Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Retinal vascular resistance in arterial hypertension

Abstract Purpose: Retinal microcirculation represents an easily accessible, non-invasive, in-vivo possibility to assess early microvascular changes. In addition to the assessment of functional (e.g. retinal capillary flow, RCF) and retinal arteriolar structural parameters (e.g. wall-to-lumen-ratio, WLR) we now suggest a new parameter reflecting the resistance in small retinal arterioles (RVR). Material and methods: In 45 normotensive (NT) subjects and 123 patients with hypertension stage 1 (HT) we assessed RCF, WLR, arteriolar diameter, lumen diameter and wall cross section area in the retinal circulation by using scanning laser Doppler flowmetry (SLDF). Mean arterial pressure (MAP) was measured immediately before the SLDF measurement and retinal vascular resistance was calculated (RVR = MAP/RCF). In a separate study the test-retest reliability was determined in 6 volunteers from our clinical staff by assessing RVR three times within six weeks. Results: The analysis of the volunteers revealed a coefficient of variation for RVR of 7.75 ± 2.11% and Cronbach´s alpha was 0.90. WLR, a marker of vascular remodeling did not differ between NT and HT. In contrast, RCF and inner diameter of the retinal arterioles (ID) were significantly lower (RCF: p = .045 and ID: p = .001) in the HT group than in the NT group and RVR was significantly higher in the HT group than in the NT group (p < .001). In both groups we found no correlation of RVR with age, but a significant correlation of RVR with WLR (NT: r = 0.34, p = .006; HT: r = 0.25, p = .01), indicating that the RVR reflects vascular remodeling in the retinal circulation. Conclusion: Our data showed an increased retinal vascular resistance in hypertensive patients compared to non-hypertensive patients prior to the occurrence of structural retinal vascular remodeling. The correlation between RVR and WLR indicates that RVR is a reliable, non-invasive and early-sensitive marker of vascular remodeling in early hypertension.
Morbidity and medication consumption among users of home telecare services

Telecare is a healthcare resource based on new technologies that, through the services offered, attempt to help elderly people to continue living in their homes. In this sense, first-generation telecare services have quickly developed in Europe. The aim of this work was to define the profile, pattern of medication consumption and disease frequencies of elderly users of a telecare service. The cross-sectional study involved 742 Spanish community-dwelling elders (85.3% of the total users aged 65 years and over who used a telecare service before the end of the data collection period). Data were collected between March and September 2012. Subjects' mean age was 83.3 (SD 6.6) years, and the majority lived alone (78.3%) and were female (85.8%). The mean Charlson comorbidity index score was 1.13 (SD 1.1), and the mean number of prescribed medications per day was 5.6 (SD 3.0). The most frequent diseases were hypertension (51.1%) and rheumatic disorders (44%); and the most consumed medications were those for the cardiovascular (75%) and nervous (65.2%) systems. For the total sample, the three main determinants of polymedication (five or more medications) were hypertension, anxiety-depressive symptoms and coronary heart disease. Regardless of the social elements contributing to the implementation of telecare services, specific health characteristics of potential users, such as morbidity and polypharmacy, should be carefully considered when implementing telecare services in the coming years.
Spatially resolved RNA-sequencing of the embryonic heart identifies a role for Wnt/β-catenin signaling in autonomic control of heart rate

Development of specialized cells and structures in the heart is regulated by spatially -restricted molecular pathways. Disruptions in these pathways can cause severe congenital cardiac malformations or functional defects. To better understand these pathways and how they regulate cardiac development we used tomo-seq, combining high-throughput RNA-sequencing with tissue-sectioning, to establish a genome-wide expression dataset with high spatial resolution for the developing zebrafish heart. Analysis of the dataset revealed over 1100 genes differentially expressed in sub-compartments. Pacemaker cells in the sinoatrial region induce heart contractions, but little is known about the mechanisms underlying their development. Using our transcriptome map, we identified spatially restricted Wnt/β-catenin signaling activity in pacemaker cells, which was controlled by Islet-1 activity. Moreover, Wnt/β-catenin signaling controls heart rate by regulating pacemaker cellular response to parasympathetic stimuli. Thus, this high-resolution transcriptome map incorporating all cell types in the embryonic heart can expose spatially restricted molecular pathways critical for specific cardiac functions.
Improving outcome of fungal diseases – Guiding experts and patients towards excellence

Invasive fungal infections are on the rise and during recent years understanding the epidemiology of fungal infections improved. Over 1 billion people are affected and 25 million patients are at imminent risk of severe organ damage or death due to fungal infection. The European Confederation of Medical Mycology (ECMM), founded in 1993, is the roof organisation of 23 National Medical Mycology Societies in Europe. ECMM fights fungal infections at various levels, by creating and distributing scientific knowledge and promoting scientific exchange. In response to the increasing prevalence and management complexity of invasive fungal infections, ECMM recently launched three additional initiatives (https://www.ecmm.info/). (i) ECMM together with other European infectious diseases societies created a comprehensive set of European guidelines for the diagnostic and therapeutic management of invasive fungal infections. (ii) ECMM founded the ECMM Academy awarding fellow status (FECMM) to outstanding researchers who advanced medical mycology. The academy aims at strengthening networking activities between these researchers. (iii) Centres throughout the world can apply for ECMM Excellence Center Status. Following such application on site auditing of up to three levels of mycological work (clinical, microbiological, epidemiological/clinical trials) evaluates the excellence of a centre along predefined criteria. All three initiatives share a common ambition; they aim at improving outcome of fungal diseases through guiding experts and patients towards excellence. Acknowledging fungal infections as a global problem, all three initiatives explicitly reach out beyond European borders.
Physical Activity, Physical Fitness, Body Composition, and Nutrition Are Associated with Bone Status in University Students

Understanding the modifiable factors that improve and maximize peak bone mass at an early age is necessary to design more effective intervention programs to prevent osteoporosis. To identify these modifiable factors, we analyzed the relationship of physical activity (PA), physical fitness, body composition, and dietary intake with bone stiffness index (SI), measured by quantitative ultrasonometry in young university students (18–21 years). Moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) was the strongest predictor of SI (β = 0.184; p = 0.035). SI was most closely related with very vigorous PA in males (β = 0.288; p = 0.040) and with the number of steps/day in females (β = 0.319; p = 0.002). An association between thigh muscle and SI was consistent in both sexes (β = 0.328; p < 0.001). Additionally, extension maximal force was a bone SI predictor factor in females (β = 0.263; p = 0.016) independent of thigh muscle perimeter. Calcium intake was the only nutrition parameter that had a positive relationship with SI (R = 0.217; p = 0.022). However, it was not included as a predictor for SI in our regression models. This study identifies predictors of bone status in each sex and indicates that muscle and bone interrelate with PA and fitness in young adults.
Collision avoidance of robotic arm of aerial manipulator

In this paper, we propose avoidance method for an obstacle of an aerial manipulator equipped with a robotic arm with consideration of the full dynamics. For comprehensive avoidance, we should consider the avoidance of multirotor and robotic arm simultanesly. For multirotor's body frame, we the adapted well-established path planning method based on the potential field. For the avoidance of robotic arm, we extended the linkage avoidance algorithm which is studied only in stationary case to the moving frame. Furthermore, to achieve the integration of the two, we propose the pseudo angle based algorithm which assists the avoidance of linkage using the attitude of the multirotor.
Improvement of receiver sensitivity for enhancing IR-UWB performance for indoor positioning

IR-UWB has been gaining attentions for its capability of providing high precision ranging and location-tracking. In responding to the changes of regulations, IR-UWB devices need to be implemented at UWB high band (6.0–10.6 GHz) instead of low band (3.14.9 GHz). To compensate the deficiency of high band in propagation, we propose an adaptive detection threshold at the receiver to improve receiving sensitivity. The proposed adaptive threshold is implemented by adding an additional circuit to a conventional detector. Evaluations are performed through measurements. The proposed structure improves receiving sensitivity by 7 dB compared to the conventional structure. Moreover, IR-UWB system with the proposed structure provides better positioning accuracy and precision than the conventional system.
Automation of gene function prediction through modeling human curators' decisions in GO phylogenetic annotation project

The Gene Ontology Consortium launched the GO-PAINT project (Phylogenetic Annotation and INference Tool) 9 years ago and is currently being used in the GO Reference Genome Annotation Project to support inference of GO function terms (molecular function, cellular component and biological process) by homology. PAINT uses a phylogenetic model to infer gene function by homology, a process that requires manual curation of experienced biocurators. Tremendous amount of time and efforts have been spent on the GO-PAINT project yielding more than 4000 fully annotated phylogenetic families with more than 170,000 annotations. These preliminary data have thus enabled potential algorithmic representation and automatic solvation of the additional 9000 unannoated phylogenetic families. Here we present an automated pipeline for phylogenetic annotation and inference, which simulates the standard annotation procedures of curators and models the curators' decisions during the manual curation process. The pipeline has been built into the newest version of PAINT software available at this http URL. The standalone automation pipeline and datasets are available at this https URL
Circulating cell-free plasma tumour DNA shows a higher incidence of EGFR mutations in patients with extrathoracic disease progression

Background Non-invasive monitoring of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations conferring sensitivity and resistance to tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) is vital for efficient therapy of lung adenocarcinoma (LADC). Although plasma circulating cell-free tumour DNA (ctDNA) is detectable at an early stage, the size of the tumour does not strongly correlate with concentration of whole cell-free DNA (cfDNA), including normal leucocyte DNA. We sought to examine the clinical features of patients with LADC whose cfDNA examination held clues for analysis of cancer genomics. Methods Forty-four plasma samples from 37 patients with LADC receiving EGFR-TKI therapy, including 20 who developed resistance, were prospectively subjected to droplet digital PCR-cfDNA analysis to detect EGFR mutations and analysed according to clinical features. Results cfDNA samples from 28 (64%) of the 44 samples were positive for TKI-sensitive mutations. Samples from 19 (95%) of the 20 EGFR-TKI-resistant patients were positive for TKI-sensitive mutations. In 24 patients without TKI resistance, 7 (54%) of 13 patients with regional lymph node metastases, 4 (67%) of 6 patients with advanced T stage (T3 or T4) and 8 (57%) of 14 patients with extrathoracic disease progression were also positive for TKI-sensitive mutations. cfDNA analysis from patients with acquired TKI-resistance disease or extrathoracic disease progression correlated with a high detection rate of TKIsensitive mutations (acquired resistance: risk ratio=2.53, 95% CI 1.50 to 4.29; extrathoracic disease progression: risk ratio=5.71, 95% CI 0.84 to 36.74). Conclusions cfDNA in patients with EGFR-TKI-resistance or extrathoracic disease progression may be useful for analysis of cancer genomics. Trial registration number UMIN 000017581.
Approximating Partition Functions in Constant Time

We study approximations of the partition function of dense graphical models. Partition functions of graphical models play a fundamental role is statistical physics, in statistics and in machine learning. Two of the main methods for approximating the partition function are Markov Chain Monte Carlo and Variational Methods. An impressive body of work in mathematics, physics and theoretical computer science provides conditions under which Markov Chain Monte Carlo methods converge in polynomial time. These methods often lead to polynomial time approximation algorithms for the partition function in cases where the underlying model exhibits correlation decay. There are very few theoretical guarantees for the performance of variational methods. One exception is recent results by Risteski (2016) who considered dense graphical models and showed that using variational methods, it is possible to find an $O(\epsilon n)$ additive approximation to the log partition function in time $n^{O(1/\epsilon^2)}$ even in a regime where correlation decay does not hold. We show that under essentially the same conditions, an $O(\epsilon n)$ additive approximation of the log partition function can be found in constant time, independent of $n$. In particular, our results cover dense Ising and Potts models as well as dense graphical models with $k$-wise interaction. They also apply for low threshold rank models. To the best of our knowledge, our results are the first to give a constant time approximation to log partition functions and the first to use the algorithmic regularity lemma for estimating partition functions. As an application of our results we derive a constant time algorithm for approximating the magnetization of Ising and Potts model on dense graphs.
Joint Estimation of Age and Expression by Combining Scattering and Convolutional Networks

This article tackles the problem of joint estimation of human age and facial expression. This is an important yet challenging problem because expressions can alter face appearances in a similar manner to human aging. Different from previous approaches that deal with the two tasks independently, our approach trains a convolutional neural network (CNN) model that unifies ordinal regression and multi-class classification in a single framework. We demonstrate experimentally that our method performs more favorably against state-of-the-art approaches.
A Simple Control Scheme to Avoid the Sensing Noise for the DC–DC Buck Converter With Synchronous Rectifier

The common method of improving efficiency when a synchronous buck converter operates at a light load is to adopt a current sensor to generate a turn-off command for the synchronous rectifying switch (SRS). However, a current-sensing technique with passive components is easily affected by noise and ringing, causing abnormal switching of the SRS. This study presents a simple control scheme for determining the zero point of an inductor current. It utilizes ripple voltage generated by a charging/discharging behavior from the capacitor to emulate the inductor current without using current sensors. The control strategy is verified by developing a 25-W synchronous rectifier buck converter.
The association between acute mental stress and abnormal left atrial electrophysiology

Acute stress may trigger atrial fibrillation (AF), but the underlying mechanisms are unclear. We examined if acute mental stress results in abnormal left atrial electrophysiology as detected by more negative deflection of P‐wave terminal force in lead V1 (PTFV1), a well‐known marker of AF risk.
Assessing the Value of the Diabetes Educator

Purpose The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of diabetes self-management education or training provided by diabetes educators in reducing complications and improving quality of life. Methods Commercial and Medicare payer-derived claims data were used to assess the relationship between DSME/T and cost. Unlike the prior study that examined diabetes education provided by all professionals, the current study focused on the value of interventions performed as part of formal accredited/recognized diabetes education programs provided by diabetes educators only. Specifically, the current study focused on diabetes education delivered in diabetes self-management training programs based on 2 codes (G0108 and G0109). Results Results of the study provide insights into the differences in trends between participants and nonparticipants in DSMT. People with diabetes who had DSMT encounters provided by diabetes educators in accredited/recognized programs are likely to show lower cost patterns when compared with a control group of people with diabetes without DSMT encounters. People with diabetes who have multiple episodes of DSMT are more likely to receive care in accordance with recommended guidelines and to comply with diabetes-related prescription regimens, resulting in lower costs and utilization trends. Conclusions and Policy Implications The collaboration between diabetes educators and patients continues to demonstrate positive clinical quality outcomes and cost savings. This analysis shows that repeated DSMT encounters over time result in a dose-response effect on positive outcomes.
Smartphone-Enabled Health Coaching Intervention (iMOVE) to Promote Long-Term Maintenance of Physical Activity in Breast Cancer Survivors: Protocol for a Feasibility Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial

Background Although physical activity has been shown to contribute to long-term disease control and health in breast cancer survivors, a majority of breast cancer survivors do not meet physical activity guidelines. Past research has focused on promoting physical activity components for short-term breast cancer survivor benefits, but insufficient attention has been devoted to long-term outcomes and sustained exercise adherence. We are assessing a health coach intervention (iMOVE) that uses mobile technology to increase and sustain physical activity maintenance in initially inactive breast cancer survivors. Objective This pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT) is an initial step in evaluating the iMOVE intervention and will inform development of a full-scale pragmatic RCT. Methods We will enroll 107 physically inactive breast cancer survivors and randomly assign them to intervention or control groups at the University Health Network, a tertiary cancer care center in Toronto, Canada. Participants will be women (age 18 to 74 years) stratified by age (55 years and older/younger than 55 years) and adjuvant hormone therapy (AHT) exposure (AHT vs no AHT) following breast cancer treatment with no metastases or recurrence who report less than 60 minutes of preplanned physical activity per week. Both intervention and control groups receive the 12-week physical activity program with weekly group sessions and an individualized, progressive, home-based exercise program. The intervention group will additionally receive (1) 10 telephone-based health coaching sessions, (2) smartphone with data plan, if needed, (3) supportive health tracking software (Connected Wellness, NexJ Health Inc), and (4) a wearable step-counting device linked to a smartphone program. Results We will be assessing recruitment rates; acceptability reflected in selective, semistructured interviews; and enrollment, retention, and adherence quantitative intervention markers as pilot outcome measures. The primary clinical outcome will be directly measured peak oxygen consumption. Secondary clinical outcomes include health-related quality of life and anthropometric measures. All outcome measures are administered at baseline, after exercise program (month 3), and 6 months after program (month 9). Conclusions This pilot RCT will inform full-scale RCT planning. We will assess pilot procedures and interventions and collect preliminary effect estimates. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02620735; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02620735 (Archived by WebCite at https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02620735)
QoS-guaranteed data rate allocation for mixed services on licensed and unlicensed bands in LTE and WiFi systems

In face of the exponentially growing demands for various mobile data services, the long term evolution-unlicensed (LTE-U) technology has been proposed to offload over-loaded traffics on the unlicensed spectrum band by leveraging carrier aggregation (CA) technology. However, the quality of service (QoS) requirements of different or mixed services have not been fully considered in existing traffic allocation strategies in terms of various spectrum qualities on both licensed and unlicensed spectrum bands. Therefore, a novel two-step traffic allocation approach is proposed for mixed services to maximize the overall utility of LTE and WiFi systems. And two data rate allocation algorithms for licensed band (DRA-L) and unlicensed band (DRA-UL) are designed based on theoretical analysis. Simulation results verify the enhanced network utility performance of the proposed algorithms compared to the conventional stand-alone DRA-L algorithm.