Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Childhood obesity in pediatric patients with difficult-to-control asthma in a tertiary pediatric subspecialty clinic.

BACKGROUND Identifying clinical features associated with difficult-to-control asthma will help address overall control and more-effective asthma management. OBJECTIVE To evaluate our clinical observation that the proportion of patients who are overweight or obese is significantly higher in patients with difficult-to-control asthma than in patients with well-controlled asthma. METHODS This was a retrospective chart review of 400 patients, ages 5 to 18 years. Cases (n = 200) were identified as 100 subjects with difficult-to-control asthma and an inhaled corticosteroid dose of ≥1000 μg/day and 100 subjects with well-controlled asthma and an inhaled corticosteroid dose of ≤500 μg/day. The control group included 200 subjects without asthma. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to assess the relationships between asthma status and weight status, age, race, and sex. RESULTS The mean body mass index percentile (± standard deviation at 95% confidence interval) was significantly higher in the difficult-to-control asthma group versus the well-controlled asthma group versus the control group (74.66 ± 28.19 versus 54.25 ± 29.92 versus 55.19 ± 32.54; p < 0.001). Thirty-six percent of the difficult-to-control patients with asthma were obese (versus 6% of the patients with well-controlled asthma [p < 0.001] versus 13% of patients without asthma [p = 0.002]), and 47% normal weight (versus 79% of the patients with well-controlled asthma versus 75% of patients without asthma; p < 0.001). The mean age and the proportion of African Americans in the difficult-to-control asthma group were significantly higher than in the well-controlled asthma group and in the control group (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION The results of this study demonstrated a significant association between severe persistent difficult-to-control asthma and obesity, age, and race. Patients who are obese and have difficult-to-control asthma need treatment approaches that address both asthma control and weight management.
Pinioning non-agricultural birds

I READ the letter from the Chief Veterinary Officer on the pinioning of non-agricultural birds ( VR , July 13, 2013, vol 173, p 53) with total incredulity. What is the difference between pinioning agricultural and non-agricultural birds on welfare grounds? The reasons for pinioning waterfowl are exactly the same, as an effective way to keep birds in large areas, in this case ponds, so that they can …
The Use of Social Networking Sites (SNSs) in Health Communication Campaigns: Review and Recommendations

ABSTRACT The past decade has witnessed a rapid increase in the use of Social Networking Sites (SNSs) in health communication campaigns seeking to achieve an ambitious range of health-related impacts. This article provides a review of 40 studies and research protocols, with a focus on two key factors that differentiate SNSs from more traditional health communication approaches of the past. The first is the potential dualism between message sender and receiver, in which receivers become receiver-sources who forward and amplify the content and reach of health messages. The second is the potential dualism between message and message impact, in which the act of forwarding and modifying messages by receiver-sources itself becomes a measure of message impact. Each of these dualisms has implications for the design and evaluation of contemporary health communication campaigns. The review concludes with a series of observations and recommendations for future health communication research.
Robust Control of Excavation Mobile Robot with Dynamic Triangulation Vision

The problem of control system synthesis for excavation works autonomous mobile robot on the basis of the game approach is considered. Vision function and spatial orientation of the robot is realized by the dynamic triangulation laser vision system. It is assumed that the real state of the object belongs to the certain set of potential states in the form of polyhedron. Simulation results and functional ability analysis for the proposed control system are concluded.
Hydraulic control system and control block

Disclosed are a hydraulic control arrangement for controlling a hydraulic consumer and a running with at least one such a control arrangement mobile control block, wherein in the supply to the consumer and in the return flow from the consumer are each a Verntilschieber for adjusting the inflow and outflow cross-section is arranged. Two valve slides on the pump side is connected upstream of an individual pressure balance, via which the pressure medium flows to a vapor controlled by a valve spool supply measuring orifice.
Interaction mesh based motion adaptation for biped humanoid robots

Adapting human motion data for humanoid robots can be an efficient way to let them conduct specific tasks or perform visually intriguing movements. However adapting movements which involve close interactions between body parts / objects has been a difficult problem if we try to make the motions sufficiently similar to the original ones without causing undesired collisions and fall-overs. To solve this problem, we propose a novel motion adaptation system which can adapt full-body motions of a human to those by a biped humanoid robot. The system integrates the joint coordinate model and a dynamic balancing method with the interaction mesh based motion adaptation method, which is originally designed for character motions represented by marker positions in Cartesian coordinate.We present that the system can adapt human motion sequences that include close interactions between the arms for the biped humanoid robot HRP-4C, and the adapted motion can be stably performed in dynamics simulation.
c-Rel Promotes Invasion of Choriocarcinoma Cells via PI3K/AKT Signaling

Objective: Choriocarcinoma is the most common epithelial cancer among gestational trophoblastic diseases (GTDs); the mechanism of trophoblastic carcinogenesis is unknown. This study aimed to examine the expression of NF-κB family proteins in GTDs and placental tissues as well as the roles of c-Rel in choriocarcinoma. Methods: We examined the expression of NF-κB family proteins in normal placenta and hydatidiform mole tissues as well as extravillous trophoblast (EVT) and choriocarcinoma cell lines by Western blot and immunohistochemistry. Immunoprecipitation was performed to determine which proteins can bind with c-Rel in choriocarcinoma cells. To investigate the roles of c-Rel in choriocarcinoma, we examined the effects of c-Rel knockdown and overexpression on cell proliferation, migration, and invasion using small interfering RNAs and gene activation plasmid. Results: The expression of c-Rel was strong in choriocarcinoma and EVTs, but very weak in villi of normal placenta and hydatidiform mole. Immunoprecipitation suggested that c-Rel heterodimerizes with p65 in choriocarcinoma. c-Rel knockdown reduced invasion, migration, and AKT phosphorylation in choriocarcinoma cells. c-Rel overexpression in choriocarcinoma increased migratory and invasive abilities, and the effect on invasion was inhibited by a PI3K inhibitor. Conclusion: These findings suggest that c-Rel might play a role in promoting the invasion of choriocarcinoma cells through PI3K/AKT signaling.
Stock Selection as a Problem in Phylogenetics -- Evidence from the ASX

We report the results of fifteen sets of portfolio selection simulations using stocks in the ASX200 index for the period May 2000 to December 2013. We investigated five portfolio selection methods, random selection, selection within industrial groups, and three based on neighbor-Net phylogenetic networks. We report that using random, industrial groups, or neighbor-Net phylogenetic networks alone rarely produced statistically significant reduction in risk, though in four out of the five cases in which it did so, the portfolios selected using the phylogenetic networks had the lowest risk. However, we report that when using the neighbor-Net phylogenetic networks in combination with industry group selection that substantial reductions in portfolio return spread were achieved.
Prognosis in tumors of lymphoid tissue An analysis of 602 cases

OR many years i t has been realized that F certain lymphoid-tissue tumors have a better prognosis than others. Most subdivisions of classification have been based almost entirely on histological criteria. In a recent review of our series at Westminster Hospital, we undertook a careful study in an attempt to correlate histological and clinical findings, with particular reference to prognosis and patient management. For this purpose we extracted from our total series of 602 patients all those known to have survived more than five years. The number available for survey was 129. Before commencing a detailed review OF this material, it seems important to state briefly our views on pathogencsis and classification of this disease group. Most authorities interested in the problems associated with tumors of lymphoid tissue support Maximow’sI* conception of the multiple potentialities of the primitive mesenchymal cell. Such a theory has obvious importance when classification is considered, and the general hypothesis of an essential similarity of disease pattern among the various tumors arising from these cells is coming to be acceptcd. Most classifications have hitherto depended on a study of histology, and whereas there is general agreement on basic principles, considerable differences of opinion exist as to the interpretation of specific cellular appearances. Thus, at one extreme, Custer and Bernhard2 suggested that % rigid subclassification of lymphatic tumors is artificial and confusing“ in view of transitions and combinations of histological appearances that they found.
A Framework For Evaluating Visual SLAM

Performance analysis in the field of camera-based simultaneous localisation and mapping (Visual SLAM, VSLAM) is still an unsolved problem. For VSLAM systems, there is a lack of generally accepted performance measures, test frameworks, and benchmark problems. Most researchers test by visually inspecting their systems on recorded image sequences, or measuring accuracy on simulated data of simplified point-cloud-like environments. Both approaches have their disadvantages. Recorded sequences lack ground truth. Simulations tend to oversimplify low-level aspects of the problem. In this paper, we propose to evaluate VSLAM systems on rendered image sequences. The intention is to move simulations towards more realistic conditions while still having ground truth. For this purpose, we provide a complete and extensible framework which addresses all aspects, from rendering to ground truth generation and automated evaluation. To illustrate the usefulness of this framework, we provide experimental results assessing the benefit of feature normal estimation and subpixel accurate matching on sequences with and without motion blur.
Behavioral genetics and the punishment of crime.

B ehavioral genetics would seem to have little impact on the daily work of most mental health professionals , attorneys, judges, and others involved in the criminal justice system. Arcane research findings, often not replicated, that suggest some link between genes and the propensity to commit criminal acts are currently of dubious relevance to a system that struggles simply to provide basic justice to a complex mix of criminal defendants. Recent research findings, however, suggest that behavioral genetics may be the next frontier for the world of criminal justice, and mental health professionals are likely to play a critical role in helping the courts make sense of the new data. Of course, claims that hereditary factors play a causal role in the gen-esis of criminal behavior are hardly new. Late 19th-and early 20th-century theories of crime relied heavily on now-discredited beliefs that offenders who manifested hereditary degeneration, which was believed to be apparent by their physiognomy and low intelligence, were responsible for a majority of criminal acts (1). In the 1960s and 1970s men who carried an extra Y chromosome—the so-called XYY syndrome—were thought to be at increased risk of violence , another subsequently dis-proven contention (2). The latest findings on a connection between genetic predispositions and violent crime, however, are much more sophisticated and are already stirring considerable interest in the legal literature. A 1993 report in the respected journal Science described a Dutch kindred in which several males exhibited a syndrome of borderline mental retardation and " abnormal behavior, including disturbed regulation of impulsive aggression " (3). They were found to have a complete absence of activity of the enzyme monoamine oxidase A (MAOA), which breaks down many of the brain's key neurotransmitters. Genetic analysis revealed that the affected men carried a mutation on the X chromosome in the gene that codes for MAOA. As intriguing as this finding was, it seemed to be of limited import for a general understanding of genetic factors affecting violence, because complete absence of MAOA activity was clearly rare. Just under a decade later, however, Science published another paper that extended the scope of the MAOA findings. This time the data came from a major longitudinal study of a birth cohort of 1,037 children in Dunedin, New Zealand. The participants had first been assessed at three years of age and had just completed their ninth follow-up at the age of 26 years …
Host and Viral Modulation of RIG-I-Mediated Antiviral Immunity

Innate immunity is the first line of defense against invading pathogens. Rapid and efficient detection of pathogen-associated molecular patterns via pattern-recognition receptors is essential for the host to mount defensive and protective responses. Retinoic acid-inducible gene-I (RIG-I) is critical in triggering antiviral and inflammatory responses for the control of viral replication in response to cytoplasmic virus-specific RNA structures. Upon viral RNA recognition, RIG-I recruits the mitochondrial adaptor protein mitochondrial antiviral signaling protein, which leads to a signaling cascade that coordinates the induction of type I interferons (IFNs), as well as a large variety of antiviral interferon-stimulated genes. The RIG-I activation is tightly regulated via various posttranslational modifications for the prevention of aberrant innate immune signaling. By contrast, viruses have evolved mechanisms of evasion, such as sequestrating viral structures from RIG-I detections and targeting receptor or signaling molecules for degradation. These virus–host interactions have broadened our understanding of viral pathogenesis and provided insights into the function of the RIG-I pathway. In this review, we summarize the recent advances regarding RIG-I pathogen recognition and signaling transduction, cell-intrinsic control of RIG-I activation, and the viral antagonism of RIG-I signaling.
Mechanism of Fluconazole Resistance in Candida albicans Biofilms: Phase-Specific Role of Efflux Pumps and Membrane Sterols

ABSTRACT Candida albicans biofilms are formed through three distinct developmental phases and are associated with high fluconazole (FLU) resistance. In the present study, we used a set of isogenic Candida strains lacking one or more of the drug efflux pumps Cdr1p, Cdr2p, and Mdr1p to determine their role in FLU resistance of biofilms. Additionally, variation in sterol profile as a possible mechanism of drug resistance was investigated. Our results indicate that parent and mutant strains formed similar biofilms. However, biofilms formed by double and triple mutants were more susceptible to FLU at 6 h (MIC = 64 and 16 μg/ml, respectively) than the wild-type strain (MIC > 256 μg/ml). At later time points (12 and 48 h), all the strains became resistant to this azole (MIC ≥ 256 μg/ml), indicating lack of involvement of efflux pumps in resistance at late stages of biofilm formation. Northern blot analyses revealed that Candida biofilms expressed CDR and MDR1 genes in all the developmental phases, while planktonic cells expressed these genes only at the 12- and 48-h time points. Functionality of efflux pumps was assayed by rhodamine (Rh123) efflux assays, which revealed significant differences in Rh123 retention between biofilm and planktonic cells at the early phase (P = 0.0006) but not at later stages (12 and 48 h). Sterol analyses showed that ergosterol levels were significantly decreased (P < 0.001) at intermediate and mature phases, compared to those in early-phase biofilms. These studies suggest that multicomponent, phase-specific mechanisms are operative in antifungal resistance of fungal biofilms.
The promises and problems of transpulmonary pressure measurements in acute respiratory distress syndrome

Purpose of review The optimal strategy for assessing and preventing ventilator-induced lung injury in the acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is controversial. Recent investigative efforts have focused on personalizing ventilator settings to individual respiratory mechanics. This review examines the strengths and weaknesses of using transpulmonary pressure measurements to guide ventilator management in ARDS. Recent findings Recent clinical studies suggest that adjusting ventilator settings based on transpulmonary pressure measurements is feasible, may improve oxygenation, and reduce ventilator-induced lung injury. Summary The measurement of transpulmonary pressure relies upon esophageal manometry, which requires the acceptance of several assumptions and potential errors. Notably, this includes the ability of localized esophageal pressures to represent global pleural pressure. Recent investigations demonstrated improved oxygenation in ARDS patients when positive end-expiratory pressure was adjusted to target specific end-inspiratory or end-expiratory transpulmonary pressures. However, there are different methods for estimating transpulmonary pressure and different goals for positive end-expiratory pressure titration among recent studies. More research is needed to refine techniques for the estimation and utilization of transpulmonary pressure to guide ventilator settings in ARDS patients.
TCP-Friendly Rate Control with Token Bucket for VoIP Congestion Control

TCP Friendly Rate Control (TFRC) is a congestion control algorithm that provides a smooth transmission rate for real-time network applications. TFRC refrains from halving the sending rate on every packet drop, instead it is adjusted as a function of the loss rate during a single round trip time. TFRC has been proven to be fair when competing with TCP flows over congested links, but it lacks quality-of-service parameters to improve the performance of real-time traffic. A problem with TFRC is that it uses additive increase to adjust the sending rate during periods with no congestion. This leads to short term congestion that can degrade the quality of voice applications. We propose two changes to TFRC that improve the performance of VoIP applications. Our implementation, TFRC with Token Bucket (TFRC-TB), uses discrete calculated bit rates based on audio codec bandwidth usage to increase the sending rate. Also, it uses a token bucket to control the sending rate during congestion periods. We have used ns2, the network simulator, to compare our implementation to TFRC in a wide range of network conditions. Our results suggest that TFRC-TB can provide a quality of service (QoS) mechanism to voice applications while competing fairly with other traffic over congested links.
Design and Analysis of LT Codes with Decreasing Ripple Size

In this paper we propose a new design of LT codes, which decreases the amount of necessary overhead in comparison to existing designs. The design focuses on a parameter of the LT decoding process called the ripple size. This parameter was also a key element in the design proposed in the original work by Luby. Specifically, Luby argued that an LT code should provide a constant ripple size during decoding. In this work we show that the ripple size should decrease during decoding, in order to reduce the necessary overhead. Initially we motivate this claim by analytical results related to the redundancy within an LT code. We then propose a new design procedure, which can provide any desired achievable decreasing ripple size. The new design procedure is evaluated and compared to the current state of the art through simulations. This reveals a significant increase in performance with respect to both average overhead and error probability at any fixed overhead.
Resonant-Tunneling Diode and its Application to Multi-GHz Analog-to-Digital Converters

Characteristic features of resonant-tunneling diode (RTD) and a goal of RTD-based IC technology are discussed. Our recent results on RTD-based analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) are then presented. These include designs of a 5-bit 10-GHz flash ADC and a bandpass continuous-time delta-sigma modulator with a center frequency of 500 MHz, which show high potential of RTD-based ultrahigh-speed circuits.
The Karlsruhe Institute of Technology Systems for the News Translation Task in WMT 2018

We present our experiments in the scope of the news translation task in WMT 2018, in directions: English→German. The core of our systems is the encoder-decoder based neural machine translation models using the transformer architecture. We enhanced the model with a deeper architecture. By using techniques to limit the memory consumption, we were able to train models that are 4 times larger on one GPU and improve the performance by 1.2 BLEU points. Furthermore, we performed sentence selection for the newly available ParaCrawl corpus. Thereby, we could improve the effectiveness of the corpus by 0.5 BLEU points.
Impact of HLA Compatibility on Lung Transplant Survival and Evidence for an HLA Restriction Phenomenon: A Collaborative Transplant Study Report

Background. Data concerning the impact of human leukocyte antigen (HLA) compatibility on lung transplant survival rates are limited. Methods. Using the Collaborative Transplant Study database, 5-year graft outcome according to HLA mismatch was examined in 8020 deceased donor lung transplants performed during 1989 to 2009. Results. Graft survival rates showed a stepwise decrease as the combined number of HLA-A+B+DR mismatches increased from one to six (P<0.001). Surprisingly, the 28 grafts with 0 mismatches at all 3 loci had a 1-year survival rate of only 49.7%, significantly lower than for 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 mismatches (P=0.002, <0.001, <0.001, <0.001, 0.002, and 0.003, respectively). Multivariate regression analysis confirmed that, paradoxically, transplantation of grafts with zero HLA-A+B+DR mismatches was associated with a 19% increase in relative risk of failure. Donor lung preservation for up to 12 hr was not associated with inferior graft survival versus shorter preservation times (P=0.60). Conclusions. Our data show that a high number of HLA mismatches or zero mismatches impacts unfavorably on lung transplant survival.
Reachability Using Arbitrary Performance Indices

The problem of optimal reachability set computation with alternate performance indices and independent parameters for smooth value functions is motivated and examined. A General Independent Parameter Hamilton Jacobi Bellman PDE formulation is derived and an independent parameter mapping function is defined. Performance index metric properties are leveraged to define Generalized Metric Range Sets. For Newtonian systems it is shown that singular independent parameter mappings can be circumvented using constants of motion. Finally, the motivating problem is solved using the central results of this technical note to generate free-time, Δν-constrained orbital metric range sets.