Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Is the use of hyperoxia in sports effective, safe and ethical?

With considerable interest, we are following developments concerning the increasingly popular practice of breathing oxygen (O2)-enriched air (normobaric hyperoxia) in an attempt to improve both athletic performance and recovery, especially by elite endurance athletes (Hevoskuuri 2016). Administration of supplemental O2 is not prohibited by the World Anti-Doping Agency, and indeed, there is striking evidence that when administered at sea-level, hyperoxia (i.e., an inspired fraction of O2 (FiO2) greater than normoxic FiO2 >0.2095) improves power output by 2.4–16.5% during both maximal and submaximal cycling (Hogan et al., 1983; Plet et al., 1992; Knight et al., 1993, 1996; Walsh & Banister, 1995; Linossier et al., 2000; Peltonen et al., 2001; Prieur et al., 2002; Grataloup et al., 2005; Amann et al., 2006; Tucker et al., 2007; Lovering et al., 2008; Vogiatzis et al., 2008; Segizbaeva & Aleksandrova, 2009). Hyperoxia increases the arterial O2 pressure (PaO2), the saturation of hemoglobin (Hb) with O2 (SaO2), and the amount of oxygen dissolved in the plasma. Consequently, the arterial oxygen content (CaO2) is greater during hyperoxic breathing, implying that for a given cardiac output systemic O2 delivery, which has been shown to be a major determinant of VO2max (Saltin & Calbet, 2006) and endurance, is enhanced (Amann & Calbet, 2008). From a practical point of view, an athlete could benefit from hyperoxia in three different ways:
Pathways Activated during Human Asthma Exacerbation as Revealed by Gene Expression Patterns in Blood

Background Asthma exacerbations remain a major unmet clinical need. The difficulty in obtaining airway tissue and bronchoalveolar lavage samples during exacerbations has greatly hampered study of naturally occurring exacerbations. This study was conducted to determine if mRNA profiling of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) could provide information on the systemic molecular pathways involved during asthma exacerbations. Methodology/Principal Findings Over the course of one year, gene expression levels during stable asthma, exacerbation, and two weeks after an exacerbation were compared using oligonucleotide arrays. For each of 118 subjects who experienced at least one asthma exacerbation, the gene expression patterns in a sample of peripheral blood mononuclear cells collected during an exacerbation episode were compared to patterns observed in multiple samples from the same subject collected during quiescent asthma. Analysis of covariance identified genes whose levels of expression changed during exacerbations and returned to quiescent levels by two weeks. Heterogeneity among visits in expression profiles was examined using K-means clustering. Three distinct exacerbation-associated gene expression signatures were identified. One signature indicated that, even among patients without symptoms of respiratory infection, genes of innate immunity were activated. Antigen-independent T cell activation mediated by IL15 was also indicated by this signature. A second signature revealed strong evidence of lymphocyte activation through antigen receptors and subsequent downstream events of adaptive immunity. The number of genes identified in the third signature was too few to draw conclusions on the mechanisms driving those exacerbations. Conclusions/Significance This study has shown that analysis of PBMCs reveals systemic changes accompanying asthma exacerbation and has laid the foundation for future comparative studies using PBMCs.
Cognitive Carpentry: A Blueprint for How to Build a Person

From the Publisher: In his groundbreaking new book, John Pollock establishes an outpost at the crossroads where artificial intelligence meets philosophy. Specifically, he proposes a general theory of rationality and then describes its implementation in OSCAR, an architecture for an autonomous rational agent he claims is the "first AI system capable of performing reasoning that philosophers would regard as epistemically sophisticated. " A sequel to Pollock's How to Build a Person, this volume builds upon that theoretical groundwork for the implementation of rationality through artificial intelligence. Pollock argues that progress in AI has stalled because of its creators' reliance upon unformulated intuitions about rationality. Instead, he bases the OSCAR architecture upon an explicit philosophical theory of rationality, encompassing principles of practical cognition, epistemic cognition, and defeasible reasoning. One of the results is the world's first automated defeasible reasoner capable of reasoning in a rich, logical environment. Underlying Pollock's thesis is a conviction that the tenets of artifical intelligence and those of philosophy can be complementary and mutually beneficial. And, while members of both camps have in recent years grown skeptical of the very possibility of "symbol processing" AI, Cognitive Carpentry establishes that such an approach to AI can be successful. A Bradford Book
Outcomes in a Cohort of Women Who Discontinued Maternal Triple-Antiretroviral Regimens Initially Used to Prevent Mother-to-Child Transmission during Pregnancy and Breastfeeding—Kenya, 2003–2009

Background In 2012, the World Health Organization (WHO) amended their 2010 guidelines for women receiving limited duration, triple-antiretroviral drug regimens during pregnancy and breastfeeding for prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV (tARV-PMTCT) (Option B) to include the option to continue lifelong combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) (Option B+). We evaluated clinical and CD4 outcomes in women who had received antiretrovirals for prevention of mother-to-child transmission and then discontinued antiretrovirals 6-months postpartum. Methods and Findings The Kisumu Breastfeeding Study, 2003–2009, was a prospective, non-randomized, open-label clinical trial of tARV-PMTCT in ARV-naïve, Kenyan women. Women received tARV-PMTCT from 34 weeks' gestation until 6-months postpartum when women were instructed to discontinue breastfeeding. Women with CD4 count (CD4) <250cells/mm3 or WHO stage III/IV prior to 6-months postpartum continued cART indefinitely. We estimated the change in CD4 after discontinuing tARV-PMTCT and the adjusted relative risk [aRR] for factors associated with declines in maternal CD4. We compared maternal and infant outcomes following weaning–when tARV-PMTCT discontinued–by maternal ARV status through 24-months postpartum. Compared with women who continued cART, discontinuing antiretrovirals was associated with infant HIV transmission and death (10.1% vs. 2.4%; P = 0.03). Among women who discontinued antiretrovirals, CD4<500 cells/mm3 at either initiation (21.8% vs. 1.5%; P = 0.002; aRR: 9.8; 95%-confidence interval [CI]: 2.4–40.6) or discontinuation (36.9% vs. 8.3%; P<0.0001; aRR: 4.4; 95%-CI: 1.9–5.0) were each associated with increased risk of women requiring cART for their own health within 6 months after discontinuing. Conclusions Considering the serious health risks to the woman's infant and the brief reprieve from cART gained by stopping, every country should evaluate the need for and feasibility to implement WHO Option B+ for PMTCT. Evaluating CD4 at antiretroviral initiation or 6-months postpartum can identify pregnant women who would most benefit from continuing cART in settings unable to implement WHO Option B+.
Storage Workload Isolation via Tier Warming: How Models Can Help

Storage systems are often deployed in a tiered form to enable high performance and availability. These tiers utilize all possible volatile and non-volatile storage technologies, including DRAM, SSD, and HDD. The tradeoffs among their cost, features, and capabilities can make their effective integration into a single storage entity complex. Here, we propose an autonomic technique that learns user traffic patterns in a storage system over long time-scales to optimize user performance but also volume of completed system work. Our purpose is to multiplex as best as possible user workload with storage system features (e.g., voluminous internal system work) such that the latter is not starved but rather completed with minimal impact on user performance. Key to achieving the above is to use an autonomic learning engine to predict when the user workload intensity increases/decreases and then proactively stop/start bulky internal system work. Being proactive allows the system to effectively bring into the fast tier the active user working set just-in-time and right before it is needed most, i.e., when user traffic suddenly peaks. We illustrate the effectiveness of this mechanism by using both trace driven simulations from production systems as well experiments on a real testbed.
Mandated literacy assessment and the reorganisation of teachers’ work: federal policy, local effects

This paper explores how mandated literacy assessment is reorganising teachers' work in the context of Australia's National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy, which was implemented in 2008. Students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 are tested annually, with school results publicly available. The wider policy context and the emergence of different forms of interconnected educational work associated with the testing phenomenon are described. Taking an institutional ethnography approach, the local effects of the federal policy regime are examined through a case study of one school. What mandated literacy assessment does to educators' work in a culturally diverse low-socioeconomic school community is discussed. Key themes include strategic exclusions of students from the testing process, appropriations and adaptations of literacy theory, work intensification and ethical mediation of results. Questions concerning equity are raised about the differential effects of policy in different school contexts.
Part of the “Establishment”? Fostering Positive Campus Climates for Student Activists

Abstract Using data from the Wabash National Study, authors examine how students’ perceptions of campus climate influence growth in students’ social and political activism. The goal of this article is to determine to what extent, if any, students’ perceptions of the campus environment affect their orientation toward social/political activism over 4 years of college and to what extent, if any, these effects are mediated by involvement in cocurricular activities. With the recent resurgence in student activism, understanding of campus protesters has again become a needed skill for campus administrators and student affairs professionals. Additionally, as campuses commit to promoting civil discourse and the inclusion of diverse perspectives, improving the campus climates for an important segment of their student population, that being student activists, must be a part of that commitment.
A novel fuzzy matching model for lithography hotspot detection

In advanced IC manufacturing, as the gap between lithography optical wavelength and feature size increases, it becomes challenging to detect problematic layout patterns called lithography hotspot. In this paper, we propose a novel fuzzy matching model which can dynamically tune appropriate fuzzy regions around known hotspots. Based on this model, we develop a fast algorithm for lithography hotspot detection with very low chances of false-alarm. Our results are very encouraging with under 0.56 CPU-hrs/mm2 runtime.
CLIENT ATTACHMENT TO THERAPIST, DEPTH OF IN-SESSION EXPLORATION, AND OBJECT RELATIONS IN BRIEF PSYCHOTHERAPY

Two studies explored attachment inpsychotherapy. In the 1st study, clients(N 38) in time-limited therapy com-pleted the Experiences in Close Rela-tionships Scale as a measure of adultattachment, the Client Attachment toTherapist Scale (CATS), Working Alli-ance Inventory (WAI), and measures ofsession depth and smoothness. Consis-tent with J. Bowlbys (1988) concept ofa secure base promoting greater explo-ration, secure attachment to therapistwas signi cantly associated withgreater session depth and smoothness.Insecure adult attachment was associ-ated with insecure therapeutic attach-ment. CATS subscales predicted uniquevariance in session experience not ac-counted for by the WAI alone. The 2ndstudy was a new analysis of data origi-nally reported by B. Mallinckrodt, D. L.Gantt, and H. M. Coble (1995). Amongwomen clients (N 44) who completedthe CATS, WAI, and the Bell ObjectRelations and Reality Testing Inventory,2 CATS subscales predicted uniquevariance in object relations de cits notaccounted for by the WAI alone.
High BRCA2 mRNA expression predicts poor prognosis in breast cancer patients

The prognostic significance of BRCA2 mRNA levels in tumor tissues was studied in sporadic breast cancer patients. BRCA2 mRNA levels were determined by real‐time PCR. Histologic grade III tumors showed significantly (p = 0.001) higher BRCA2 mRNA levels (0.828 ± 0.102 BRCA2/β‐glucuronidase mRNA ratio, mean ± SE) than histologic grade I and II tumors (0.438 ± 0.055) and estrogen receptor (ER)‐negative tumors (0.773 ± 0.102) showed a nonsignificant (p = 0.072) trend toward an increase in BRCA2 mRNA levels compared to ER‐positive tumors (0.541 ± 0.079). Other clinicopathologic parameters, such as menopausal status, lymph node status and tumor size, were not significantly associated with BRCA2 mRNA levels. Patients with high BRCA2 mRNA levels showed a significantly (p = 0.006) lower 5‐year disease free survival rate (63%) than those with low levels (94%). Lymph node metastases, ER negativity and high histologic grade were also significantly (p < 0.05) associated with poor prognosis. Multivariate analysis revealed that BRCA2 mRNA levels were a significant prognostic factor, being independent of the other conventional prognostic factors. Our results suggest that BRCA2 mRNA levels might serve as a clinically useful prognostic factor in breast cancer patients. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Simplification Algorithm for General Meshes

A new mesh simplification framework based on the `simplex collapse', which can produce approximations of simplified complexes of any type of meshes embedded in three dimensional Euclidean spaces, such as triangular meshes, quadrangular meshes, tetrahedral meshes, hexahedral meshes, and mixed complexes was presented in this paper. It has higher decimations ratio than the `edge collapse'-based methods. We described the general process of the general mesh simplification and its data structure and operations prototypes. Having different prey rule and reconstruction rules, this framework can reduce the general mesh dataset rapidly and effectively. The general mesh simplification algorithm has been applied to the three dimensional geological modeling. Additionally, this framework can be extended to multi-dimensions (>;3) spaces.
C-reactive protein is an indicator for fatal outcomes in first-time stroke patients.

BACKGROUND The causal relation of high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) to ischemic cerebrovascular disease remains unclear, though an inflammatory effect has been suggested in many studies. The aim of our study was to evaluate serum hsCRP levels in ischemic stroke patients and in a control group, and to correlate the values with other generally known risk factors. MATERIAL/METHODS A total of 47 patients with ischemic stroke and 26 control subjects were recruited. The cases were well-matched to controls for age and sex. Peripheral blood samples from stroke patients were obtained between 12-24 hours after the stroke. Serum levels of hsCRP were determined by chemoluminescence assay. RESULTS The mean serum levels of hsCRP were found to be significantly higher in patients (3.12 +/- 4.4 mg/dL) than controls (0.39 +/- 0.6 mg/dL, p=0.0001). The level of hsCRP was above the risk limit in 39 patients (83.0%) and 7 controls (26.9%). The hsCRP values were not related to the presence of other vascular risk factors, except for cholesterol level. The correlation analysis of hsCRP revealed a linear correlation with death within six months and the presence of hypertension. CONCLUSIONS Our results suggest that elevated serum hsCRP levels may be an indicator of fatal outcome in first-time stroke patients.
Unexpected protective role for Toll-like receptor 3 in the arterial wall

The critical role of Toll-like receptors (TLRs) in mammalian host defense has been extensively explored in recent years. The capacity of about 10 TLRs to recognize conserved patterns on many bacterial and viral pathogens is remarkable. With so few receptors, cross-reactivity with self-tissue components often occurs. Previous studies have frequently assigned detrimental roles to TLRs, in particular to TLR2 and TLR4, in immune and cardiovascular disease. Using human and murine systems, we have investigated the consequence of TLR3 signaling in vascular disease. We compared the responses of human atheroma-derived smooth muscle cells (AthSMC) and control aortic smooth muscle cells (AoSMC) to various TLR ligands. AthSMC exhibited a specific increase in TLR3 expression and TLR3-dependent functional responses. Intriguingly, exposure to dsRNA in vitro and in vivo induced increased expression of both pro- and anti-inflammatory genes in vascular cells and tissues. Therefore, we sought to assess the contribution of TLR3 signaling in vivo in mechanical and hypercholesterolemia-induced arterial injury. Surprisingly, neointima formation in a perivascular collar-induced injury model was reduced by the systemic administration of the dsRNA analog Poly(I:C) in a TLR3-dependent manner. Furthermore, genetic deletion of TLR3 dramatically enhanced the development of elastic lamina damage after collar-induced injury. Accordingly, deficiency of TLR3 accelerated the onset of atherosclerosis in hypercholesterolemic ApoE−/− mice. Collectively, our data describe a protective role for TLR signaling in the vessel wall.
Effects of temperature on responses to anoxia and oxygen reperfusion in Drosophila melanogaster

SUMMARY Insects in general, and Drosophila in particular, are much more capable of surviving anoxia than vertebrates, and the mechanisms involved are of considerable biomedical and ecological interest. Temperature is likely to strongly affect both the rates of damage occurring in anoxia and the recovery processes in normoxia, but as yet there is no information on the effect of this crucial variable on recovery rates from anoxia in any animal. We studied the effects of temperature, and thus indirectly of metabolic flux rates, on survival and recovery times of individual male Drosophila melanogaster following anoxia and O2 reperfusion. Individual flies were reared at 25°C and exposed to an anoxic period of 7.5, 25, 42.5 or 60 min at 20, 25 or 30°C. Before, during and after anoxic exposure the flies' metabolic rates (MRs), rates of water loss and activity indices were recorded. Temperature strongly affected the MR of the flies, with a Q10 of 2.21. Temperature did not affect the slope of the relationship between time to recovery and duration of anoxic exposure, suggesting that thermal effects on damage and repair rates were similar. However, the intercept of that relationship was significantly lower (i.e. recovery was most rapid) at 25°C, which was the rearing temperature. When temperatures during exposure to anoxia and during recovery were switched, recovery times matched those predicted from a model in which the accumulation and clearance of metabolic end-products share a similar dependence on temperature.
Inferring Indirect Objects in Sentences: Some Implications for the Semantics of Verbs

Certain verbs imply specific instruments, and readers appear to make such inferences when reading the verb (Garrod and Sanford, 1981). For other verbs the implications seem much weaker and no specific inferences are made when reading the verb (Singer, 1979). The present studies explore the reasons for this disparity. A study of dictionary entries for the two kinds of verbs suggested that instruments for Garrod and Sanford verbs are a more inherent part of the definition than they are for Singer verbs. However, two measures of verb-instrument relation, (instrument generation tasks), showed no difference between the two sets of verbs. Experiment I, using a mixture of verb types, excluded methodological factors as the reason for the different findings of Garrod and Sanford and Singer. It pointed to there being verb differences which are tapped by a reading task and not by questionnaires, where there are no time pressures. Experiments II and III measured the strength of the verb-instrument relation using a "word-recognition" task and found that one set of verbs (Garrod and Sanford) seemed to be more closely linked with particular indirect objects than did the other set (Singer). In Experiment IV, reading was slowed by the introduction of an uncommon instrument only after mentioning a verb from the set having stronger verb-instrument links (Garrod and Sanford verbs). Experimental results, together with the dictionary study, supported the idea of "semantic-relatedness" for Garrod and Sanford verbs, and their instruments contrasted with "association" for Singer verbs. Experiment V examined the relationship between a category and its noun exemplar. Reading was slowed by the introduction of an uncommon exemplar suggesting that a category is instantiated at the time of reading. This effect was stronger than that found previously for verbs suggesting that verbs and nouns differ in the structure of their semantic representations.
Ocean wave simulation in real-time using GPU

Ocean wave simulation is a popular topic in computer graphics. We often use Fast Fourier Transforms to simulate ocean wave in a statistical model. In order to make ocean wave more realistic we use choppy wave to generate sharp wave, a particle system to simulate wave breaking, and a cube map to shade the ocean wave. We have implemented our simulation program on a GPU, and the implementation can simulate ocean wave in real time.
Stretch Enhances Contraction of Bovine Coronary Arteries via an NAD(P)H Oxidase–Mediated Activation of the Extracellular Signal–Regulated Kinase Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Cascade

Abstract— This study examines the effects of an increase in passive stretch in endothelium-removed bovine coronary artery on oxidant-induced changes in force generation. Increasing passive stretch on the arterial segments from 5 to 20 g for 20 minutes caused a subsequent increase (P <0.05) in force generation to 30 mmol/L KCl or 0.1 &mgr;mol/L serotonin compared with the prestretch control response. Also associated with the passive stretch were increases in superoxide detection by lucigenin and a selective increase in extracellular signal–regulated kinase (ERK) mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase phosphorylation measured by Western analysis. The stretch-induced increase in force generation was eliminated by inhibition of the ERK pathway by the MEK inhibitor PD98059 but not by inhibitors of the p38 MAP kinase pathway (SB202190) or c-Jun N-terminal protein kinase pathway (SP200169). Additionally, stretch-induced increases in both ERK phosphorylation and force generation were attenuated by inhibition of tyrosine kinases (genistein), src (PP2), and specific sites on the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) (AG1478). Probes for oxidant signaling, including NAD(P)H oxidase inhibitors (diphenyliodonium and apocynin) or enhancement of peroxide consumption (ebselen) but not inhibition of xanthine oxidase (allopurinol), attenuated the effects of stretch on both ERK phosphorylation and force generation. Furthermore, stretch caused an increase in EGFR phosphorylation and cytosolic to membrane translocation of the p47phox NAD(P)H oxidase subunit. Hydrogen peroxide also elicited contraction through EGFR phosphorylation and ERK. In summary, stretch seems to enhance force generation via ERK signaling through an EGFR/src-dependent mechanism activated by peroxide derived from a stretch-mediated activation of the NAD(P)H oxidase, a response that may contribute to hypertensive alterations in vascular reactivity.