Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Two Dimensional Array of Piezoresistive Nanomechanical Membrane-Type Surface Stress Sensor(MSS) with Improved Sensitivity

We present a new generation of piezoresistive nanomechanical Membrane-type Surface stress Sensor(MSS) chips, which consist of a two dimensional array of MSS on a single chip. The implementation of several optimization techniques in the design and microfabrication improved the piezoresistive sensitivity by 3∼4 times compared to the first generation MSS chip, resulting in a sensitivity about ∼100 times better than a standard cantilever-type sensor and a few times better than optical read-out methods in terms of experimental signal-to-noise ratio. Since the integrated piezoresistive read-out of the MSS can meet practical requirements, such as compactness and not requiring bulky and expensive peripheral devices, the MSS is a promising transducer for nanomechanical sensing in the rapidly growing application fields in medicine, biology, security, and the environment. Specifically, its system compactness due to the integrated piezoresistive sensing makes the MSS concept attractive for the instruments used in mobile applications. In addition, the MSS can operate in opaque liquids, such as blood, where optical read-out techniques cannot be applied.
Fast precision estimation in high‐dimensional multivariate joint models

A fast way is proposed based on the multiple outputation idea (Hoffman et al., ; Follmann et al., ) to calculate the precision of parameter estimates for high‐dimensional multivariate joint models using a pairwise approach (Fieuws and Verbeke, ; Fieuws et al., ). Simulation results as well as data analysis shows possibly more than 2500 times faster computations using the proposed method. In our real data illustration, the time gain is more than 330 times.
Plasma lipid peroxides: relationships to cardiovascular risk factors and prevalent cardiovascular disease.

BACKGROUND The epidemiology of plasma lipid peroxides, which may play a role in atherogenesis, has not been well defined. AIM To study the relationships of plasma lipid peroxides to cardiovascular risk factors in a random population sample. DESIGN Random, age- and sex-stratified population sample. METHODS We studied 739 men and women aged 25-74 years. Lipid peroxides were assayed by the thiobarbituric acid (TBA) assay for malondialdehyde (MDA) in stored plasma samples. RESULTS Lipid peroxide levels increased with age. In men, lipid peroxides were significantly associated with smoking habit. Lipid peroxides correlated with non-fasting serum triglycerides (r = 0.33; p < 0.0001) in both sexes. Weaker associations were observed for cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (inversely), body mass index, fibrinogen and white cell count; as well as an inverse association with serum vitamin C in men. DISCUSSION These findings clarify the relationships of plasma lipid peroxides to cardiovascular risk factors; and are consistent with the hypothesis that lipid peroxidation may be one mechanism through which several risk factors may promote cardiovascular disease.
A Brain Imaging Study of Procedural Choice

We study the behavior of subjects facing choices between certain, risky, partially ambiguous, and ambiguous lotteries in an experimentally controlled environment. Our observations are the choice behavior, the response time, and the brain activations of the subjects. Choices were simple enough to insure consistent behavior with small amount of noise. The behavioral evidence supports the idea that subjects face the choice task as an estimation of the value of the two lotteries and that some measure of the difficulty of the choice provides an important explanatory variable (together with risk and ambiguity aversion) for the observed behavior. The Neuro-imaging data suggest that the estimation is of approximate nature, and involves mental faculties that are independent of language and shared by all mammals. The regions in the brain that are activated are not located in frontal structures, which are known to be involved in planning, but in parietal regions typically involved in approximate calculations. The time to decide is shorter for seemingly harder choices, a Þnding that suggests the need for new models of the allocation of effort in the choice process. Emotional factors seem to play a minor role in the choice.
Therapeutic Effect of Korean Red Ginseng Extract on Infertility Caused by Polycystic Ovaries

Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is a very common endocrine disorder in women of reproductive age. Nerve growth factor (NGF) may be involved in the pathogenesis of PCOS. In this study, we investigated the effect of Korean red ginseng extract (KRGE) on the ovarian morphology and NGF expression in an estradiol valerate (EV)-induced rat model. Polycystic ovaries were induced by a single intramuscular injection of estadiol valerate (4 mg, dissolved in sesame oil) in adult cycling rats. KRGE was administered orally (200 mg/kg body weight/day) for 60 consecutive days, beginning 60 days after the induction. Ovarian morphology was almost normalized and NGF was normalized in the EV+KRGE group. KRGE lowered the high numbers of antral follicles and increased the number of corpora lutea in the polycystic ovaries. The results are consistent with a beneficial effect of KRGE in the treatment of PCOS.
Clinical practice guidelines for first-line/after-relapse treatment of patients with follicular lymphoma

Key points and recommendations Follicular lymphoma is a subgroup of non-Hodgkin lymphomas of B-cell origin, characterized by a pattern of remissions and continued relapses. It is the second most common type of lymphoid cancer in Western Europe, representing 22–40% of non-Hodgkin lymphomas. The annual incidence of the disease has increased in recent decades. At this time, and with the arrival of new treatment options, patients’ outcomes have significantly improved. It is therefore essential to standardize recommendations for the treatment and follow-up of patients with follicular lymphoma, in each clinical scenario. Searches were performed in Medline (PubMed, 1966–present) and The Cochrane Library, using MeSH (Medical Subject Headings) terms whenever possible. The best scientific evidence was obtained from selected randomized studies and meta-analyses. For recommendations where there was no scientific evidence, the consensus of clinical experts was obtained regarding clinical and therapeutic attitudes to improve the treatment of these patients. Recommendations are compiled according to: (i) induction treatment in first-line; (ii) post-induction treatment in first-line; (iii) rescue treatment after relapse; (iv) post-induction treatment in relapse and (v) subsequent treatments. There are different recommendations for each group. They take into account different variables, such as therapeutic options, patient follow-up, laboratory and imaging data, previous response and special groups. The recommendations contained in this guide have been assigned different grades (A, B, C and D), depending on the level of evidence on which they are based (where there is no scientific evidence, they follow the consensus of Good Clinical Practice: see the Appendix). These guidelines provide healthcare professionals with updated and consensual tools for the better management of patients with follicular lymphoma.
Heavy and excited leptons in the OPAL detector

This M.Sc. thesis describes a search for exotic leptons. The search has been performed using data from the OPAL detector at the Large Electron Positron collider at CERN. The total integrated luminosity was 663 pb$^{-1}$ with center of mass energies in the range of 183-209 GeV. The work has been concentrated on the study of production of heavy leptons via the charged current channel and disintegration of the $W$ into two quarks. In particular, single production of heavy leptons in the mass region 100-170 GeV has been extensively studied. No evidence for any new particles has been found. The results translate into upper limits on the mixing between the heavy and the ordinary lepton for different heavy lepton masses. The limits on the mixing angles are generally improved in comparison with the nominal value $\zeta^2\sim 0.005$.
Instantaneous and local wavenumber estimations for damage quantification in composites

The continued and expanded use of composite materials in aerospace applications necessitates structural health monitoring and/or nondestructive evaluation techniques that can provide quantitative and detailed damage information for layered plate-like components (such as composite laminates). Guided wavefield methods are at the basis of a number of promising techniques for the detection and the characterization of damage in plate-like structures. Among the processing techniques that have been proposed for guided wavefield analysis, the estimation of instantaneous and local wavenumbers can lead to effective metrics that quantify the size and the depth of delaminations in composite laminates. This article reports the application of both instantaneous and local wavenumber damage quantification techniques to guided wavefield data for delaminated composite laminates. The techniques are applied to experimental data for a simple single delamination case and to simulated data for a more complex multi-ply delamination case. The two techniques are compared in terms of accuracy in damage characterization and computational demand. The proposed methodologies can be considered as steps toward a hybrid structural health monitoring/nondestructive evaluation approach for damage assessment in composites.
Primary mouse myoblast purification, characterization, and transplantation for cell-mediated gene therapy

The transplantation of cultured myoblasts into mature skeletal muscle is the basis for a new therapeutic approach to muscle and non-muscle diseases: myoblast-mediated gene therapy. The success of myoblast transplantation for correction of intrinsic muscle defects depends on the fusion of implanted cells with host myofibers. Previous studies in mice have been problematic because they have involved transplantation of established myogenic cell lines or primary muscle cultures. Both of these cell populations have disadvantages: myogenic cell lines are tumorigenic, and primary cultures contain a substantial percentage of non-myogenic cells which will not fuse to host fibers. Furthermore, for both cell populations, immune suppression of the host has been necessary for long-term retention of transplanted cells. To overcome these difficulties, we developed novel culture conditions that permit the purification of mouse myoblasts from primary cultures. Both enriched and clonal populations of primary myoblasts were characterized in assays of cell proliferation and differentiation. Primary myoblasts were dependent on added bFGF for growth and retained the ability to differentiate even after 30 population doublings. The fate of the pure myoblast populations after transplantation was monitored by labeling the cells with the marker enzyme beta-galactosidase (beta-gal) using retroviral mediated gene transfer. Within five days of transplantation into muscle of mature mice, primary myoblasts had fused with host muscle cells to form hybrid myofibers. To examine the immunobiology of primary myoblasts, we compared transplanted cells in syngeneic and allogeneic hosts. Even without immune suppression, the hybrid fibers persisted with continued beta-gal expression up to six months after myoblast transplantation in syngeneic hosts. In allogeneic hosts, the implanted cells were completely eliminated within three weeks. To assess tumorigenicity, primary myoblasts and myoblasts from the C2 myogenic cell line were transplanted into immunodeficient mice. Only C2 myoblasts formed tumors. The ease of isolation, growth, and transfection of primary mouse myoblasts under the conditions described here expand the opportunities to study muscle cell growth and differentiation using myoblasts from normal as well as mutant strains of mice. The properties of these cells after transplantation--the stability of resulting hybrid myofibers without immune suppression, the persistence of transgene expression, and the lack of tumorigenicity-- suggest that studies of cell-mediated gene therapy using primary myoblasts can now be broadly applied to mouse models of human muscle and non-muscle diseases.
A novel scoring system for prediction of esophageal varices in critically ill patients

Background and aims Patients with advanced systemic illness or critically ill patients may present with upper gastrointestinal tract (GIT) bleeding which may need endoscopic intervention; however, this may expose them to unnecessary endoscopy. The aim was to validate a novel scoring system for risk stratification for urgency of GIT endoscopy in critically ill patients. Methods This is an observational study conducted from January 2013 to January 2016 to analyze 300 patients with critical medical conditions and presenting with upper gastrointestinal bleeding. Meticulous clinical, laboratory, and sonographic evaluations were performed to calculate Glasgow Blatchford score (GBS) and variceal metric score for risk stratification and prediction of the presence of esophageal varices (OV). Finally, this score was applied on a validation group (n=100). Results The use of GBS and variceal metric scores in critically ill patients revealed that patients who showed a low risk score value for OV (0–4 points) and GBS <2 can be treated conservatively and discharged safely without urgent endoscopy. In patients with a low risk for varices but GBS >2, none of them had OV on endoscopy. In patients with intermediate risk score value for OV (5–8 points) and with GBS >2, 33.33% of them had varices on endoscopy. In patients with high risk score value for varices (9–13) and GBS >2, endoscopy revealed varices in 94.4% of them. Finally, in patients with very high risk score for varices (14–17), endoscopy revealed varices in 100% of them. Conclusion GBS and variceal metric score were highly efficacious in identifying critically ill patients who will benefit from therapeutic endoscopic intervention.
Deformation behaviour of electrodeposited nanocrystalline Ni with broad grain size distribution

Abstract In the present work, nanocrystalline Ni (nc-Ni) with a broad grain size distribution (BGSD) of 5–120 nm and an average grain size of 27·2 nm was prepared. The BGSD nc-Ni sample shows a similar strength and good ductility in comparison with electrodeposited nc-Ni with a narrow grain size distribution. The intracrystalline dislocation network was observed in the post-deformed microstructure confirming the conventional intracrystalline dislocation sliding mechanism in BGSD nc-Ni. The uniaxial tensile loading–unloading–loading deformation shows BGSD nc-Ni has the capability to store dislocations in the grain interior, which is very limited compared with that of coarse grained metals. For BGSD nc-Ni, the strain rate sensitivity of flow stress m enhances with decreasing strain rate. At the strain rate of 5 × 10−6 s−1, m was estimated to be 0·055. At the corresponding strain rate, the enhanced ductility along with the decreased strength was achievable, indicating activation of other deformation mechanisms, e.g. grain boundary sliding or diffusion.
Direct versus predilatation drug-eluting stenting: a randomized clinical trial.

BACKGROUND Direct stenting without balloon predilatation has been shown to be feasible and safe with drug-eluting stents, but no randomized comparisons between the two strategies exist. This study was designed to compare direct stenting with balloon predilatation followed by stent placement using only drug-eluting stents. METHODS One hundred and sixty-six consecutive coronary lesions in 95 consenting patients (mean age 59 +/- 11 years; 12 women) were randomly assigned to direct stenting (n = 88), or balloon predilatation followed by stenting (n = 78), using sirolimus- or paclitaxel-eluting stents. RESULTS All procedures were uneventful. Crossover to balloon predilatation was necessary in 6 (7%) lesions randomized to direct stenting. During a 12-month follow up period, ischemia-driven angiography was performed in 13 patients. By intention to treat analysis, target lesion revascularization was required in 4 lesions, all of which were randomized to the predilatation group (p = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS Direct stenting was feasible in up to 93% of attempted lesions. A strategy of direct stenting resulted in a significantly lower rate of target lesion revascularization over a 12-month follow-up period compared to balloon predilatation followed by stenting.
Robustness of a gene regulatory circuit

Complex interacting systems exhibit system behavior that is often not predictable from the properties of the component parts. We have tested a particular system property, that of robustness. The behavior of a system is termed robust if that behavior is qualitatively normal in the face of substantial changes to the system components. Here we test whether the behavior of the phage λ gene regulatory circuitry is robust. This circuitry can exist in two alternative patterns of gene expression, and can switch from one regulatory state to the other. These states are stabilized by the action at the OR region of two regulatory proteins, CI and Cro, which bind with differential affinities to the OR1 and OR3 sites, such that each represses the synthesis of the other one. In this work, this pattern of binding was altered by making three mutant phages in which OR1 and OR3 were identical. These variants had the same qualitative in vivo patterns of gene expression as wild type. We conclude that the behavior of the λ circuitry is highly robust. Based on these and other results, we propose a two‐step pathway, in which robustness plays a key role, for evolution of complex regulatory circuitry.
Calcitriol reduces the occurrence of acute cellular rejection of liver transplants: a prospective controlled study.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the acute cellular rejection rate of liver transplant recipients taking or not taking calcitriol in a prospective, randomized, controlled clinical study. METHODS Primary liver transplant patients were randomized to receive the placebo (arm A), calcium gluconate (arm B) or calcium gluconate plus calcitriol (arm C). The composition of circulating T cell subpopulations was determined by flow cytometry at baseline and one week post transplant. The primary endpoint was acute cellular rejection rate at one month post transplant. RESULTS Seventy-five liver transplant recipients were eligible, including 25 patients each in arm A, B and arm C. The mean baseline serum 25-(OH) vitamin D content was 12.5 +/- 3.0 (range, 2.5 to 19.5) ng/mL, with no statistical difference among the three arms. Among 7 (9.33%) patients who developed definite acute cellular rejection (Banff score > or = 6), only 1 (4%, 1/25) were from arm C while 6 (12%, 6/50) of them were from either arm A or B. The acute cellular rejection rate was 20% (5/25) for arm C, 32% (8/25) for arm A and 28% (7/25) for arm B (arm C vs. arm A or B, P < 0.05). Flow cytometric analysis showed that the proportion of circulating CD4+ CD25(high) CD(127-)(Treg) cells in arm C increased by 63.22% at one week post transplant (3.95 +/- 4.0%) compared to baseline (2.42 +/- 2.35%) (P < 0.05). No significant difference was observed in arm A or B (P > 0.05 in both vs. baseline). Furthermore, no significant difference was noted among the three arms in the proportion of CD4(+)CD45RA(-)CD45RO(+), CD4(+)CD25(low)CD45RA(+) and CD4(+)CD25(low)CD45RA(-) T cells at one week post transplant compared to baseline. CONCLUSION Calcitriol has apparent beneficial effect on acute cellular rejection of liver transplants, which may be associated with increases in the proportion of circulating Treg cells.
Patient Trust in Physicians and Shared Decision-Making Among African-Americans With Diabetes

This study explores patient trust in physicians and its relationship to shared decision-making (SDM) among African-Americans with diabetes (types 1 and 2). We conducted a series of focus groups (n = 27) and in-depth interviews (n = 24). Topic guides were developed utilizing theoretical constructs. Each interview was audiotaped and transcribed verbatim. Each transcript was independently coded by two randomly assigned members of the research team; codes and themes were identified in an iterative fashion utilizing Atlas.ti software. The mean age of study participants was 62 years and 85% were female. We found that (1) race as a social construct has the potential to influence key domains of patient trust (interpersonal/relationship aspects and medical skills/technical competence), (2) the relationship between patient trustand shared decision-making is bidirectional in nature, and (3) enhancing patient trust may potentially increase or decrease SDM among African-Americans with diabetes. Mistrust of physicians among African-Americans with diabetes may partially be addressed through (1) patient education efforts, (2) physician training in interpersonal skills and cultural competence, and (3) physician efforts to engage patients in SDM. To help enhance patient outcomes among African-Americans with diabetes, physicians might consider incorporating strategies to simultaneously engender their patients' trust and encourage shared decision-making.
Bifurcation analysis of delay-induced resonances of the El-Niño Southern Oscillation

Models of global climate phenomena of low to intermediate complexity are very useful for providing an understanding at a conceptual level. An important aspect of such models is the presence of a number of feedback loops that feature considerable delay times, usually due to the time it takes to transport energy (for example, in the form of hot/cold air or water) around the globe. In this paper, we demonstrate how one can perform a bifurcation analysis of the behaviour of a periodically forced system with delay in dependence on key parameters. As an example, we consider the El-Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO), which is a sea-surface temperature (SST) oscillation on a multi-year scale in the basin of the Pacific Ocean. One can think of ENSO as being generated by an interplay between two feedback effects, one positive and one negative, which act only after some delay that is determined by the speed of transport of SST anomalies across the Pacific. We perform here a case study of a simple delayed-feedback oscillator model for ENSO, which is parametrically forced by annual variation. More specifically, we use numerical bifurcation analysis tools to explore directly regions of delay-induced resonances and other stability boundaries in this delay-differential equation model for ENSO.
Social Search With Missing Data: Which Ranking Algorithm?

Online social networking tools are extremely popular, but can miss potential discoveries latent in the social 'fabric'. Matchmaking services which can do naive profile matching with old database technology are too brittle in the absence of key data, and even modern ontological markup, though powerful, can be onerous at data-input time. In this paper, we present a system called BuddyFinder which can automatically identify buddies who can best match a user's search requirements specified in a term-based query, even in the absence of stored user-profiles. We deploy and compare five statistical measures, namely, our own CORDER, mutual information (MI), phi-squared, improved MI and Z score, and two TF/IDF based baseline methods to find online users who best match the search requirements based on 'inferred profiles' of these users in the form of scavenged web pages. These measures identify statistically significant relationships between online users and a term-based query. Our user evaluation on two groups of users shows that BuddyFinder can find users highly relevant to search queries, and that CORDER achieved the best average ranking correlations among all seven algorithms and improved the performance of both baseline methods.