Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Growth Hormone Treatment in Children with Prader-Willi Syndrome : From infancy to adulthood

markdownabstract__Abstract__ This is the fifth thesis of our research group in the field of Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) and encompasses 6 new studies embedded in the Dutch PWS Cohort study in children and adolescents with PWS. In 1887, sir Langdon Down described an adolescent girl with short stature, obesity, hypogonadism and cognitive impairment. Almost a century later, in 1956, 3 endocrinologists Prader, Labhart and Willi described the most characteristic features as “Ein Syndrom von Adipositas, Kleinwuchs, Kryptorchidismus und Oligophrenie nach myotoniertigem Zustand im Neugeborenenalter”. A detailed description of the syndrome was given several years later. The clinical features which were considered characteristic were floppy at birth, obesity, mental retardation, hypogonadism, hypotonia, shortness of stature, prominent forehead, almond-shaped eyes, retrousse nose, small fish-like mouth, short hands and feet and some of them showed a diabetic type of glucose tolerance test. First research topics were predominantly describing the syndrome, at that time also known as syndrome of Hypotonia-Hypomentia-Hypogonadism-Obesity (HHHO), and focused on the relations with diabetes and the cause of hypotonia. In the 70s studies reported on low growth hormone (GH) levels9-11 and the first clinical trial with GH treatment was published in the 80s. Since 2002, our research group has been investigating the effects of GH treatment in children with PWS in the Dutch PWS Cohort study. Knowledge about different aspects of PWS has vastly increased over the past 50 years, although new questions and dilemmas are met and need further investigations. This chapter describes the clinical manifestations in different stages of life, the genetic background, the hypothalamic – pituitary axis in children with PWS. In the scope of this thesis, characteristics of children with PWS are described in combination with the longterm effects of GH treatment. Finally, the aims of the studies described in the following chapters are presented.
Mutation Distribution in the NSP4 Protein in Rotaviruses Isolated from Mexican Children with Moderate to Severe Gastroenteritis

The NSP4 protein is a multifunctional protein that plays a role in the morphogenesis and pathogenesis of the rotavirus. Although NSP4 is considered an enterotoxin, the relationship between gastroenteritis severity and amino acid variations in NSP4 of the human rotavirus remains unclear. In this study, we analyzed the sequence diversity of NSP4 and the severity of gastroenteritis of children with moderate to severe gastroenteritis. The rotavirus-infected children were hospitalized before the rotavirus vaccine program in Mexico. All children had diarrhea within 1−4 days, 44 (88%) were vomiting and 35 (70%) had fevers. The severity analysis showed that 13 (26%) cases had mild gastroenteritis, 23 (46%) moderate gastroenteritis and 14 (28%) severe. NSP4 phylogenetic analysis showed three clusters within the genotype E1. Sequence analysis revealed similar mutations inside each cluster, and an uncommon variation in residue 144 was found in five of the Mexican NSP4 sequences. Most of the amino acid variations were located in the VP4 and VP6 binding site domains, with no relationship to different grades of gastroenteritis. This finding indicates that severe gastroenteritis caused by the rotavirus appears to be related to diverse viral or cellular factors instead of NSP4 activity as a unique pathogenic factor.
Grid workflow scheduling based on reliability cost

Grid workflow is a complex and typical grid application, but owing to the highly dynamic feature of grid environments, resource unavailability is increasingly becoming severe and poses great challenges to grid workflow scheduling. Though fault recovery mechanism adopted in grid system guarantee the completion of jobs to some extent, but wasting system resources. To overcome the shortcoming, this paper proposes a Markov Chain based grid node availability prediction model which can efficiently predict grid nodes' availability in the future without adding significant overhead. Based on this model, the paper presents a grid workflow scheduling based on reliability cost (RCGS). The performance evaluation results demonstrate that RCGS improves the dependability of workflow execution and success ratio of tasks with low reliability cost.
Exploring Difficulties in Parsing Imperatives and Questions

This paper analyzes the effect of the structural variation of sentences on parsing performance. We examine the performance of both shallow and deep parsers for two sentence constructions: imperatives and questions. We first prepare an annotated corpus for each of these sentence constructions by extracting sentences from a fiction domain that cover various types of imperatives and questions. The target parsers are then adapted to each of the obtained corpora as well as the existing query-focused corpus. Analysis of the experimental results reveals that the current mainstream parsing technologies and adaptation techniques cannot cope with different sentence constructions even with much in-domain data.
Background, But Not Foreground, Spatial Cues Are Taken as References for Head Direction Responses by Rat Anterodorsal Thalamus Neurons

Two populations of limbic neurons are likely neurophysiological substrates for cognitive operations required for spatial orientation and navigation: hippocampal pyramidal cells discharge selectively when the animal is in a certain place (the "firing field") in the environment, whereas head direction cells discharge when the animal orients its head in a specific, "preferred" direction. Cressant et al. (1997) showed that the firing fields of hippocampal place cells reorient relative to a group of three-dimensional objects only if these are at the periphery, but not the center of an enclosed platform. To test for corresponding responses in head direction cells, three objects were equally spaced along the periphery of a circular platform. Preferred directions were measured before and after the group of objects was rotated. (The rat was disoriented in total darkness between sessions). This was repeated in the presence or absence of a cylinder enclosing the platform. When the enclosure was present, the preferred directions of all 30 cells recorded shifted by the same angle as the objects. In the absence of the enclosure, the preferred directions did not follow the objects, remaining fixed relative to the room. These results provide a possible neurophysiological basis for observations from psychophysical experiments in humans that background, rather than foreground, cues are preferentially used for spatial orientation.
CONSISTENT SEMI-IMPLICIT STAGGERED SCHEMES FOR COMPRESSIBLE FLOWS PART II: EULER EQUATIONS.

In this paper, we propose implicit and pressure correction schemes for the Euler equations, based on staggered space discretizations, namely the MAC finite volume scheme or the low-order (Rannacher-Turek or Crouzeix-Raviart) finite elements. Both schemes rely on the discretization of the internal energy balance equation, which offers two main advantages: first, we avoid the space discretization of the total energy, which involves cell-centered and face-centered variables; second, we obtain algorithms which boil down to usual schemes in the incompressible limit. However, since these schemes do not use the original total energy conservative equation, in order to obtain correct weak solutions (in particular, with shocks satisfying the Rankine-Hugoniot conditions), we need to introduce corrective terms in the internal energy balance. These corrective terms are found by deriving a discrete kinetic energy balance, observing that this relation contains residual terms which do not tend to zero (at least, under reasonable stability assumptions) and, finally, compensating them in the discrete internal energy balance. This latter step is performed under the guideline that, when adding the discrete kinetic equation to the discrete internal energy equation, the sum of the residual and corrective terms tends to zero with the mesh size and time step. It is then shown in the 1D case, that, if the scheme converges, the limit is indeed a weak solution. Finally, we present numerical results which confort this theory.
P-Scheduler: adaptive hierarchical scheduling in apache storm

With ever-accelerating data creation rates in Big Data applications, there is a need for efficient stream processing engines. Apache Storm has been of interest in both academia and industry because of its real-time, distributed, scalable and reliable framework for stream processing. In this paper, we propose an adaptive hierarchical scheduler for the Storm framework, to allocate the resources more efficiently and improve performance. In our method, we consider the data transfer rate and traffic pattern between Storm's tasks and assign highly-communicating task pairs to the same computing node by dynamically employing two phases of graph partitioning. We also calculate the number of required computing nodes in the cluster based on the overall load of the application and use this information to reduce inter-node traffic. Our performance evaluation shows a significant improvement compared to the default scheduler provided by Storm, which evenly distributes the tasks across the cluster, ignoring the communication patterns between them.
Real-time multiple object tracking in particle filtering framework using codebook model and adaptive labeling

In this paper, we present an algorithm for multi-object tracking in a particle filtering framework. This algorithm incorporates foreground segmentation, adaptive labeling detections and data association into particle filtering framework. Objects are extracted relying on background modeling by codebook construction. In order to reduce fragment and noise, detections are labeled by adaptive labeling method. Each detection is assigned an independent particle sets. Meanwhile, data association is implemented by Hungarian algorithm. The detection guides a particle filter of one tracker associated detection. Experimental results show that our system is able to automatically and robustly track a variable number of targets and correctly maintain their identities regardless of background clutter and frequent mutual occlusion between targets.
Optimizing airport capacity utilization in air traffic flow management subject to constraints at arrival and departure fixes

This paper formulates a new approach for improvement of air traffic flow management at airports, which leads to more efficient utilization of existing airport capacity to alleviate the consequences of congestion. A new model is presented, which first considers the runways and arrival and departure fixes jointly as a single system resource, and second considers arrivals and departures simultaneously as two interdependent processes. The model takes into account the interaction between runway capacity and capacities of fixes to optimize the traffic flow through the airport system. The effects are achieved by dynamic time-dependent allocation of airport capacity and flows between arrivals and departures coordinated with the operational constraints at runways and arrival and departure fixes as well as with dynamics of traffic demand and weather. Numerical examples illustrate the potential benefits of the approach.
Stromal myofibroblasts in potentially malignant and malignant lesions of the oral cavity

Previous studies have demonstrated that myofibroblasts in the adjacent stroma are involved in the development and progression of malignant tumors. The aim of this study was to investigate the involvement of myofibroblasts in the progression of oral squamous cell carcinomas (OSCCs) by determining myofibroblast density in potentially malignant and malignant oral lesions. A total of 69 potentially malignant oral lesions (leukoplakias with mild, moderate or severe dysplasia), 90 OSCCs (well-, moderately and poorly differentiated), eight oral verrucous carcinomas and 29 fibrous hyperplasias were examined for the presence of myofibroblasts using immunohistochemical detection of isoform α of smooth muscle actin. Myofibroblasts were not identified in the adjacent stroma of fibrous hyperplasias and potentially malignant oral lesions, whereas 59.8% of the oral carcinomas exhibited myofibroblasts in various densities. The density was significantly higher in moderately and poorly differentiated OSCCs when compared with well-differentiated tumors (P=0.04 and P=0.007, respectively). In verrucous carcinomas, the specific variant of well-differentiated OSCC, stromal myofibroblasts were not detected. The results of the present study demonstrated that immunodetection of myofibroblasts does not aid with the determination of the malignant transformation potential of oral dysplasias, although moderately and poorly differentiated tumors exhibited a significantly higher density of myofibroblasts. The results reinforce the hypothesis that myofibroblasts may contribute to oral tumorigenesis, indicating that verification and monitoring of such may serve as a putative marker of OSCC behavior.
Olmesartan for the delay or prevention of microalbuminuria in type 2 diabetes.

BACKGROUND Microalbuminuria is an early predictor of diabetic nephropathy and premature cardiovascular disease. We investigated whether treatment with an angiotensin-receptor blocker (ARB) would delay or prevent the occurrence of microalbuminuria in patients with type 2 diabetes and normoalbuminuria. METHODS In a randomized, double-blind, multicenter, controlled trial, we assigned 4447 patients with type 2 diabetes to receive olmesartan (at a dose of 40 mg once daily) or placebo for a median of 3.2 years. Additional antihypertensive drugs (except angiotensin-converting-enzyme inhibitors or ARBs) were used as needed to lower blood pressure to less than 130/80 mm Hg. The primary outcome was the time to the first onset of microalbuminuria. The times to the onset of renal and cardiovascular events were analyzed as secondary end points. RESULTS The target blood pressure (<130/80 mm Hg) was achieved in nearly 80% of the patients taking olmesartan and 71% taking placebo; blood pressure measured in the clinic was lower by 3.1/1.9 mm Hg in the olmesartan group than in the placebo group. Microalbuminuria developed in 8.2% of the patients in the olmesartan group (178 of 2160 patients who could be evaluated) and 9.8% in the placebo group (210 of 2139); the time to the onset of microalbuminuria was increased by 23% with olmesartan (hazard ratio for onset of microalbuminuria, 0.77; 95% confidence interval, 0.63 to 0.94; P=0.01). The serum creatinine level doubled in 1% of the patients in each group. Slightly fewer patients in the olmesartan group than in the placebo group had nonfatal cardiovascular events--81 of 2232 patients (3.6%) as compared with 91 of 2215 patients (4.1%) (P=0.37)--but a greater number had fatal cardiovascular events--15 patients (0.7%) as compared with 3 patients (0.1%) (P=0.01), a difference that was attributable in part to a higher rate of death from cardiovascular causes in the olmesartan group than in the placebo group among patients with preexisting coronary heart disease (11 of 564 patients [2.0%] vs. 1 of 540 [0.2%], P=0.02). CONCLUSIONS Olmesartan was associated with a delayed onset of microalbuminuria, even though blood-pressure control in both groups was excellent according to current standards. The higher rate of fatal cardiovascular events with olmesartan among patients with preexisting coronary heart disease is of concern. (Funded by Daiichi Sankyo; ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00185159.).
Macroeconomic Policy Interactions in the EMU: A Case for Fiscal Policy Co-ordination

We analyse the effects of fiscal policy co-ordination in a monetary union on inflation, public expenditure and the optimal degree of conservatism of the central bank. Our main result is that, when the fiscal authorities internalise the spillover effects originating from their loose fiscal stances, monetary policy commitment problems are mitigated. As a result, the optimal degree of conservatism of the central bank declines. Moreover, we show that the Stability Pact can be seen as an optimally designed linear penalty in the utility function of the fiscal authorities. This is able to achieve the same desired result as fiscal policy co-ordination but without an explicit commitment to it.
Watermarking resistance to translation, rotation, and scaling

In this paper we propose a new watermarking scheme for digital images that allows watermark recovery even if the image has been subjected to generalized geometrical transforms. The watermark is given by a binary number and every watermark bit is represented by a 2D function. The functions are weighted, using a mask that is proportional to the luminance, and then modulated onto the blue component of the image. To recover an embedded bit, the embedded watermark is estimated using a prediction filter. The sign of the correlation between the estimated watermark and the original function determine the embedded several times at horizontally and vertically shifted locations. In the watermark recovery process we first compute a prediction of the embedded watermark. Then the autocorrelation function is computed for this prediction. The multiple embedding of the watermark result in additional autocorrelation peaks. By comparing the configuration of the extracted peaks with their expected configuration we can determine the affine distortion applied to the image. The distortion can then be inverted and the watermark recovered in a standard way.
The Responsiveness of Search Engine Indexes

Search engines are an important tool for information foraging on the web. The broad details of how they work is, therefore, of relevance to both information seekers and providers. Yet search engines are known to only index a fraction of the web, up to a maximum of 16% in one recent study. A search engine must crawl the web periodically in order to maintain an up to date index, but, given the limitations of total coverage, how can it decide which sites to cover and which to ignore? One answer lies in research showing the importance of web links in identifying useful sources of information. This paper reports on an experiment to investigate the effect of link count on the indexing of 1000 sites in three search portals over a period of seven months. It was found that, although all engines added sites during the period of the survey, only Google showed evidence of being very responsive to the existence of links on the test site, whereas AltaVista's results were very stable over time.
How does age-related macular degeneration affect real-world visual ability and quality of life? A systematic review

Objectives To review systematically the evidence of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) affecting real-world visual ability and quality of life (QoL). To explore trends in specific topics within this body of the literature. Design Systematic review. Methods A systematic literature search was carried out using MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, PsychARTICLES and Health and Psychosocial Instruments for articles published up to January 2015 for studies including people diagnosed with AMD, assessing real-world visual ability or QoL as an outcome. Two researchers screened studies for eligibility. Details of eligible studies including study design, characteristics of study population and outcomes measured were recorded in a data extraction table. All included studies underwent quality appraisal using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool 2011 Version (MMAT). Results From 5284 studies, 123 were eligible for inclusion. A range of approaches were identified, including performance-based methods, quantitative and qualitative patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs). AMD negatively affects tasks including mobility, face recognition, perception of scenes, computer use, meal preparation, shopping, cleaning, watching TV, reading, driving and, in some cases, self-care. There is evidence for higher rates of depression among people with AMD than among community dwelling elderly. A number of adaptation strategies have been associated with AMD of varying duration. Much of the research fails to report the type of AMD studied (59% of included studies) or the duration of disease in participants (74%). Of those that do report type studied, the breakdown is as follows: wet AMD 20%, dry AMD 4% and both types 17%. Conclusions There are many publications highlighting the negative effects of AMD in various domains of life. Future research should focus on delivering some of this research knowledge into patient management and clinical trials and differentiating between the types of AMD.
Infinite Correlation in Measured Quantum Processes

We show that quantum dynamical systems can exhibit infinite correlations in their behavior when repeatedly measured. We model quantum processes using quantum finite-state generators and take the stochastic language they generate as a representation of their behavior. We analyze two spin-1 quantum systems that differ only in how they are observed. The corresponding language generated has short-range correlation in one case and infinite correlation in the other.
A Generalization of Submodular Cover via the Diminishing Return Property on the Integer Lattice

We consider a generalization of the submodular cover problem based on the concept of diminishing return property on the integer lattice. We are motivated by real scenarios in machine learning that cannot be captured by (traditional) sub-modular set functions. We show that the generalized submodular cover problem can be applied to various problems and devise a bicriteria approximation algorithm. Our algorithm is guaranteed to output a log-factor approximate solution that satisfies the constraints with the desired accuracy. The running time of our algorithm is roughly O(n log(nr) log r), where n is the size of the ground set and r is the maximum value of a coordinate. The dependency on r is exponentially better than the naive reduction algorithms. Several experiments on real and artificial datasets demonstrate that the solution quality of our algorithm is comparable to naive algorithms, while the running time is several orders of magnitude faster.