Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A comparison of the assessment of health status between CCQ and CAT in a Chinese COPD clinical population: a cross-sectional analysis

Background Both the COPD Assessment Test (CAT) and the Clinical COPD Questionnaire (CCQ) were recommended as comprehensive symptom measures by the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung disease. The main objective of this work was to compare the evaluation of symptom severity with the CAT and the CCQ and find a cutoff value of the CCQ for the Chinese clinical population. Methods Patients diagnosed with stable COPD in the outpatient department who completed the CAT and CCQ were enrolled from November 2015 to December 2016. Scores of 0–10, 11–20, 21–30, and 31–40 represent low, medium, high, and very high impact level, respectively, by CAT. Scores of the CCQ can be considered as acceptable (CCQ<1), acceptable for moderate disease (1≤CCQ<2), instable-severe limited (2≤CCQ<3), and very instable-very severe limited (CCQ≥3). Results According to the CAT, only 20.4% of patients belonged to the high (21≤CAT≤30) and very high (31≤CAT≤40) impact levels, which were statistically lower than those of the CCQ, which classified over half of the population (51.1%) into the instable-severe limited (2≤CCQ<3) and very instable-very severe limited (CCQ≥3) categories (P<0.001). The kappa of agreement for the symptom groups by CAT and CCQ (cutoff point 1.5) was 0.495, but only slight agreement (0.144) was found between the CAT and CCQ with the cutoff point of 1.0. The CAT and the total CCQ had a strong correlation (rho=0.776, P<0.01). The CCQ 1.0 and 1.5 corresponded to CAT 4.2 and 9.7, respectively. The CAT 10.0 was equivalent to 1.53 of the CCQ. In addition, with higher scores of the CAT and CCQ, subjects displayed more impairment in lung function, higher levels on modified Medical Research Council, and higher exacerbation rates in the last year (P<0.001). Similarly, patients with more exacerbations presented worse scores on the CAT and total CCQ as well as its 3 domains (P<0.001). Conclusion Compared with the CAT, the CCQ was more likely to classify the patients into more severe categories, and 1.5 might be a better cutoff point for the CCQ than 1.0. Both the CAT and the overall CCQ with its 3 domains were able to discriminate between groups of patients that differ in COPD severity.
A High-Order Finite Spectral Volume Method for Conservation Laws on Unstructured Grids

A time accurate, high-order, conservative, yet efficient method named Finite Spectral Volume (FSV) is developed for conservation laws on unstructured grids. The concept of a 'spectral volume' is introduced to achieve high-order accuracy in an efficient manner similar to spectral element and multi-domain spectral methods. In addition, each spectral volume is further sub-divided into control volumes (CVs), and cell-averaged data from these control volumes is used to reconstruct a high-order approximation in the spectral volume. Riemann solvers are used to compute the fluxes at spectral volume boundaries. Then cell-averaged state variables in the control volumes are updated independently. Furthermore, TVD (Total Variation Diminishing) and TVB (Total Variation Bounded) limiters are introduced in the FSV method to remove/reduce spurious oscillations near discontinuities. A very desirable feature of the FSV method is that the reconstruction is carried out only once, and analytically, and is the same for all cells of the same type, and that the reconstruction stencil is always non-singular, in contrast to the memory and CPU-intensive reconstruction in a high-order finite volume (FV) method. Discussions are made concerning why the FSV method is significantly more efficient than high-order finite volume and the Discontinuous Galerkin (DG) methods. Fundamental properties of the FSV method are studied and high-order accuracy is demonstrated for several model problems with and without discontinuities.
Autocorrelation and Coherence Time of Interference in Poisson Networks

This article takes an analytical approach to investigate the temporal dynamics of interference in wireless networks. We propose a framework to calculate the autocorrelation of interference in Poisson networks and derive closed-form expressions for the case of Nakagami fading. The framework takes three correlation sources into account: the location of interferers, the wireless channel, and the data traffic. We introduce the interference coherence time—in analogy to the well-established channel coherence time—and show how its basic qualitative behavior depends on the source of correlation. The insights gained can be useful in the design of medium access control and retransmission protocols.
Developments in Point-of-Care Diagnostic Technology for Cancer Detection

Cancer is the cause of death for one in seven individuals worldwide. It is widely acknowledged that screening and early diagnosis are of vital importance for improving the likelihood of recovery. However, given the costly, time-consuming, and invasive nature of the many methods currently in use, patients often do not take advantage of the services available to them. Consequently, many researchers are exploring the possibility of developing fast, reliable, and non-invasive diagnostic tools that can be used directly or by local physicians at the point-of-care. Herein, we look at the use of established biomarkers in cancer therapy and investigate emerging biomarkers exhibiting future potential. The incorporation of these biomarkers into point-of-care devices could potentially reduce the strain currently experienced by screening programs in hospitals and healthcare systems. Results derived from point-of-care tests should be accurate, sensitive, and generated rapidly to assist in the selection of the best course of treatment for optimal patient care. Essentially, point-of-care diagnostics should enhance the well-being of patients and lead to a reduction in cancer-related deaths.
Robust modified structured NFC integrating with GA for linearized induction motor drive

This paper presents a development of a simplified neuro-fuzzy control (NFC) based on genetic algorithm (GA) for optimal performance of induction motor (IM) drive using feedback linearization (FBL) approach. An intuitive linearization technique based IM is modeled and simulated in the stationary d- q reference frame. The proposed simplified NFC with GA (SNFC-GA) incorporated with FBL reduces the torque ripple and improves the speed response of the IM drive. This novel technique also has the benefit of reduced computational burden by improving computational efficiency over conventional NFC and thus, suitable for real-time industrial applications. Moreover, the optimal parameters of the modified NFC are searched by GA in order to ensure the global convergence of tracking error. The effectiveness of the proposed method using linearized IM drive is investigated in simulation as well as in experiment, and it is evident that the system provides optimal dynamic performance and is robust in terms of parameter variations and external load.
Antimicrobial Activity of Monoketone Curcuminoids Against Cariogenic Bacteria

We evaluated the antimicrobial activity of 25 monoketone curcuminoids (MKCs) against a representative panel of cariogenic bacteria in terms of their minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values. Curcumin A (10) displayed promising activity against Streptococcus mutans (MIC = 50 μg/ml) and Streptococcus mitis (MIC = 50 μg/ml) as well as moderate activity against S. sanguinis (MIC = 100 μg/ml), Lactobacillus casei (MIC = 100 μg/ml), and Streptococcus salivarius (MIC = 200 μg/ml). Results indicated higher activity of compound 10 than that of its bis‐β‐diketone analog. Additionally, compounds 3a (1,5‐bis(4‐methylphenyl)pentan‐3‐one) and 7b (1,5‐bis(4‐bromophenyl)pentan‐3‐ol) were moderately active against S. mitis (MIC = 100 μg/ml) and S. salivarus (MIC = 200 μg/ml).
KIAA0100 Modulates Cancer Cell Aggression Behavior of MDA-MB-231 through Microtubule and Heat Shock Proteins

The KIAA0100 gene was identified in the human immature myeloid cell line cDNA library. Recent studies have shown that its expression is elevated in breast cancer and associated with more aggressive cancer types as well as poor outcomes. However, its cellular and molecular function is yet to be understood. Here we show that silencing KIAA0100 by siRNA in the breast cancer cell line MDA-MB-231 significantly reduced the cancer cells’ aggressive behavior, including cell aggregation, reattachment, cell metastasis and invasion. Most importantly, silencing the expression of KIAA0100 particularly sensitized the quiescent cancer cells in suspension culture to anoikis. Immunoprecipitation, mass spectrometry and immunofluorescence analysis revealed that KIAA0100 may play multiple roles in the cancer cells, including stabilizing microtubule structure as a microtubule binding protein, and contributing to MDA-MB-231 cells Anoikis resistance by the interaction with stress protein HSPA1A. Our study also implies that the interaction between KIAA0100 and HSPA1A may be targeted for new drug development to specifically induce anoikis cell death in the cancer cell.
Adult Hippocampal Neurogenesis: Regulation and Possible Functional and Clinical Correlates

The formation of new neurons in the adult central nervous system (CNS) has been recognized as one of the major findings in neuroanatomical research. The hippocampal formation (HF), one of the main targets of these investigations, holds a neurogenic niche widely recognized among several mammalian species and whose existence in the human brain has sparked controversy and extensive debate. Many cellular features from this region emphasize that hippocampal neurogenesis suffers changes with normal aging and, among regulatory factors, physical exercise and chronic stress provoke opposite effects on cell proliferation, maturation and survival. Considering the numerous functions attributable to the HF, increasing or decreasing the integration of new neurons in the delicate neuronal network might be significant for modulation of cognition and emotion. The role that immature and mature adult-born neurons play in this circuitry is still mostly unknown but it could prove fundamental to understand hippocampal-dependent cognitive processes, the pathophysiology of depression, and the therapeutic effects of antidepressant medication in modulating behavior and mental health.
175 Years of Progress in PTSD Therapeutics: Learning From the Past.

Traumatic stressors have always been a part of the human experience. What is now referred to as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) was first studied in the context of military trauma during the Civil War and World War I but most extensively in World War II. Much of what we know about the medical and psychological management of PTSD has its origins in military psychiatric approaches, and a review of these practices reveals important tenets that should be applied in current treatment for both military and nonmilitary PTSD. These practices include intervention as soon as possible after the traumatic exposure, provision for a safe and supportive therapeutic milieu designed for an individual's relatively rapid return to his or her responsibilities and normal activities, and using a combination of pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy (especially exposure to the traumatic memory). A review of current guidelines for treatment of PTSD reveals that few treatments are endorsed with great certainty, owing in large part to a paucity of clinical trials, particularly of pharmacotherapy. This shortcoming must be addressed to enable translation of promising discoveries in the neuroscience of fear into the therapeutic advances patients need and deserve. [AJP at 175: Remembering Our Past As We Envision Our Future March 1947: Psychiatric Experience in the War, 1941-1946 Brig. General William C. Menninger "Another observation which can be made as a result of our experience, is that if intensive treatment was provided early, in an environment in which the expectation of recovery prevailed, remarkable results were obtained. " (Am J Psychiatry 1947; 103:577-586 )].
A Winner-Take-All Strategy for Improved Object Tracking

Recently, numerous state-of-the-art learning schemes are proposed for object tracking. However, typically, most methods can only solve certain type of challenges but are less effective for the rest—no single tracker is perfect for all challenges. In this paper, a winner-take-all (WTA) strategy is exploited to select a winner tracker (considering both accuracy and efficiency) from a set of prevailing methods to tackle the current challenge, according to features extracted from the current environment and an efficiency factor. To achieve this, a structural regression model to characterize the trackers is trained on a public dataset. By incorporating the complementary abilities from multiple trackers, the diversity of the model is improved so that the WTA tracker can tackle various unpredictable difficulties. Since only one tracker is selected at any time, the average efficiency of the proposed model is also higher than that of complex trackers in the tracker set. The proposed WTA framework is tested on two benchmark datasets as well as several long sequences, and extensive experimental results illustrate that WTA can significantly improve both the performance and the efficiency.
Synthesis of QDI AFSMs from XBM specifications

Due to the increasing demand for mobile devices, the search for ultra-low-power projects is becoming a priority. One technique that allows a strong reduction of circuits dissipated power is the sub-threshold voltage operation, but it leads to some drawbacks. The QDI (Quasi Delay Insensitive) asynchronous circuits class show to be an interesting solution to these problems, when presented in synchronous circuits and in CMOS-UDSM (Ultra Deep Sub-Micron) technology. Asynchronous finite state machines (AFSMs) are important components in an asynchronous system. This paper proposes a new architecture for QDI_AFSMs. These machines are described in the extended burst-mode (XBM) specification and synthesized in a very simple way. The QDI_XBM_AFSMs are implemented in the dual-rail style, using NCL (NULL Convention Logic) gates. The resulting AFSMs are QDI, so they can operate with sub-threshold voltage. The architecture is presented through the case study and the obtained QDI_XBM_AFSM shows interesting results, when compared with two QDI controller of the literature, which are based on basic gates and C element.
A new species of spotted leaf frog, genus Phasmahyla (Amphibia, Phyllomedusidae) from Southeast Brazil

Based on concordant differences in male advertisement call, tadpole morphology, and absence of haplotype sharing in the barcoding 16S mitochondrial DNA, we describe here a new species of spotted leaf frog of the genus Phasmahyla from Atlantic Forest, State of Rio de Janeiro, Southeast Brazil. The new species is most similar to P. cochranae (type locality) and P. spectabilis (type locality). It differs from these species by the size of the calcar, moderate-sized body (snout-vent length 30.4–34.4 mm in adult eight males), and in the advertisement call. The tadpoles of Phasmahyla lisbella sp. nov. differ from P. exilis, P. spectabilis, P. timbo, P. guttata and P. jandaia because they do not have row of teeth in the anterior part; differ from P. cruzi by the shape of the anterior end of the oral disc. Through genetic data (phylogenetic distance and haplotype genealogy) we diagnosed the new species where the genetic divergences among its congeners is about 3–6% in a fragment of the 16S rRNA gene, which is above the threshold typically characterizing distinct species of anurans. However, the new species can be distinguished from other congeneric species based on an integrative approach (molecular, bioacoustics, larval, and adult morphology).
Prey capture in the lizard Agama stellio

Prey capture in Agama stellio was recorded by high‐speed video in combination with the electrical activity of both jaw and hyolingual muscles. Quantification of kinematics and muscle activity patterns facilitated their correlation during kinematic phases. Changes in angular velocity of the gape let the strike be subdivided into four kinematic phases: slow open (SOI and SOII), fast open (FO), fast close (FC), and slow close‐power stroke (SC/PS). The SOI phase is marked by initial activity in the tongue protractor, the hyoid protractor, and the ring muscle. These muscles project the tongue beyond the anterior margin of the jaw. During the SOII phase, a low level of activity in the jaw closers correlates with a decline of the jaw‐opening velocity. Next, bilateral activity in the jaw openers defines the start of the FO phase. This activity ends at maximal gape. Simultaneously, the hyoid retractor and the hyoglossus become active, causing tongue retraction during the FO phase. At maximal gape, the jaw closers contract simultaneously, initiating the FC phase. After a short pause, they contract again and the prey is crushed during the SC/PS phase. Our results support the hypothesis of tongue projection in agamids by Smith ([1988] J. Morphol. 196:157–171), and show some striking similarities with muscle activity patterns during the strike in chameleons (Wainwright and Bennett [1992a] J. Exp. Biol. 168:1–21). Differences are in the activation pattern of the hyoglossus. The agamid tongue projection mechanism appears to be an ideal mechanical precursor for the ballistic tongue projection mechanism of chameleonids; the key derived feature in the chameleon tongue projection mechanism most likely lies in the changed motor pattern controlling the hyoglossus muscle. © 1995 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Antimicrobial peptide-loaded liquid crystalline precursor bioadhesive system for the prevention of dental caries

Background Anticaries agents must interfere with the adhesion of Streptococcus mutans and its proliferation in dental biofilm, without causing host toxicity and bacterial resistance. Natural substances, including cationic antimicrobial peptides (CAMPs) and their fragments, such as β-defensin-3 peptide fragment (D1–23), have been widely studied. However, the chemical and physical stability of CAMPs may be compromised by external factors, such as temperature and pH, reducing the period of antimicrobial activity. Methods To overcome the aforementioned disadvantage, this study developed and character-ized a drug delivery system and evaluated the cytotoxicity and effect against S. mutans biofilm of a D1–23-loaded bioadhesive liquid crystalline system (LCS). LCS was composed of oleic acid, polyoxypropylene-(5)-polyoxyethylene-(20)-cetyl alcohol, Carbopol® 974P and Carbopol® 971P. LCS was analyzed by polarized light microscopy (PLM), rheology (viscoelasticity and flow properties) and in vitro bioadhesion. The viability of epithelial cells was evaluated. Minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimal bactericidal concentration (MBC) against S. mutans were determined for D1–23 for further evaluation of the effect against S. mutans biofilm after 4 and 24 h of exposure to treatments. Results PLM, rheology, and in vitro bioadhesion tests showed that both viscosity and bioadhesion of LCS increased after it was diluted with artificial saliva. D1–23-loaded LCS system presented better activity against S. mutans biofilm after 24 h when compared to 4 h of treatment, showing a cumulative effect. Neither LCS nor D1–23-loaded LCS presented toxicity on human epithelial cells. Conclusion D1–23-loaded LCS is a promising drug delivery system for the prevention of dental caries.
Multiview Discrete Hashing for Scalable Multimedia Search

Hashing techniques have recently gained increasing research interest in multimedia studies. Most existing hashing methods only employ single features for hash code learning. Multiview data with each view corresponding to a type of feature generally provides more comprehensive information. How to efficiently integrate multiple views for learning compact hash codes still remains challenging. In this article, we propose a novel unsupervised hashing method, dubbed multiview discrete hashing (MvDH), by effectively exploring multiview data. Specifically, MvDH performs matrix factorization to generate the hash codes as the latent representations shared by multiple views, during which spectral clustering is performed simultaneously. The joint learning of hash codes and cluster labels enables that MvDH can generate more discriminative hash codes, which are optimal for classification. An efficient alternating algorithm is developed to solve the proposed optimization problem with guaranteed convergence and low computational complexity. The binary codes are optimized via the discrete cyclic coordinate descent (DCC) method to reduce the quantization errors. Extensive experimental results on three large-scale benchmark datasets demonstrate the superiority of the proposed method over several state-of-the-art methods in terms of both accuracy and scalability.
Change of niche in guanaco (Lama guanicoe): the effects of climate change on habitat suitability and lineage conservatism in Chile

Background The main goal of this contribution was to define the ecological niche of the guanaco (Lama guanicoe), to describe potential distributional changes, and to assess the relative importance of niche conservatism and divergence processes between the two lineages described for the species (L.g. cacsilensis and L.g. guanicoe). Methods We used maximum entropy to model lineage’s climate niche from 3,321 locations throughout continental Chile, and developed future niche models under climate change for two extreme greenhouse gas emission scenarios (RCP2.6 and RCP8.5). We evaluated changes of the environmental niche and future distribution of the largest mammal in the Southern Cone of South America. Evaluation of niche conservatism and divergence were based on identity and background similarity tests. Results We show that: (a) the current geographic distribution of lineages is associated with different climatic requirements that are related to the geographic areas where these lineages are located; (b) future distribution models predict a decrease in the distribution surface under both scenarios; (c) a 3% decrease of areal protection is expected if the current distribution of protected areas is maintained, and this is expected to occur at the expense of a large reduction of high quality habitats under the best scenario; (d) current and future distribution ranges of guanaco mostly adhere to phylogenetic niche divergence hypotheses between lineages. Discussion Associating environmental variables with species ecological niche seems to be an important aspect of unveiling the particularities of, both evolutionary patterns and ecological features that species face in a changing environment. We report specific descriptions of how these patterns may play out under the most extreme climate change predictions and provide a grim outlook of the future potential distribution of guanaco in Chile. From an ecological perspective, while a slightly smaller distribution area is expected, this may come with an important reduction of available quality habitats. From the evolutionary perspective, we describe the limitations of this taxon as it experiences forces imposed by climate change dynamics.