Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Increased hyaluronan content and stromal cell CD44 associate with HER2 positivity and poor prognosis in human breast cancer

Previous in vitro studies have suggested interactions between hyaluronan (HA), CD44 and HER2. We have studied the expression of HA and CD44 in a material of 278 breast cancer cases, half of which were HER2‐positive. Intense stromal HA staining was associated with HER2 positivity, large tumor size, lymph node positivity, hormone receptor negativity, poor differentiation, a high body mass index, increased relapse rate and shortened overall survival. Among the 139 HER2‐positive cases, the relapse rate was associated with the intensity of stromal HA staining as most of the relapses occurred in the cases with intense stromal HA staining. The presence of HA in the carcinoma cells was related to the frequency of relapses as none of the patients without HA in carcinoma cells experienced a relapse, whereas 33.3% of those with a high percentage of HA‐positive carcinoma cells suffered a relapse. CD44 positivity in carcinoma cells was related to poor differentiation, postmenopausal status and triple negative breast carcinoma. CD44 positivity in stromal cells was associated with HER2 positivity, large tumor size, hormone receptor negativity, poor differentiation, increased relapse rate and shortened overall survival. The association between HER2 positivity and intense stromal HA staining indicates that HA could be one of the factors involved in the unfavorable outcome of HER2‐positive patients. This study also suggests that HA in breast carcinoma cells and CD44 in stromal cells may have clinical significance.
Extended Characteristic Sets: Graph Indexing for SPARQL Query Optimization

SPARQL query execution in state of the art RDF engines depends on, and is often limited by the underlying storage and indexing schemes. Typically, these systems exhaustively store permutations of the standard three-column triples table. However, even though RDF can give birth to datasets with loosely defined schemas, it is common for an emerging structure to appear in the data. In this paper, we introduce a novel indexing scheme for RDF data, that takes advantage of the inherent structure of triples. To this end, we define the Extended Characteristic Set (ECS), a schema abstraction that classifies triples based on the properties of their subjects and objects, and we discuss methods and algorithms for the identification and extraction of ECSs. We show how these can be used to assist query processing, and we implement axonDB, an RDF storage and querying engine based on ECS indexing. We perform an experimental evaluation on real world and synthetic datasets and observe that axonDB outperforms the competition by a few orders of magnitude.
Application of Metagenomic Analyses in Dentistry as a Novel Strategy Enabling Complex Insight into Microbial Diversity of the Oral Cavity

Abstract The composition of the oral microbiome in healthy individuals is complex and dynamic, and depends on many factors, such as anatomical location in the oral cavity, diet, oral hygiene habits or host immune responses. It is estimated at present that worldwide about 2 billion people suffer from diseases of the oral cavity, mainly periodontal disease and dental caries. Importantly, the oral microflora involved in local infections may spread and cause systemic, even life-threatening infections. In search for etiological agents of infections in dentistry, traditional approaches are not sufficient, as about 50% of oral bacteria are not cultivable. Instead, metagenomic analyses are particularly useful for studies of the complex oral microbiome – both in healthy individuals, and in patients with oral and dental diseases. In this paper we review the current and future applications of metagenomic studies in evaluation of both the composition of the oral microbiome as well as its potential pathogenic role in infections in dentistry.
Cryoprotectant‐free vitrification of human spermatozoa in new artificial seminal fluid

Vitrification is a new method that has been recently introduced in Assisted Reproduction Technique programs. The aim of this study was to design a new medium similar to normal human seminal fluid (SF), formulation artificial seminal fluid (ASF), and to compare the cryoprotective potency of this medium with SF and human tubal fluid (HTF) medium. Thirty normal ejaculates were processed with the swim‐up technique and sperm suspensions were divided into four aliquots: (i) fresh sample (control); (ii) vitrification in HTF medium supplemented with 5 mg/mL human serum albumin and 0.25 mol sucrose (Vit HTF); (iii) vitrification with patients’ SF (Vit SF); and (iv) vitrification in ASF (Vit ASF). After warming, sperm parameters of motility, viability, and morphology were analyzed using WHO criteria. Also, sperm pellets were fixed in 2.5% glutaraldehyde and processed for scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy observations. The results showed that progressive motility (46.09 ± 10.33 vs. 36.80 ± 13.75), grade A motility (36.59 ± 11.40 vs. 16.41 ± 11.24), and normal morphology (18.74 ± 8.35 vs. 11.85 ± 5.84) and viability (68.22 ± 10.83 vs. 60.86 ± 11.72) of spermatozoa were significantly higher in Vit ASF than in Vit HTF. All parameters were better in Vit ASF than in Vit SF, but only viability was significantly different (p = 0.006). After cryopreservation, deep invagination in cytoplasm and mechanically weak point sites and folded tail were commonly observed. But, this phenomenon was more significant in Vit HTF and Vit SF than in ASF (p < 0.05). In transmission electron microscopy evaluation, acrosome damage, plasma membrane loss, chromatin vacuolation, and disruption of mitochondria arrangement and structures were observed in all vitrified groups. Adherence of several tail sections together was also seen in all cryo groups. But this was seen more in Vit HTF and Vit SF than in ASF (p < 0.05). In conclusion, vitrification of human spermatozoa with ASF can effectively preserve the quality of sperm motility in comparison with Vit HTF.
Impact of concomitant mitral valve repair for severe mitral regurgitation at the time of continuous-flow left ventricular assist device insertion.

OBJECTIVES Mitral regurgitation (MR) is common in patients with end-stage heart failure. We assessed the effect of performing concomitant mitral valve repair during continuous-flow left ventricular assist device (CF-LVAD) implantation in patients with severe preoperative MR. METHODS We performed a single-centre, retrospective review of all patients who underwent CF-LVAD implantation between December 1999 and December 2013 (n = 469). Patients with severe preoperative MR (n = 78) were identified and then stratified according to whether they underwent concomitant valve repair. Univariate and survival analyses were performed, and multivariable regression was used to determine predictors of survival. RESULTS Of the 78 patients with severe MR, 21 underwent valve repair at the time of CF-LVAD implantation (repair group) and 57 did not (non-repair group). A comparison of the 2 groups showed significant differences between groups: INTERMACS I 16.985 vs 9.52%, (P = 0.039), cardiopulmonary bypass time 82.09 vs 109.4 min (P = 0.0042) and the use of HeartMate II 63.16 vs 100% (P = 0.001). Survival analysis suggested trends towards improved survival and a lower incidence of heart failure-related readmissions in the repair group. Multivariable regression analysis showed no significant independent predictors of survival (mitral valve repair: odds ratio 0.4, 95% confidence interval 0.8-1.5; P = 0.2). CONCLUSIONS Despite the lack of statistical significance, trends towards improved survival and a lower incidence of heart failure events suggest that mitral valve repair may be beneficial in patients undergoing CF-LVAD implantation. Given the known relationship between severe MR and mortality, further study is encouraged to confirm the value of mitral valve repair in these patients.
ECHO: A Reliable Distributed Cellular Core Network for Hyper-scale Public Clouds

Economies of scale associated with hyper-scale public cloud platforms offer flexibility and cost-effectiveness, resulting in various services and businesses moving to the cloud. One area with little progress in this direction is cellular core networks. A cellular core network manages the state of cellular clients; it is essentially a large distributed state machine with very different virtualization challenges compared to typical cloud services. In this paper we present a novel cellular core network architecture, called ECHO, particularly suited to public cloud deployments, where the availability guarantees might be an order of magnitude worse compared to existing (redundant) hardware platforms. We present the design and implementation of our approach and evaluate its functionality on a public cloud platform. Analysis shows ECHO promises higher availability than existing telco solutions.
Event-Based Robust Control for Uncertain Nonlinear Systems Using Adaptive Dynamic Programming

In this paper, the robust control problem for a class of continuous-time nonlinear system with unmatched uncertainties is investigated using an event-based control method. First, the robust control problem is transformed into a corresponding optimal control problem with an augmented control and an appropriate cost function. Under the event-based mechanism, we prove that the solution of the optimal control problem can asymptotically stabilize the uncertain system with an adaptive triggering condition. That is, the designed event-based controller is robust to the original uncertain system. Note that the event-based controller is updated only when the triggering condition is satisfied, which can save the communication resources between the plant and the controller. Then, a single network adaptive dynamic programming structure with experience replay technique is constructed to approach the optimal control policies. The stability of the closed-loop system with the event-based control policy and the augmented control policy is analyzed using the Lyapunov approach. Furthermore, we prove that the minimal intersample time is bounded by a nonzero positive constant, which excludes Zeno behavior during the learning process. Finally, two simulation examples are provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed control scheme.
Searching for the second best graft for coronary artery bypass surgery: a network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials†.

OBJECTIVES There is a lack of unequivocal evidence basis for selecting the best second conduit in coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). We thus aimed to perform head-to-head relative effect estimate on angiographic outcomes for second conduits, including the right internal mammary artery (RIMA), radial artery (RA), right gastroepiploic artery (RGEA) and saphenous vein graft (SVG) by means of network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs). METHODS Databases were searched for RCTs comparing angiographic outcomes (≥4 weeks) of second conduits in CABG. Odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) were computed with Markov Chain Monte Carlo simulation. RESULTS A total of nine RCTs were identified, including 2780 patients and 1620 angiographic results available for analysis to compare RIMA (n=145) versus RA (n=871) versus RGEA (n=92) versus SVG (n=845). The mean time to angiographic follow-up ranged from 1 to 7.7 years. An SVG was significantly associated with a 4-fold (1.67-16.00) and 3-fold (0.78-22.20) increased risk of late (≥4 years) functional graft occlusion when compared with the RIMA and RA, respectively. A RIMA was associated with a non-significant 27% absolute risk reduction for functional graft occlusion when compared with the RA. CONCLUSIONS The present network meta-analysis consistently demonstrated an angiographic superiority of RIMA and RA over SVG. The RIMA is expected to achieve a better patency rate than the RA, but further studies are needed.
The “Social Gaze Space”: A Taxonomy for Gaze-Based Communication in Triadic Interactions

Humans substantially rely on non-verbal cues in their communication and interaction with others. The eyes represent a “simultaneous input-output device”: While we observe others and obtain information about their mental states (including feelings, thoughts, and intentions-to-act), our gaze simultaneously provides information about our own attention and inner experiences. This substantiates its pivotal role for the coordination of communication. The communicative and coordinative capacities – and their phylogenetic and ontogenetic impacts – become fully apparent in triadic interactions constituted in its simplest form by two persons and an object. Technological advances have sparked renewed interest in social gaze and provide new methodological approaches. Here we introduce the ‘Social Gaze Space’ as a new conceptual framework for the systematic study of gaze behavior during social information processing. It covers all possible categorical states, namely ‘partner-oriented,’ ‘object-oriented,’ ‘introspective,’ ‘initiating joint attention,’ and ‘responding joint attention. ’ Different combinations of these states explain several interpersonal phenomena. We argue that this taxonomy distinguishes the most relevant interactional states along their distinctive features, and will showcase the implications for prominent social gaze phenomena. The taxonomy allows to identify research desiderates that have been neglected so far. We argue for a systematic investigation of these phenomena and discuss some related methodological issues.
Textual and Graphical Password Authentication Scheme Resistant to Shoulder Surfing

is a process that ensures a user's identity. User's identity can be verified by user name and password. The textual passwords are the most widely used passwords for authentication. There is a common trend among users to choose short length passwords which are easy to memorize. However, textual passwords are vulnerable to various attacks that include shoulder-surfing, brute force attack, hidden camera and spyware attacks. So to overcome the issues related to textual passwords we propose an authentication scheme called Textual Graphical Password Authentication Scheme Resistant to Shoulder Surfing. This scheme combines both text as well as graphics which are capable of resisting shoulder surfing, brute force attack, hidden camera and spyware attack. The specialty of Textual Graphical Password Authentication Scheme Resistant to Shoulder Surfing is its user friendliness which allows the user to migrate from the current authentication scheme to our proposed scheme.
The reacTable: a tangible tabletop musical instrument and collaborative workbench

This paper describes the reacTable*, a novel multi-user electro-acoustic music instrument with a tabletop tangible user interface, which is being developed at the MTG in Barcelona. We (cid:2)rst introduce the reacTable* project and some of the concepts behind its design and we then discuss interaction and performance scenarios.
Organisational structure for the e-government coordination and interoperability framework: a case study of Tunisia

A clearly defined institutional framework for e-government planning and implementation is the main precondition for the development of e-services. Usually one of the main tasks of this coordination is to set up an organisational framework enabling planning and implementation of e-government development. The main risks regarding developments of the e-government architecture for e-services in Tunisia are that different technology projects managed by different organisations and regulated by different laws are creating a set of incompatible components of the state information system, which might need extra efforts of system development in the future. This is why the establishment of a clearly defined institutional framework and coordination mechanisms are of utmost importance. Sustainable and interoperable e-service development and data exchange are based on a clear organisational setup for developing and running the systems. The following description intends to provide a framework for the organisational setup in e-government services development and implementation.
Register everyone : on the whitespace use of wireless microphone channels , channel 37 , and the soon-to-be guard bands

This report is intended as a response to some of the questions posed by the FCC regarding the upcoming TV-band incentive auction, given in their NPRM [1], as they relate to the television whitespaces. In particular, we argue (1) that channel 37 should be made available for whitespace use; (2) that the channels reserved for wireless microphones should be reserved on an as-used basis only; and (3) that the guard bands which will be created via the incentive auction must be considered as database-registrationrequiring whitespace if unlicensed devices are authorized to use them. These three proposals have two common themes: (1) they each work toward the goal of making otherwise-wasted spectrum available as whitespace; and (2) in each case, the key concept is that the involved parties can (and in some cases must) register their devices and use geolocation of some sort. We will sketch each of our proposals and show how together they can make whitespace available for up to 10 million more Americans with minimal overhead while ensuring that licensed users receive the quality of service that they expect. As a result, essentially no one would be left without whitespace access.
Invited Article: Threats to physician autonomy in a performance-based reimbursement system

Physician autonomy is currently threatened by the external application of pay for performance standards and required conformity to practice guidelines. This phenomenon is being driven by concerns over the economic viability of increasing per capita health care expenditures without a concomitant rise in favorable health outcomes and by the unjustified marked variations among physicians’ practice patterns. Proponents contend that altering the reimbursement system to encourage physicians to make choices based upon the best available evidence would be one way to ensure better outcomes per health care dollar spent. Although physician autonomy is most easily justified when decisions are made by appealing to the best available evidence, incentivizing decision-making risks sacrificing physician autonomy to political and social forces if the limitations of evidence-based medicine are not respected. Any reimbursement system designed to encourage physicians to utilize the best available evidence by providing financial incentives must recognize physicians who try to play to the numbers as well as physicians who refuse to follow the best available evidence if doing so would conflict with good medicine or patient preferences. By designing, promulgating, and updating evidence-based clinical practice guidelines, medical specialty societies can limit threats to physician autonomy while improving medical practice.
Codes over an infinite family of algebras

In this paper, we will show some properties of codes over the ring $B_k=\mathbb{F}_p[v_1,\dots,v_k]/(v_i^2=v_i,\forall i=1,\dots,k). $ These rings, form a family of commutative algebras over finite field $\mathbb{F}_p$. We first discuss about the form of maximal ideals and characterization of automorphisms for the ring $B_k$. Then, we define certain Gray map which can be used to give a connection between codes over $B_k$ and codes over $\mathbb{F}_p$. Using the previous connection, we give a characterization for equivalence of codes over $B_k$ and Euclidean self-dual codes. Furthermore, we give generators for invariant ring of Euclidean self-dual codes over $B_k$ through MacWilliams relation of Hamming weight enumerator for such codes.
Enhancing Security in Linux OS

The security of Linux depends on many configuration file both at system level and application level. Most important is security of the Linux system is never static. Once you secure your Linux system it does not perpetually stay secure because operational and functional changes had done through threats or new exploits are available for packages or applications hence need of secure system . The primary focus of this paper is securing Linux production system. There are many Linux Security requirements that need to pass various audits in an enterprise. Linux has many configuration files and many configuration files consist of security attributes which are the focus of this paper. This paper consists some standard security practices which are basic for Linux security.
SERUM PROTEIN-VASOPRESSIN BINDING AND ITS INFLUENCE ON THE PRESSOR ACTIVITY OF THE HORMONE.

The manner in which the posterior pituitary hormones are carried in the plasma has not been clarified but seems to differ from one species to another1). Several evidences have been brought forward to indicate that vasopressin in human plasma is bound with the plasma protein2, 3, 4). Our previous observation showed different vasopressin binding capacity between the plasma samples obtained from different individuals (unpublished data). The present study was first aimed to reinvestigate the variation in the binding capacity using a larger number of freshly obtained human, dog and rat serum and plasma samples. During the course of the investigation on the vasopressin-serum protein binding we have noticed that the pressor activity of vasopressin added to human serum is usually lower than that of vasopressin in physiological saline in the same concentration as in the serum and that the reduction of the pressor activity by the serum varied in extent from one sample to another. The fall of the pressor activity may probably be due to inactivation of the hormone by serum. But it may also be possible that binding itself participates in reducing the activity5) or interferes the degradation of vasopressin in the serum.
Stimulation via a subretinally placed prosthetic elicits central activity and induces a trophic effect on visual responses.

PURPOSE Subretinal prosthetics are designed to electrically stimulate second-order cells, replacing dysfunctional photoreceptors in diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa (RP). For functional vision to occur, this signal must also reach central visual structures. In the current study, a subretinally implanted prosthetic was evaluated in the Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) rat model of RP, to determine its capacity to activate the retinotectal pathway. METHODS Prosthetic implants were placed in RCS and wild-type (WT) rats at 4 weeks of age and evaluated 3 months later. Control rats underwent sham surgery, implantation with inactive prosthetics, or no treatment. Implant- and visible-evoked responses were isolated and evaluated in the superior colliculus (SC). RESULTS In WT and RCS rats with active prosthetics, implant-driven responses were found in 100% of WT and 64% of RCS rats and were confined to a small SC region that corresponded to the retinal sector containing the implant and differed from visible-evoked responses. In addition, visible-evoked responses were more robust at sites that received implant input compared to sites that did not. These effects were not seen in WT rats or RCS control animals; although a general trophic effect on the number of responsive sites was observed in all RCS rats with surgery compared to untreated RCS rats. CONCLUSIONS Direct activation of the retina by a subretinal implant induces activity in the SC of RCS rats, suggesting that these implants have some capacity to replace dysfunctional photoreceptors. The data also provide evidence for implant-induced neurotrophic effects as a consequence of both its presence and its activity in the retina.