Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Gender difference in adrenal sensitivity to ACTH is abolished in type 2 diabetes

Objective Dysfunction of the hypothalamus–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis has been implicated in type 2 diabetes (T2D). The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of T2D and gender on the HPA axis. Methods Synthetic ACTH (1 μg) was administered to 21 subjects with T2D (age 62 (54–70) years, 11 men/ten women, HbA1c 49±2 mmol/mol, treated with diet or oral antidiabetic drugs) and 38 controls (age 58 (41–67) years, 20 men/18 women). Fasting basal B-glucose, serum cortisol, insulin, IGF1 and IGFBP1 concentrations were measured, and sampling for all but IGF1 was repeated 30, 60, and 90 min after ACTH injection. Patients took 0.25 mg dexamethasone at 2200–2300 h and returned the next morning for the measurement of serum cortisol concentration. Design Cross-sectional study. Results Patients with T2D had similar fasting serum cortisol, IGF1 and IGFBP1 concentrations; however, serum cortisol concentration after administration of dexamethasone did not differ between the groups. Healthy women exhibited higher peak cortisol levels compared with healthy men (675±26 vs 582±21 nmol/l, P=0.014), while the peak levels were equally high in men and women with T2D, resulting in a higher peak level in men with T2D compared with healthy men (691±42 vs 582±21 nmol/l, P=0.024). Serum cortisol concentration after administration of dexamethasone did not differ between the groups, nor did IGF1 and IGFBP1. Novelty of the findings Some studies have previously indicated disturbed regulation of the hypothalamus–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis in subjects with type 2 diabetes (T2D); however, much remains unknown in this area. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to show that the gender difference in the adrenal response to ACTH (with greater reactivity in women) is abolished in T2D. While the clinical implications cannot be determined by this paper, it is known that gender differences exist in the pathogenesis and complications of T2D. Thus, our findings suggest that further research into gender differences in the HPA axis is warranted. Conclusions Gender differences in adrenal response to ACTH were abolished in T2D. Men with T2D had a higher peak cortisol compared with controls. Further studies are needed to elucidate the clinical implications.
Clinical predictive value of in vitro anticancer drug sensitivity test for the therapeutic effect of adjuvant chemotherapy in patients with stage II–III colorectal cancer

Clinically useful predictors of the efficacy of adjuvant chemotherapy following curative colorectal surgery remain to be determined. In the present study, we investigated the clinical utility of the collagen gel droplet-embedded culture drug sensitivity test (CD-DST) as a predictor of the therapeutic response to 5-fluorouracil (5-FU)-based adjuvant chemo-therapy in patients with stage II–III colorectal cancer. CD-DST was conducted using tumor samples surgically obtained from 189 patients. The therapeutic effect of 5-FU-based regimens between high (high-group) and low (low-group) sensitivity groups and a group that did not receive chemotherapy [CTx(-) group] was compared. CD-DST was successfully performed in 151 out of the 189 patients (79.9%), 87 of whom received 5-FU-based adjuvant chemotherapy after surgery. Twenty-seven of these 87 patients (31.0%) were classified as the high-group and the remaining 60 (69.0%) as the low-group. The 5-year recurrence-free survival (RFS) in the high-group was significantly higher compared to that in the low- and the CTx(-) groups. No differences in the 5-year RFS were observed between the low- and CTx(-) groups. In conclusion, CD-DST appears to be useful for predicting the therapeutic response to 5-FU-based adjuvant chemotherapy in patients with stage II-III colorectal cancer.
Ch 3 Nh 3 Pbi 3 Perovskite / Silicon Tandem Solar Cells: Characterization Based Optical Simulations

In this study we analyze and discuss the optical properties of various tandem architectures: mechanically stacked (four-terminal) and monolithically integrated (two-terminal) tandem devices, consisting of a methyl ammonium lead triiodide (CH 3 NH 3 PbI 3) perovskite top solar cell and a crystalline silicon bottom solar cell. We provide layer thickness optimization guidelines and give estimates of the maximum tandem efficiencies based on state-of-the-art sub cells. We use experimental complex refractive index spectra for all involved materials as input data for an in-house developed optical simulator CROWM. Our characterization based simulations forecast that with optimized layer thicknesses the four-terminal configuration enables efficiencies over 30%, well above the current single-junction crystalline silicon cell record of 25.6%. Efficiencies over 30% can also be achieved with a two-terminal monolithic integration of the sub-cells, combined with proper selection of layer thicknesses. Analysis of tandem solar cell efficiencies under AM1.5G spectrum using a rapid flux calculation method, " Prog. Recent progress on tandem structured dye-sensitized solar cells, " Front. Optoelectron. polymer solar cells featuring a spectrally matched low-bandgap polymer, " Nat. Tandem colloidal quantum dot solar cells employing a graded recombination layer, " Nat. Evaluation of external quantum efficiency of a 12.35% tandem solar cell comprising dye-sensitized and CIGS solar cells, " Sol. High efficiency inorganic/organic hybrid tandem solar cells, " Adv.transparent perovskite solar cells for tandems with silicon and CIGS, " Energy Environ. Organic-inorganic halide perovskite/crystalline silicon four-terminal tandem solar cells, " Phys. Perovskite-kesterite monolithic tandem solar cells with high open-circuit voltage, " Appl. Efficient hybrid solar cells based on meso-superstructured organometal halide perovskites,Methoxy substituents in spiro-OMeTAD for efficient inorganic-organic hybrid perovskite solar cells, " J. Pyramidal surface textures for light trapping and antireflection in perovskite-on-silicon tandem solar cells, " Opt. " Complex refractive index of methyl ammonium lead halide determined from spectroscopic ellipsometry, " J. Efficient planar heterojunction perovskite solar cells by vapour deposition, " Nature 501(7467), 395–398 (2013). 32. D. Liu and T. L. Kelly, " Perovskite solar cells with a planar heterojunction structure prepared using room-temperature solution processing techniques, " Nat. Improving metal reflectors by suppressing surface plasmon polaritons: a priori calculation of the internal reflectance of a solar cell, " Light Sci. Optical model for thin-film photovoltaic devices with large surface textures at the front side, " Inf. Midem – J. Reflection of normally incident light from silicon solar cells with pyramidal texture, " Prog. Hexagonal sphere gratings for enhanced …
Shape-independent limits to near-field spectral radiative heat transfer

We derive shape-independent limits to the spectral radiative heat-transfer rate between two closely spaced bodies, generalizing the concept of a black body to the case of near-field energy transfer. Through conservation of energy and reciprocity, we show that each body of susceptibility χ can emit and absorb radiation at enhanced rates bounded by |χ|/ Imχ, optimally mediated by near-field photon transfer proportional to 1/d across a separation distance d. Dipole–dipole and dipole–plate structures approach restricted versions of the limit, but common large-area structures do not exhibit the material enhancement factor and thus fall short of the general limit. By contrast, we find that particle arrays interacting in an idealized Born approximation (i.e., neglecting multiple scattering) exhibit both enhancement factors, suggesting the possibility of orders-of-magnitude improvement beyond previous designs and the potential for radiative heat transfer to be comparable to conductive heat transfer through air at room temperature, and significantly greater at higher temperatures.
Early competition shapes maize whole-plant development in mixed stands

Mixed cropping is practised widely in developing countries and is gaining increasing interest for sustainable agriculture in developed countries. Plants in intercrops grow differently from plants in single crops, due to interspecific plant interactions, but adaptive plant morphological responses to competition in mixed stands have not been studied in detail. Here the maize (Zea mays) response to mixed cultivation with wheat (Triticum aestivum) is described. Evidence is provided that early responses of maize to the modified light environment in mixed stands propagate throughout maize development, resulting in different phenotypes compared with pure stands. Photosynthetically active radiation (PAR), red:far-red ratio (R:FR), leaf development, and final organ sizes of maize grown in three cultivation systems were compared: pure maize, an intercrop with a small distance (25cm) between maize and wheat plants, and an intercop with a large distance (44cm) between the maize and the wheat. Compared with maize in pure stands, maize in the mixed stands had lower leaf and collar appearance rates, increased blade and sheath lengths at low ranks and smaller sizes at high ranks, increased blade elongation duration, and decreased R:FR and PAR at the plant base during early development. Effects were strongest in the treatment with a short distance between wheat and maize strips. The data suggest a feedback between leaf initiation and leaf emergence at the plant level and coordination between blade and sheath growth at the phytomer level. A conceptual model, based on coordination rules, is proposed to explain the development of the maize plant in pure and mixed stands.
Generating semi-synthetic validation benchmarks for embryomics

Systematic validation is an essential part of algorithm development. The enormous dataset sizes and the complexity observed in many recent time-resolved 3D fluorescence microscopy imaging experiments, however, prohibit a comprehensive manual ground truth generation. Moreover, existing simulated benchmarks in this field are often too simple or too specialized to sufficiently validate the observed image analysis problems. We present a new semi-synthetic approach to generate realistic 3D+t benchmarks that combines challenging cellular movement dynamics of real embryos with simulated fluorescent nuclei and artificial image distortions including various parametrizable options like cell numbers, acquisition deficiencies or multiview simulations. We successfully applied the approach to simulate the development of a zebrafish embryo with thousands of cells over 14 hours of its early existence.
Limitations on Low Variance k-Fold Cross Validation in Learning Set of Rules Inducers

One of the standard methods in a verification of predictive models is a cross validation. In this paper, we examined prediction stability of simple learning set of rules classifier under the k-fold cross validation. We described a class of rules that can pass the k-fold cross validation with zero or a very low variance in accuracy of prediction. The lossless prediction of correct/incorrect assignment distribution theorem, given by the so-called k-fold stable rules, is established, and its implications are discussed and applied in the experiments.
Eye-Hand Coordination During Visual Search on Geographic Displays

This work is supported by the Royal Society grant IE120643. The authors thank Floris Heim from University of Zurich for data collection. JV and UD are supported by the EU FP7 Marie Curie ITN GEOCROWD (FP7-PEOPLE-2010-ITN-264994)
Time-domain simulation for fractional relaxation of Havriliak-Negami type

The time-simulation of models described by the Havriliak-Negami response function is a challenging problem due to the absence of an explicit formulation for the corresponding differential operator in the time-domain. In this work, we discuss a convolution quadrature rule with convolution weights evaluated on the basis of the representation of the response function in the Laplace transform domain. We describe a general and straightforward technique for the computation of the weights and we present some numerical experiments to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach.
A model theory of induction

Abstract Theories of induction in psychology and artificial intelligence assume that the process leads from observation and knowledge to the formulation of linguistic conjectures. This paper proposes instead that the process yields mental models of phenomena. It uses this hypothesis to distinguish between deduction, induction, and creative forms of thought. It shows how models could underlie inductions about specific matters. In the domain of linguistic conjectures, there are many possible inductive generalizations of a conjecture. In the domain of models, however, generalization calls for only a single operation: the addition of information to a model. If the information to be added is inconsistent with the model, then it eliminates the model as false: this operation suffices for all generalizations in a Boolean domain. Otherwise, the information that is added may have effects equivalent (a) to the replacement of an existential quantifier by a universal quantifier, or (b) to the promotion of an existenti.
Our 3D Vision Data-Sets in the Making

Over the previous years, we have at the Section for Image Analysis and Computer Graphics at the Technical University of Denmark been working on generating high quality data sets for computer vision via our lab setup using a 6-axis industrial robot. This has provided a new data set aimed at feature matching [1, 4], and two data sets aimed at multiple view stereo [16, 18]. The resulting data sets are publicly available via http://roboimagedata. compute.dtu. dk/. The evaluation of computer vision algorithms on these data sets has provided useful insights on realistic scenarios by setting a rigorous framework for evaluation. The results of these efforts have been well received by the community and the hardware and software platform associated with the robot is now well developed. We are currently in the process of making three new data sets aimed at 3D vision, with a special focus on the more challenging aspects, such as radiometry and the modelling of non-rigid objects. The construction of these data sets all leverage on our robotic setup’s ability to produce ground truth camera and surface geometry, as briefly outlined in Section 2, and there is a great deal of commonality in the making of the data sets. This abstract describes our current ongoing work on this data set construction for 3D vision. The data sets include:
Early statin therapy in patients with acute coronary syndrome.

P atients who survive an acute coronary syndrome (ACS; myocardial infarction [MI] or unstable angina) are at a high risk of recurrent events. In this context, recent data from observational, as well as from randomised clinical trials, support an early benefit from statins started during hospital admission for an ACS in addition to improving long-term compliance with statin therapy. The Myocardial Ischemia Reduction with Aggressive Cholesterol Lowering (MIRACL) study addressed the question whether early initiation of treatment with atorvastatin reduced the occurrence of major cardiovascular events (death, nonfatal acute MI, cardiac arrest with resuscitation or recurrent myocardial ischaemia requiring emergency rehospitalisation) in patients with ACS. Adults (n=3086) admitted for an ACS were randomly assigned to atorvastatin 80 mg/d or placebo 24 to 96 h after an ACS and were followed-up for 16 weeks. Treatment with atorvastatin reduced the incidence of recurrent myocardial ischaemia requiring emergency rehospitalisation in the first 16 weeks compared to placebo (6.2% vs. 8.4%, p=0.02), but there were no significant differences between the two groups in the incidence of death, nonfatal acute MI or cardiac arrest with resuscitation. In the Pravastatin in Acute Coronary Treatment (PACT) trial, 3408 patients with an ACS were randomly assigned to 4 weeks’ treatment with pravastatin (20 to 40 mg/day) or matching placebo within 24 h after the onset of symptoms. Pravastatin treatment resulted in a non-significant decrease (6.4%) in the incidence of the primary endpoint (a composite of death, recurrence of MI or readmission to hospital for unstable angina within 30 days of randomisation) compared to placebo. In the Lipid-Coronary Artery Disease (L-CAD) study, patients were randomised, 6 days after an acute MI and/or percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) secondary to unstable angina, to either pravastatin (combined, when necessary, with cholestyramine and/or nicotinic acid) to achieve low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels of ≤130 mg/dl (n=70), or to antilipidaemic therapy determined by their family physicians (n=56). After 2 years, significantly fewer patients (odds ratio 0.28, p=0.005) in the pravastatin group experienced a clinical endpoint (total mortality, cardiovascular death, nonfatal MI, need for coronary intervention, stroke and new onset of peripheral arterial disease) compared to the control group. Furthermore, minimal lumen diameter assessed by quantitative coronary angioplasty decreased by 0.18 ± 0.28 mm in the pravastatin group, whereas it increased by 0.13 ± 0.29 mm in the control group, p<0.001). The LDL levels in the pravastatin and conEarly Statin Therapy in Patients with Acute Coronary Syndrome
Controversies in cardiovascular medicine When should we measure lipoprotein ( a ) ?

Associate Professor of Medicine, Mater Hospital, University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, Australia; Mannheim Institute of Public Health, Social and Preventive Medicine, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany; Clinical Institute of Medical and Chemical Laboratory Diagnostics, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria; Synlab Academy, Synlab Services GmbH, Gottlieb Daimler Strasse 25, D-68165 Mannheim, Germany; and Institute of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria
Corticocortical efferent systems in the monkey: A quantitative spatial analysis of the tangential distribution of cells of origin

The laminar and tangential distributions of association neurons projecting from areas 4 and 6 of the frontal lobe to area 5 of the superior parietal lobule were studied in macaque monkeys by using horseradish peroxidase histochemistry. In both areas 4 and 6 association neurons were medium‐large pyramidal cells of layers II and III, and pyramidal and fusiform cells of layers V‐VI. Tangentially, they were distributed unevenly over the cortical surface occupying only certain parts of areas 4 and 6, including the dorsomedial part of area 6, the proximal arm region of Woolsey's M1 map, parts of the postarcuate cortex, and the supplementary motor area. Within these projection zones, the number of projection cells waxed and waned in a periodic fashion.
Incidence and Evaluation of Incidental Abnormal Bone Marrow Signal on Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Purpose. The increased use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has resulted in reports of incidental abnormal bone marrow (BM) signal. Our goal was to determine the evaluation of an incidental abnormal BM signal on MRI and the prevalence of a subsequent oncologic diagnosis. Methods. We conducted a retrospective cohort study of patients over age 18 undergoing MRI between May 2005 and October 2010 at Tufts Medical Center (TMC) with follow-up through November 2013. The electronic medical record was queried to determine imaging site, reason for scan, evaluation following radiology report, and final diagnosis. Results. 49,678 MRIs were done with 110 patients meeting inclusion criteria. Twenty two percent underwent some evaluation, most commonly a complete blood count, serum protein electrophoresis, or bone scan. With median follow-up of 41 months, 6% of patients were diagnosed with malignancies including multiple myeloma, non-Hodgkins lymphoma, metastatic non-small cell lung cancer, and metastatic adenocarcinoma. One patient who had not undergone evaluation developed breast cancer 24 months after the MRI. Conclusions. Incidentally noted abnormal or heterogeneous bone marrow signal on MRI was not inconsequential and should prompt further evaluation.
Enabling Performance Antipatterns to Arise from an ADL-based Software Architecture

While the performance analysis of a software architecture is a quite well-assessed task nowadays, the issue of interpreting the performance results for providing feedback to software architects is still very critical. This is mostly due to the gap between results representation (i.e. mean values, variances, and/or probability distributions) and expected feedback (i.e. architectural alternatives). Performance antipatterns represent effective instruments to tackle this issue, because they document common mistakes leading to performance problems as well as their solutions. In this paper we present a model-driven approach that enables performance antipatterns to arise in the context of an ADL-based software architecture. Such approach automatically detects them in AEmilia, i.e. an ADL allowing the performance evaluation of software systems. The approach has been applied to a case study, and experimental results demonstrate its effectiveness.
The Analysis of Kademlia for Random IDs

Color versions of one or more of the figures in the article can be found online at www.tandfonline. com/uinm. Kademlia is thede factostandard searching algorithm for P2P (peer-to-peer) networks on the Internet. In our earlier work, we introduced two slightly different models for Kademlia and studied how many steps it takes to search for a target node by using Kademlia’s searching algorithm. The first model, in which nodes of the network are labeled with deterministic IDs, was discussed in that article. In the second, the Random ID Model, in which nodes are labeled with random IDs, was only briefly mentioned. Refined results with detailed proofs for this model are given in this article. Our analysis shows that, with high probability, it takes about clog n steps to locate any node, where n is the total number of nodes in the network and c is a constant that does not depend on n.
Neutrophil Extracellular Traps and Bacterial Biofilms in Middle Ear Effusion of Children with Recurrent Acute Otitis Media – A Potential Treatment Target

Background Bacteria persist within biofilms on the middle ear mucosa of children with recurrent and chronic otitis media however the mechanisms by which these develop remain to be elucidated. Biopsies can be difficult to obtain from children and their small size limits analysis. Methods In this study we aimed to investigate biofilm presence in middle ear effusion (MEE) from children with recurrent acute otitis media (rAOM) and to determine if these may represent infectious reservoirs similarly to those on the mucosa. We examined this through culture, viability staining and fluorescent in situ hybridisation (FISH) to determine bacterial species present. Most MEEs had live bacteria present using viability staining (32/36) and all effusions had bacteria present using the universal FISH probe (26/26). Of these, 70% contained 2 or more otopathogenic species. Extensive DNA stranding was also present. This DNA was largely host derived, representing neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) within which live bacteria in biofilm formations were present. When treated with the recombinant human deoxyribonuclease 1, Dornase alfa, these strands were observed to fragment. Conclusions Bacterial biofilms, composed of multiple live otopathogenic species can be demonstrated in the MEEs of children with rAOM and that these contain extensive DNA stranding from NETs. The NETs contribute to the viscosity of the effusion, potentially contributing to its failure to clear as well as biofilm development. Our data indicates that Dornase alfa can fragment these strands and may play a role in future chronic OM treatment.