Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Medical Signals Acquisition and Management System for Computer-Aid of Prostate Cancer Diagnosis

In this paper the procedure of conditioning and merging the medical signals as the important element of expert system for the diagnosis of prostate cancer (PC) and benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is presented. Patient, who comes to urologist, is an object of measurement and the process of identification should qualify its essential features from doctor's point of view. The conditioning is based on medical expert knowledge. This knowledge is translated into a probabilistic model (the Bayesian network model), which represents knowledge base of the system. The model combines knowledge of experts with the data that is obtained from the questionnaires. The input values of this system are the results of anamnesis and investigations. In this paper we propose also the internet option for data collection to enhance physician's administrative work.
The Development of Romantic Relationships in Adolescence: Rejection Sensitivity and Adolescent Romantic Relationships

A key function of romantic relationships is to make people feel accepted and loved, thus promoting well-being. Yet, many relationships do not serve this function. Adults give relationship difficulties as the most common reason for seeking therapy (Veroff, Kulka, & Douvan, 1981). People in conflicted marriages are often depressed (Coyne, Downey, & Boergers, 1994), and intimate violence is a leading cause of injuries to both adult and adolescent women (Browne, 1993; Centers for Disease Control, 1990). Because troubled romantic relationships are both pervasive and costly, there is considerable interest in understanding how relationships are undermined. Initially, research on the causes of troubled intimate relationships focused on married couples. It is now clear that the destructive interactional patterns that undermine marriages are evident in adult dating relationships and may be present in adolescent relationships. Intimate violence is a case in point. Minor dating violence precedes serious marital violence in 25% to 50% of cases (Gayford, 1975; O'Leary & Arias, 1988; Roscoe & Benaske, 1985). The level of violence in adult dating relationships is similar to that found in marital relationships (Sugarman & Hotaling, 1989). Reported rates of dating violence in high school students range from 9% to 45% (Bergman, 1992; Downey, Lebolt, & O'Shea-Lauber, 1995; Henton, Cate, Koval, Lloyd, & Christopher, 1983; Molidor, 1993; O'Keefe, Brockopp, & Chew, 1986; Roscoe & Callahan, 1985; Roscoe, & Kelsey, 1986).
A people-to-people content-based reciprocal recommender using hidden markov models

Users of online social networks such as dating websites often need help to find successful matches. People-to-people recommender systems can be used in social networks to help users find better matches, which requires solving the problem of reciprocal recommendation. However, most existing reciprocal recommenders use either profile similarity or interaction similarity to recommend new matches, without considering temporal features. In this paper we introduce a method for temporal reciprocal recommender systems using Hidden Markov Models to generate recommendations. Instead of summarising the whole historical data in one past state, we propose a model that formalises historical data on interactions as a series of successive states changing over time and then tries to find the recommended next state. We have implemented this new approach and the results of testing on industrial-scale data from a real dating website show a noticeable improvement over the previous best-performing recommenders.
Knowing When to Slide - Efficient Scheduling for Sliding Window Processing

We consider sliding window query execution scheduling in stream processing engines. Sliding windows are an essential building block to limit the query focus at a particular part of the stream, based either on value count or time ranges. These so called sliding window predicates specify the execution condition for the query. Due to the often massive amount of registered queries, efficient algorithms to check these predicates are essential. While there exists a comprehensive set of works on the stream processing techniques, the actual algorithms to intelligently decide on the sliding behaviors is not extensively addressed in the existing works. In this paper we propose a set of algorithms for managing and sharing sliding decisions. This work introduces the concept of the batch sliding and sliding graphs to improve the sliding decision of the stream processing engines. Our algorithms can be efficiently used in large-scale stream processing systems where data arrives at high rates and a large number of user queries are registered to these data streams. Our evaluation results show the suitability of this approach in the real world applications.
Advances in High-Field BOLD fMRI

This review article examines the current state of BOLD fMRI at a high magnetic field strength of 7 Tesla. The following aspects are covered: a short description of the BOLD contrast, spatial and temporal resolution, BOLD sensitivity, localization and spatial specificity, technical challenges as well as an outlook on future developments are given. It is shown that the main technical challenges of performing BOLD fMRI at high magnetic field strengths—namely development of array coils, imaging sequences and parallel imaging reconstruction—have been solved successfully. The combination of these developments has lead to the availability of high-resolution BOLD fMRI protocols that are able to cover the whole brain with a repetition time (TR) shorter than 3 s. The structural information available from these high-resolution fMRI images itself is already very detailed, which helps to co-localize structure and function. Potential future applications include whole-brain connectivity analysis on a laminar resolution and single subject examinations.
Databases for lncRNAs: a comparative evaluation of emerging tools

The vast majority of the human transcriptome does not code for proteins. Advances in transcriptome arrays and deep sequencing are giving rise to a fast accumulation of large data sets, particularly of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs). Although it is clear that individual lncRNAs may play important and diverse biological roles, there is a large gap between the number of existing lncRNAs and their known relation to molecular/cellular function. This and related information have recently been gathered in several databases dedicated to lncRNA research. Here, we review the content of general and more specialized databases on lncRNAs. We evaluate these resources in terms of the quality of annotations, the reporting of validated or predicted molecular associations, and their integration with other resources and computational analysis tools. We illustrate our findings using known and novel cancer-related lncRNAs. Finally, we discuss limitations and highlight potential future directions for these databases to help delineating functions associated with lncRNAs.
Recent Developments in Nanoparticle-Based siRNA Delivery for Cancer Therapy

RNA interference (RNAi) is a gene regulation mechanism initiated by RNA molecules that enables sequence-specific gene silencing by promoting degradation of specific mRNAs. Molecular therapy using small interfering RNA (siRNA) has shown great therapeutic potential for diseases caused by abnormal gene overexpression or mutation. The major challenges to application of siRNA therapeutics include the stability and effective delivery of siRNA in vivo. Important progress in nanotechnology has led to the development of efficient siRNA delivery systems. In this review, the authors discuss recent advances in nanoparticle-mediated siRNA delivery and the application of siRNA in clinical trials for cancer therapy. This review will also offer perspectives on future applications of siRNA therapeutics.
Functional and Morphological Organization of the Rabbit Sinus Node

In isolated right atria of the rabbit heart, we studied the activation pattern within the sinus node, using the microelectrode technique. After the electrophysiological experiments, the prep-arations were subjected to a correlative morphological investigation, using light or electron microscopy. Different criteria for defining the dominant pacemaker were compared. A group of at least 5000 cells, located within the central part of the node where the most characteristic tissue architecture was found, was considered to be responsible for generation of the impulse. At the ultrastructural level, this leading cell group appeared to be part of a larger uniform cell group. The number of gap junctions observed suggests that all nodal cells are coupled by these structures. Toward the periphery, the excitation wave was propagated preferentially in an oblique cranial direction toward the crista terminalis. Neither morphologically nor electrophysiologically specific pathways were found for the conduction, but the preferential direction could be explained by the tissue architecture. Circ Res: 46:11-22, 1980
Tolerance and effectiveness of a new dynamic hand-wrist orthosis in chronic stroke patients.

PURPOSE To evaluate tolerance of a new dynamic hand-wrist orthosis and effectiveness on the prevention of progressive wrist contracture and spasticity after stroke. METHOD Chronic stroke patients (N = 6) with upper limb spasticity, who had not been able to endure a static orthosis, were provided with a custom-made dynamic orthosis. Tolerance of the orthosis was evaluated by the daily wearing time, and self-reported pain and spasticity. Effectiveness was measured by contracture of wrist and finger flexor muscles, upper limb spasticity and use of spasticity treatment. Outcome measures were collected at time of fitting of the dynamic orthosis (baseline) and after three and six months. RESULTS Five patients could endure the dynamic orthosis without discomfort for 6 hours daily during the 6-month period. Self-reported spasticity and pain decreased significantly (p < 0.05) compared to wearing the static orthosis. In comparison to baseline, the maximum passive wrist extension increased significantly from -29° to -12° (p < 0.05). Although, no significant change in spasticity was measured, the use of Botulinum Toxin injections decreased for two patients. CONCLUSIONS The majority of the included chronic stroke patients tolerated the new dynamic orthosis for at least 6 hours daily and the use significantly reduced wrist contractures in a 6-month period.
Resistance training improves strength and functional capacity in persons with multiple sclerosis

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of an eight-week progressive resistance training programme on lower extremity strength, ambulatory function, fatigue and self-reported disability in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients (mean disability score 3.79-0.8). Eight MS subjects volunteered for twice weekly training sessions. During the first two weeks, subjects completed one set of 8 -10 reps at 50% of maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) of knee flexion, knee extension and plantarflexion exercises. In subsequent sessions, the subjects completed one set of 10 -15 repetitions at 70% of MVC. The resistance was increased by 2 -5% when subjects completed 15 repetitions in consecutive sessions. Isometric strength of the quadriceps, hamstring, plantarflexor and dorsiflexor muscle groups was assessed before and after the training programme using an isokinetic dynamometer. Magnetic resonance images of the thigh were acquired before and after the exercise programme as were walking speed (25-ft), number of steps in 3 min, and self-reported fatigue and disability. Knee extension (7.4%), plantarflexion (52%) and stepping performance (8.7%) increased significantly (PB-0.05). Self-reported fatigue decreased (PB-0.05) and disability tended to decrease (P -0.07) following the training programme. MS patients are capable of making positive adaptations to resistance training that are associated with improved ambulation and decreased fatigue.
Relação entre aumento da flexibilidade e facilitações na execução de ações cotidianas em adultos participantes de programa de exercício supervisionado

Este estudo objetivou relacionar ganhos de flexibilidade decorrentes da participacao em programade exercicio supervisionado (PES) com eventuais facilitacoes na execucao de acoes cotidianas em adultos. Vinte individuos, a maioria coronariopatas, com idade de 58 ± 9 anos, que estavam frequentando um PES, foram selecionados intencionalmente. Para a avaliacao da flexibilidade utilizou-se o Flexiteste. Em adendo, os individuos responderam um questionario com 11 perguntas para avaliar subjetivamente,a facilidade e/ou dificuldade de realizar acoes cotidianas, no inicio do PES e no momento em que estavam respondendo o questionario. Apos o PES, houve ganhos na facilidade de execucao das 11 acoes, na flexibilidade global passiva e em seis movimentos individuais do Flexiteste (p The aim of this study was to relate flexibility improvements from supervised exercise program(SEP) attendance, to eventual improvements in the execution of daily actions by adults. The sampleconsisted by 20 subjects, the majority of cardiac patients with an average age of 58 + 9 years, actively participating in SEP, were intentionally selected. The Flexitest, was used to determine the flexibility. In addition, the subjects answered an 11-question questionnaire, aiming to assess the relative difficulty indaily actions. The questionnaire assessed the subject opinion on their improvements for daily actionssince beginning of the SEP, that was completed between three and 18 months after beginning the program.After the SEP, improvements were observed in the execution of 11 daily actions, global flexibility, and sixindividual movements of the Flexitest (p
Robust utterance verification for connected digits recognition

Utterance verification represents an important technology in the design of user-friendly speech recognition systems. This paper addresses the issue of robustness in utterance verification. Four different approaches to robustness have been investigated: a string based likelihood measure for the detection of non-vocabulary words and "putative" errors, a signal bias removal method for channel normalization, on-line adaptation technique for achieving desirable trade-off between false rejection and false alarms, and a discriminative training method for the minimization of the expected string error rate. When these techniques were all integrated into a state-of-the-art connected digit recognition system, the string error rate was found to decrease by up to 57% at a rejection rate of 5%. For non-vocabulary word strings, the proposed utterance verification system rejected over 99.9% of extraneous speech.
The American college of rheumatology preliminary core set of disease activity measures for rheumatoid arthritis clinical trials

Objective. To develop a set of disease activity measures for use in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) clinical trials, as well as to recommend specific methods for assessing each outcome measure. This is not intended to be a restrictive list, but rather, a core set of measures that should be included in all trials. Methods. We evaluated disease activity measures commonly used in RA trials, to determine which measures best met each of 5 types of validity: construct, face, content, criterion, and discriminant. The evaluation consisted of an initial structured review of the literature on the validity of measures, with an analysis of data obtained from clinical trials to fill in gaps in this literature. A committee of experts in clinical trials, health services research, and biostatistics reviewed the validity data. A nominal group process method was used to reach consensus on a core set of disease activity measures. This set was then reviewed and finalized at an international conference on outcome measures for RA clinical trials. The committee also selected specific ways to assess each outcome. Results. The core set of disease activity measures consists of a tender joint count, swollen joint count, patient's assessment of pain, patient's and physician's global assessments of disease activity, patient's assessment of physical function, and laboratory evaluation of 1 acute-phase reactant. Together, these measures sample the broad range of improvement in RA (have content validity), and all are at least moderately sensitive to change (have discriminant validity). Many of them predict other important long-term outcomes in RA, including physical disability, radiographic damage, and death. Other disease activity measures frequently used in clinical trials were not chosen for any one of several reasons, including insensitivity to change or duplication of information provided by one of the core measures (e.g., tender joint score and tender joint count) The committee also proposes specific ways of measuring each outcome. Conclusion. We propose a core set of outcome measures for RA clinical trials. We hope this will decrease the number of outcomes assessed and standardize outcomes assessments. Further, we hope that these measures will be found useful in long-term studies.
Non-Suicidal Self-Injury in Adolescents: Addressing the Function and the Family From the Perspective of Systemic Family Therapies

ABSTRACT Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) in adolescence has been increasing steadily over the past several decades. Mental health professionals frequently address NSSI solely within an individual context. Behaviorally focused therapy is the norm for treating NSSI in adolescents, but existence of the behavior as a larger manifestation of structural family problems is missing from this modality of therapy. Although short-term outcomes display a reduction or cessation of NSSI, long-term efficacy is still not proven for behaviorally focused therapies. Addressing the function of NSSI in a family context will help shift the perspective of clinicians from behavioral, individual therapy to structural family therapy.
Reproductive investment within inflorescences of Stylidium armeria varies with the strength of early resource commitment.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Resource allocation to flowers, fruits and seeds can vary greatly within an inflorescence. For example, distal fruits are often smaller and produce fewer and smaller fruits and seeds than more basal fruits. To assess the causes and functional significance of intra-inflorescence variation, pollen and resources were manipulated to test whether such patterns could be altered within racemes of Stylidum armeria, a perennial Australian herb. METHODS Pollen and resource levels were manipulated over two flowering seasons. How the number of ovules, fertilized ovules and seeds, the probability of fruit set, and the biomass of floral and fruiting structures varied with their position on the raceme were analysed. KEY RESULTS Most plants showed a decline in ovule and seed number toward the distal positions on the raceme, but plants differed in their pattern of intra-inflorescence allocation: racemes with greater investment in basal fruits displayed a stronger trade-off with distal investment than did racemes that made smaller initial investments. This trade-off was (a) much stronger for ovule number than for seed number, (b) ameliorated but not erased by resource addition, and (c) exacerbated by resource reduction. There was large and seemingly erratic variation across fruit positions in ovule fertilization and seed set following both natural and supplemental pollination. CONCLUSIONS In S. armeria, allocation to reproductive traits within the inflorescence is influenced by dynamic trade-offs in resource allocation between early and late fruits, and may also be subject to inherent architectural effects. Large, unpredictable variation among fruits in fertilization success and seed set may influence the evolution of inflorescence size, ovule number and floral dimorphism.
Intravenous infusion of glucagon-like peptide-1 potently inhibits food intake, sham feeding, and gastric emptying in rats.

Glucagon-like peptide-1(7-36)-amide (GLP-1) is postulated to act as a hormonal signal from gut to brain to inhibit food intake and gastric emptying. A mixed-nutrient meal produces a 2 to 3-h increase in plasma GLP-1. We determined the effects of intravenous infusions of GLP-1 on food intake, sham feeding, and gastric emptying in rats to assess whether GLP-1 inhibits food intake, in part, by slowing gastric emptying. A 3-h intravenous infusion of GLP-1 (0.5-170 pmol.kg(-1). min(-1)) at dark onset dose-dependently inhibited food intake in rats that were normally fed with a potency (mean effective dose) and efficacy (maximal % inhibition) of 23 pmol.kg(-1). min(-1) and 82%, respectively. Similar total doses of GLP-1 administered over a 15-min period were less potent and effective. In gastric emptying experiments, GLP-1 (1.7-50 pmol.kg(-1). min(-1)) dose-dependently inhibited gastric emptying of saline and ingested chow with potencies of 18 and 6 pmol.kg(-1). min(-1) and maximal inhibitions of 74 and 83%, respectively. In sham-feeding experiments, GLP-1 (5-50 pmol.kg(-1). min(-1)) dose-dependently reduced 15% aqueous sucrose intake in a similar manner when gastric cannulas were closed (real feeding) and open (sham feeding). These results demonstrate that intravenous infusions of GLP-1 dose-dependently inhibit food intake, sham feeding, and gastric emptying with a similar potency and efficacy. Thus GLP-1 may inhibit food intake in part by reducing gastric emptying, yet can also inhibit food intake independently of its action to reduce gastric emptying. It remains to be determined whether intravenous doses of GLP-1 that reproduce postprandial increases in plasma GLP-1 are sufficient to inhibit food intake and gastric emptying.
Composition of dynamic roadmaps for dual-arm motion planning

Dynamic roadmaps (DRM) are a planning approach for robots in changing environments where fast replanning is required. DRMs are based on a precomputed graph in the configuration space and mappings from workspace voxels to vertices and edges in the graph, which allows for computation times below 100 ms. While dynamic roadmaps can in principle be applied to dual-arm motion planning, it may be beneficial to use independent roadmaps per arm. This paper proposes four different approaches for planning based on two separate DRMs that all take advantage of the availability of workspace mappings. A sequential approach first plans for a prioritized arm and then considers its motion as obstacle for the second arm. The other three planners coordinate the motion of the arms along fixed paths or graphs such that no collision occurs. Benchmarks are performed for two robot models with different ratios of overlapping workspace to investigate the pros and cons of the composition approaches and to compare them to a single roadmap for the dual-arm robot.