Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Sleep-disordered breathing in men with coronary artery disease.

OBJECTIVE To examine the occurrence of sleep apnea and nocturnal hypoxemia in men with symptomatic coronary artery disease (CAD) and to evaluate the relationship between disordered breathing and coronary artery disease. DESIGN Case-control study. Cases were randomly selected from men undergoing coronary angiography because of angina pectoris. Controls were age matched and selected from the population registry. Pulse oximetry, oronasal thermistors, body position indicator, and recording of body and respiratory movements were used to quantify desaturations and apneas. SETTING Norrland University Hospital, a referral center for northern Sweden. SUBJECTS One hundred forty-two men with angina pectoris and angiographically verified CAD and 50 controls without known heart disease. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES The number of arterial oxygen desaturations of 4% or more per hour of sleep, oxygen desaturation index (ODI), and the number of apneas or hypopneas per hour of sleep, apnea-hypopnea index (AHI). RESULTS Men with CAD had a high occurrence of sleep-disordered breathing measured as ODI of 5 or more, 39% (n=55), or AHI of 10 or more, 37% (n=50), while, the same proportions in controls were 22% (n=11, p<0.05) and 20% (n=10, p<0.05). Mean values of ODI in cases and controls were 6.4 and 2.7, respectively (p<0.001). Multiple logistic regression analysis identified ODI, AHI, body mass index, and hypertension as significant predictors of CAD (p<0.05). CONCLUSION Sleep- disordered breathing is common in men with CAD. A significant association between sleep apnea with nocturnal hypoxemia and CAD remains after adjustment for age, hypertension, body mass index, diabetes, and smoking.
Boosted Interactively Distributed Particle Filter for automatic multi-object tracking

In this paper, we propose a boosted interactively distributed particle filter (BIDPF) to address the problem of automatic multi-object tracking in the application of player tracking in broadcast soccer video. The interactively distributed particle filter technique (IDPF) is adopted to handle the mutual occlusions among targets. The proposal distribution using a mixture model that incorporates information from the dynamic model and the boosting detection is introduced into the IDPF framework. The boosting proposal distribution quickly detects targets, while the IDPF process keeps the identity of targets during mutual occlusions. Moreover, the foreground observation is extracted by using the color model of the playfield to speed up the boosting detection and reduce false alarms. The foreground is also used to develop a data-driven potential model to improve the IDPF performance. We test the proposed approach on several video sequences and the results demonstrate that our system is able to track a variable number of objects in a dynamic scene and correctly maintain their identities regardless of camera motion and frequent mutual occlusions.
Systematic review of studies on telemonitoring of patients with congestive heart failure: a meta-analysis

We conducted a systematic review of large, well-conducted randomised trials designed to evaluate the effectiveness of telemonitoring on patients with congestive heart failure (CHF). Two people reviewed 125 articles independently and selected 13 articles for final review. These studies concerned 3480 patients. The follow-up period of the studies was 3–15 months. Pooled estimate results showed that there was an overall reduction in all-cause mortality (P = 0.02). There was no overall reduction in all-cause hospital admission (P = 0.84), although there was a reduction in CHF hospital admission (P = 0.0004). There was no reduction in all-cause emergency admission (P = 0.67). There was no significant difference in length of stay in hospital, medication adherence or cost. Telemonitoring in conjunction with nurse home visiting and specialist unit support can be effective in the clinical management of patients with CHF and help to improve their quality of life.
The Joke Isn ’ t on the Democrats ? The Partisan Effects of Voter Turnout

This paper uses county-level electoral returns from the 1988-2000 presidential elections to measure the partisan effects of voter turnout. We first develop a simple theoretical model of voting to guide our analysis. We then argue that turnout is an endogenous variable to elections, so in order to obtain unbiased estimates we must use the instrumental variables estimator. In particular, we use weather as an instrument to show that voter turnout has a large and significant effect on partisan results, increasing the performance of Democrats. We then check if the effect is dependent on how partisan a county is, and find that it is not. Finally, we show that the effect does not have a meaningful trend over time. We finish by considering some implications of our findings. Alexander Kendall, May 14, 2004, Page iv
Independently Controlled Wing Stroke Patterns in the Fruit Fly Drosophila melanogaster

Flies achieve supreme flight maneuverability through a small set of miniscule steering muscles attached to the wing base. The fast flight maneuvers arise from precisely timed activation of the steering muscles and the resulting subtle modulation of the wing stroke. In addition, slower modulation of wing kinematics arises from changes in the activity of indirect flight muscles in the thorax. We investigated if these modulations can be described as a superposition of a limited number of elementary deformations of the wing stroke that are under independent physiological control. Using a high-speed computer vision system, we recorded the wing motion of tethered flying fruit flies for up to 12 000 consecutive wing strokes at a sampling rate of 6250 Hz. We then decomposed the joint motion pattern of both wings into components that had the minimal mutual information (a measure of statistical dependence). In 100 flight segments measured from 10 individual flies, we identified 7 distinct types of frequently occurring least-dependent components, each defining a kinematic pattern (a specific deformation of the wing stroke and the sequence of its activation from cycle to cycle). Two of these stroke deformations can be associated with the control of yaw torque and total flight force, respectively. A third deformation involves a change in the downstroke-to-upstroke duration ratio, which is expected to alter the pitch torque. A fourth kinematic pattern consists in the alteration of stroke amplitude with a period of 2 wingbeat cycles, extending for dozens of cycles. Our analysis indicates that these four elementary kinematic patterns can be activated mutually independently, and occur both in isolation and in linear superposition. The results strengthen the available evidence for independent control of yaw torque, pitch torque, and total flight force. Our computational method facilitates systematic identification of novel patterns in large kinematic datasets.
Optimal joint probing and transmission strategy for maximizing throughput in wireless systems

In broadcast fading channel, channel variations can be exploited through what is referred to as multi-user diversity and opportunistic scheduling for improving system performance. To achieve the gains promised by this kind of diversity, the transmitter has to accurately track the channel variations of the various receivers, which consumes resources (time, energy, bandwidth), and thus reduces the resources remaining for effective data transmissions. The transmitter may decide not to acquire or probe the channel conditions of certain receivers, either because these receivers are presumably experiencing severe fading, or because the transmitter wishes to spare resources for data transmissions. It may also decide to transmit to a receiver without probing its channel; in such cases, the transmitter guesses the channel state, which often results in a reduction of the transmission rate compared to when the transmitter knows the channel state. Ultimately, the transmitter has to decide to which receiver it should transmit. In this paper, we identifying the joint probing and transmission strategies realizing the optimal trade-off between the channel state acquisition and the effective data transmission. The objective is to maximize the system throughput. Finally, we propose several extensions of the proposed strategy, including a scheme to maximize the system utility and a scheme to ensure the system stability.
Benefits from pharmacological and pharmacokinetic properties of sunitinib for clinical development

Importance of the field: In the last 10 years, oncology has been greatly modified by the introduction of new drugs especially designed for molecular targets. Sunitinib belongs to the category of new drugs that inhibit multityrosine kinase receptors involved in the key steps of tumorigenesis and angiogenesis. Areas covered in this review: This article reviews the pharmacological and clinical aspects of sunitinib. Literature search was conducted in PubMed, and articles selected for relevance to pharmacology or clinical efficacy up to March 2010. What the reader will gain: Pharmacology of sunitinib, data regarding clinical efficacy, and challenges to overcome resistance and improve outcomes of patients. Take home message: Sunitinib is an oral small molecule that displays mainly antiangiogenic properties and also direct antitumoral effects. Being well tolerated, this small molecule is now an essential treatment of advanced renal cell carcinoma and gastrointestinal stromal tumors refractory or intolerant to imatinib, two localizations associated with a poor prognosis. Future developments include the extension of the indications of sunitinib in pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors, the evaluation of combinations with conventional cytotoxic and other targeted drugs and the development of strategy to overcome resistance to sunitinib.
An Empirical Study into the Effect of Data Flow Structure on Program Comprehension

Program comprehension is a critical part of software maintenance, an activity that bears a large part of the lifetime cost of a system. Studies suggest that program structure affects our ability to comprehend systems, with one such structure being data flow. We present the design and results of an empirical investigation into how a specific for m of data flow can predict the effort of comprehension. The study consisted of two experiments, which were carried out on software engineering and computer science students at the University of Auckland. The results suggested that one of the major factors impacting comprehension effort was the effect of branching and interleaving data flow paths.
c-KIT and c-KIT ligand (SCF) in synovial sarcoma (SS): an mRNA expression analysis in 23 cases

In a previous immunophenotypic molecular-based analysis it was shown that bcl2 over-expression characterizes the SS gene profile in addition to the non-random translocations. Here we show that the over-expression of an additional potentially antiapoptotic gene, the c-KIT gene, is associated with this tumour. Interestingly, whereas bcl2 over-expression appears to be restricted to the spindle cell tumoral component, c-kit mainly involves the epithelial component of biphasic SS. Twenty-three primary and metastatic samples from 21 patients were analysed by immunophenotyping (23/23), immunoprecipitations and Western blotting (3/23), and RT-PCR (23/23). Ten cases were biphasic and 13 monophasic in sub-type. Twelve, 10 and 1 case carried the SYT-SSX1, SYT-SSX2 and SYT-SSX4 fusion transcript, respectively. Co-presence of both c-Kit and SCF mRNA was observed in almost all cases (20/23), suggesting the occurrence of an autocrine loop. Immunophenotyping, confirmed by biochemical analyses, showed a modulation of c-Kit expression which was faint in the spindle and strong in the epithelial component, respectively. The study was complemented by c-Met/HGF receptor/ligand expression and c-Met protein analysis with results superimposable to those already reported. Since in each tumour, epithelial and spindle cell components harbour the same type of translocation t(X;18) the present findings suggest a shifting of the anti-apoptotic role from BCL2 to c-KIT gene during the transition from the uncommitted spindle to the differentiated epithelial cells. © 2001 Cancer Research Campaign
Local episode-based learning of multi-objective behavior coordination for a mobile robot in dynamic environments

This paper is concerned with a local learning method of a multi-objective behavior coordination for a mobile robot. The multiobjective behavior coordination plays a role in integrating outputs of basic behavioral modules. A behavioral weight is assigned to each behavioral module represented by fuzzy rules, production rules, and so on. By updating these behavioral weights, the mobile robot can take a multi-objective situated action. However, the coordination rule is designed suitably static environments and the mobile robot must learn or update coordination rule in dynamic environments with moving obstacles. Therefore, we propose a local episode-based learning which is a learning method using self-reference of the relationship between previous perception and action in short-term memory.
Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure - copy and immediate recall: Normative data for the Latin American Spanish speaking adult population.

OBJECTIVE To generate normative data on the Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure Test (ROCF) across 11 countries in Latin America, with country-specific adjustments for gender, age, and education, where appropriate. METHOD The sample consisted of 3,977 healthy adults who were recruited from Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Cuba, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, and, Puerto Rico. Each subject was administered the ROCF as part of a larger neuropsychological battery. A standardized five-step statistical procedure was used to generate the norms. RESULTS The final multiple linear regression models explained 7-34% of the variance in ROCF copy scores and 21-41% of the variance in immediate recall scores. Although t-tests showed significant differences between men and women on ROCF copy and immediate recall scores, none of the countries had an effect size larger than 0.3. As a result, gender-adjusted norms were not generated. CONCLUSIONS The present study is the first to create norms for the ROCF in Latin America. As a result, this study will have important implications for the formation and practice of neuropsychology in this region.
PTZ camera-based adaptive panoramic and multi-layered background model

In this paper, we present a novel approach for constructing an adaptive panoramic and multi-layered background model for Pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) camera that provides fast registration of the observed frame and localizes the foreground targets with arbitrary camera position and scale (optical zoom). Our method consists of two stages. (1) An adaptive panoramic background mixture model is generated off-line for foreground detection. (2) A layered correspondence is generated off-line from frames captured at different optical zoom values of the camera, and a correspondence propagation method is used to register the observed frame with the panoramic background online. We demonstrate the advantages of the proposed adaptive panoramic and multi-layered background model within wide field of view (FOV) and over large scale range.
A framework for enhancing data reuse via associative reordering

The freedom to reorder computations involving associative operators has been widely recognized and exploited in designing parallel algorithms and to a more limited extent in optimizing compilers. In this paper, we develop a novel framework utilizing the associativity and commutativity of operations in regular loop computations to enhance register reuse. Stencils represent a particular class of important computations where the optimization framework can be applied to enhance performance. We show how stencil operations can be implemented to better exploit register reuse and reduce load/stores. We develop a multi-dimensional retiming formalism to characterize the space of valid implementations in conjunction with other program transformations. Experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of the framework on a collection of high-order stencils.
Regulation of Kinase Activity of 3-Phosphoinositide-dependent Protein Kinase-1 by Binding to 14-3-3*

3-Phosphoinositide-dependent protein kinase-1 (PDK1) plays a central role in activating the protein kinase A, G, and C subfamily. In particular, PDK1 plays an important role in regulating the Akt survival pathway by phosphorylating Akt on Thr-308. PDK1 kinase activity was thought to be constitutively active; however, recent reports suggested that its activity is regulated by binding to other proteins, such as protein kinase C-related kinase-2 (PRK2), p90 ribosomal protein S6 kinase-2 (RSK2), and heat-shock protein 90 (Hsp90). Here we report that PDK1 binds to 14-3-3 proteins in vivo and in vitrothrough the sequence surrounding Ser-241, a residue that is phosphorylated by itself and is critical for its kinase activity. Mutation of PDK1 to increase its binding to 14-3-3 decreased its kinase activity in vivo. By contrast, mutation of PDK1 to decrease its interaction with 14-3-3 resulted in increased PDK1 kinase activity. Moreover, incubation of wild-type PDK1 with recombinant 14-3-3in vitro decreased its kinase activity. These data indicate that PDK1 kinase activity is negatively regulated by binding to 14-3-3 through the PDK1 autophosphorylation site Ser-241.
Scribble Acts in the Drosophila Fat-Hippo Pathway to Regulate Warts Activity

Epithelial cells are the major cell-type for all organs in multicellular organisms. In order to achieve correct organ size, epithelial tissues need mechanisms that limit their proliferation, and protect tissues from damage caused by defective epithelial cells. Recently, the Hippo signaling pathway has emerged as a major mechanism that orchestrates epithelial development. Hippo signaling is required for cells to stop proliferation as in the absence of Hippo signaling tissues continue to proliferate and produce overgrown organs or tumors. Studies in Drosophila have led the way in providing a framework for how Hippo alters the pattern of gene transcription in target cells, leading to changes in cell proliferation, survival, and other behaviors. Scribble (Scrib) belongs to a class of neoplastic tumor suppressor genes that are required to establish apical-basal cell polarity. The disruption of apical-basal polarity leads to uncontrolled cell proliferation of epithelial cells. The interaction of apical basal polarity genes with the Hippo pathway has been an area of intense investigation. Loss of scrib has been known to affect Hippo pathway targets, however, its functions in the Hippo pathway still remain largely unknown. We investigated the interactions of Scrib with the Hippo pathway. We present data suggesting that Drosophila scrib acts downstream of the Fat (Ft) receptor, and requires Hippo signaling for its growth regulatory functions. We show that Ft requires Scrib to interact with Expanded (Ex) and Dachs (D), and for regulating Warts (Wts) levels and stability, thus placing Scrib in the Hippo pathway network.
The impact of self-avatars on trust and collaboration in shared virtual environments

A self-avatar is known to have a potentially significant impact on the user’s experience of the immersive content but it can also affect how users interact with each other in a shared virtual environment (SVE). We implemented an SVE for a consumer virtual reality system where each user’s body could be represented by a jointed self-avatar that was dynamically controlled by head and hand controllers. We investigated the impact of a self-avatar on collaborative outcomes such as completion time and trust formation during competitive and cooperative tasks. We used two different embodiment levels: no self-avatar and self-avatar, and compared these to an in-person face to face version of the tasks. We found that participants could finish the task more quickly when they cooperated than when they competed, for both the self-avatar condition and the face to face condition, but not for the no self-avatar condition. In terms of trust formation, both the self-avatar condition and the face to face condition led to higher scores than the no self-avatar condition; however, collaboration style had no significant effect on trust built between partners. The results are further evidence of the importance of a self-avatar representation in immersive virtual reality.
Integrating timetabling and vehicle scheduling in public bus transportation

The planning process for public bus transportation roughly consists of four steps: network route design, timetable generation, the generation of vehicle schedules and the generation of crew schedules. A lot of research has been done on optimizing the individual steps, but the integration of multiple steps has received less attention. However, this may lead to a more efficient planning. In this paper we present multiple integer linear programming models to integrate the timetable generation process and the vehicle scheduling process. The models are based on a time-space network with preprocessing steps. For the generation of arrival and departure times, these models are combined with local search. The models were implemented and tested on real life data sets from the Dutch bus company Connexxion. The results indicate that a significant reduction of the operational costs can be achieved by optimization of the type and number of vehicles performing a service trip and by splitting service trips. Using local search to change the departure and arrival times in the current timetable can save even more.
IGBT negative gate capacitance and related instability effects

For high collector voltages, Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistors (IGBTs) exhibit a negative gate capacitance. In this condition, a p-channel inversion layer is formed on the N-base surface. The positive charges in the p-channel induce negative charges in the MOS gate electrode. This results in a negative gate capacitance. As a consequence of this negative capacitance, IGBT operation is inherently unstable, leading to current redistribution between cells or even chips.
Low-cost fermions in classical field simulations

We discuss the possible extension of the bosonic classical field theory simulations to include fermions. This problem has been addressed in terms of the inhomogeneous mean-field approximation by Aarts and Smit. By performing a stochastic integration of an equivalent set of equations we can extend the original 1+1 dimensional calculations so that they become feasible in higher dimensions. We test the scheme in 2+1 dimensions and discuss some classical applications with fermions for the first time, such as the decay of oscillons.