Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The determination of the renal clearance of inulin in man.

1. The assumption underlying methods for determining the renal clearance of inulin from the slope of the falling plasma curve of inulin concentration, following a single injection, is investigated. 2. The concept that, following the injection of inulin into the blood-stream, equilibration occurs between the plasma and the extra-vascular component of the volume of distribution is shown to be untenable. The conclusion that the falling plasma-inulin concentration is exponentially related to time is consequently incorrect. 3. The errors introduced in the determination of the renal clearance of inulin from the slope of the falling plasma inulin-time curve by the assumption of equilibration are discussed. 4. A formula is devised for the determination of the renal clearance of inulin incorporating functions which are demanded by the failure of the establishment of equilibration. 5. The formula is applied to the determination of the renal clearance of inulin in nine subjects possessing widely different clearance values. These calculated values are shown to agree closely with average values experimentally determined. 6. The calculative error introduced into the formula by the simplifying assumption that the volume of distribution of inulin is linearly related to time between defined limits of inulin dose and time, has been shown to be of no greater magnitude than the chemical error in the determination of inulin in the plasma. 7. The formula can be applied without the need for accurate collection of urine over short clearance periods. It necessitates merely the passage of urine approximately 35 and 120 minutes after the injection of a known amount of inulin, and two blood samples taken at the time of the passage of urine. 8. The simplicity of the method in comparison to those previously described is attained without loss of accuracy. The greater degree of precision in the measurement of the constituents of the formula than is possible in the direct estimation of the rate of renal excretion of inulin, renders values for clearance obtained by its use less susceptible to experimental error. 9. The relevance of the results obtained with inulin to the determination of the rate of glomerular filtration employing mannitol are discussed briefly.
A 2.5 GHz programmable wideband low pass filter with a hybrid Continuous-Time/Discrete-Time equalizer in 40 nm CMOS

This paper presents a programmable wideband low pass filter (LPF) with a hybrid Continuous-Time (CT)/Discrete-Time (DT) equalizer. Unlike the conventional DT LPF design, the proposed LPF eliminates sample & hold circuits, enabling to achieve much wider bandwidth. The transfer function is derived from CT/DT hybrid analysis. A prototype has been fabricated in 40 nm CMOS. The proposed LPF achieves 2.5 GHz bandwidth by wideband equalization with capacitance ratio (C ratio) and clock frequency (ƒCK) programmability. The proposed LPF occupies 0.048 mm2 of active area.
Opponent Modelling and Search in Poker

Poker is a challenging domain that contains both elements of chance and imperfect information. Though progress has been made in the domain, there is still one major stumbling block on the way to creating a world-class calibre computer player. This is the task of learning how an opponent plays (i.e., opponent modelling) and subsequently coming up with a counter-strategy that can exploit that information. The work in this thesis explores this task. A program is implemented that models the opponent through game play and then plans an exploitive counter-strategy using expectimax search. This program is evaluated using two different heads-up limit poker variations: a small-scale variation called Leduc Hold’em, and a full-scale one called Texas Hold’em.
Ex vivo DNA Assembly

Even with decreasing DNA synthesis costs there remains a need for inexpensive, rapid, and reliable methods for assembling synthetic DNA into larger constructs or combinatorial libraries. Advances in cloning techniques have resulted in powerful in vitro and in vivo assembly of DNA. However, monetary and time costs have limited these approaches. Here, we report an ex vivo DNA assembly method that uses cellular lysates derived from a commonly used laboratory strain of Escherichia coli for joining double-stranded DNA with short end homologies embedded within inexpensive primers. This method concurrently shortens the time and decreases costs associated with current DNA assembly methods.
Emotional cushioning in pregnancy after perinatal loss

Women pregnant again after prior perinatal loss fear another loss and thus protect their emotions and avoid prenatal bonding. This phenomenon, emotional cushioning, appears to be a complex self‐protective mechanism and is proposed here as a unique combination of circumstances and responses used by women to cope with the anxiety, uncertainty, and sense of vulnerability experienced in these subsequent pregnancies. Related literature is reviewed to clarify and circumscribe what emotional cushioning is. In this mixed‐methods study, a convenience sample of women pregnant after perinatal loss (N=63) completed the Pregnancy Anxiety Scale during and following pregnancy and responded to questions regarding ‘holding back their emotions’ in pregnancy. The purpose was to describe the range and prevalence of emotional cushioning, to compare pre‐ and post‐natal reports of emotional cushioning, and to examine relationships between emotional cushioning and pregnancy anxiety pre‐ and post‐natally. The majority of women (58.7%) reported some emotional cushioning. Emotional cushioning questions were significantly and positively correlated with pregnancy anxiety. Clinical and research implications are discussed.
Formal perceptual evaluation of voice quality in the United Kingdom

This document is a position statement on the formal perceptual evaluation of voice quality in the United Kingdom (UK). It addresses a number of clinical issues pertaining to the complexity of voice quality analysis. There is also a brief description of the three formal perceptual protocols most commonly used in the UK: The Vocal Profile Analysis (VPA), GRBAS and The Buffalo III Voice Profile. Potential clinical problems with perceptual voice quality evaluation are highlighted. Problems associated with the lack of defined terminology, limitless variety of voice quality, general lack of reliability data and difficulties in determining specificity and sensitivity are discussed. A practical guide for selecting an evaluation scheme is described. The conclusion is that the GRBAS scheme should be recommended as the absolute minimum standard for practising UK voice clinicians. However, there is a clear need to develop a more satisfactory perceptual rating scheme that is clinically realistic, theoretically sound, internationally acceptable and has proven reliability.
Improved Parameterized Algorithms for Constraint Satisfaction

For many constraint satisfaction problems, the algorithm which chooses a random assignment achieves the best possible approximation ratio. For instance, a simple random assignment for {\sc Max-E3-Sat} allows 7/8-approximation and for every $\eps >0$ there is no polynomial-time ($7/8+\eps$)-approximation unless P=NP. Another example is the {\sc Permutation CSP} of bounded arity. Given the expected fraction $\rho$ of the constraints satisfied by a random assignment (i.e. permutation), there is no $(\rho+\eps)$-approximation algorithm for every $\eps >0$, assuming the Unique Games Conjecture (UGC). In this work, we consider the following parameterization of constraint satisfaction problems. Given a set of $m$ constraints of constant arity, can we satisfy at least $\rho m +k$ constraint, where $\rho$ is the expected fraction of constraints satisfied by a random assignment? {\sc Constraint Satisfaction Problems above Average} have been posed in different forms in the literature \cite{Niedermeier2006,MahajanRamanSikdar09}. We present a faster parameterized algorithm for deciding whether $m/2+k/2$ equations can be simultaneously satisfied over ${\mathbb F}_2$. As a consequence, we obtain $O(k)$-variable bikernels for {\sc boolean CSPs} of arity $c$ for every fixed $c$, and for {\sc permutation CSPs} of arity 3. This implies linear bikernels for many problems under the "above average" parameterization, such as {\sc Max-$c$-Sat}, {\sc Set-Splitting}, {\sc Betweenness} and {\sc Max Acyclic Subgraph}. As a result, all the parameterized problems we consider in this paper admit $2^{O(k)}$-time algorithms. We also obtain non-trivial hybrid algorithms for every Max $c$-CSP: for every instance $I$, we can either approximate $I$ beyond the random assignment threshold in polynomial time, or we can find an optimal solution to $I$ in subexponential time.
VRIJEME STARTNE REAKCIJE I REZULTAT TRČANJA U SPRINTERSKIM DISCIPLINAMA NA OLIMPIJSKIM IGRAMA

The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between the start reaction time and sprinting performance in athletes who took part in the athletics final events in the Sydney 2000, Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. The evaluated data originated from 67 male athletes (N=67) and 68 female athletes (N=68) who participated in the events of 100-m and 200-m sprints and 110/100-m hurdles. The evaluation of start reaction time (ms) and the sprinters’ performance (s) was based on the published official reports of the International Association of Athletics Federation. The ANOVA results showed a significant difference between genders in start reaction time only in the 100-m (F(1.44)=11.82, p<. 01) event. The Bonferroni comparisons regarding the Olympic Games revealed that both in male and female athletes the 100-m start reaction times were significantly better in Beijing 2008 in relation to those in Sydney 2000. Similarly, the start reaction times in 110/100-m hurdles were significantly better in Athens 2004 in relation to the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. Finally, in the men’s 100-m final race in Beijing 2008, both the start reaction time and the performance were better than those of the athletes who participated in Athens 2004 and in Sydney 2000 (r=.490, df=38, p<.01). Conclusively, this study’s finding confirms that in modern athletics the start reaction time and the outstanding sprinting performance improved equally.
Weight Loss in Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Patients in an Ambulatory Care Setting Is Largely Unsuccessful but Correlates with Frequency of Clinic Visits

Background and Aims Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NALFD) is a leading cause of liver disease. Weight loss improves clinical features of NAFLD; however, maintenance of weight loss outside of investigational protocols is poor. The goals of this study were to characterize patterns and clinical predictors of long-term weight loss in ambulatory patients with NAFLD. Methods We retrospectively reviewed 924 non-cirrhotic patients with NAFLD presenting to a liver clinic from May 1st 2007 to April 30th 2013. Overweight and obese patients were counseled on lifestyle modifications for weight loss as per USPSTF guidelines. The primary outcome was percent weight change between the first and last recorded visits: % weight change = (weightinitial – weightfinal)/(weightinitial). Baseline BMI and percent BMI change were secondary measures. Predictors of weight loss were determined using logistic regression. Results The mean baseline BMI was 33.3±6.6 kg/m2, and the mean follow-up duration was 17.3±17.6 months. Most patients with NAFLD were in either overweight (26.1%) or class I obesity (30.5%) categories at baseline, while the prevalence of underweight and class III obesity was lower (0.2% and 15.4%, respectively). Overall, there was no change in mean weight or BMI during the follow-up period, and only 183 patients (19.8%) lost at least 5% body weight during the follow up period. Independent predictors of weight loss included number of clinic visits and baseline BMI, and patients with higher baseline BMI required more clinic visits to lose weight. Conclusions Weight loss is largely unsuccessful in NAFLD patients in the ambulatory care setting. Frequent clinical encounters are associated with weight reduction, especially among individuals with high baseline BMI. Future studies are required to define effective weight loss strategies in NAFLD patients.
Learned Models of Performance for Many Planners

We describe a large scale study of planners and their performance: 28 planners on 4726 benchmark problems. In the first part of the paper, we apply off-the-shelf machine learning techniques to learn models of the planners’ performance from the data. In the evaluation of these models, we address the critical question of whether accurate models can be learned from easily extractable problem features. In the second part, we show how the models can be useful to furthering planner performance and understanding. We offer two contributions: 1) We demonstrate that accurate models of runtime and probability of success can be learned using off-the-shelf machine learning techniques, and 2) We show that the learned models can be leveraged to support a planner portfolio which improves over individual planners. We also discuss how the models can be analyzed to better understand how planner design decisions contribute to their performance.
Cervical dystonia

We studied 300 patients, 61% women, with mean age 49.7 years and mean duration of dystonia 7.8 years, to determine the demographic and clinical characteristics of cervical dystonia (CD) and its relationships to other movement disorders. Torticollis was present in 82%, laterocollis in 42%, retrocollis in 29%, and anterocollis in 25%; however, the majority (66%) had a combination of these abnormal postures. Scoliosis was present in 39%, local pain reported by 68%, and 32% had evidence of secondary cervical radiculopathy. In addition to CD, 16% of patients had oral dystonia, 12% mandibular dystonia, 10% hand/arm dystonia, and 10% had blepharospasm. Tremor was noted in 71% of patients; head-neck tremor was present in 60%, and tremor in other body regions was present in 32%. A family history of a movement disorder was present in 44% of the CD patients. Tardive dystonia was the cause in 6%; 11% had posttraumatic dystonia. Anticholinergic drugs provided moderate improvement in 33% of patients, but local intramuscular botulinum toxin injections relieved CD, local pain, or both in over 90% of all treated patients.
Arzneimittelinteraktionen bei der medikamentösen Epilepsietherapie

Zusammenfassung Interaktionen von Antiepileptika untereinander und mit Medikamenten für andere Erkrankungen oder mit körpereigenen Substanzen sind eine häufige, klinisch wichtige und oft vermeidbare Ursache für Komplikationen der oft lebenslangen Behandlung epilepsiekranker Menschen. Obwohl Interaktionen für einige Patienten auch vorteilhaft sein können, kommt es nach der derzeitigen, noch lückenhaften Datenlage bei 6% aller Patienten unter der Kombination mehrerer Antiepileptika zu klinisch relevanten, unerwünschten Wirkungen. Zudem kann infolge einer Interaktion auch ein Wirkungsverlust auftreten. Bei Interaktionen von enzyminduzierenden Antiepileptika mit anderen Medikamenten oder mit körpereigenen Substanzen kann es ebenfalls zu einer wesentlichen Wirkungsabschwächung kommen, beispielsweise bei onkologischen Behandlungen. Daher wird zur Prävention von unerwünschten Interaktionen empfohlen, falls möglich schon in der Ersttherapie vorher unbehandelter Patienten mit Epilepsie bevorzugt im Vergleich zu den klassischen Medikamenten gleich wirksame, aber interaktionsfreie oder interaktionsarme Antiepileptika einzusetzen.
DRASO: Declaratively Regularized Alternating Structural Optimization

Recent work has shown that Alternating Structural Optimization (ASO) can improve supervised learners by learning feature representations from unlabeled data. However, there is no natural way to include prior knowledge about features into this framework. In this paper, we present Declaratively Regularized Alternating Structural Optimization (DRASO), a principled way for injecting prior knowledge into the ASO framework. We also provide some analysis of the representations learned by our method.
MSP and GLP-1/Notch signaling coordinately regulate actomyosin-dependent cytoplasmic streaming and oocyte growth in C. elegans

Fertility depends on germline stem cell proliferation, meiosis and gametogenesis, yet how these key transitions are coordinated is unclear. In C. elegans, we show that GLP-1/Notch signaling functions in the germline to modulate oocyte growth when sperm are available for fertilization and the major sperm protein (MSP) hormone is present. Reduction-of-function mutations in glp-1 cause oocytes to grow abnormally large when MSP is present and Gαs-adenylate cyclase signaling in the gonadal sheath cells is active. By contrast, gain-of-function glp-1 mutations lead to the production of small oocytes. Surprisingly, proper oocyte growth depends on distal tip cell signaling involving the redundant function of GLP-1 ligands LAG-2 and APX-1. GLP-1 signaling also affects two cellular oocyte growth processes, actomyosin-dependent cytoplasmic streaming and oocyte cellularization. glp-1 reduction-of-function mutants exhibit elevated rates of cytoplasmic streaming and delayed cellularization. GLP-1 signaling in oocyte growth depends in part on the downstream function of the FBF-1/2 PUF RNA-binding proteins. Furthermore, abnormal oocyte growth in glp-1 mutants, but not the inappropriate differentiation of germline stem cells, requires the function of the cell death pathway. The data support a model in which GLP-1 function in MSP-dependent oocyte growth is separable from its role in the proliferation versus meiotic entry decision. Thus, two major germline signaling centers, distal GLP-1 activation and proximal MSP signaling, coordinate several spatially and temporally distinct processes by which germline stem cells differentiate into functional oocytes.
Randomized, placebo-controlled pilot trial of the effects of &agr;-tocopherol supplementation on levels of autoantibodies against 5-hydroxymethyl-2-deoxyuridine in melanoma patients

We conducted a randomized, placebo-controlled pilot trial to assess whether supplementation of 1000 mg/day &agr;-tocopherol for 3 months offered protection against DNA base damage in melanoma outpatients (n=46). Plasma autoantibodies (aAbs) against 5-hydroxymethyl-2-deoxyuridine (HMdU) were measured as an immune marker of DNA base damage. After 3 months of supplementation (final level), plasma levels of &agr;-tocopherol increased significantly (P<0.0005) in the &agr;-tocopherol compared with the placebo treatment group. Supplementation with &agr;-tocopherol also resulted in a significant (P=0.04) decrease in plasma &ggr;-tocopherol levels among males. Overall, we did not find any significant differences in the plasma anti-HMdU aAb levels between the two treatment groups. However, when the patients were stratified by the clinical characteristics of the melanoma, we found that &agr;-tocopherol supplementation resulted in a borderline significant (P=0.06) 48% decrease in plasma anti-HMdU aAb levels in patients with less aggressive melanomas (Breslow thickness ≤1 mm) only. Within-group analysis showed that women had significantly (P<0.05) higher baseline levels of anti-HMdU aAbs compared with men in each treatment group. However, the final levels of anti-HMdU aAbs were significantly (P<0.05) higher in women in the &agr;-tocopherol supplemented group only. Although reliable conclusions cannot be drawn from this pilot study, which is limited by the small sample size, the results suggest that short-term &agr;-tocopherol supplementation may offer some protection against less aggressive melanomas. Further studies using much larger sample sizes are required to confirm this finding.
On the truthfulness and the approximation for scheduling selfish tasks

We consider the problem of designing truthful mechanisms for scheduling n tasks on a set of m parallel (identical or related) machines in order to minimize the makespan. Each task is owned by a selfish agent whose aim is to minimize the completion time of her task. We focus on the following process: at first the agents declare the length of their tasks, then given these bids the scheduler allocates the tasks to the machines. The objective of the scheduler is to minimize the makespan, i.e. the date at which the last task finishes its execution, while the aim of each agent is to minimize its completion time and thus an agent may lie if by doing so, her task can finish earlier. More formally, we are given m machines M1, M2, . , Mm with speeds s1, s2, . , sm, respectively. We assume that s1 ≤ s2 ≤ . ≤ sm and we denote by r = sm/s1 the ratio between the largest and smallest speeds. We are also given a set of tasks H = {T1, . , Tn}. For every i ≤ n, we denote by l(Ti), or sometimes li, the length of task Ti and C(Ti) its completion time. If task Ti is scheduled on machine Mj , its processing time is l(Ti)/sj . We will say that a task Ti is larger than a task Tj if and only if l(Ti) > l(Tj) or (l(Ti) = l(Tj) and i > j). Our goal is to design scheduling algorithms which minimize the makespan (maxj{C(Tj)}) and that simultaneously prevent the agents from reporting false values about their length. The problem is denoted by Q||Cmax for the case with different speeds, and by P ||Cmax when the machines are identical.
Phase noise analysis of an integrated voltage-controlled oscillator with a novel graphical optimization method

Ahstract A novel three-dimensional phase noise analysis diagram is presented. The minimization of phase noise and obtaining optimum bias condition through this process become more systematic and accurate. This visualization methodology increases design efficiency. Furthermore, a 2.4GHz fully integrated LC voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) in a 0.25un1 CMOS technology was designed using this optimization method. The resultant phase noise is -123 dBc/Hm a t l M H z offset from a 2.44GHz carrier. The designed \'CO dissipates 3mAfrom a 1 . 9 ' supply voltage.
Vesicular Stomatitis Virus Induces Apoptosis Primarily through Bak Rather than Bax by Inactivating Mcl-1 and Bcl-XL

ABSTRACT Vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) induces apoptosis via the mitochondrial pathway. The mitochondrial pathway is regulated by the Bcl-2 family of proteins, which consists of both pro- and antiapoptotic members. To determine the relative importance of the multidomain proapoptotic Bcl-2 family members Bak and Bax, HeLa cells were transfected with Bak and/or Bax small interfering RNA (siRNA) and subsequently infected with recombinant wild-type VSV. Our results showed that Bak is more important than Bax for the induction of apoptosis in this system. Bak is regulated by two antiapoptotic Bcl-2 proteins, Mcl-1, which is rapidly turned over, and Bcl-XL, which is relatively stable. Inhibition of host gene expression by the VSV M protein resulted in the degradation of Mcl-1 but not Bcl-XL. However, inactivation of both Mcl-1 and Bcl-XL was required for cells to undergo apoptosis. While inactivation of Mcl-1 was due to inhibition of its expression, inactivation of Bcl-XL indicates a role for one or more BH3-only Bcl-2 family members. VSV-induced apoptosis was inhibited by transfection with siRNA against Bid, a BH3-only protein that is normally activated by the cleavage of caspase-8, the initiator caspase associated with the death receptor pathway. Similarly, treatment with an inhibitor of caspase-8 inhibited VSV-induced apoptosis. These results indicate a role for cross talk from the death receptor pathway in the activation of the mitochondrial pathway by VSV.