Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Relationship of depression to increased risk of mortality and rehospitalization in patients with congestive heart failure.

BACKGROUND Patients with congestive heart failure (CHF) may have a high prevalence of depression, which may increase the risk of adverse outcomes. OBJECTIVE To determine the prevalence and relationship of depression to outcomes of patients hospitalized with CHF. METHODS We screened patients aged 18 years or older having New York Heart Association class II or greater CHF, an ejection fraction of 35% or less, or both, admitted between March 1, 1997, and June 30, 1998, to the cardiology service of one hospital. Patients with a Beck Depression Inventory score of 10 or higher underwent a modified National Institute of Mental Health Diagnostic Interview Schedule to identify major depressive disorder. Primary care providers coordinated standard treatment for CHF and other medical and psychiatric disorders. We assessed all-cause mortality and readmission (rehospitalization) rates 3 months and 1 year after depression assessment. Logistic regression analyses were used to evaluate the independent prognostic value of depression after adjustment for clinical risk factors. RESULTS Of 374 patients screened, 35.3% had a Beck Depression Inventory score of 10 or higher and 13.9% had major depressive disorder. Overall mortality was 7.9% at 3 months and 16.2% at 1 year. Major depression was associated with increased mortality at 3 months (odds ratio, 2.5 vs no depression; P =.08) and at 1 year (odds ratio, 2.23; P =.04) and readmission at 3 months (odds ratio, 1.90; P =.04) and at 1 year (odds ratio, 3.07; P =.005). These increased risks were independent of age, New York Heart Association class, baseline ejection fraction, and ischemic etiology of CHF. CONCLUSIONS Major depression is common in patients hospitalized with CHF and is independently associated with a poor prognosis.
Extracting structured chemical-induced disease relations from free text via crowdsourcing

Relationships between chemicals and diseases are important for biomedical research. Assembling databases of these relations is costly and often relies on expert curation. Here, we describe a crowdsourcing workflow for extracting structured chemical-induced disease (CID) relations from free text. Using the CrowdFlower platform, we recruited workers with no specialized training or education. For each candidate relation, five workers were shown the concepts in context and asked to judge whether the text supported a CID relation. Maximal agreement with the gold standard was achieved at a threshold of four or more positive votes. On a test set of 100 abstracts, the crowd attained an F-score of 0.587 (0.528 precision, 0.661 recall). For the 500 abstract evaluation dataset, the F-score was 0.505 (0.475 precision, 0.540 recall).
New priorities for future biomedical innovations.

Since 1900, life expectancy at birth has increased by an unprecedented 30 years in the United States and other developed countries. Before World War II, most of the gains resulted from improvements in nonmedical factors: nutrition, sanitation, housing, and public health measures. Since World War II, however, biomedical innovations (new drugs, devices, and procedures) have been the primary source of increases in longevity. These innovations have also been the most important reason why health care expenditures have grown 2.8% per year more rapidly than the rest of the economy over the past 30 years.1 Will the future simply be a .
Mobile Robot Exploration via Pseudo Range Model

This paper presents an autonomous exploration system using a robot equipped with a vision sensor but no range sensor. The fully automatic exploration system operating on a mobile robot determines the next motion in the environment. We extract ceiling boundaries from images. Then we use the pseudo range model that converts the ceiling boundary to range information. This paper proposes the vision based exploration system and presents experimental results.
MuERV-L Is One of the Earliest Transcribed Genes in Mouse One-Cell Embryos1

Abstract The expression pattern and function of the murine endogenous retrovirus-like (MuERV-L) gene in mouse preimplantation embryos was investigated. MuERV-L was rapidly transcribed from the beginning of S phase (8 h after fertilization) in the first cell cycle. MuERV-L expression was completely repressed when transcription from the zygotic genome was inhibited by α-amanitin. These results reveal that MuERV-L is transcribed from the zygotic genome and that it is expressed earlier than any other genes previously reported. In addition, MuERV-L was expressed even when the first round of DNA synthesis was inhibited by aphidicolin, suggesting that its expression is controlled by the zygotic clock. The function of MuERV-L in the development of mouse embryos was also examined using antisense oligonucleotides. The developmental competence of embryos was markedly suppressed after the 4-cell stage when they were treated with antisense oligonucleotides. This result suggests that MuERV-L plays an important role in the development of mouse embryos at the early preimplantation stage.
Characterization of Helicobacter pylori Lytic Transglycosylases Slt and MltD

ABSTRACT Peptidoglycan (PG) is a cell wall heteropolymer that is essential for cell integrity. PG hydrolases participate in correct assembly of the PG layer and have been shown to be required for cell division, cell daughter separation, and maintenance of bacterial morphology. In silico analysis of the Helicobacter pylori genome resulted in identification of three potential hydrolases, Slt, MltD, and AmiA. This study was aimed at determining the roles of the putative lytic transglycosylases, Slt and MltD, in H. pylori morphology, growth, and PG metabolism. Strain 26695 single mutants were constructed using a nonpolar kanamycin cassette. The slt and mltD mutants formed normal bacillary and coccoid bacteria in the exponential and stationary phases, respectively. The slt and mltD mutants had growth rates comparable to the growth rate of the parental strain. However, the mltD mutant exhibited enhanced survival in the stationary phase compared to the wild type or the slt mutant. PG was purified from exponentially growing bacteria and from bacteria in the stationary phase, and its muropeptide composition was analyzed by high-pressure liquid chromatography. This analysis revealed changes in the muropeptide composition indicating that MltD and Slt have lytic transglycosylase activities. Glycan strand analysis suggested that Slt and MltD have exo and endo types of lytic transglycosylase activity, indicating that Slt is involved mainly in PG turnover and MltD is involved mainly in rearrangement of the PG layer. In this study, we determined the distinct roles of the lytic transglycosylases Slt and MltD in PG metabolism.
Comparing Two Waist-to-Height Ratio Measurements with Cardiometabolic Risk Factors among Youth with Diabetes.

BACKGROUND Waist circumference (WC) is commonly measured by either the World Health Organization (WHO) or National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) protocol. OBJECTIVE Compare the associations of WHO vs. NHANES WC-to-height ratio (WHtR) protocols with cardiometabolic risk factors (CMRFs) in a sample of youth with diabetes. METHODS For youth (10-19 years old with type 1 [N=3082] or type 2 [N=533] diabetes) in the SEARCH for Diabetes in Youth Study, measurements were obtained of WC (by two protocols), weight, height, fasting lipids (total cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL cholesterol, Non-HDL cholesterol) and blood pressures. Associations of CMRFs with WHO and NHANES WHtR were modeled stratified by body mass index (BMI) percentiles for age/sex: lower BMI (<85th BMI percentile; N=2071) vs. higher BMI (≥85th percentile; N=1594). RESULTS Among lower-BMI participants, both NHANES and WHO WHtR were associated (p<0.005) with all CMRFs except blood pressure. Among higher-BMI participants, both NHANES and WHO WHtR were associated (p<0.05) with all CMRFs. WHO WHtR was more strongly associated (p<0.05) than NHANES WHtR with triglycerides, non-HDL cholesterol, and systolic blood pressure in lower-BMI participants. Among high-BMI participants, WHO WHtR was more strongly associated (p<0.05) than NHANES WHtR with triglycerides and systolic blood pressure. CONCLUSION Among youth with diabetes, WHtR calculated from either WC protocol captures cardiometabolic risk. The WHO WC protocol may be preferable to NHANES WC.
Fiber and Oilseed Flax Performance

1 Faculty Research Assistant, Klamath Experiment Station, Klamath Falls, OR. 2 Senior Faculty Research Assistant, Department of Crop and Soil Science, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR. bstract Two market classes of flax (Linum usitatissimum) were planted in an observational trial at the U.S. Timberlands Tree Nursery, Yonna Valley, Oregon in 2001 to determine whether this crop could be grown to maturity in the cool, short-season climate of the Klamath Basin. Both fiber and oilseed market classes were evaluated. Slight differences in oilseed yield were observed for Omega and Neche, while differences in oil content were negligible. Minor differences in fiber yield were observed between Argos, Elise, and Viola, while yields of Viking were considerably lower. Although oil content was low, yields of both oilseed and fiber flax are comparable to yields observed in production areas of Canada. Newly emerged flax plants are sensitive to frost damage while older plants can withstand temperatures to 24F.
Downregulation of hepcidin and haemojuvelin expression in the hepatocyte cell‐line HepG2 induced by thalassaemic sera

β‐Thalassaemia represents a group of diseases, in which ineffective erythropoiesis is accompanied by iron overload. In a mouse model of β‐thalassaemia, we observed that the liver expressed relatively low levels of hepcidin, which is a key factor in the regulation of iron absorption by the gut and of iron recycling by the reticuloendothelial system. It was hypothesised that, despite the overt iron overload, a putative plasma factor found in β‐thalassaemia might suppress liver hepcidin expression. Sera from β‐thalassaemia and haemochromatosis (C282Y mutation) patients were compared with those of healthy individuals regarding their capacity to induce changes the expression of key genes of iron metabolism in human HepG2 hepatoma cells. Sera from β‐thalassaemia major patients induced a major decrease in hepcidin (HAMP) and lipocalin2 (oncogene 24p3) (LCN2) expression, as well as a moderate decrease in haemojuvelin (HFE2) expression, compared with sera from healthy individuals. A significant correlation was found between the degree of downregulation of HAMP and HFE2 induced by β‐thalassaemia major sera (r = 0·852, P < 0·0009). Decreased HAMP expression was also found in HepG2 cells treated with sera from β‐thalassaemia intermedia patients. In contrast, the majority of sera from hereditary haemochromatosis patients induced an increase in HAMP expression, which correlated with transferrin (Tf) saturation (r = 0·765, P < 0·0099). Our results suggest that, in β‐thalassaemia, serum factors might override the potential effect of iron overload on HAMP expression, thereby providing an explanation for the failure to arrest excessive intestinal iron absorption in these patients.
Estimation of the dietary essential amino acid requirements of colliroja Astyanax fasciatus by using the ideal protein concept

Colliroja, Astyanax fasciatus, is a new aquaculture species, and information on its dietary essential amino acid requirements is lacking. The whole body composition of 120 farmed fish (16.2 ± 8.8 g) was determined to estimate the dietary essential amino acid requirement based on the ideal protein concept ((each essential amino acid/lysine) ×100), and the findings were correlated to the whole body essential amino acid content of Nile tilapia Oreochromis niloticus. The dietary essential amino acids, including cysteine and tyrosine, accounted for 5.46, 4.62, 1.16, 3.28, 5.63, 2.01, 2.59, 2.84, 4.66, 3.39, 0.65, and 3.51% of the total protein for lysine, arginine, histidine, isoleucine, leucine, methionine, methionine+tyrosine, phenylalanine, phenylalanine+tyrosine, threonine, tryptophan, and valine, respectively. There were positive linear and high correlations (r = 0.971) between the whole body amino acid profiles of colliroja and Nile tilapia. Thus, the whole body amino acid profile of colliroja might be used to estimate accurately the essential amino acid requirement.
Characterization of a protein that binds multiple sequences in mammalian type C retrovirus enhancers

Mammalian type C retrovirus enhancer factor 1 (MCREF-1) is a nuclear protein that binds several directly repeated sequences (CNGGN6CNGG) in the Moloney and Friend murine leukemia virus (MLV) enhancers (N. R. Manley, M. O'Connell, W. Sun, N. A. Speck, and N. Hopkins, J. Virol. 67:1967-1975, 1993). In this paper, we describe the partial purification of MCREF-1 from calf thymus nuclei and further characterize the binding properties of MCREF-1. MCREF-1 binds four sites in the Moloney MLV enhancer and three sites in the Friend MLV enhancer. Ethylation interference analysis suggests that the MCREF-1 binding site spans two adjacent minor grooves of DNA.
Local polynomial model: a new approach to vignetting correction

The vignetting refers to the fall-off of pixel intensity from the center towards the edges of the image. The correction of vignetting is a required pre-processing step in many applications of machine vision. In this paper, we propose a new local polynomial model of vignetting. The order of the polynomial is a parameter of the model and allows to fit the model to the real vignetting of the camera-lens system. The novelty of the proposed model is a usage of local fitting of the model to vignetting data, in contrast to the global models described in the literature. The new model was tested on two camera-lens systems with radial and non-radial vignetting, and has been compared with methods known from the literature. Based on the obtained results the proposed model gives the best quality of vignetting correction among the tested models of vignetting.
A Spread-Spectrum Clock Generator Using Fractional-N PLL Controlled Delta-Sigma Modulator for Serial-ATA III

In this paper, a 6GHz spread-spectrum clock generator (SSCG) for Serial AT Attachment Generations 3 (SATA-III) is presented. By utilizing frequency modulation which employs digital MASH delta-sigma modulator and 33KHz triangular profile address generator, the SSCG achieves an output clock of 6GHz and 5000ppm down spread with a triangular waveform. The SSCG was designed based on TSMC 0. 13μm 1p8m CMOS process. The power dissipation is 48mW under a 1.2V supply voltage. The peak-to-peak jitter of non spread-spectrum clock is 8ps, and the EMI reduction is 15dB with normal frequency spread modulation from 6GHz to 5.97GHz.
Are Public Health Organizations Tweeting to the Choir? Understanding Local Health Department Twitter Followership

Background One of the essential services provided by the US local health departments is informing and educating constituents about health. Communication with constituents about public health issues and health risks is among the standards required of local health departments for accreditation. Past research found that only 61% of local health departments met standards for informing and educating constituents, suggesting a considerable gap between current practices and best practice. Objective Social media platforms, such as Twitter, may aid local health departments in informing and educating their constituents by reaching large numbers of people with real-time messages at relatively low cost. Little is known about the followers of local health departments on Twitter. The aim of this study was to examine characteristics of local health department Twitter followers and the relationship between local health department characteristics and follower characteristics. Methods In 2013, we collected (using NodeXL) and analyzed a sample of 4779 Twitter followers from 59 randomly selected local health departments in the United States with Twitter accounts. We coded each Twitter follower for type (individual, organization), location, health focus, and industry (eg, media, government). Local health department characteristics were adopted from the 2010 National Association of City and County Health Officials Profile Study data. Results Local health department Twitter accounts were followed by more organizations than individual users. Organizations tended to be health-focused, located outside the state from the local health department being followed, and from the education, government, and non-profit sectors. Individuals were likely to be local and not health-focused. Having a public information officer on staff, serving a larger population, and “tweeting” more frequently were associated with having a higher percentage of local followers. Conclusions Social media has the potential to reach a wide and diverse audience. Understanding audience characteristics can help public health organizations use this new tool more effectively by tailoring tweet content and dissemination strategies for their audience.
Longevity of U cells of differentiated yeast colonies grown on respiratory medium depends on active glycolysis

Colonies of Saccharomyces cerevisiae laboratory strains pass through specific developmental phases when growing on solid respiratory medium. During entry into the so-called alkali phase, in which ammonia signaling is initiated, 2 prominent cell types are formed within the colonies: U cells in upper colony regions, which have a longevity phenotype and activate the expression of a large number of metabolic genes, and L cells in lower regions, which die more quickly and exhibit a starvation phenotype. Here, we performed a detailed analysis of the activities of enzymes of central carbon metabolism in lysates of both cell types and determined several fermentation end products, showing that previously reported expression differences are reflected in the different enzymatic capabilities of each cell type. Hence, U cells, despite being grown on respiratory medium, behave as fermenting cells, whereas L cells rely on respiratory metabolism and possess active gluconeogenesis. Using a spectrum of different inhibitors, we showed that glycolysis is essential for the formation, and particularly, the survival of U cells. We also showed that β-1,3-glucans that are released from the cell walls of L cells are the most likely source of carbohydrates for U cells.
Comparative evaluation of features and techniques for identifying activity type and estimating energy cost from accelerometer data

Wearable accelerometers can be used to objectively assess physical activity. However, the accuracy of this assessment depends on the underlying method used to process the time series data obtained from accelerometers. Several methods have been proposed that use this data to identify the type of physical activity and estimate its energy cost. Most of the newer methods employ some machine learning technique along with suitable features to represent the time series data. This paper experimentally compares several of these techniques and features on a large dataset of 146 subjects doing eight different physical activities wearing an accelerometer on the hip. Besides features based on statistics, distance based features and simple discrete features straight from the time series were also evaluated. On the physical activity type identification task, the results show that using more features significantly improve results. Choice of machine learning technique was also found to be important. However, on the energy cost estimation task, choice of features and machine learning technique were found to be less influential. On that task, separate energy cost estimation models trained specifically for each type of physical activity were found to be more accurate than a single model trained for all types of physical activities.
Dynamic Resource Allocation with QoS Guarantees for Clustered M2M Communications

In this paper, we propose a dynamic resource allocation with quality-of-service (Qos) guarantee for clustered machine-to-machine (M2M) communications, which provides higher throughput as well as higher resource efficiency and lower access delay in a co-existing environment of both delaysensitive and delay-tolerant services. We develop the dynamic resource allocation into four cases. In each case, the total throughput is improved under the condition of satisfying the access delay constrain for each cluster by two folds. First, a reasonable resource tradeoff between physical random access channel (PRACH) and physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) is achieved. Second, the PRACH resource are separated for each cluster, and the access class barring (ACB) schemes separately control the number of devices belonging to different clusters. The case whose the total throughput is maximum is selected from the four cases as the optimal resource allocation scheme. Simulation results demonstrate our scheme can significantly improve the total throughput as well as the resource efficiency and reduce the access delay for each cluster.
A Dialogue-Based Information Retrieval Assistant Using Shallow NLP Techniques in Online Sales Domains

Most of commercial websites provide customers with menu-driven navigation and keyword search. However, these inconvenient interfaces increase the number of mouse clicks and decrease customers' interest in surfing the websites. To resolve the problem, we propose an information retrieval assistant using a natural language interface in online sales domains. The information retrieval assistant has a client-server structure; a system connector and a NLP (natural language processing) server. The NLP server performs a linguistic analysis of users' queries with the help of coordinated NLP agents that are based on shallow NLP techniques. After receiving the results of the linguistic analysis from the NLP server, the system connector interacts with outer information provision systems such as conventional information retrieval systems and relational database management systems according to the analysis results. Owing to the client-server structure, we can easily add other information provision systems to the information retrieval assistant with trivial modifications of the NLP server. In addition, the information retrieval assistant guarantees fast responses because it uses shallow NLP techniques. In the preliminary experiment, as compared to the menu-driven system, we found that the information retrieval assistant could reduce the bothersome tasks such as menu selecting and mouse clicking because it provides a convenient natural language interface.