Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Neurocognitive functioning and quality of life in patients with recurrent malignant gliomas treated on a phase Ib trial evaluating topotecan by convection-enhanced delivery.

BACKGROUND Malignant gliomas are highly proliferative, invasive tumors that are resistant to conventional treatment, and disease progression is often accompanied by physical and mental debilitation. Neurocognitive functioning (NCF) and quality of life (QoL) were evaluated as part of a prospective phase Ib dose-escalation study of topotecan by convection-enhanced delivery (CED) for adult patients with recurrent malignant gliomas. METHODS Sixteen patients were enrolled, and NCF and QoL were evaluated using the Cognitive Stability Index and SF-36 at baseline and monthly for 4 months post treatment. Descriptive analyses included the reliable change index for serial evaluations and correlations for associations between outcome variables and age, tumor volume, total topotecan dose, and treatment effect. RESULTS Individual classifications of response to treatment indicated that a majority of patients reported stable scores over the follow-up period. Demographic and treatment-related variables were not associated with outcomes. Baseline processing speed scores were invalid for 6 subjects. Higher rates of valid scores were observed on subsequent administrations. CONCLUSIONS As the first study to use CED of any kind to evaluate the impact of CED on NCF or QoL, there was no evidence of severe detriment to either outcome. Long-term evaluation is necessary to track changes in NCF and QoL related to disease progression. Invalid scores suggest that computer-based assessments may not be suitable for all patients with malignant gliomas, especially those with cognitive deficits secondary to their disease. Future trials should include a wider range of sensitive measures to assess the impact of CED on patient NCF and QoL.
Drug-using men who have sex with men: Sexual behaviours and sexual identities

Men who have sex with men (MSM) and use drugs are at high risk for H V. This study assessed drug and sex-related risk behaviours and sexual identities for MSMIdrug injectors and crack smokers. One hundred and forty four MSM drug injectors and crack smokers from five USA cities were interviewed. One-third of the men were current injectors, twice as many reported lifetime injection. Most (56%) reported sex with women in the prior year; sex trading was reported by 32% with males and 53% with females. There were significant differences between private and public sexual identities. For example, while 31% reported being behaviourally bisexual, only 17% identified themselves to others as bisexual. Drug using MSM are clearly a heterogenous group and prevention messages addressing this diversity are needed.
MRI and CSF biomarkers in normal, MCI, and AD subjects

Objective: To investigate the relationship between baseline MRI and CSF biomarkers and subsequent change in continuous measures of cognitive and functional abilities in cognitively normal (CN) subjects and patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) and Alzheimer disease (AD) and to examine the ability of these biomarkers to predict time to conversion from aMCI to AD. Methods: Data from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative, which consists of CN, aMCI, and AD cohorts with both CSF and MRI, were used. Baseline CSF (t-tau, Aβ1–42, and p-tau181P) and MRI scans were obtained in 399 subjects (109 CN, 192 aMCI, 98 AD). Structural Abnormality Index (STAND) scores, which reflect the degree of AD-like features in MRI, were computed for each subject. Results: Change on continuous measures of cognitive and functional performance was modeled as average Clinical Dementia Rating–sum of boxes and Mini-Mental State Examination scores over a 2-year period. STAND was a better predictor of subsequent cognitive/functional change than CSF biomarkers. Single-predictor Cox proportional hazard models for time to conversion from aMCI to AD showed that STAND and log (t-tau/Aβ1–42) were both predictive of future conversion. The age-adjusted hazard ratio for an interquartile change (95% confidence interval) of STAND was 2.6 (1.7, 4.2) and log (t-tau/Aβ1–42) was 2.0 (1.1, 3.4). Both MRI and CSF provided information about future cognitive change even after adjusting for baseline cognitive performance. Conclusions: MRI and CSF provide complimentary predictive information about time to conversion from amnestic mild cognitive impairment to Alzheimer disease and combination of the 2 provides better prediction than either source alone. However, we found that MRI was a slightly better predictor of future clinical/functional decline than the CSF biomarkers tested.
The application of decision tree in Chinese email classification

Email is a kind of semi-structured document, some important attributes are contained in its structure, and especially using spam-specific features could improve the email classification results. In this paper, we apply decision tree data mining technique to dig out the potential association rules among these attributes of email, and then to identify unknown email's category based on these rules. According to the experiment of applying numerous Chinese emails to our email classifier, the efficiency of our method is not lower than that of other existing methods of checking whole email content text. Meanwhile our method can reduce the cost of computation and consumption of system resources.
Exploiting VHDL-RTL features to reduce the complexity of power estimation in combinational circuits

A probabilistic method to calculate signal probabilities in order to estimate the power consumption of VHDL-RTL designs is presented. The propagation of signal probabilities is performed through the extraction of the BDD (Binary Decision Diagram) of the combinational logic. The method exploits some advantages of RTL (Register Transfer Level) designs which leads to smaller BDDs, avoiding the memory explosion caused by the signal dependences. The method is integrated in a design environment to help designers improve the quality and early explore their circuits.
Codes on Graphs and Analysis of Iterative Algorithms for Reconstructing Sparse Signals and Decoding of Check-Hybrid GLDPC Codes

14 Introduction . 16 1. Preliminaries . 21 1.1. Block Codes . 21 1.1.1. Linear Block Codes . 22 1.2. Communication Systems . 22 1.2.1. Channel models . 23 1.2.2. Decoding methods for block codes . 24 1.3. Two families of linear block codes . 25 1.3.1. Hamming codes . 25 1.3.2. BCH codes . 26 1.4. Low-Density Parity-Check (LDPC) codes . 27 1.4.1. Quasi-cyclic (QC)-LDPC codes . 29 2. An Introduction to Compressed Sensing . 31 2.1. Historical Background . 31 2.2. Primary reconstruction methods for sparse signals . 32 2.2.1. `2-norm minimization: . 32 2.2.2. `0-norm minimization: . 32 2.2.3. `1-norm minimization: . 33 2.3. Iterative reconstruction algorithms . 34 2.3.1. Message Passing Algorithms . 35 2.3.2. Verification Algorithm . 37 2.3.3. Iterative Thresholding . 38 2.4. Measurement matrices based on LDPC codes . 40 3. Interval-Passing Algorithm: Reconstruction Analysis and Numerical Results . 42 3.1. Interval-Passing Algorithm . 42 3.1.1. Description of the Algorithm . 43 3.1.2. Numerical Results . 46 3.2. Reconstruction Analysis . 47 3.3. Simulation Results . 55 TABLE OF CONTENTS—Continued 9 4. LDPC decoders, Generalized Low-Density Parity-Check (GLDPC) and Check-Hybrid GLDPC (CH-GLDPC) Codes . 59 4.1. LDPC decoders and trapping sets . 59 4.1.1. Parallel Bit Flipping (PBF) Algorithm . 59 4.1.2. Gallager B decoding algorithm . 60 4.1.3. Trapping sets . 60 4.2. GLDPC codes . 62 4.2.1. Definition of a GLDPC code . 63 4.2.2. Bounds on parameters of a GLDPC code . 64 4.2.3. Previous work on GLDPC codes . 66 4.3. CH-GLDPC codes . 67 4.3.1. Definition and previous work on CH-GLDPC codes 67 5. Check-Hybrid Generalized LDPC (CH-GLDPC) Codes: Systematic Elimination of Trapping Sets and Guaranteed Error Correction Capability . 69 5.1. Eliminating the trapping sets using super checks . 70 5.2. Critical sets and the splitting number . 73 5.2.1. Critical sets and minimal size of critical sets . 74 5.2.2. Upper bounds on the splitting number . 78 5.3. Guaranteed Error Correction Capability . 83 5.4. Splitting numbers of (4, ρ, 6) LDPC codes and trapping sets elimination using the Gallager B decoding algorithm . 87 5.4.1. Elimination of trapping sets by super checks in (4, ρ, 6) LDPC codes . 88 5.4.2. Elimination of trapping sets by super checks using Gallager B decoding algorithm . 92 Conclusion . 95 References . 97
Special Issue on the Biological Effects of Ultrasound

U LTRASOUND is now an established diagnostic modality in this country and abroad. Its diagnostic utility and ease-of-use have benefited a comprehensive spectrum of medical specialties dealing with virtually all organs of the body. Because of its widespread use, including fetal examinations, issues of safety and potential risks frequently arise for discussion. While safety-related findings generally have been perceived as comforting, constant vigilance is warranted. It is generally recognized that an interdisciplinary research approach is essential to extend our current knowledge of the fundamental issue of ultrasound interactions and the possible biological results of such interactions. One practical need for this interdisciplinary research is guidance for developing future diagnostic and therapeutic ultrasound systems and applications. This special issue reflects the growing interest in studies of ultrasonic biological effects by researchers from many areas of expertise. While all of the papers deal with some aspect of ultrasonic biological effects, the range of research topics they cover is diverse and complementary. This issue contains a number of papers dealing with the biophysical aspects of ultrasound interactions. Several studies address cavitation and its relevance to diagnostic exposure conditions. These papers describe mathematical analyses, physical experiments, induction of chemical changes, and animal experiments investigating the possibility of in vivo cavitation. A report of the chemical basis for absorption of ultrasonic energy is also included in the biophysical category. Papers concerned with the biological effects of ultrasound exposure range from in vitro studies, using a variety of cell systems and endpoints related to cell growth and DNA damage, to effects on organs (skin and heart) and exposure of animals during pregnancy. Although studies on biological effects are generally thought of as risk-related, one report describes a potentially beneficial effect of improved cardiac performance induced by therapeutic ultrasound. Also included in this issue is a description of the intensity limits contained in the Japanese Industrial Standards for diagnostic ultrasound devices and the rationale for these limits. Although this obviously is not a research report, it provides one group's approach to the practical use of the results of ultrasound biological effects research. We view the diversity of these reports as an encouraging
Combined beacon and noise satellite propagation measurements using software defined radio

Considering the imminent migration of services to the Ka- and Q-bands, a payload dedicated to propagation measurements in these bands has become available from the Alphasat satellite under the coordination of the European Space Agency. This has strongly motivated the formation of many measurement campaigns across Europe in an effort to enhance the scientific databases with new, more reliable propagation data. In the framework of our campaign at the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA) in Greece two identical beacon receivers targeting the Alphasat's Ka-band beacon were designed and deployed; these receivers make use of the relatively new Software Defined Radio (SDR) paradigm. Apart from the beacon measurements themselves, additional noise measurements are performed to supplement the campaign. The present paper constitutes an attempt to outline the characteristics and associated advantages of this methodology over the conventional techniques.
Vegetation patterns at the alpine treeline ecotone: the influence of tree cover on abrupt change in species composition of alpine communities

Aims: The upper elevation limit of forest vegetation in mountain ranges (the alpine treeline ecotone) is expected to be highly sensitive to global change. Treeline shifts and/or ecotone afforestation could cause fragmentation and loss of alpine habitat, and are expected to trigger considerable alterations in alpine vegetation. We performed an analysis of vegetation structure at the treeline ecotone to evaluate whether distribution of the tree population determines the spatial pattern of vegetation (species composition and diversity) across the transition from subalpine forest to alpine vegetation. Location: Iberian eastern range of the Pyrenees. Methods: We studied 12 alpine Pinus uncinata treeline ecotones. Rectangular plots ranging from 940 to 1900 m2 were placed along the forest-alpine vegetation transition, from closed forest to the treeless alpine area. To determine community structure and species distribution in the treeline ecotone, species variation along the forest-alpine vegetation transition was sampled using releves of 0.5 m2 set every 2 m along the length of each plot. Fuzzy C-means clustering was performed to assess the transitional status of the releves in terms of species composition. The relation of P. uncinata canopy cover to spatial pattern of vegetation was evaluated using continuous wavelet transform analysis. Results: Vegetation analyses revealed a large degree of uniformity of the subalpine forest between all treeline ecotone areas studied. In contrast, the vegetation mosaic found upslope displayed great variation between sites and was characterized by abrupt changes in plant community across the treeline ecotone. Plant richness and diversity significantly increased across the ecotone, but tree cover and diversity boundaries were not spatially coincident. Conclusions: Our results revealed that no intermediate communities, in terms of species composition, are present in the treeline ecotone. Ecotone vegetation reflected both bedrock type and fine-scale heterogeneity at ground level, thereby reinforcing the importance of microenvironmental conditions for alpine community composition. Tree cover did not appear to be the principal driver of alpine community changes across the treeline ecotone. Microenvironmental heterogeneity, together with effects of past climatic and land-use changes on ecotone vegetation, may weaken the expected correlation between species distribution and vegetation structure.
Assessment of early diastolic strain‐velocity temporal relationships using spatial modulation of magnetization with polarity alternating velocity encoding (SPAMM‐PAV)

A novel MR imaging technique, spatial modulation of magnetization with polarity alternating velocity encoding (SPAMM‐PAV), is presented to simultaneously examine the left ventricular early diastolic temporal relationships between myocardial deformation and intra‐cavity hemodynamics with a high temporal resolution of 14 ms. This approach is initially evaluated in a dynamic flow and tissue mimicking phantom. A comparison of regional longitudinal strains and intra‐cavity pressure differences (integration of computed in‐plane pressure gradients within a selected region) in relation to mitral valve inflow velocities is performed in eight normal volunteers. Our results demonstrate that apical regions have higher strain rates (0.145 ± 0.005 %/ms) during the acceleration period of rapid filling compared to mid‐ventricular (0.114 ± 0.007 %/ms) and basal regions (0.088 ± 0.009 %/ms), and apical strain curves plateau at peak mitral inflow velocity. This pattern is reversed during the deceleration period, when the strain‐rates in the basal regions are the highest (0.027 ± 0.003 %/ms) due to ongoing basal stretching. A positive base‐to‐apex gradient in peak pressure difference is observed during acceleration, followed by a negative base‐to‐apex gradient during deceleration. These studies shed insight into the regional volumetric and pressure difference changes in the left ventricle during early diastolic filling. Magn Reson Med, 2011. © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Potential Complications of Posterior Spine Fusion and Instrumentation in Patients With Cerebral Palsy Treated With Intrathecal Baclofen Infusion

Study Design. The authors evaluated a case series of 5 patients with cerebral palsy and a previously placed subcutaneous reservoir for continuous intrathecal baclofen infusion to control spasticity who underwent spinal arthrodesis with posterior instrumentation for progressive neuromuscular scoliosis deformities. Objectives. To present our preliminary experience and complications with posterior spine fusion in patients with cerebral palsy and continuous intrathecal baclofen infusion and provide a literature review. Summary of Background Data. Numerous studies have reported complications associated with intrathecal baclofen infusion, many of these catheter-related. Few reports address complications associated with the intrathecal baclofen infusion, including progressive spinal deformities and complications following spinal arthrodesis. Methods. Five patients with spastic quadriplegia cerebral palsy had spine fusions for progressive neuromuscular scoliosis. The mean age at surgery was 14.5 years. The mean preoperative major curve was 73° and mean pelvic obliquity was 19°. The patients’ medical records were reviewed for complications following reinsertion of the intrathecal catheter following posterior spine instrumentation and arthrodesis, and for progression of the neuromuscular scoliosis, before and after intrathecal baclofen infusion was initiated. Results. Two patients presented with low-pressure headaches in the postoperative period, resulting from cerebrospinal fluid leak following subarachnoid catheter reinsertion and posterior instrumentation. Four patients documented progression of the major scoliosis curve after intrathecal baclofen infusion was begun. A mean progression of 44° occurred over a mean period of 11 months before the spinal arthrodesis. Conclusions. Low pressure headaches resulting from a cerebrospinal fluid leak following catheter reinsertion may occur in the postoperative period. Preoperative concerns with the baclofen pump reservoir placed subcutaneously and pressure sores were not seen with careful prone positioning on a 4-poster frame. Progression ofscoliosis in patients with cerebral palsy requiring spinal arthrodesis was demonstrated in 4 of the patients after continuous intrathecal baclofen was started. The progression of the spinal deformity as a consequence of growth, natural history, or the intrathecal baclofen infusion is unknown at the present time.
A microplate ELISA for the detection of platelet alloantibodies: comparison with the platelet immunofluorescence test

An enzyme‐linked immunoassay (ELISA) for the detection of platelet alloantibodies has been compared in detail with the platelet immunofluorescence test (PIFT). The ELISA appeared much simpler to perform than the PIFT. Both tests were comparable with regard to reproducibility and sensitivity. Alloantibodies were detected with ELISA and PIFT in 13 out of 14 patients who were refractory to random donor platelets. The value of these tests as a platelet crossmatch assay was determined in a retrospective comparison of the test results and the clinical transfusion responses expressed as the 1 h post‐transfusion platelet recovery. 39/41 (95%) negative ELISA crossmatches and 30/33 (91%) negative PIFT crossmatches appeared to be associated with a successful platelet transfusion, whereas 7/10 positive ELISA cross‐matches and 2/4 positive PIFT crossmatches appeared to be associated with transfusion failures. The high frequency of‘correct’negative tests indicates the importance of both assays in the prospective selection of compatible platelet donors for alloimmunized patients. However, because of its simplicity, the ELISA appears the method of choice for this purpose.
Applying Agent Composition for Development of Service-Oriented Program Language

This paper proposed three basic components of service-oriented programming to facilitate the development of workflow application. Those APIs of web service include Mailbox, Event Channel and Semaphore. Web service developer and BPEL designer can apply those APIs to improve their developing productivity of service-oriented system. Those APIs can supply synchronize, asynchronize and resource exclusive mechanisms. This paper introduces the design and implementation of those API. We use an example to explain how service-oriented developer to synthesize these APIs for work flow application.
Properties of polyunsaturated phosphatidylcholine membranes in the presence and absence of cholesterol

Mixtures of cholesterol with phosphatidylcholine species containing the polyunsaturated acyl chains arachidonoyl or docosahexaenoyl were studied by 13C magic angle spinning (MAS) NMR using both cross‐polarization and direct polarization, by 31P NMR and by differential scanning calorimetry. Several unique features of these systems were observed. The separation of cholesterol in crystalline form occurred at much lower molar fractions than with other forms of phosphatidylcholine. The crystals that were formed were sensitive to the history of the sample. At cholesterol molar fractions below 0.5, they dissolved into the membrane by sequential heating and cooling scans. With higher molar fractions of cholesterol, larger amounts of anhydrous crystals were formed after the first heating. This was accompanied by the formation of non‐lamellar phases. The cholesterol crystals that were formed generally were not observed by direct polarization 13C MAS NMR, even with delay times of 100 s. This suggests that the cholesterol crystals are in a more rigid state in mixtures with these lipids. This is in contrast with the terminal methyl group of the acyl chains that is too mobile to allow cross‐polarization using 1 ms contact times. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Charles River altered Schaedler flora (CRASF®) remained stable for four years in a mouse colony housed in individually ventilated cages

As recommendations for specific pathogen-free housing change, mouse facilities need to re-derive their colonies repeatedly in order to eliminate specified bacteria or viruses. This paper describes the establishment of a new mouse facility using as starting point a small colony of CD-1 mice colonized with the Charles River altered Schaedler flora (CRASF®) housed in individually ventilated cages (IVCs). The import of new strains was performed exclusively via embryo transfer using CD-1 mice as recipients. The integrity of the CRASF® in caecum samples of the original CD-1 colony and of three inbred mouse lines imported into the colony was proven by a quantitative realtime polymerase chain reaction approach. Furthermore, we searched for bacterial contaminants in the gut flora using non-specific 16S rRNA primers. The bacterial sequences found were closely related to but not exclusively sequences of altered Schaedler flora (ASF) members, suggesting that the ASF is heterogeneous rather than restricted to the eight defined bacteria. Moreover, no pathogens were found, neither using the non-specific 16S rRNA primers nor in routine quarterly health monitoring. As one effect of this defined gut flora, interleukin-10 knockout mice are devoid of colitis in our facility. In conclusion, our approach building up a mouse facility using foster mothers and embryo transfer as well as a strict barrier system and IVCs is suitable to maintain a colony free from contaminating bacteria over the long term. CRASF® remained stable for seven mouse generations and was efficiently transferred to the imported mouse strains.