk populations.