Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Targeting Fibrosis in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is the most common genetic muscle disease affecting 1 in 3,500 live male births. It is an X-linked recessive disease caused by a defective dystrophin gene. The disease is characterized by progressive limb weakness, respiratory and cardiac failure, and premature death. Fibrosis is a prominent pathological feature of muscle biopsies from patients with DMD. It directly causes muscle dysfunction and contributes to the lethal DMD phenotype. Although gene therapy and cell therapy may ultimately provide a cure for DMD, currently the disease is devastating, with no effective therapies. Recent studies have demonstrated that ameliorating muscle fibrosis may represent a viable therapeutic approach for DMD. By reducing scar formation, antifibrotic therapies may not only improve muscle function but also enhance muscle regeneration and promote gene and stem cell engraftment. Antifibrotic therapy may serve as a necessary addition to gene and cell therapies to treat DMD in the future. Therefore, understanding cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying muscle fibrogenesis associated with dystrophin deficiency is key to the development of effective antifibrotic therapies for DMD.
The effect of ovine peripheral blood mononuclear cells on Haemonchus contortus larval morbidity in vitro

The objective of this study was to determine the effects of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC), derived from parasite‐resistant St. Croix (STC) hair sheep and parasite‐susceptible Suffolk (SUF) sheep, on Haemonchus contortus L3 stage larval death in vitro, with or without autologous serum. Larval morbidity was quantified by measuring larval ATP concentration following incubation with PBMC. Larvae exposed to either STC‐ or SUF‐derived PBMC had lower ATP than live larvae (0.12 μmol/L ATP and 0.16 μmol/L ATP vs 0.27 μmol/L ATP, respectively) (P<.001) and greater ATP of dead larvae (0.03 μmol/L ATP) (P<.001). Breed differences were observed with addition of autologous serum. Larvae exposed to SUF‐derived PBMC with autologous serum were not significantly different from live larval ATP. STC‐derived serum did not significantly reduce larval ATP compared to PBMC alone (0.11 μmol/L ATP), but was significantly reduced compared to live larvae (0.22 μmol/L ATP) and SUF‐derived PBMC with autologous serum (0.23 μmol/L ATP) (P<.001). These data indicate that a cellular response alone is capable of significantly reducing larval ATP in a breed‐independent manner. However, addition of serum to SUF‐PBMC failed to reduce larval ATP, indicating breed‐dependent humoral response to H. contortus.
Using a Na"ive Bayes Classifier based on K-Nearest Neighbors with Distance Weighting for Static Hand-Gesture Recognition in a Human-Robot Dialog System

We present an effective and fast method for static hand gesture recognition. This method is based on classifying the different gestures according to geometric-based invariants which are obtained from image data after segmentation; thus, unlike many other recognition methods, this method is not dependent on skin color. Gestures are extracted from each frame of the video, with a static background. The segmentation is done by dynamic extraction of background pixels according to the histogram of each image. Gestures are classified using a weighted K-Nearest Neighbors Algorithm which is combined with a naive Bayes approach to estimate the probability of each gesture type. When this method was tested in the domain of the JAST humanrobot dialog system, it classified more than 93% of the gestures correctly into one of three classes.
Compact Spintronic Muller C-Element With Near-Zero Standby Energy

The complementary roles of asynchronous architecture with nonvolatile spintronic devices are explored herein to realize a novel asynchronous logic element. By redesigning the Muller C-element to take advantage of spintronic device non-volatility and area efficiency, benefits such as reduced asynchronous handshaking area overhead, are achieved in addition to instant on/off capabilities for reduced static-power dissipation through power gating. We propose a novel eight transistor and one spintronic device Muller C-element design which is 20% faster and uses 68% of the power of previous non-volatile Muller C-element designs. This spintronic Muller C-element is demonstrated within a four-phase dual-rail asynchronous pipeline resulting in 48% fewer transistors in comparison with the previous designs. Additionally, bundled-data protocol overhead is shown to be reduced by using the spintronic Muller C-element proposed herein. Detailed analysis of the effects of driving transistor width and the tunneling magnetoresistance ratio on device performance characteristics is included.
A Novel Design Approach for Highly Efficient Multioctave Bandwidth GaN Power Amplifiers

This letter presents a novel approach to design highly efficient multioctave bandwidth power amplifiers (PAs). The fundamental load impedances are slightly detuned out of their optimum values to reduce the in-band harmonics influence on output power and power-added efficiency. The design of the output matching network includes a 4:1 planar Guanella transformer for wide bandwidth and low complexity. In the frequency band 0.5–2.7 GHz, the PA achieves 9.2 ± 1.2 dB power gain and more than 20-W output power. The drain efficiency varies from 56% to 70% over the bandwidth.
On the complexity of the D5 principle

The standard approach for computing with an algebraic number isthrough the data of its irreducible minimal polynomial over somebase field k. However, in typical tasks such as polynomialsystem solving, involving many algebraic numbers of high degree,following this approach will require using probably costlyfactorization algorithms. Della Dora, Dicrescenzo and Duvalintroduced "dynamic evaluation" techniques (also termed "D5principle") [3] as a means to compute with algebraic numbers, whileavoiding factorization. Roughly speaking, this approach leads oneto compute over direct products of field extensions of k,instead of only field extensions. In this work, we address complexity issues for basic operationsin such structures. Precisely, let [EQUATION] be a family of polynomials, called a <i>triangularset</i>, such that <i>k</i> &larr;<i>K</i> =<i>k</i>[<i>X</i><inf>1</inf>,. ,<i>X<inf>n</inf></i>]/<b>T</b>is a direct product of field extensions. We write &delta; forthe dimension of <i>K</i> over <i>k</i>,which we call the <i>degree</i> of<b>T. </b> Using fast polynomial multiplication andNewton iteration for power series inverse, it is a folklore resultthat for any &epsilon; &gt; 0, the operations (+, X) in<i>K</i> can be performed in<i>c</i><sup><i>n</i></sup><inf>&epsilon;</inf>&delta;<sup>1+&epsilon;</sup>operations in <i>k</i>, for some constant<i>c</i><inf>&epsilon;</inf>. Using afast Euclidean algorithm, a similar result easily carries over toinversion, <i>in the special case when K is afield. </i> Our main results are similar estimates for the general case,where <i>K</i> is merely a product of fields. Followingthe D5 philosophy, meeting zero-divisors in the computation willlead to <i>splitting</i> the triangular set<b>T</b> into a family thereof, defining the sameextension. Inversion is then replaced by<i>quasi-inversion:</i> a quasi-inverse [6] of&alpha; &isin; <i>K</i> is a splitting of<b>T</b>, such that &alpha; is either zero orinvertible in each component, together with the data of thecorresponding inverses.
Specialized Training for Middle School and Junior High School Teachers: Prescriptions, Problems, and Prospects.

Suggestions that prospective intermediate school teachers follow a pattern of pre-professional training different from prospective senior high school teachers have been coming from leaders in early adolescent education for years. A review of specific recommendations made over the past three decades brings to light a recurring emphasis on a surprisingly limited number of central themes. Elliot (1949) urged strong undergraduate preparation in psychology of pre-adolescence and in psychology of early adolescence. He viewed the intermediate school teacher as playing an important role in the total guidance function of the school. Hack (1953) proposed that intermediate school teachers be prepared in depth in a small number of academic areas and be given broad general training in others. Additionally, he recommended a solid foundation of course work in psychology sufficient to enable intermediate school teachers to make substantive contributions to
Predicted 25-hydroxyvitamin D Score and Risk of Multiple Sclerosis in U.S. Women

DEDICATION To my wonderful mother, whose strength, support, and encouragement inspire me in all that I do. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First and foremost, I would like to thank my advisor, Dr. Elizabeth Bertone-Johnson for her exceptional guidance over the past year and a half. Her patience and insight throughout this process has been invaluable to me and without her, this thesis would not have been possible. I owe her many thanks for her tireless efforts on both this thesis and her contributions to my success as a student. I would also like to thank my committee member, Dr. Susan Hankinson for her helpful feedback during the preparation of this manuscript. Additionally, I would like to thank Dr. Kassandra Munger, whose expertise contributed immensely to this project. I would like to extend my most sincere gratitude to the faculty and staff of the Division of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, who have contributed so much to my learning throughout my pursuit of this degree. Finally, I would like to thank my friends, family, and teammates whose support and belief in me throughout the past few years has a played an immeasurable role in my success. Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a progressive, autoimmune neurodegenerative disorder affecting nearly 350,000 people in the United States and resulting in significant disability. As an immunomodulator, vitamin D may play a role in the development of MS. Previous studies have observed an inverse association of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) levels and MS risk in younger populations; however, whether this relationship persists in older adults remains unclear. We prospectively investigated the association between predicted 25(OH)D level and incident MS in the Nurses' Health Study (NHS) (n=121,701) and NHS II (n=116,430). 25(OH)D levels were predicted using validated regression models that include important determinants of vitamin D status, including race, UV-B flux (based on state of residence), physical activity, body mass index, dietary vitamin D intake, alcohol consumption and post-menopausal hormone use. Data on these factors were self-reported on NHS and NHS II questionnaires starting in 1986 and 1991, respectively, and updated every 2-4 years. MS diagnoses were ascertained by self-report and confirmed by medical records. Cox proportional hazards models adjusted for age, ethnicity, latitude of residence at age 15, and BMI at age 18 were used to estimate hazard ratios (HR)s and 95% confidence intervals (CI)s in each cohort. During up to 18 years of follow-up, we vi documented 179 definite/probable cases of …
SMALLWorlds - Multilingual Content-Controlled Monologues

We present the speech corpus SMALLWorlds (Spoken Multi-lingual Accounts of Logically Limited Worlds), newly established and still growing. SMALLWorlds contains monologic descriptions of scenes or worlds which are simple enough to be formally describable. The descriptions are instances of content-controlled monologue: semantically """"pre-specified"""" but still bearing most hallmarks of spontaneous speech (hesitations and filled pauses, relaxed syntax, repetitions, self-corrections, incomplete constituents, irrelevant or redundant information, etc.) as well as idiosyncratic speaker traits. In the paper, we discuss the pros and cons of data so elicited. Following that, we present a typical SMALLWorlds task: the description of a simple drawing with differently coloured circles, squares, and triangles, with no hints given as to which description strategy or language style to use. We conclude with an example on how SMALLWorlds may be used: unsupervised lexical learning from phonetic transcription. At the time of writing, SMALLWorlds consists of more than 250 recordings in a wide range of typologically diverse languages from many parts of the world, some unwritten and endangered.
Static and Dynamic Acoustic Cues in Distinctive Tones

It is conventional to classify phonemic tones into dynamic or contour tones and static or level tones. The perceptual relevance of this impressionistic dichotomy is considered here for Central Thai, which has two dynamic tones (falling and rising pitches) and three static tones (high, mid, and low). A fundamental-frequency range appropriate to an adult male voice was used to synthesize three series of tonal variants on a syllable type available for five tonally differentiated words: (1) 16 Fo levels at intervals of 4 Hz, (2) 16 Fo movements from a mid origin to end points ranging from top to bottom of the range in steps of 4 Hz, and (3) 17 variants rising from the bottom to end points from top to bottom in steps of 4 Hz. The stimuli were played to native speakers for identification. The results indicate that level variants contain sufficient cues for identification as static tones but with considerable overlap. Identification, however, is enhanced by slow Fo movement. Rapid Fo movement is required for dynamic tones. Although imprecise, the typological dichotomy is useful.
On the functional test of the cache coherency logic in multi-core systems

Multi-core systems are becoming particularly common, due to the high performance they can deliver. Their performance strongly depends on the availability of effective cache controllers, able to guarantee (among others) the coherence of the caches of the different cores. This paper proposes a method for the test of the cache coherence logic existing within each core in a multi-core system, resorting to a functional approach; this means that the method is based on the generation of a suitable test program, to be run in a coordinated manner on the cores composing the system. The method is able to detect hardware defects affecting this logic. The method was validated on a LEON3 multicore system.
Journal of Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance Variability of Myocardial Perfusion Dark Rim Gibbs Artifacts Due to Sub-pixel Shifts

Background: Gibbs ringing has been shown as a possible source of dark rim artifacts in myocardial perfusion studies. This type of artifact is usually described as transient, lasting a few heart beats, and localised in random segments of the myocardial wall. Dark rim artifacts are known to be unpredictably variable. This article aims to illustrate that a sub-pixel shift, i.e. a small displacement of the pixels with respect to the endocardial border, can result in different Gibbs ringing and hence different artifacts. Therefore a hypothesis for one cause of dark rim artifact variability is given based on the sub-pixel position of the endocardial border. This article also demonstrates the consequences for Gibbs artifacts when two different methods of image interpolation are applied (post-FFT interpolation, and pre-FFT zero-filling).
Diagnosing pneumonia by physical examination: relevant or relic?

BACKGROUND The reliability of chest physical examination and the degree of agreement among examiners in diagnosing pneumonia based on these findings are largely unknown. OBJECTIVES To determine the accuracy of various physical examination maneuvers in diagnosing pneumonia and to compare the interobserver reliability of the maneuvers among 3 examiners. METHODS Fifty-two male patients presenting to the emergency department of a university-affiliated Veterans Affairs medical center with symptoms of lower respiratory tract infection (cough and change in sputum) were prospectively examined. A comprehensive lung physical examination was performed sequentially by 3 physicians who were blind to clinical history, laboratory findings, and x-ray results. Examination findings by lung site and whether the examiner diagnosed pneumonia were recorded on a standard form. Chest x-ray films were read by a radiologist. RESULTS Twenty-four patients had pneumonia confirmed by chest x-ray films. Twenty-eight patients did not have pneumonia. Abnormal lung sounds were common in both groups; the most frequently detected were rales in the upright seated position and bronchial breath sounds. Relatively high agreement among examiners (kappa approximately 0.5) occurred for rales in the lateral decubitus position and for wheezes. The 3 examiners' clinical diagnosis of pneumonia had a sensitivity of 47% to 69% and specificity of 58% to 75%. CONCLUSIONS The degree of interobserver agreement was highly variable for different physical examination findings. The most valuable examination maneuvers in detecting pneumonia were unilateral rales and rales in the lateral decubitus position. The traditional chest physical examination is not sufficiently accurate on its own to confirm or exclude the diagnosis of pneumonia.
The Association of Serum Leptin with Mortality in Older Adults

Objective Elevated levels of serum leptin are associated with increased adiposity and production of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Both cytokines and body adiposity have been shown to predict cardiovascular events and mortality. The primary objective of the present study is to explore the associations between serum leptin and all-cause mortality and mortality from cardiovascular disease (CVD) over a span of 10 years, controlling for body adiposity and proinflammatory cytokines. Methods The Health, Aging and Body Composition (Health ABC) study is a prospective cohort of 3,075 older adults aged 70 to 79 years. This analysis includes 2,919 men and women with complete serum leptin and vital status data. Data on all-cause mortality and incident cardiovascular events (including Coronary Heart Disease and Congestive Heart Failure) were collected over 10 years of follow-up (mean 8.4 years). Results Women with leptin in quartile 2 and 3 were at lower risk of all-cause mortality, and those with leptin in quartile 2 were at lower risk of mortality from CVD as compared to women with lowest leptin values when adjusted for age, race, site, years of education, alcohol use, smoking, and physical activity. When these associations were additionally adjusted for body fat, C-reactive protein and pro-inflammatory cytokines, women with leptin values in quartile 3 were at lower risk of all-cause mortality and women with leptin in quartile 2 and 3 were at lower risk of mortality from CVD than women with lowest leptin values. These associations were not significant among men after adjusting for body fat and cytokines. Conclusions The present study suggests that moderately elevated concentrations of serum leptin are independently associated with lower risk of all-cause mortality and CVD-related mortality among older women. Among men, serum leptin is not associated with reduced risk of all-cause and CVD mortality after controlling for body fat and cytokines.
Compression Technique for Bayer Color Filter Images using Wavelets Which is near Lossless

Interpolating full-resolution color images from color-filter- array (CFA) samples is Image demosaicing. Bayer pattern is popular among various CFA patterns and demosaicing with this Bayer pattern produces high resolution color images. This paper presents a new demosaicing approach for spatially sampled image data perceived through a color filter array, and thereby exploiting the correlation of color components for subsampled image reconstruction. The above method is compatible with wavelet-domain denoising before demosaicing. It is also a general framework to apply existing image denoising algorithms to color filter array data. Compression is through Huffman coding and application of biorthogonal wavelets with the results proving that the proposed method is satisfactory in comparison with other techniques available in the literature.
Structured SVMs for Automatic Speech Recognition

Structured discriminative models are a flexible sequence classification approach that enable a wide variety of features to be used. This paper describes a particular model in this framework, structured support vector machines (SSVM), and how it can be applied to medium to large vocabulary speech recognition tasks. An important aspect of SSVMs is the form of the joint feature spaces. Here, context-dependent generative models, hidden Markov models, are used to obtain the features. To apply this form of combined generative and discriminative model to medium and larger vocabulary tasks, a number of issues need to be addressed. First, the features extracted are a function of the segmentation of the utterance. A Viterbi-like scheme for obtaining the “optimal” segmentation is described. Second, SSVMs can be viewed as large margin log linear models using a zero mean Gaussian prior of the discriminative parameter. However this form of prior is not appropriate for all features. A modified training algorithm is proposed that allows general Gaussian priors to be incorporated into the large margin criterion. Finally to speed up the training process, a 1-slack algorithm, caching competing hypotheses and parallelization strategies are also described. The performance of SSVMs is evaluated on small and medium to large speech recognition tasks: AURORA 2 and 4.
Complement Activation and Complement-Dependent Inflammation by Neisseria meningitidis Are Independent of Lipopolysaccharide

ABSTRACT Fulminant meningococcal sepsis has been termed the prototypical lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-mediated gram-negative septic shock. Systemic inflammation by activated complement and cytokines is important in the pathogenesis of this disease. We investigated the involvement of meningococcal LPS in complement activation, complement-dependent inflammatory effects, and cytokine or chemokine production. Whole blood anticoagulated with lepirudin was stimulated with wild-type Neisseria meningitidis H44/76 (LPS+), LPS-deficient N. meningitidis H44/76lpxA (LPS−), or purified meningococcal LPS (NmLPS) at concentrations that were relevant to meningococcal sepsis. Complement activation products, chemokines, and cytokines were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays, and granulocyte CR3 (CD11b/CD18) upregulation and oxidative burst were measured by flow cytometry. The LPS+ and LPS−N. meningitidis strains both activated complement effectively and to comparable extents. Purified NmLPS, used at a concentration matched to the amount present in whole bacteria, did not induce any complement activation. Both CR3 upregulation and oxidative burst were also induced, independent of LPS. Interleukin-1β (IL-1β), tumor necrosis factor alpha, and macrophage inflammatory protein 1α production was predominantly dependent on LPS, in contrast to IL-8 production, which was also markedly induced by the LPS− meningococci. In this whole blood model of meningococcal sepsis, complement activation and the immediate complement-dependent inflammatory effects of CR3 upregulation and oxidative burst occurred independent of LPS.