Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
New-Onset Diabetes and Risk of All-Cause and Cardiovascular Mortality

OBJECTIVE—Cardiovascular risk associated with new-onset diabetes is not well characterized. We hypothesized that risk of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality would be similar among participants with and without new-onset diabetes in the first years of follow-up and rise over time for new-onset diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS—The Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS) is a longitudinal study of cardiovascular risk factors in adults aged ≥65 years. We used CHS participants to define a cohort (n = 282) with new-onset diabetes during 11 years of follow-up. New-onset diabetes was defined by initiation of antidiabetes medication or by fasting plasma glucose >125 mg/dl among CHS participants without diabetes at study entry. Three CHS participants without diabetes were matched for age, sex, and race to each participant with new-onset diabetes at the time of diabetes identification (n = 837). Survival analysis provided adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) for all-cause and cardiovascular mortality. RESULTS—During a median of 5.9 years of follow-up, there were 352 deaths, of which 41% were cardiovascular. In adjusted analyses, new-onset diabetes was associated with an HR of 1.9 (95% CI 1.4–2.5) for all-cause and 2.2 (1.4–3.4) for cardiovascular mortality compared with no diabetes. Mortality risks were elevated within 2 years of onset, especially cardiovascular risk (4.3 [95% CI 1.7–10.8]), and did not increase over time. CONCLUSIONS—Our findings indicate that there may be a mortality differential soon after diabetes onset in older adults and suggest that long-term macrovascular damage from atherosclerosis may not be primarily responsible for increased risk.
Diversity and Global Distribution of IncL/M Plasmids Enabling Horizontal Dissemination of β-Lactam Resistance Genes among the Enterobacteriaceae

Antibiotic resistance determinants are frequently associated with plasmids and other mobile genetic elements, which simplifies their horizontal transmission. Several groups of plasmids (including replicons of the IncL/M incompatibility group) were found to play an important role in the dissemination of resistance genes encoding β-lactamases. The IncL/M plasmids are large, broad host range, and self-transmissible replicons. We have identified and characterized two novel members of this group: pARM26 (isolated from bacteria inhabiting activated sludge from a wastewater treatment plant) and pIGT15 (originating from a clinical strain of Escherichia coli). This instigated a detailed comparative analysis of all available sequences of IncL/M plasmids encoding β-lactamases. The core genome of these plasmids is comprised of 20 genes with conserved synteny. Phylogenetic analyses of these core genes allowed clustering of the plasmids into four separate groups, which reflect their antibiotic resistance profiles. Examination of the biogeography of the IncL/M plasmids revealed that they are most frequently found in bacteria of the family Enterobacteriaceae originating from the Mediterranean region and Western Europe and that they are able to persist in various ecological niches even in the absence of direct antibiotic selection pressure.
Reliability of Examiners' Evaluations of Oral Presentations in Fixed Prosthodontics

This study assessed the inter-examiner variability on student scores when assessing oral presentations in Fixed Prosthodontics course. Oral presentations of fifth-year dental students were randomly selected. Students presented their topic within 15 minutes, followed by 10 minutes of detailed personal feedback and group discussion. Three senior faculty members participated in the evaluation session based on predefined criteria. Four levels of grading for rating presentation as highly acceptable, acceptable, marginally acceptable, or unacceptable were used. The scoring patterns of the evaluators were statistically analyzed using Friedman's test. The study revealed significant differences among the mean rank scores of the evaluators (P=0.001) for all criteria. Moreover, the mean rank scores of the 3 evaluators for the total value of all criteria were significantly different (P=0.001). The pairwise comparison test showed significant difference between each pair of evaluators (P=0.001) for all criteria. However, the difference was not significant for the first and the third evaluators for the second criteria (P=0.238). There was significant difference between each pair of evaluators (P=0.001) for the total value of all criteria.
The effect of passive ultrasonic activation of 2% chlorhexidine or 3% sodium hypochlorite in canal wall cleaning

Objectives: the purpose of this study was to compare debris removal and open tubules effectiveness of sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) and chlorhexidine (CHX) applied as final irrigation in different protocols Study Design: sixty extracted premolars were divided into six groups according to the final irrigation technique: A and B 3 % NaOCl or 2 % CHX with the Miraject needle and no agitation; C and D, passive ultrasonic irrigation (PUI) with Irrisafe 20 tips and 3 % NaOCl or 2 % CHX; E and F, PUI with Irrisafe 25 tips and 3 % NaOCl or 2% CHX. The remaining dentine debris and opened tubules were evaluated by SEM at three root levels by two blinded investigators. The Kruskal Wallis and the Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare groups and levels, with a significance of p<0.05. Results: Debris elimination was significantly higher in PUI groups (p<0.05). PUI groups showed a higher capability to open tubules, compared to groups A and B. In the coronal third, groups D to F eliminated more debris and opened more tubules than conventional irrigation (p<0.05). In medium third, group E eliminated significantly more debris (1.60) than group A (2.60). No differences were obtained among groups in apical third. Both NaOCl and CHX applied with PUI showed no differences in debris elimination or opened tubules. Conclusions: Final PUI with Irrisafe tips was the most effective procedure for eliminating the debris and opening up dentinal tubules, independent of the irrigant solution or Irrisafe type size. Key words:Ultrasonic irrigation, PUI, sodium hypochlorite, chlorhexidine.
Severe Myoclonic Epilepsy of Infants (Dravet Syndrome): Natural History and Neuropsychological Findings

Summary: Severe Myoclonic Epilepsy in infancy (SMEI, or Dravet syndrome) is a drug‐resistant epilepsy that occurs in the first year of life of previously healthy children. The main clinical features are prolonged and repeated febrile and afebrile generalized or unilateral convulsive seizures. In the course of the epilepsy, cognitive deterioration becomes evident, and interictal myoclonus, clumsiness and ataxia appear. One third of the children with SMEI show de novo mutations of the SCN1A gene, and additional familial genes probably contribute to the phenotype. While the clinical picture of SMEI has been well studied, neuropsychological data remain scarce. Global mental retardation, attention deficit and psychotic behavior have been reported but the long‐term outcome has not been evaluated. We conducted a longitudinal neuropsychological study of children with SMEI. Twenty children, aged 11 months to 16 years, were prospectively examined using standardized neuropsychological tests. Correlation analysis with other clinical features was performed in 12 cases. Marked slowing or stagnation of psychomotor development, accompanied by psychotic or autistic traits and hyperactivity, was observed between the ages of one and four years. In the later stages (at ages 5 to 16 years), cognitive function stabilized but remained below normal. In children with a more favorable course, language capacities were better preserved than visuospatial functions, and behavior improved. The cognitive and behavioral impairment tended to correlate with the frequency of convulsive seizures (>5 per month). The data suggest that SMEI can be considered as a prototype of an epileptic encephalopathy.
A comparative study on the pharmacokinetics of methotrexate in a dose range of 0.5 g to 33.6 g/m2 in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Concentrations of methotrexate have been determined in the serum and cerebrospinal fluid after 406 infusions of methotrexate to 58 children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. The dose of methotrexate varied between 500 mg/m2 and 33 600 mg/m2. Pharmacokinetic analysis of the data has been carried out. The effect of dose, age, and number of treatments on steady‐state concentration, serum half‐life, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) serum distribution ratio, volume of distribution, systemic clearance of methotrexate was examined. The elevation of dose resulted in a nonproportional increase of the steady‐state concentrations both in serum and CSF. The great inpatient and interpatient variations of steady‐state concentrations caused only statistically not significant differences in the parameters of different subgroups of dosages. Correlation was found between concentrations of methotrexate in serum and CSF. One to 4 years old children were found to have lower steady‐state concentrations of methotrexate in the serum and CSF, greater volume of distribution and faster clearence of the drug. Dose‐dependency and age‐dependency of methotrexate pharmacokinetics has been concluded.
Pointing gesture recognition based on 3D-tracking of face, hands and head orientation

In this paper, we present a system capable of visually detecting pointing gestures and estimating the 3D pointing direction in real-time. In order to acquire input features for gesture recognition, we track the positions of a person's face and hands on image sequences provided by a stereo-camera. Hidden Markov Models (HMMs), trained on different phases of sample pointing gestures, are used to classify the 3D-trajectories in order to detect the occurrence of a gesture. When analyzing sample pointing gestures, we noticed that humans tend to look at the pointing target while performing the gesture. In order to utilize this behavior, we additionally measured head orientation by means of a magnetic sensor in a similar scenario. By using head orientation as an additional feature, we observed significant gains in both recall and precision of pointing gestures. Moreover, the percentage of correctly identified pointing targets improved significantly from 65% to 83%. For estimating the pointing direction, we comparatively used three approaches: 1) The line of sight between head and hand, 2) the forearm orientation, and 3) the head orientation.
Multi-fidelity modelling via recursive co-kriging and Gaussian–Markov random fields

We propose a new framework for design under uncertainty based on stochastic computer simulations and multi-level recursive co-kriging. The proposed methodology simultaneously takes into account multi-fidelity in models, such as direct numerical simulations versus empirical formulae, as well as multi-fidelity in the probability space (e.g. sparse grids versus tensor product multi-element probabilistic collocation). We are able to construct response surfaces of complex dynamical systems by blending multiple information sources via auto-regressive stochastic modelling. A computationally efficient machine learning framework is developed based on multi-level recursive co-kriging with sparse precision matrices of Gaussian–Markov random fields. The effectiveness of the new algorithms is demonstrated in numerical examples involving a prototype problem in risk-averse design, regression of random functions, as well as uncertainty quantification in fluid mechanics involving the evolution of a Burgers equation from a random initial state, and random laminar wakes behind circular cylinders.
TGF‐β1 Pathway as a New Target for Neuroprotection in Alzheimer's Disease

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder that affects more than 37 million people worldwide. Current drugs for AD are only symptomatic, but do not interfere with the underlying pathogenic mechanisms of the disease. AD is characterized by the presence of ß‐amyloid (Aβ) plaques, neurofibrillary tangles, and neuronal loss. The identification of the molecular determinants underlying AD pathogenesis is a fundamental step to design new disease‐modifying drugs. Recently, a specific impairment of transforming‐growth‐factor‐β1 (TGF‐β1) signaling pathway has been demonstrated in AD brain. The deficiency of TGF‐β1 signaling has been shown to increase both Aβ accumulation and Aβ‐induced neurodegeneration in AD models. The loss of function of TGF‐ß1 pathway seems also to contribute to tau pathology and neurofibrillary tangle formation. Growing evidence suggests a neuroprotective role for TGF‐β1 against Aβ toxicity both in vitro and in vivo models of AD. Different drugs, such as lithium or group II mGlu receptor agonists are able to increase TGF‐β1 levels in the central nervous system (CNS), and might be considered as new neuroprotective tools against Aβ‐induced neurodegeneration. In the present review, we examine the evidence for a neuroprotective role of TGF‐β1 in AD, and discuss the TGF‐β1 signaling pathway as a new pharmacological target for the treatment of AD.
Measurement and Control of Linux Operating System Noise on the Godson-3A Shared-Memory Multicore Platform

Operating system (OS) noise refers to the interference experienced by an application due to activities inside an operating system. OS noise can significantly hurt the performance of applications, especially parallel applications. We implemented a tool, noise test, to study the characteristics of OS noise on the Godson-3A shared-memory multicore platform running Linux. We found that OS noise was balanced among cores under uniform memory access (UMA) but not under non-uniform memory access (NUMA). We then implemented another tool, quietcpu, to control OS noise. Tests showed the tool could be used to effectively reduce the maximum noise durations by around 50% and the average noise duration by around 5% on our experiment platform.
Interactions between rumen anaerobic fungi and ciliate protozoa in the degradation of rice straw cell walls

Suspensions of mixed rumen protozoa were added to incubations of the anaerobic fungus Neocallimastix patriciarum with rice straw cell walls. The protozoa did not influence the dry matter lost from the straw, or the solubilization of monosaccharides, but they had a marked effect on the fermentation products formed. Studies with 14C‐labelled protozoa suggested that the presence of protozoa reduced the fungal carboxymethylcellulase activity to around half of that found in pure cultures of the fungus.
Video quality and beyond

This paper gives a brief overview of the current state of the art of video quality metrics and discusses their achievements as well as shortcomings. It also summarizes the main standardization efforts by the Video Quality Experts Group (VQEG). It then looks at recent trends and developments in video quality research, in particular the emergence of new generations of quality metrics (compared to those focused on compression artifacts), including comprehensive audiovisual quality measurement.
Analysis of AODV over increased density and mobility in Intelligent Transportation System

Currently the area of VANET lacks in having some better designed algorithms to handle dynamic change and frequent disruption due to the high mobility of the vehicles. There are many techniques to disseminate messages across the moving vehicles but they are all highly dependent on some conditions involving flow, density and speed. The two techniques that are commonly used are AODV (Ad Hoc on Demand Distance Vector) and DSRC (Dedicated Short Range Communication). This work presents a detailed analysis of AODV. This study is focused on the use of AODV in Intelligent Transportation System. The limitations in the working of AODV routing protocol has been identified and proved. These limitations can be removed to some extent in order to increase the performance of vehicular networks and make the driving more safe and easy for a normal user as well as the implementation complications will be removed and an efficient system implementation will be possible.
Post‐transplantation lymphoproliferative disease of natural killer cell lineage: a clinicopathological and molecular analysis

Post‐transplantation lymphoproliferative disorders (PTLD) occur after solid organ and bone marrow transplantation. They are predominantly of B‐cell and occasionally of T‐cell lineage. We report a case of PTLD of natural killer (NK) cell lineage. A renal allograft recipient developed progressive pancytopenia 1 year after transplantation. Serial bone marrow biopsies showed an increasing infiltration by large granular lymphoid cells. A subsequent leukaemic phase also developed with systemic infiltration of other organs. Immunophenotyping showed that these cells were CD2+, CD3−, CD3ε+, CD56+, CD94+, CD158a− and CD158b−. In situ hybridization showed Epstein‐Barr virus (EBV) infection of the neoplastic cells. Genotypical analysis showed the T‐cell receptor gene in germline configuration and clonal EBV episomal integration. The overall features were consistent with NK cell lymphoma/leukaemia. The patient did not respond to cessation of immunosuppression or anti‐EBV treatment. Combination chemotherapy was given, but the patient died ultimately of disseminated fungal infection. In conclusion, we have demonstrated that NK cell lymphoma is another rare type of PTLD that appears to be highly aggressive and therefore may require early chemotherapy to improve treatment outcome.
MeUse: Recommending Internet Radio Stations

In this paper, we describe a novel Internet radio recommendation system called MeUse. We use the Shoutcast API to collect historical data about the artists that are played on a large set of Internet radio stations. This data is used to populate an artist-station index that is similar to the term-document matrix of a traditional text-based information retrieval system. When a user wants to find stations for a given seed artist, we check the index to determine a set of stations that are either currently playing or have recently played that artist. These stations are grouped into three clusters and one representative station is selected from each cluster. This promotes diversity among the stations that are returned to the user. In addition, we provide additional information such as relevant tags (e.g., genres, emotions) and similar artists to give the user more contextual information about the recommended stations. Finally, we describe a web-based user interface that provides an interactive experience that is more like a personalized Internet radio player (e.g., Pandora) and less like a search engine for Internet radio stations (e.g., Shoutcast). A smallscale user study suggests that the majority of users enjoyed using MeUse but that providing additional contextual information may be needed to help with recommendation transparency.
Surface structure of low density polyethylene films grafted with acrylic acid using corona discharge

Chemical composition, morphology, and crystalline structure of low density polyethylene (LDPE) films surface grafted with acrylic acid (AA) using corona discharge were studied by attenuated total reflection infrared (ATR-IR), electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis (ESCA), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and wide angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD) techniques. The grafted film surface is covered with grafted chains. After grafting for 3.0 h in 20% aqueous solution of AA, the depth of the grafted layer is more than 10 nm. A grain structure was observed on the grafted surfaces which was probably caused by the isolated dispersion of active sites generated by corona discharge, and these active sites initiated the graft copolymerization. However, surfaces of grafted films were smoother than that of ungrafted ones. DSC curves of grafted films show a small peak at about 100°C due to vaporization of adsorbed water. The longer the graft copolymerization time, i.e. the higher the graft degree of AA on LDPE, the higher the amount of adsorbed water. The position of each peak in WAXD patterns, crystal axial length, crystal plane distance and crystal grain size remain almost unchanged during the graft copolymerization time of 2.0 h. However, when the graft copolymerization time reaches 3.0 h, twin peaks at about 21.4° and 22.0° are observed, indicating that a different crystal form is formed at longer copolymerization time, i.e. at a higher graft degree.
The Antibody-Based Delivery of Interleukin-12 to the Tumor Neovasculature Eradicates Murine Models of Cancer in Combination with Paclitaxel

Purpose: Interleukin-12 (IL12) is a potent proinflammatory cytokine with antitumor activity. Its heterodimeric nature makes it compatible with a large variety of different immunocytokine formats. Here we report the design, production, and characterization of a novel immunocytokine, based on the fusion of the F8 antibody (specific to the alternatively spliced EDA domain of fibronectin, a marker of tumor neovasculature) with IL12 (termed IL12-F8-F8). Experimental Design: We developed a novel immunocytokine based on the sequential fusion of interleukin-12 as a single polypeptide with two F8 antibodies in single-chain Fv (scFv) format. The fusion protein was characterized in vitro, and its targeting performance was assessed in vivo. The immunocytokine antitumor activity was studied as monotherapy as well as in combination therapies in three different murine tumor models. Moreover, depletion experiments and tumor analysis revealed a dominant role of natural killer cells for the mechanism of action. Results: IL12-F8-F8 can be produced in mammalian cells, yielding a product of good pharmaceutical quality, capable of selective localization on the tumor neovasculature in vivo, as judged by quantitative biodistribution analysis with radioiodinated protein preparations. The protein potently inhibited tumor growth in three different immunocompetent syngeneic models of cancer. The treatment was generally well tolerated. Moreover, the IL12-F8-F8 fusion protein could be produced both with murine IL12 (mIL12) and with human IL12 (hIL12). Conclusions: The potent antitumor activity of mIL12-F8-F8, studied alone or in combination with paclitaxel in different tumor models, paves the way to the clinical development of the fully human immunocytokine. Clin Cancer Res; 18(15); 4092–103. ©2012 AACR.
A reactive motion planner to maintain visibility of unpredictable targets

This paper deals with the problem of computing the motions of one or more robot observers in order to maintain visibility of one or several moving targets. The targets are assumed to move unpredictably, and the distribution of obstacles in the workspace is assumed to be known in advance. Our algorithm computes a motion strategy by maximizing the shortest distance to escape $the shortest distance the target needs to move in order to escape the observer's visibility region. Three main points are discussed: 1) the design and implementation of a reactive planner; 2) the integration and testing of such a planner in a robot system which includes perceptual and control capabilities; and 3) the design and simulation of a motion planner for the task of maintaining visibility of two targets using two mobile observers.