Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Exploring Parallelism in Learning Belief Networks

It has been shown that a class of probabilistic domain models cannot be learned correctly by several existing algorithms which employ a single-link look ahead search. When a multi-link look ahead search is used, the computational complexity of the learning algorithm increases. We study how to use parallelism to tackle the increased complexity in learning such models and to speed up learning in large domains. An algorithm is proposed to decompose the learning task for parallel processing. A further task decomposition is used to balance load among processors and to increase the speed-up and efficiency. For learning from very large datasets, we present a regrouping of the available processors such that slow data access through file can be replaced by fast memory access. Our implementation in a parallel computer demonstrates the effectiveness of the algorithm.
Self-Assembling Raloxifene Loaded Mixed Micelles: Formulation Optimization, In Vitro Cytotoxicity and In Vivo Pharmacokinetics

Raloxifene (RLX) has been strongly recommended for postmenopausal women at high risk of invasive breast cancer and for prevention of osteoporosis. However, low aqueous solubility and reduced bioavailability hinder its clinical application. The objective of this study was to explore the potential of RLX loaded mixed micelles (RLX-MM) using Pluronic F68 and Gelucire 44/14 for enhanced bioavailability and improved anticancer activity on human breast cancer cell line (MCF-7). RLX-MM were prepared by solvent evaporation method and optimized using 32 factorial design. The average size, entrapment efficiency and zeta potential of the optimized formulation were found to be 190 ± 3.3 nm, 79 ± 1.3%, 13 ± 0.8 mV, respectively. In vitro study demonstrated 74.68% drug release from RLX-MM in comparison to 42.49% drug release from RLX dispersion. According to the in vitro cytotoxicity assay, GI50 values on MCF-7 breast cancer cell line for RLX-MM and free RLX were found to be 22.5 and 94.71 μg/mL, respectively. Significant improvement (P < 0.05) in the anticancer activity on MCF-7 cell line was observed in RLX-MM over RLX pure drug. Additionally, oral bioavailability of RLX-MM was improved by 1.5-fold over free RLX when administered in female Wistar rats. Incorporation of RLX in the hydrophobic core and improved solubility of the drug due to hydrophilic shell attributed to the enhanced cytotoxicity and bioavailability of RLX-MM. This research establishes the potential of RLX loaded mixed micelles of Pluronic F68 and Gelucire 44/14 for improved bioavailability and anticancer activity on MCF-7 cell line.
Hybrid ZTE/Dixon MR‐based attenuation correction for quantitative uptake estimation of pelvic lesions in PET/MRI

Purpose: This study introduces a new hybrid ZTE/Dixon MR‐based attenuation correction (MRAC) method including bone density estimation for PET/MRI and quantifies the effects of bone attenuation on metastatic lesion uptake in the pelvis. Methods: Six patients with pelvic lesions were scanned using fluorodeoxyglucose (18F‐FDG) in an integrated time‐of‐flight (TOF) PET/MRI system. For PET attenuation correction, MR imaging consisted of two‐point Dixon and zero echo‐time (ZTE) pulse sequences. A continuous‐value fat and water pseudoCT was generated from a two‐point Dixon MRI. Bone was segmented from the ZTE images and converted to Hounsfield units (HU) using a continuous two‐segment piecewise linear model based on ZTE MRI intensity. The HU values were converted to linear attenuation coefficients (LAC) using a bilinear model. The bone voxels of the Dixon‐based pseudoCT were replaced by the ZTE‐derived bone to produce the hybrid ZTE/Dixon pseudoCT. The three different AC maps (Dixon, hybrid ZTE/Dixon, CTAC) were used to reconstruct PET images using a TOF‐ordered subset expectation maximization algorithm with a point‐spread function model. Metastatic lesions were separated into two classes, bone lesions and soft tissue lesions, and analyzed. The MRAC methods were compared using a root‐mean‐squared error (RMSE), where the registered CTAC was taken as ground truth. Results: The RMSE of the maximum standardized uptake values (SUVmax) is 11.02% and 7.79% for bone (N = 6) and soft tissue lesions (N = 8), respectively, using Dixon MRAC. The RMSE of SUVmax for these lesions is significantly reduced to 3.28% and 3.94% when using the new hybrid ZTE/Dixon MRAC. Additionally, the RMSE for PET SUVs across the entire pelvis and all patients are 8.76% and 4.18%, for the Dixon and hybrid ZTE/Dixon MRAC methods, respectively. Conclusion: A hybrid ZTE/Dixon MRAC method was developed and applied to pelvic regions in an integrated TOF PET/MRI, demonstrating improved MRAC. This new method included bone density estimation, through which PET quantification is improved.
Is entropy enough to evaluate the probability transformation approach of belief function?

In Dempster-Shafer Theory (DST) of evidence and transferable belief model (TBM), the probability transformation is necessary and crucial for decision-making. The evaluation of the quality of the probability transformation is usually based on the entropy or the probabilistic information content (PIC) measures, which are questioned in this paper. Another alternative of probability transformation approach is proposed based on the uncertainty minimization to verify the rationality of the entropy or PIC as the evaluation criteria for the probability transformation. According to the experimental results based on the comparisons among different probability transformation approaches, the rationality of using entropy or Probabilistic Information Content (PIC) measures to evaluate probability transformation approaches is analyzed and discussed.
Adhesives in the Wood Industry

Progress in research and development within the wood-based industry and within the adhesive industry has shown many successes during the past few decades. Notwithstanding this, the industrial requirements of the wood industry still induce technical improvement in the adhesives and their application in this area. What drives this technical development is the search for ‘‘cheaper,’’ ‘‘faster-curing,’’ and ‘‘more complex’’ adhesives. The first two requirements are caused by the heightened competition within the wood industry and efforts to minimize costs at a certain level of product quality and performance. The requirement ‘‘more complex’’ stands for new and specialized products and process. Adhesives play a central role within wood-based panels production. The quality of bonding and hence the properties of the wood-based panels are determined mainly by the type and quality of the adhesives. Development in wood-based panels, therefore, is always linked to development in adhesives and resins. Both the wood-based panels industry and the adhesive industry shown a high commitment to and great capability towards innovation. The best evidence for this is the considerable diversity of types of adhesives used for the production of wood-based panels. Well known basic chemicals have been used for a long time for the production of adhesives and their resins, the most important ones being formaldehyde, urea, melamine, phenol, resorcinol, and isocyanate. The greater part of the adhesive resins and adhesives currently used for wood-based panels is produced with these few raw materials. The ‘‘how to cook the resins’’ and the ‘‘how to formulate the adhesive’’ therefore become more and more complicated and sophisticated and are key factors to meet today’s requirements of the wood-based panels industry. The quality of bonding and hence the properties and performance of the wood-based panels and beams are determined by three main parameters:
A Low-Fat Dietary Pattern and Diabetes: A Secondary Analysis From the Women’s Health Initiative Dietary Modification Trial

OBJECTIVE We performed a secondary analysis to evaluate the effect of the Women’s Health Initiative dietary intervention on incident diabetes and diabetes treatment in postmenopausal women. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS A total of 48,835 women were randomized to a comparison group or an intervention group that underwent a behavioral/nutritional modification program to decrease fat and increase vegetable, fruit, and grain intake for an average of 8.1 years. Ninety-three percent of participants completed the intervention, and 71% participated in active follow-up through 30 September 2015 (median 17.3 years). We measured time to development of treated diabetes and progression from oral antihyperglycemic agents to insulin. Serum glucose and insulin were measured in a subsample of women (N = 2,324) at baseline and years 1, 3, and 6. RESULTS During the trial, intervention group women had lower rates of initiation of insulin therapy (hazard ratio [HR] 0.74 [95% CI 0.59, 0.94]; P = 0.01). Moreover, women with baseline waist circumference ≥88 cm (P interaction = 0.01) and worse metabolic syndrome scores (P interaction = 0.02) had the greatest reduction in risk of initiating insulin therapy. The decreased risk from the intervention was present during the cumulative follow-up (HR 0.88 [95% CI 0.78, 0.99]; P = 0.04). In participants with measured biomarkers (5.8% subsample) who had baseline glucose <100 mg/dL, the intervention reduced the risk of developing glucose ≥100 mg/dL by 25% (odds ratio 0.75 [95% CI 0.61, 0.93]; P = 0.008). Adjustment for weight change did not alter the results. CONCLUSIONS In this secondary analysis, a dietary intervention in postmenopausal women aimed at reducing fat and increasing intake of vegetables, fruits, and grains did not increase risk of diabetes and may have slowed progression.
Rare Deleterious PARD3 Variants in the aPKC‐Binding Region are Implicated in the Pathogenesis of Human Cranial Neural Tube Defects Via Disrupting Apical Tight Junction Formation

Increasing evidence that mutation of planar cell polarity (PCP) genes contributes to human cranial neural tube defect (NTD) susceptibility prompted us to hypothesize that rare variants of genes in the core apical–basal polarity (ABP) pathway are risk factors for cranial NTDs. In this study, we screened for rare genomic variation of PARD3 in 138 cranial NTD cases and 274 controls. Overall, the rare deleterious variants of PARD3 were significantly associated with increased risk for cranial NTDs (11/138 vs.7/274, P < 0.05, OR = 3.3). These NTD‐specific variants were significantly enriched in the aPKC‐binding region (6/138 vs. 0/274, P < 0.01). The East Asian cohort in the ExAC database and another Chinese normal cohort further supported this association. Over‐expression analysis in HEK293T and MDCK cells confirmed abnormal aPKC binding or interaction for two PARD3 variants (p.P913Q and p.D783G), resulting in defective tight junction formation via disrupted aPKC binding. Functional analysis in human neural progenitor cells and chick embryos revealed that PARD3 knockdown gave rise to abnormal cell polarity and compromised the polarization process of neuroepithelial tissue. Our studies suggest that rare deleterious variants of PARD3 in the aPKC‐binding region contribute to human cranial NTDs, possibly by disrupting apical tight junction formation and subsequent polarization process of the neuroepithelium.
Evaluation of an extracurricular program for students interested in rural and public health

Purpose The problem regarding the geographic imbalance of the physician workforce has been a long-standing problem in South Korea. Additionally, rural medicine and public health have been marginalized across whole undergraduate curriculums. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of an extracurricular program targeting medical students interested in rural and public health. Methods A 2-day extracurricular program was held twice in 2015 and 2016. A total of 53 students were selected among eighty students who voluntarily applied to participate in the program. The effectiveness of the program was evaluated by pre- and post-program surveys. Results The overall satisfaction for the program was 5.35 out of 6. The participants showed a significant improvement in perception of the clerkship experience in a rural and public health care setting as well as the importance of rural medicine and public health in South Korea. Conclusion In conclusion, this study showed the acceptability of a short-term extracurricular program for medical students interested in rural and public health.
Association between sleep disorders and morning blood pressure in hypertensive patients

ABSTRACT Sleep disorders are known to increase the risk of hypertension, yet few studies have investigated the relation between sleep disorders and morning blood pressure (BP). This study aimed to determine, whether the morning BP is associated with sleep quality and sleep-disordered breathing. A total of 144 hypertensive patients were included in this cross-sectional study. Each subject underwent anthropometric measurements, biochemical testing, 24-h ambulatory BP monitoring, and polysomnography (PSG). Sleep quality and sleep-disordered breathing were determined by PSG parameters of sleep architecture and sleep respiratory. There were no significant differences between subjects with and without morning hypertension in the parameters of sleep architecture and sleep respiratory. In multiple regression analysis, morning BP was independently associated with night-time BP and morning BP surge, but not with the parameters of sleep architecture and sleep respiratory. Further analysis showed that both night-time BP and morning BP surge were independently associated with the sleep respiratory parameters. In conclusion, sleep-disordered breathing might indirectly affect the morning BP by elevated night-time BP, yet neither poor sleep quality nor sleep-disordered breathing was major determinants of elevated morning BP in hypertensive patients.
Interprofessional teamwork in comprehensive primary healthcare services: Findings from a mixed methods study

ABSTRACT This article draws on data from a 5-year project that examined the effectiveness of Comprehensive primary healthcare (CPHC) in local communities. A hallmark of CPHC services is interprofessional teamwork. Drawing from this study, our article presents factors that enabled, or hindered, healthcare teams working interprofessionally in Australian primary healthcare (PHC) services. The article reports on the experiences of teams working in six Australian PHC services (four managed by state governments, one non-government sexual health organisation, and one Aboriginal community-controlled health service) during a time of significant health sector restructure. Findings are drawn from two key methods: an online survey of practitioners and managers (n = 154), and interviews with managers and practitioners (n = 60) from the six study sites. The majority of survey respondents worked with other health professionals in their service to provide interprofessional care to clients. Processes included formal team meetings, case conferencing, referring clients to other health professionals if needed, informal communication with other health professionals about clients, and team-based delivery of care. A range of interrelated factors affected interprofessional work at the services, from contextual, organisational, processual, and relational domains. Funding cuts and policy changes that saw a reorientation and re-medicalisation of South Australian services undermined interprofessional work, while a shared CPHC culture and commitment among some staff was helpful in resisting some of these effects. The co-location of services was a factor in PHC teams working interprofessionally and not only enabled some PHC teams to work more interprofessionally but also created barriers to interprofessional teamwork through disruption resulting from restructuring of services. Our study indicates the importance of decision makers taking into account the potential effects of policy and structural changes on interprofessional teamwork. Decision makers should strive to minimise unintended negative effects of changes on the functioning of interprofessional teams.
Variations in Neurodevelopmental Outcomes in Children with Prenatal SSRI Antidepressant Exposure

Mood disorders and treatment with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressants during pregnancy are common and both pose neurodevelopmental risks. This often makes the decision to treat prenatal depression with pharmacotherapy (i.e., antidepressants) challenging for clinicians and mothers. SSRIs block the reuptake of the neurotransmitter serotonin (5HT) and given its developmental role, it is not inconceivable that early changes in 5HT signaling could have an impact on early brain development. Identifying long‐term neurodevelopmental effects of prenatal SSRI exposure is challenging in humans due to difficulties in distinguishing the effect of the drug from mother's mood during pregnancy and everyday environment in which the child lives, all of which contribute to shaping emotional, cognitive, and social development long after birth. In this review, we focus on the long‐term neurobehavioral effects in childhood illustrating wide variations in outcomes revealing that some, but not all children appear to be affected by prenatal SSRI exposure. Emerging research reports findings that are beginning to distinguish the impact of genetic factors and the environment from prenatal medication exposure. Future research is needed to identify genetic, maternal, and environmental factors that put some children at developmental risk and others who may even benefit from maternal SSRI treatment. Birth Defects Research 109:909–923, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Dendrite and spine modifications in autism and related neurodevelopmental disorders in patients and animal models

Dendrites and spines are the main neuronal structures receiving input from other neurons and glial cells. Dendritic and spine number, size, and morphology are some of the crucial factors determining how signals coming from individual synapses are integrated. Much remains to be understood about the characteristics of neuronal dendrites and dendritic spines in autism and related disorders. Although there have been many studies conducted using autism mouse models, few have been carried out using postmortem human tissue from patients. Available animal models of autism include those generated through genetic modifications and those non‐genetic models of the disease. Here, we review how dendrite and spine morphology and number is affected in autism and related neurodevelopmental diseases, both in human, and genetic and non‐genetic animal models of autism. Overall, data obtained from human and animal models point to a generalized reduction in the size and number, as well as an alteration of the morphology of dendrites; and an increase in spine densities with immature morphology, indicating a general spine immaturity state in autism. Additional human studies on dendrite and spine number and morphology in postmortem tissue are needed to understand the properties of these structures in the cerebral cortex of patients with autism. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Develop Neurobiol 77: 419–437, 2017
Extracellular Vesicle‐Shuttled mRNA in Mesenchymal Stem Cell Communication

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) are multipotent cells able to differentiate into several cell types, hence providing cell reservoirs for therapeutic applications. The absence of detectable MSC homing at injury sites suggests that paracrine functions could, at least in part, be mediated by extracellular vesicles (EVs); EVs are newly identified players that are studied mainly as predictive or diagnostic biomarkers. Together with their clinical interests, EVs have recently come to the fore for their role in cell‐to‐cell communication. In this context, we investigated gene‐based communication mechanisms in EVs generated by bone marrow and umbilical cord blood MSC (BMMSC and CBMSC, respectively). Both MSC types released vesicles with similar physical properties, although CBMSC were able to secrete EVs with faster kinetics. A pattern of preferentially incorporated EV transcripts was detected with respect to random internalization from the cytosol, after a validated normalization procedure was established. In the paradigm where EVs act as bioeffectors educating target cells, we demonstrated that kidney tubular cells lacking IL‐10 expression and exposed to BMMSC‐EVs and CBMSC‐EVs acquired the IL‐10 mRNA, which was efficiently translated into the corresponding protein. These findings suggest that horizontal mRNA transfer through EVs is a new mechanism in the MSC restoring ability observed in vivo that is here further demonstrated in an in vitro rescue model after acute cisplatin injury of tubular cells. Stem Cells 2017;35:1093–1105
Anisotropic-Cyclicgraphene: A New Two-Dimensional Semiconducting Carbon Allotrope

A potentially new, single-atom thick semiconducting 2D-graphene-like material, called Anisotropic-cyclicgraphene , has been generated by the two stage searching strategy linking molecular and ab initio approach. The candidate was derived from the evolutionary-based algorithm and molecular simulations was then profoundly analysed using first-principles density functional theory from the structural, mechanical, phonon, and electronic properties point of view. The proposed polymorph of graphene (rP16-P1m1) is mechanically, dynamically, and thermally stable and can achieve semiconducting with a direct band gap of 0.829 eV.
Dyspraxia in ASD: Impaired coordination of movement elements

Children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) have long been known to have deficits in the performance of praxis gestures; these motor deficits also correlate with social and communicative deficits. To date, the precise nature of the errors involved in praxis has not been clearly mapped out. Based on observations of individuals with ASD performing gestures, we hypothesized that the simultaneous execution of multiple movement elements is especially impaired in affected children. We examined 25 school‐aged participants with ASD and 25 age‐matched controls performing seven simultaneous gestures that required the concurrent performance of movement elements and nine serial gestures, in which all elements were performed serially. There was indeed a group × gesture‐type interaction (P < 0.001). Whereas both groups had greater difficulty performing simultaneous than serial gestures, children with ASD had a 2.6‐times greater performance decrement with simultaneous (vs. serial) gestures than controls. These results point to a potential deficit in the simultaneous processing of multiple inputs and outputs in ASD. Such deficits could relate to models of social interaction that highlight the parallel‐processing nature of social communication. Autism Res 2016,. © 2016 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Autism Res 2017, 10: 648–652. © 2016 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.