Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
[Prognostic value of fibrinogen in patients admitted with suspected unstable angina and non-q-wave myocardial infarction].

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE In recent years, the relation between biological markers of inflammation and prognosis in patients suffering from acute coronary syndromes has been investigated. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between baseline fibrinogen concentrations and the development of clinical events in patients admitted with suspicion of unstable angina and non-Q-wave myocardial infarction. MATERIAL AND METHOD Levels of fibrinogen at enrollment were analyzed in 325 consecutive patients with acute coronary syndromes. Fibrinogen values were divided into tertiles and the incidence of clinical events was evaluated at each level. The combination of death and/or myocardial infarction was the main endpoint. RESULTS Fibrinogen levels were significantly higher in patients who subsequently had myocardial infarction, cardiac death, or both during follow up. The probabilities of death and/or myocardial infarction were 6%, 13%, and 29% (p < 0.0001), respectively, in patients grouped by fibrinogen tertiles (304, 305-374 and 375 mg/dl). Multivariate predictors of combined events were age, previous angina, ST-segment depression in the admission ECG, and fibrinogen into tertiles. The adjusted hazard ratio (95% CI) for patients in the upper tertile was 4.8 (1.6-14; p = 0.004). CONCLUSIONS High fibrinogen levels were related to a less favorable long-term or short-term outcome in patients admitted for suspicion of unstable angina and non-Q-wave myocardial infarction. This association persists after adjustment for other classical risk factors such as age, prior angina, and ST-segment depression in the ECG.
Spontaneous Generation of Voltage in Sm0.55Sr0.45MnO3 and La0.75Ba0.25MnO3 Single Crystals

In Sm0.55Sr0. 45MnO3 single crystals, grown by the floating-zone method with the cooling in oxygen, has been observed the spontaneous generation of voltage (SGV). Its maximum reaches 60 μV and occurs in the temperature range where simultaneous decay of the CE-type antiferromagnetic order and the charge order take place in some clusters. The SGV peak becomes lower by about 45% if magnetic field 14.2 kOe applied. Also we observed the SGV in La0.75Ba0. 25MnO3 single crystals. Maximum value of SGV occurs in a vicinity of the Curie temperature. The SGV value seems to be almost independent from the cooling or heating rate and crystallographic direction, but in La0.75Ba0. 25MnO3 it is smaller than in Sm0.55Sr0. 45MnO3 by an order of magnitude. La0.75Ba0. 25MnO3 compound contains ferromagnetic clusters, in which the electrical charges are localized according to gain in the s-d exchange energy. They are distributed in the paramagnetic lattice, impoverished of an electrical charge. It is shown that SGV stems from the presence of regions with different electrical charges in both samples.
Software Performance Anti-Patterns Observed and Resolved in Kieker

Software performance anti-patterns describe bad-practice solutions for particular problems. They help in sensitizing software engineering to such situations. In this paper, we focus on anti-patterns of monitoring and dynamic analysis frameworks, such as Kieker. These frameworks typically have high requirements on a low monitoring overhead and a high-throughput analysis performance. We describe three observed anti-patterns which influenced previous versions of Kieker with a high impact on the performance. Moreover, we present our solution for each of the anti-patterns.
DCT Maps: Compact Differentiable Lidar Maps Based on the Cosine Transform

Most robot mapping techniques for lidar sensors tessellate the environment into pixels or voxels and assume uniformity of the environment within them. Although intuitive, this representation entails disadvantages: The resulting grid maps exhibit aliasing effects and are not differentiable. In this letter, we address these drawbacks by introducing a novel mapping technique that neither relies on tessellation nor on the assumption of piecewise uniformity of the space, without increasing memory requirements. Instead of representing the map in the position domain, we store the map parameters in the discrete frequency domain and leverage the continuous extension of the inverse discrete cosine transform to convert them to a continuously differentiable scalar field in the position domain, which we call DCT map. A DCT map assigns to each point in space a lidar decay rate, which models the local permeability of the space for laser rays. In this way, the map can describe objects of different laser permeabilities, from completely opaque to completely transparent. DCT maps represent lidar measurements significantly more accurate than grid maps, Gaussian process occupancy maps, and Hilbert maps, all with the same memory requirements, as demonstrated in our real-world experiments.
Overlay multicast trees of minimal delay

Overlay multicast (or application-level multicast) has become an increasingly popular alternative to IP-supported multicast. End nodes participating in overlay multicast can form a directed tree rooted at the source using existing unicast links. For each receiving node there is always only one incoming link. Very often, nodes can support no more than a fixed number of outgoing links due to bandwidth constraints. Here, we describe an algorithm for constructing a multicast tree with the objective of minimizing the maximum communication delay (i.e. the longest path in the tree), while satisfying degree constraints at nodes. We show that the algorithm is a constant-factor approximation algorithm. We further prove that the algorithm is asymptotically optimal if the communicating nodes can be mapped into Euclidean space such that the nodes are uniformly distributed in a convex region. We evaluate the performance of the algorithm using randomly generated configurations of up to 5,000,000 nodes.
Comparison of Onscreen Text Entry Methods when Using a Screen Reader

SUMMARY Many text entry methods are available in the use of touch interface devices when using a screen reader, and blind smartphone users and their supporters are eager to know which one is the easiest to learn and the fastest. Thus, we compared the text entry speeds and error counts for four combinations of software keyboards and character-selecting gestures over a period of ﬁve days. The split-tap gesture on the Japanese numeric keypad was found to be the fastest across the ﬁve days even though this text entry method produced the most errors. The two entry methods on the QWERTY keyboard were slower than the two entry methods on the numeric keypad. This di ﬀ erence in text entry speed was explained by the di ﬀ erences in key pointing and tapping times and their repitition numbers among di ﬀ erent methods.
High Exposure from Summary Statistics (HESS): application to the EFSA comprehensive European food consumption database

ABSTRACT While intake and exposure assessments can be readily carried out for a number of countries using complete datasets, the majority of European intake data are only available in the form of summary statistics published by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). Only EFSA have access to the complete datasets which are used in scientific opinions it issues. The proposed High Exposure from Summary Statistics (HESS) method is derived from first principles, and compared to existing models used to estimate high consumer exposures from the EFSA Comprehensive European Food Consumption Database. The method is applied to recent US consumption data to test its usefulness for deterministic and probabilistic exposure models, where comparisons between model results and detailed exposure assessments are possible. HESS is shown to provide a modest overestimation of the actual high consumer exposure, with a level of consistency and predictability that is much better than existing methods used with the EFSA Comprehensive European Food Consumption Database.
A Local √3-Subdivision Algorithm preserving Sharp Features

A local √3-subdivision algorithm to rebuild sharp features is presented. Adaptive subdivision is performed only in the areas facing to the viewpoint in the pre-process. And in each adaptive subdivision, we choose the normal angle Θ of the adjacent faces as the control error to detect whether or not the approximation is sufficient. Sharp edges are automatically tagged according to the given threshold Θ and subdivision masks are designed based on different sharp degrees. Experimental results indicate that the algorithm requires less memory but keeps sharp features better
Development of a new Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy Approach for Monitoring the Solid Electrolyte Interphase Formation

The formation of surface films on lithium ion electrodes is a crucial factor for the performance and durability of the respective battery. Especially the formation of the solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) on the anodes of these cells widely determines the stability and functionality of the electrode. Therefore, a precise insight into the formation process of this layer is required. Based on temperature-dependent electrochemical impedance spectroscopy a new approach to monitor the formation of the SEI was developed. This way the kinetics of the interphase could be described using its activation energy. Comparison of these values with the respective resistances regarding the charge turnover during the initial charging of the cell provided additional information about the course of the SEI formation. It could be shown that these findings are in good agreement with the descriptions of the mechanism of the SEI formation provided by the literature.
Light animation with precomputed light paths on the GPU

This paper presents a real-time global illumination method for static scenes illuminated by arbitrary, dynamic light sources. The algorithm obtains the indirect illumination caused by the multiple scattering of the light from precomputed light paths. The indirect illumination due to the precomputed light paths is stored in texture maps. Texture based representations allow the GPU to render the scene with global illumination effects at high frame rates even when the camera or the lights move. The proposed method requires moderate preprocessing time and can also work well for small light sources that are close to the surface. The implemented version considers only diffuse reflections. The method scales up very well for complex scenes and storage space can be traded for high frequency details in the indirect illumination.
The Streptomyces master regulator BldD binds c-di-GMP sequentially to create a functional BldD2-(c-di-GMP)4 complex

Abstract Streptomyces are ubiquitous soil bacteria that undergo a complex developmental transition coinciding with their production of antibiotics. This transition is controlled by binding of a novel tetrameric form of the second messenger, 3΄-5΄ cyclic diguanylic acid (c-di-GMP) to the master repressor, BldD. In all domains of life, nucleotide-based second messengers allow a rapid integration of external and internal signals into regulatory pathways that control cellular responses to changing conditions. c-di-GMP can assume alternative oligomeric states to effect different functions, binding to effector proteins as monomers, intercalated dimers or, uniquely in the case of BldD, as a tetramer. However, at physiological concentrations c-di-GMP is a monomer and little is known about how higher oligomeric complexes assemble on effector proteins and if intermediates in assembly pathways have regulatory significance. Here, we show that c-di-GMP binds BldD using an ordered, sequential mechanism and that BldD function necessitates the assembly of the BldD2-(c-di-GMP)4 complex.
UWB sensor radar networks for indoor passive navigation

Localization and navigation of passive objects enables new important applications in wireless environments. Monostatic sensor radar networks generate interesting solutions for passive localization and navigation in a variety of scenarios. In particular, ultrawide band (UWB) sensing provides fine delay resolution enabling high localization accuracy even in harsh propagation environments such as indoor. We develop a framework for design and analysis of passive navigation based on UWB monostatic sensor radar networks that relies on propagation environment and time-of-arrival estimation characterized by network experiments. As a case study, an UWB monostatic sensor radar network deployed in an indoor environment is considered, and the position of moving objects is inferred. In particular, Bayesian navigation based on particle filters implementation is employed and the role of mobility model for inferring target position is shown.
Effects Of treadmill training on hindlimb muscles of spinal cord–injured mice

Introduction: Treadmill training is known to prevent muscle atrophy after spinal cord injury (SCI), but the training duration required to optimize recovery has not been investigated. Methods: Hemisected mice were randomized to 3, 6, or 9 weeks of training or no training. Muscle fiber type composition and fiber cross‐sectional area (CSA) of medial gastrocnemius (MG), soleus (SOL), and tibialis anterior (TA) were assessed using ATPase histochemistry. Results: Muscle fiber type composition of SCI animals did not change with training. However, 9 weeks of training increased the CSA of type IIB and IIX fibers in TA and MG muscles. Conclusions: Nine weeks of training after incomplete SCI was effective in preventing atrophy of fast‐twitch muscles, but there were limited effects on slow‐twitch muscles and muscle fiber type composition. These data provide important evidence of the benefits of exercising paralyzed limbs after SCI. Muscle Nerve, 2016 Muscle Nerve 55: 232–242, 2017
Efficient Monte Carlo simulation of stochastic hybrid systems

This paper proposes an efficient approach to model stochastic hybrid systems and to implement Monte Carlo simulation for such models, thus allowing the calculation of various probabilistic indicators: reliability, availability, average production, life cyle cost etc. Stochastic hybrid systems can be considered, most of the time, as Piecewise Deterministic Markov Processes (PDMP). Although PDMP has been long ago formalized and studied from a theoretical point of view by Davis (Davis 1993), they are still difficult to use in real applications. The solution proposed here relies on a novel method to handle the case when the hazard rate ofa transition depends on continous variables of the system model, the use of an extension of Modelica 3.3 and on Monte Carlo simulation. We illustrate the approach with a simple example: a heating system subject to failures, for which we give the details of the modeling and some calculation results. We compare our ideas to other approaches reported in the literature. [. ]
Comparing Twitter and Online Panels for Survey Recruitment of E-Cigarette Users and Smokers

Background E-cigarettes have rapidly increased in popularity in recent years, driven, at least in part, by marketing and word-of-mouth discussion on Twitter. Given the rapid proliferation of e-cigarettes, researchers need timely quantitative data from e-cigarette users and smokers who may see e-cigarettes as a cessation tool. Twitter provides an ideal platform for recruiting e-cigarette users and smokers who use Twitter. Online panels offer a second method of accessing this population, but they have been criticized for recruiting too few young adults, among whom e-cigarette use rates are highest. Objective This study compares effectiveness of recruiting Twitter users who are e-cigarette users and smokers who have never used e-cigarettes via Twitter to online panelists provided by Qualtrics and explores how users recruited differ by demographics, e-cigarette use, and social media use. Methods Participants were adults who had ever used e-cigarettes (n=278; male: 57.6%, 160/278; age: mean 34.26, SD 14.16 years) and smokers (n=102; male: 38.2%, 39/102; age: mean 42.80, SD 14.16 years) with public Twitter profiles. Participants were recruited via online panel (n=190) or promoted tweets using keyword targeting for e-cigarette users (n=190). Predictor variables were demographics (age, gender, education, race/ethnicity), e-cigarette use (eg, past 30-day e-cigarette use, e-cigarette puffs per day), social media use behaviors (eg, Twitter use frequency), and days to final survey completion from survey launch for Twitter versus panel. Recruitment method (Twitter, panel) was the dependent variable. Results Across the total sample, participants were recruited more quickly via Twitter (incidence rate ratio=1.30, P=.02) than panel. Compared with young adult e-cigarette users (age 18-24 years), e-cigarette users aged 25 to 34 years (OR 0.01, 95% CI 0.00-0.60, P=.03) and 35 to 44 years (OR 0.01, 95% CI 0.00-0.51, P=.02) were more likely to be recruited via Twitter than panel. Smokers aged 35 to 44 years were less likely than those aged 18 to 24 years to be recruited via Twitter than panel (35-44: OR 0.03, 95% CI 0.00-0.49, P=.01). E-cigarette users who reported a greater number of e-cigarette puffs per day were more likely to be recruited via Twitter than panel compared to those who reported fewer puffs per day (OR 1.12, 95% CI 1.05-1.20, P=.001). With each one-unit increase in Twitter usage, e-cigarette users were 9.55 times (95% CI 2.28-40.00, P=.002) and smokers were 4.91 times (95% CI 1.90-12.74, P=.001) as likely to be recruited via Twitter than panel. Conclusions Twitter ads were more time efficient than an online panel in recruiting e-cigarette users and smokers. In addition, Twitter provided access to younger adults, who were heavier users of e-cigarettes and Twitter. Recruiting via social media and online panel in combination offered access to a more diverse population of participants.
Comparative chemical analysis of volatile compounds of Echinops ilicifolius using hydrodistillation and headspace solid-phase microextraction and the antibacterial activities of its essential oil

The volatile compounds from various parts of Echinops ilicifolius (Compositae) such as flowers, leaves and roots obtained by hydrodistillation (HD) and headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) methods were subsequently analysed by GC and GC/MS and compared. Thirty-seven and 20 components of the flower of E. ilicifolius were characterized, representing 99.7% and 100.0% of the total compositions using the HD and HS-SPME methods, respectively. The major constituents of the hydrodistilled oil were identified as linalool (58.6%), geraniol (17.4%), n-dodecane (10.9%) and nerol (5.4%), whereas HS-SPME extract was rich in n-octane (34.0%), n-decane (25.1%), p-cymene (11.1%), γ-terpinene (5.3%) and 1,8-cineole (5.1%). n-Hexadecanoic acid (32.3%), linalool (16.4%) and geraniol (8.3%) were the main components among 43 constituents identified in hydrodistilled extract of the leaf, representing 99.5% of the total components detected, whereas 16 compounds representing 99.9% of the HS-SPME method were identified, among which n-decane (32.6%), p-cymene (14.0%), n-octane (10.3%), limonene (9.2%), γ-terpinene (9.1%), 1,8-cineole (7.9%) and α-pinene (5.9%) were the major ones. Among 23 components comprising 91.2% of the total hydrodistilled oil detected, n-decane (23.1%), n-dodecane (14.5%), silphiperfol-4,7(14)-diene (11.1%), selin-11-en-4-a-ol (9.5%), n-hexadecanoic acid (7.8%) and n-tetradecane (5.3%) were the main constituents in the root of E. ilicifolius, whereas 1,8-cineole (29.0%), n-decane (12.6%), n-octane (12.6%), camphor (12.0%), p-cymene (9.6%) and γ-terpinene (5.9%) were the main components among the 20 constituents characterized in HS-SPME extract, representing 99.9% of the total components detected. The antibacterial activity of the flower, leaf and root oils of E. ilicifolius against six Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria was determined using the MIC method. The growth inhibitory zone (mm) was also measured.
Energy Efficiency Consideration for Indoor Femtocell Networks in TV White Spaces

The federal communications commission (FCC) took the unprecedented step to approve the usage of TV white spaces, i.e., locally vacant TV channels, in 2012. This TV spectrum will present new opportunities for wireless access technologies and applications, e.g., femtocell networks. The utilization of TV white spaces in femtocell networks also comes with some technical challenges. One of the most fundamental is that how much capacity and energy efficiency can be achieved in TV white spaces network. Prior works only focused on capacity consideration for cellular network in outdoor scenario leaving important femtocell network in indoor scenario largely open for investigation. In this paper, we explore the capacity and energy efficiency for femtocell network by developing a TV white spaces reuse and power allocation scheme. The problem is formulated into an optimization problem with the objective to maximize the energy efficiency achieved by a femtocell network, while keeping the interference to the primary receiver and macro receiver at an acceptable level. We demonstrate the existence of a unique globally optimal transmit power vector for all the femtocells, and propose a gradient absent algorithm to obtain it. Simulation results show that the femtocell can have a considerable capacity and energy efficiency improvement by using the TV channels.
Retention and splicing complex (RES) – the importance of cooperativity

ABSTRACT One of the great challenges to structural biologists lies in explaining the complexities of the spliceosome – a ribosome-sized molecular machine that is assembled in a step-wise manner and is responsible for pre-mRNA splicing. The spliceosome is both fascinating and difficult to work with, because of its dynamic nature. At each discrete step of splicing tens of proteins come and go orchestrating the functional transition through massive structural rearrangements. The retention and splicing complex (RES) is an important splicing factor interacting with pre-mRNA at the onset of the first transesterification reaction. RES is a specific splicing factor for a number of genes and is important for controlling pre-mRNA retention in the nucleus. RES is a 71 kDa heterotrimer composed of the 3 proteins Pml1p, Bud13p and Snu17p. We solved the 3-dimensional structure of the core of the RES complex as well as the 2 dimers, Snu17p-Bud13p and Snu17p-Pml1p. Further biophysical analysis revealed an astounding cooperativity that governs the assembly of this trimeric complex as well as its interaction with pre-mRNA. The more than 100-fold cooperativity originates from the progressive rigidification of Snu17p upon coupled binding-and-folding of protein regions, which are disordered in the unbound state. Our work highlights the role of cooperativity in the spliceosome and poses new questions about the structure and assembly of the spliceosome.