Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
CpG Methylation Differences Between Neurons and Glia are Highly Conserved from Mouse to Human

Understanding epigenetic differences that distinguish neurons and glia is of fundamental importance to the nascent field of neuroepigenetics. A recent study (Lister & Mukamel, et al., Science 2013) used genome‐wide bisulfite sequencing to survey differences in DNA methylation between these two cell types, in both humans and mice. That study minimized the importance of cell type‐specific differences in CpG methylation, claiming these are restricted to localized genomic regions, and instead emphasized that widespread and highly conserved differences in non‐CpG methylation distinguish neurons and glia. We reanalyzed the data from that study and came to markedly different conclusions. In particular, we found widespread cell type‐specific differences in CpG methylation, with a genome‐wide tendency for neuronal CpG‐hypermethylation punctuated by regions of glia‐specific hypermethylation. Alarmingly, our analysis indicated that the majority of genes identified by the primary study as exhibiting cell type‐specific CpG methylation differences were misclassified. To verify the accuracy of our analysis, we isolated neuronal and glial DNA from mouse cortex and performed quantitative bisulfite pyrosequencing at nine loci. The pyrosequencing results corroborated our analysis, without exception. Most interestingly, we found that gene‐associated neuron vs. glia CpG methylation differences are highly conserved across human and mouse, and are very likely to be functional. In addition to underscoring the importance of independent verification to confirm the conclusions of genome‐wide epigenetic analyses, our data indicate that CpG methylation plays a major role in neuroepigenetics, and that the mouse is likely an excellent model in which to study the role of DNA methylation in human neurodevelopment and disease, and effects of nutrition on these processes.
Primary care management of carpal tunnel syndrome

Carpal tunnel syndrome of mild to moderate severity can often be effectively treated in a primary care environment. Workplace task modification and wrist splints can reduce or defer referral to hospital for surgical decompression. Nerve and tendon gliding exercises may also be of benefit. Steroid injections to the mouth of the carpal tunnel are particularly useful for symptomatic women in the third trimester of pregnancy. However inadvertent neural injection may cause disabling chronic pain. Referral to a minority of practitioners trained in the technique would ensure sufficient patient numbers to maintain skill levels.
A PARALLEL MERGING ALGORITHM AND ITS IMPLEMENTATION WITH JAVA

The success of computational science to accurately describe and model the real world has helped to fuel the ever-increasing demand for cheap computing power. Scientists are continually looking for ways to test the limits of theories, using high performance computing to allow them to simulate more realistic systems in greater detail. Parallel computing offers a way to tackle these problems in a cost effective manner.
ApproxMap: On task allocation and scheduling for resilient applications

Many emerging applications are inherently error-resilient and hence do not require exact computation. In this paper, we consider the task allocation and scheduling problem for mapping such applications to voltage-scalable multiprocessor systems. The proposed solution, namely ApproxMap, judiciously determines the mapping and execution sequence of resilient tasks to minimize the energy consumption of the application while meeting their target quality requirements and timing constraints. To be specific, ApproxMap generates energy-efficient yet flexible task schedule at design-time, and conducts lightweight online adjustment according to runtime dynamics for further energy-efficiency improvement. Experimental results on various task graphs demonstrate the efficacy of ApproxMap.
A novel optically controlled reconfigurable antenna for cognitive radio systems

An optically controlled compact reconfigurable antenna with integration of wide and narrow bands is investigated for cognitive radio (CR) systems. The proposed antenna consists of two parts, one for spectrum sensing and the other for communication. With an inherent property, four photoconductive silicon switches are used to achieve reconfigurable frequency characteristics. An antenna prototype has been designed, fabricated and measured. The simulated and measured results show that the proposed antenna is a potential candidate for future cognitive radio communications.
Efficient $\chi ^{2}$ Kernel Linearization via Random Feature Maps

Explicit feature mapping is an appealing way to linearize additive kernels, such as χ2 kernel for training large-scale support vector machines (SVMs). Although accurate in approximation, feature mapping could pose computational challenges in high-dimensional settings as it expands the original features to a higher dimensional space. To handle this issue in the context of χ2 kernel SVMs learning, we introduce a simple yet efficient method to approximately linearize χ2 kernel through random feature maps. The main idea is to use sparse random projection to reduce the dimensionality of feature maps while preserving their approximation capability to the original kernel. We provide approximation error bound for the proposed method. Furthermore, we extend our method to χ2 multiple kernel SVMs learning. Extensive experiments on large-scale image classification tasks confirm that the proposed approach is able to significantly speed up the training process of the χ2 kernel SVMs at almost no cost of testing accuracy.
What Do Microbes Encounter at the Plant Surface? Chemical Composition of Pea Leaf Cuticular Waxes1

In the cuticular wax mixtures from leaves of pea (Pisum sativum) cv Avanta, cv Lincoln, and cv Maiperle, more than 70 individual compounds were identified. The adaxial wax was characterized by very high amounts of primary alcohols (71%), while the abaxial wax consisted mainly of alkanes (73%). An aqueous adhesive of gum arabic was employed to selectively sample the epicuticular wax layer on pea leaves and hence to analyze the composition of epicuticular crystals exposed at the outermost surface of leaves. The epicuticular layer was found to contain 74% and 83% of the total wax on adaxial and abaxial surfaces, respectively. The platelet-shaped crystals on the adaxial leaf surface consisted of a mixture dominated by hexacosanol, accompanied by substantial amounts of octacosanol and hentriacontane. In contrast, the ribbon-shaped wax crystals on the abaxial surface consisted mainly of hentriacontane (63%), with approximately 5% each of hexacosanol and octacosanol being present. Based on this detailed chemical analysis of the wax exposed at the leaf surface, their importance for early events in the interaction with host-specific pathogenic fungi can now be evaluated. On adaxial surfaces, approximately 80% of Erysiphe pisi spores germinated and 70% differentiated appressoria. In contrast, significantly lower germination efficiencies (57%) and appressoria formation rates (49%) were found for abaxial surfaces. In conclusion, the influence of the physical structure and the chemical composition of the host surface, and especially of epicuticular leaf waxes, on the prepenetration processes of biotrophic fungi is discussed.
Modeling optimization algorithm runtime behavior and its applications

We model the time-quality relationship of optimization processes by either fitting curves or training artificial neural networks. On the example of the MAX-SAT problem, we investigate 1) the interpretation of fitted curves based on the values of their parameters using their fixed semantics, 2) the classification of performance measurements to algorithms, i.e., the detection of which algorithm was used to solve a given problem just by its runtime behavior, 3) the prediction of how an algorithm may perform on a yet-unseen problem with yet-unseen features based on its performance on other problems, and 4) the prediction of future progress based on models fitted to data measured so far.
A prospective case-control study of lipoprotein(a) levels and apo(a) size and risk of coronary heart disease in Stanford Five-City Project participants.

Lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] is formed by the assembly of LDL particles and a carbohydrate-rich protein, apolipoprotein(a) [apo(a)], which has a high degree of structural homology with plasminogen. While the majority of retrospective studies have found an association between Lp(a) level and cardiovascular disease (CVD), the few prospective studies to date have reported contradictory results. We conducted a nested case-control study using the participants in the Stanford Five-City Project, a long-term CVD prevention trial. Participants with an incident possible or definite myocardial infarction or coronary death were matched to a single control subject for age, sex, ethnicity, residence in a treatment or control city, and time of survey. This process yielded 134 case-control pairs, 90 male and 44 female, for whom plasma was available for analysis of Lp(a). Lp(a) values in nanomoles per liter were determined by an enzyme-linked immunoassay that measures Lp(a) independently of apo(a) size polymorphism. Apo(a) size isoforms were determined by SDS-agarose gel electrophoresis. Median Lp(a) level in male cases was almost double that in control subjects (41.8 versus 21.2 nmol/L; P < .01); in female cases, median Lp(a) was 34% higher than in control subjects (32.5 versus 21.2 nmol/L), but this difference was not statistically significant. Among the male cases, there was an increased frequency of small apo(a) isoforms, while no significant difference was found in apo(a) size between female cases and control subjects. The association between Lp(a) level and case-control status in men was independent of total, HDL, and non-HDL cholesterol levels, as well as apo(a) size isoform, cigarette smoking, blood pressure, and obesity. In men, the most efficient threshold value of Lp(a) concentration for separating cases and control subjects was 35 nmol/L; the odds ratio for being a case above this level compared with below was 2.84 (95% confidence interval: 1.53-5.27, P < .001). This study provides strong evidence that Lp(a) level is a prospective, independent risk factor for developing coronary artery disease in men and indicates that the size of apo(a) may also play a role. The lack of a significant association in women deserves further evaluation in larger studies.
Improved Model‐ and View‐Dependent Pruning of Large Botanical Scenes

We present an optimized pruning algorithm that allows for considerable geometry reduction in large botanical scenes while maintaining high and coherent rendering quality. We improve upon previous techniques by applying model‐specific geometry reduction functions and optimized scaling functions. For this we introduce the use of Precision and Recall (PR) as a measure of quality to rendering and show how PR‐scores can be used to predict better scaling values. We conducted a user‐study letting subjects adjust the scaling value, which shows that the predicted scaling matches the preferred ones. Finally, we extend the originally purely stochastic geometry prioritization for pruning to account for view‐optimized geometry selection, which allows to take global scene information, such as occlusion, into consideration. We demonstrate our method for the rendering of scenes with thousands of complex tree models in real‐time.
Maintaining Relationships Through Communication : Relational, Contextual, and Cultural Variations

Contents: S. Duck, Series Editor's Foreword. Preface. K. Dindia, Overview: Definitions and Perspectives on Relational Maintenance Communication. Part I:Maintaining Different Types of Relationships. S. Vogl-Bauer, Maintaining Family Relationships. L. Stafford, Maintaining Romantic Relationships: Summary and Analysis of One Research Program. M. Dainton, E. Zelley, E. Langan, Maintaining Friendships Throughout the Lifespan. J.A. Hess, Maintaining Undesired Relationships. Part II:Contextual Variations in Maintaining Relationships. B. Aylor, Maintaining Long-Distance Relationships. M.K. Rabby, J. Walther, Computer-Mediated Communication Effects on Relationship Formation and Maintenance. V.R. Waldron, Relationship Maintenance in Organizational Settings. T.M. Emmers-Sommer, When Partners Falter: Repair After a Transgression. Part III:Cultural Variations in Maintaining Relationships. S. Haas, Relationship Maintenance in Same-Sex Couples. S.O. Gaines, Jr., C.R. Agnew, Relationship Maintenance in Intercultural Couples: An Interdependence Analysis. D. Ballard-Reisch, D. Weigel, M. Zaguidoulline, Maintaining Marriages in Russia: Managing Social Influences and Communication Dynamics. Y-O. Yum, D.J. Canary, Maintaining Relationships in Korea and the United States: Features of Korean Culture That Affect Relational Maintenance Beliefs and Behaviors. Part IV:Epilogue. M. Dainton, Framing the Maintenance of Relationships Through Communication: An Epilogue.
Retinal nerve fibre layer thickness in full‐term children assessed with Heidelberg retinal tomography and optical coherence tomography: normal values and interocular asymmetry

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate normal values and interocular differences in retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL) thickness, using optical coherence tomography (OCT) and Heidelberg retinal tomography (HRT), in 5–16‐year‐old children born at full‐term with normal birthweights.
[Clinical study of recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (RHG-CSF) on leucopenia induced by chemotherapy with CE regimen on lung cancer patients].

The authors have studied the efficacy and safety of recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (rhG-CSF, Granulocyte Injection) on leucopenia and neutropenia induced by chemotherapy with regimen CE (Carboplatin and Etoposide) in lung cancer patients in a randomized, matched and cross-over clinical trial. The total enrolled patients were twenty-two. They were randomized into A and B groups (11 patients in each group). Each patient received two cycles treatment. In group A chemotherapy and rhG-CSF were used in the first cycle and chemotherapy alone was used in the second cycle, while in group B chemotherapy alone was used in the first cycle and chemotherapy and rhG-CSF were used in the second cycle. The results showed that rhG-CSF significantly increased the number of white blood cell (WBC) and absolute neutrophil count (ANC) at the nadir, decreased incidence of leucopenia and neutropenia, and reduced the number of days with WBC < 4.0 x 10(9)/L, ANC < 2.5 x 10(9)/L as well as the number of days with WBC > 4.0 x 10(9)/L and ANC > 2.5 x 10(9)/L. rhG-CSF ensures the completion of chemotherapy and its side-effects were slight.
Loops in esterel

ESTEREL is a synchronous design language for the specification of reactive systems. Thanks to its compact formal semantics, code generation for ESTEREL is essentially provably correct. In practice, due to the many intricacies of an optimizing compiler, an actual proof would be in order. To begin with, we need a precise description of an efficient translation scheme, into some lower-level formalism. We tackle this issue on a specific part of the compilation process: the translation of loop constructs. First, because of instantaneous loops, programs may generate runtime errors, which cannot be tolerated for embedded systems, and have to be predicted and prevented at compile time. Second, because of schizophrenia, loops must be partly unfolded, making C code generation, as well as logic synthesis, nonlinear in general. Clever expansion strategies are required to minimize the unfolding. We first characterize these two difficulties w.r. t. the formal semantics of ESTEREL. We then derive very efficient, correct-by-construction algorithms to verify and transform loops at compile time, using static analysis and program rewriting techniques. With this aim in view, we extend the language with a new gotopause construct, which we use to encode loops. It behaves as a noninstantaneous jump instruction compatible with concurrency.
The Emergence of High-Speed Interaction and Coordination in a (Formerly) Turn-based Groupware Game

Although some forms of distributed groupware now enable fast-paced real-time collaboration (e.g., first-person shooter games), little work has been done to determine how coordination and interaction occur when people attempt to work together at high speed. Understanding the elements of high-speed coordination is important, because shared-workspace groupware systems offer opportunities for new kinds of high-speed work that is, they provide freedom from the physical constraints that can slow and restrict coordination in physical shared spaces. To better understand high-speed coordination, and to examine whether these opportunities can enable new kinds of interaction in groupware, we created and studied a new multi-player game (called RTChess) that is based on traditional chess, but adds multiple players and removes all turns from the gameplay. The result is a free-for-all game where people are limited only by their ability to move quickly and expertly a situation that is more like a team sport than a tabletop game. We carried out an observational study of 448 games of RTChess to look for the emergence of high-speed interaction, team coordination, and interactional expertise. We found that people can interact extremely quickly through distributed groupware, and saw evidence that people build expertise and develop several kinds of coordination in the game. Groupware systems like RTChess indicate that coordination and interaction in shared-workspace collaboration can occur at high speed, and suggest ways to free groupware users from the slow and stilted interactions that are common in many current multi-user systems.
In-work benefits for married couples: an ex-ante evaluation of EITC and WTC policies in Italy

This paper investigates labor supply and redistributive effects of in-work benefits for Italian married couples using a tax-benefit microsimulation model and a multi-sectoral discrete choice model of labor supply. We consider in-work benefits based on the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and the Working Tax Credit (WTC) existing in the US and the UK, respectively. The standard design of these income support mechanisms is however augmented with a premium for two-earner households to avoid potential disincentive effects on secondary earners. Revenue neutral policy simulations show that our reforms may greatly improve the current Italian tax-benefit system in terms of both incentive and redistributive effects. Furthermore, neglecting sector-specific attributes of the various job opportunities may lead to overstated estimates of the policy effects.JEL classificationI38; H31; H53
Factors influencing the accuracy of oscillometric blood pressure measurement in critically ill patients

ObjectiveComparison of oscillometric blood pressure measurement with two different devices (M3000A using a new algorithm and M1008A using an established algorithm, both Hewlett Packard) and evaluation of current recommendations concerning the relation between cuff size and upper arm circumference in critically ill patients. DesignProspective data collection. SettingEmergency department in a 2000-bed inner-city hospital. PatientsA total of 30 patients categorized into three groups according to their upper arm circumference (I, 18–25 cm; II, 25.1–33 cm; III, 33.1–47.5 cm) were enrolled in the study protocol. InterventionsIn each patient, two noninvasive blood pressure devices with three different cuff sizes were used to perform oscillometric blood pressure measurement. Invasive mean arterial blood pressure measurement was done by cannulation of the radial artery. Measurement and Main ResultsOverall, 1,011 pairs of simultaneous oscillometric and invasive blood pressure measurements were collected in 30 patients (group I, n = 10; group II, n = 10; group III, n = 10). The overall discrepancy between both methods with the M3000A was −2.4 ± 11.8 mm Hg (p < .0001) and, with the M1008A, −5.3 ± 11.6 mm Hg (p < .0001) if the recommended cuff size according to the upper arm circumference was used (352 measurements). If smaller cuff sizes than recommended were used (308 measurements performed in group II and III), the overall discrepancy between both methods with the M3000A was 1.3 ± 13.4 mm Hg (p < .024) and, with the M1008A, −2.3 ± 11.5 mm Hg (p < .0001). ConclusionThe new algorithm reduced the overall bias of the oscillometric method but still showed a significant discrepancy between both methods of blood pressure measurement, primarily due to the mismatch between upper arm circumference and cuff size. The improvement of the algorithm alone could not result in a sufficient improvement of oscillometric blood pressure measurement. A reevaluation of the recommendations concerning the relation between upper arm circumference and cuff size are urgently required if oscillometric blood pressure measurement should become a reasonable alternative to intra-arterial blood pressure measurement in critically ill patients.
Consequences of a Deletion in dspA on Transcript Accumulation in Synechocystis sp. Strain PCC6803

ABSTRACT A sensor histidine kinase of Synechococcus sp. strain PCC7942, designated nblS, was previously identified and shown to be critical for the acclimation of cells to high-light and nutrient limitation conditions and to influence the expression of a number of light-responsive genes. The nblS orthologue in Synechocystis sp. strain PCC6803 is designated dspA (also called hik33). We have generated a dspA null mutant and analyzed global gene expression in both the mutant and wild-type strains under high- and low-light conditions. The mutant is aberrant for the expression of many genes encoding proteins critical for photosynthesis, phosphate and carbon acquisition, and the amelioration of stress conditions. Furthermore, transcripts from a number of genes normally detected only during exposure of wild-type cells to high-light conditions become partially constitutive in the low-light-grown dspA mutant. Other genes for which transcripts decline upon exposure of wild-type cells to high light are already lower in the mutant during growth in low light. These results suggest that DspA may influence gene expression in both a positive and a negative manner and that the dspA mutant behaves as if it were experiencing stress conditions (e.g., high-light exposure) even when maintained at near-optimal growth conditions for wild-type cells. This is discussed with respect to the importance of DspA for regulating the responses of the cell to environmental cues.