Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Correlations between MRS and DTI in cerebral small vessel disease

Cerebral small vessel disease results in lacunar infarcts and cognitive impairment. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) demonstrates a reduction in fractional anisotropy and increase in mean diffusivity, which correlates more strongly with cognition than conventional MRI. The underlying pathological basis for these DTI changes is not known. In this study magnetic resonance spectroscopy was used to determine the biochemical basis of these DTI alterations. Twenty‐five patients with lacunar stroke and radiological leukoaraiosis were recruited. Chemical shift imaging (CSI) and DTI were performed on a 1.5 T MRI scanner. A region of interest was positioned in the white matter of the centrum semiovale. Multivoxel CSI data were processed and the metabolite ratios estimated. DTI parameters corresponding to the exact region of tissue excited by CSI were obtained. Mean spectroscopy data and DTI values for each subject were correlated. Univariate analysis revealed a positive correlation between N‐acetyl aspartate–creatine (NAA/Cr) and fractional anisotropy (r = 0.52, p = 0.008), and a negative correlation with mean diffusivity (r = −0.51, p = 0.009). Results remained little changed after controlling for mean percentage lesion and mean percentage white matter per voxel (with fractional anisotropy r = 0.54, p = 0.008, and with mean diffusivity r = −0.52, p = 0.01). These findings are consistent with axonal loss or dysfunction, or both, accounting for at least part of the DTI abnormalities found in patients with small vessel disease. It provides evidence that DTI identifies axonal disruption in white matter tracts. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Camurati-engelmann disease: Review of radioclinical features

Purpose: To present a retrospective overview of the clinical and radiological features of Camurati-Engelmann disease (CED) in a large family with genetically proven CED. Material and Methods: Clinical features and imaging studies were available in 8 affected patients out of a large Jewish-Iraqi family with 21 affected members in four generations. The patients' ages ranged between 7 and 44 years. Results and Conclusions: The most frequent symptoms were pain and muscle weakness accompanied by waddling gait. Two patients were asymptomatic. Radiologically, the disease can be classified as a craniotubular hyperostosis. Typically, fusiform thickening of the diaphyseal portions of the long bones was seen in all 8 patients, but in 1 patient, metaphyseal involvement was observed as well. Radioclinical abnormalities were most often detected before the age of 30, and were usually more extensive at older age. Radiological abnormalities may precede the clinical signs. Concomitant broadening of the diaphyses of long bones and narrowing of the medullary canal suggest that both an excessive periosteal apposition of bone and a defective resorption of bone at the endosteal side of the long bones exist.
Assortment and Price Optimization Under the Two-Stage Luce model.

This paper studies assortment and pricing optimization problems under the Two-Stage Luce model (2SLM), a discrete choice model introduced by Echenique and Saito (2018) that generalizes the multinomial logit model (MNL). The model employs an utility function as in the the MNL, and a dominance relation between products. When consumers are offered an assortmentS , they first discard all dominated products in S and then select one of the remaining products using the standard MNL. This model may violate the regularity condition, which states that the probability of choosing a product cannot increase if the offer set is enlarged. Therefore, the 2SLM falls outside the large family of discrete choice models based on random utility which contains almost all choice models studied in revenue management. We prove that the assortment problem under the 2SLM is polynomial-time solvable. Moreover, we show that the capacitated assortment optimization problem is NP-hard and but it admits polynomial-time algorithms for the relevant special cases cases where (1) the dominance relation is attractiveness-correlated and (2) its transitive reduction is a forest. The proofs exploit a strong connection between assortments under the 2SLM and independent sets in comparability graphs. Finally, we study the associated joint pricing and assortment problem under this model. First, we show that well known optimal pricing policy for the MNL can be arbitrarily bad. Our main result in this section is the development of an efficient algorithm for this pricing problem. The resulting optimal pricing strategy is simple to describe: it assigns the same price for all products, except for the one with the highest attractiveness and as well as for the one with the lowest attractiveness.
Lower electrical membrane potential and altered pHi homeostasis in multidrug-resistant (MDR) cells: further characterization of a series of MDR cell lines expressing different levels of P-glycoprotein.

Recently [Roepe, P.D. (1992) Biochemistry 31, 12555-12564], increased steady-state levels of chemotherapeutic drug efflux from multidrug-resistant (MDR) myeloma cells were correlated with intracellular alkalinization. To better understand elevated pHi in MDR cells, Na(+)- and Cl-dependent recovery of pHi upon intracellular acid or alkaline shock has been examined for this same series of MDR cell lines. In agreement with another recent report [Boscoboinik, D. , Gupta, R.S. , & Epand, R.M. (1990) Br. J. Cancer 61, 568-572], we find that the rate of Na(+)-induced alkalinization after an intracellular acid shock is increased in the MDR cells, relative to the drug-sensitive parent. Interestingly, we also now find that mRNA encoding the human Na+/H+ exchanger (NHE) is overexpressed in these MDR cells, but the level of overexpression does not correlate with the relative drug resistance or steady-state pHi. It is also found that the efficiency of Cl(-)dependent reacidification of pHi, after an intracellular alkaline shock is reduced in the MDR cells. This effect appears to correlate with the relative expression of MDR protein, but not the relative expression of Cl-/HCO3- exchanger (AE), which we now find is also altered in the series of cells. Since elevated pHi will increase delta pH across the plasma membrane, we have also measured the electrical potential for these cells using three different methods. Most interestingly, the magnitude of the plasma membrane electrical potential (delta psi) decreases concomitant with increased expression of the MDR protein. Energy provided by increased delta pH compensates for the lowered delta psi, such that the total electrochemical membrane potential (delta mu H+) remains similar among the cells in this series (delta mu H+ = delta psi - Z delta pH). These data, along with other recent experiments that associated an increased Cl- conductance with the expression of MDR protein [Valverde, M. , Diaz, M. , Sepúlveda, F.V. , Gill, D.R. , Hyde, S.C. , & Higgins, C.F. (1992) Nature 355, 830-833], are consistent with a model for MDR protein-mediated multidrug resistance that does not entail direct active transport of lipophilic drugs by the MDR protein.
Natural history of primary snoring in children

It is not known whether children with primary snoring (PS) progress to develop obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS). Therefore, we repeated polysomnography in a cohort of 20 children diagnosed 1–3 years previously with PS. All children initially presented with symptoms suggestive of OSAS. They were diagnosed with PS when initial polysomnography demonstrated snoring, with less than one obstructive apnea per hour, normal gas exchange, and infrequent arousals. Of 75 potential candidates, 20 were available for reevaluation (33 could not be contacted, 8 had undergone tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy, and 14 declined). Mean age was 6 ± 4 (SD) years at the time of the initial study.
Tolerance to Multiple Transient Faults for Aperiodic Tasks in Hard Real-Time Systems

Real-time systems are being increasingly used in several applications which are time-critical in nature. Fault tolerance is an essential requirement of such systems, due to the catastrophic consequences of not tolerating faults. In this paper, we study a scheme that guarantees the timely recovery from multiple faults within hard real-time constraints in uniprocessor systems. Assuming earliest-deadline-first scheduling (EDF) for aperiodic preemptive tasks, we develop a necessary and sufficient feasibility-check algorithm for fault-tolerant scheduling with complexity O(n/sup 2/-/spl kappa/), where n is the number of tasks to be scheduled and /spl kappa/ is the maximum number of faults to be tolerated.
A Framework for Topic Generation and Labeling from MOOC Discussions

This study proposes a standardised open framework to automatically generate and label discussion topics from Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). The proposed framework expects to overcome the issues experienced by MOOC participants and teaching staff in locating and navigating their information needs effectively. We analysed two MOOCs -- Machine Learning and Statistics: Making Sense of Data offered during 2013 and obtained statistically significant results for automated topic labeling. However, more experiments with additional MOOCs from different MOOC platforms are necessary to generalise our findings.
HER3 overexpression and survival in solid tumors: a meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND The human epidermal growth factor receptor 3 (HER3) is an ErbB/HER family member that dimerizes with other ErbB receptors such as HER2. Numerous agents against HER3 are in clinical development despite variable data for the prognostic impact of HER3 expression. Here we report a meta-analysis of the association of HER3 expression and survival in solid tumors. METHODS PubMed was searched for studies evaluating expression of HER3 (as measured by immunohistochemistry) and overall survival (OS) in solid tumors. Published data were extracted and computed into odds ratios (ORs) for death at 3 and 5 years. Data were pooled using the Mantel-Haenszel random-effect model. All statistical tests were two-sided. RESULTS Analysis included 12 studies: three that evaluated colorectal cancer, two that evaluated gastric cancer, two that evaluated breast cancer, and one each that evaluated melanoma, ovarian cancer, head and neck cancer, pancreatic cancer, and cervical cancer. The median percentage of cancers with HER3 overexpression was 42.2%. HER3 was associated with worse OS at both 3 years (OR = 2.24, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.77 to 2.83, P < .001) and 5 years (OR = 2.20, 95% CI = 1.75 to 2.76, P < .001). Among studies with common HER2 overexpression (breast, gastric, and ovarian cancers), the magnitude of effect of HER3 on OS was statistically significantly greater for both 3-year OS (OR = 3.12, 95% CI = 2.24 to 4.37) and 5-year OS (OR = 2.84, 95% CI = 2.09 to 3.88). CONCLUSIONS Expression of HER3 is associated with worse survival in solid tumors. The influence of HER3 may be greater in those tumors where HER2 is commonly overexpressed.
Lesion of subthalamic or motor thalamic nucleus in 6‐hydroxydopamine‐treated rats: Effects on striatal glutamate and apomorphine‐induced contralateral rotations

A unilateral lesion of the rat nigrostriatal pathway with 6‐hydroxydopamine (6‐OHDA) results in a decrease in the basal extracellular level of striatal glutamate, a nearly complete loss of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) immunolabeling, an increase in the density of glutamate immunogold labeling within nerve terminals making an asymmetrical synaptic contact, and an increase in the number of apomorphine‐induced contralateral rotations. [Meshul et al. ( 1999 ) Neuroscience 88:1–16; Meshul and Allen ( 2000 ) Synapse 36:129–142]. In Parkinson's disease, a lesion of either the subthalamic nucleus (STN) or the motor thalamic nucleus relieves the patient of some of the motor difficulties associated with this disorder. In this rodent model, either the STN or motor thalamic nucleus was electrolytically destroyed 2 months following a unilateral 6‐OHDA lesions. Following a lesion of either the STN or motor thalamic nucleus in 6‐OHDA‐treated rats, there was a significant decrease (40–60%) in the number of apomorphine‐induced contralateral rotations compared to the 6‐OHDA group. There was a significant decrease (<30%) in the basal extracellular level of striatal glutamate in all of the experimental groups compared to the sham group. Following an STN and/or 6‐OHDA lesion, the decrease in striatal extracellular levels was inversely associated with an increase in the density of nerve terminal glutamate immunolabeling. There was no change in nerve terminal glutamate immunogold labeling in either the motor thalamic or motor thalamic plus 6‐OHDA lesion groups compared to the sham group. The decrease in the number of apomorphine‐induced rotations was not due to an increase in TH immunolabeling (i.e., sprouting) within the denervated striatum. This suggests that alterations in striatal glutamate appear not to be directly involved in the STN or motor thalamic lesion‐induced reduction in contralateral rotations. Synapse 51:287–298, 2004. Published 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
In Vivo Visualization and Quantification of (Disturbed) Oatp-Mediated Hepatic Uptake and Mrp2-Mediated Biliary Excretion of 99mTc-Mebrofenin in Mice

Hepatic transport of 99mTc-mebrofenin through organic anion transport protein 1a and 1b (Oatp1a/1b) and multidrug resistance protein 2 (Mrp2) was investigated by small-animal SPECT. On the basis of the results, a noninvasive method to visualize and quantify disturbances in hepatic transport is proposed. Methods: Friend virus B wild-type mice (untreated, bile duct–ligated, vehicle- or rifampicin-treated) and strain-matched knockout mice unable to express the uptake transporters Oatp1a/1b (Slco1a/1b−/−/−/−) or the efflux transporter Mrp2 (Abcc2−/−) were intravenously injected with 99mTc-mebrofenin (n = 3 per group). After dynamic small-animal SPECT and short CT acquisitions, time–activity curves of the liver and of the gallbladder and intestines were obtained and correlated with direct blood samples. Results: Normal hepatobiliary clearance of 99mTc-mebrofenin was severely impaired in the bile duct–ligated animal, as evidenced by elevated hepatic tracer levels. In Slco1a/1b−/−/−/− mice, a lower area under the curve (AUC) for the liver (P = 0.014) was obtained and no activity was detected in the gallbladder and intestines. Renal rerouting was observed, along with an increase in the blood AUC (P = 0.01). Abcc2−/− mice had a higher liver AUC (P = 0.009), a delayed emergence time of 99mTc-mebrofenin in the gallbladder (P = 0.009), and a lower AUC for the gallbladder and intestines (P = 0.001). The blood curve was similar to that of wild-type mice. 99mTc-mebrofenin disposition was altered after rifampicin treatments. We observed a dose-dependent delayed time point at which tracer maximized in liver, an increased AUC for liver, and a lower AUC for gallbladder and intestines (P = 0.042, 0.034, and 0.001, respectively, highest dose). Emergence in the gallbladder occurred later (P = 0.009, highest dose), and blood AUC was higher (P = 0.006). Conclusion: The current study visualized and quantified hepatic uptake and biliary efflux of 99mTc-mebrofenin. Our results demonstrated the possibility of discriminating, on a quantitative level, between lack of functional activity of sinusoidal uptake versus that of biliary efflux transporters.
The new construction of rank codes

The only known construction of error-correcting codes in rank metric was proposed in 1985. These were codes with fast decoding algorithm. We present a new construction of rank codes, which defines new codes and includes known codes. This is a generalization of E.M. Gabidulin, 1985. Though the new codes seem to be very similar to subcodes of known rank codes, we argue that these are different codes. A fast decoding algorithm is described
Fast computation of low-rank matrix approximations

Given a matrix A, it is often desirable to find a good approximation to A that has low rank. We introduce a simple technique for accelerating the computation of such approximations when A has strong spectral features, that is, when the singular values of interest are significantly greater than those of a random matrix with size and entries similar to A. Our technique amounts to independently sampling and/or quantizing the entries of A, thus speeding up computation by reducing the number of nonzero entries and/or the length of their representation. Our analysis is based on observing that the acts of sampling and quantization can be viewed as adding a random matrix N to A, whose entries are independent random variables with zero-mean and bounded variance. Since, with high probability, N has very weak spectral features, we can prove that the effect of sampling and quantization nearly vanishes when a low-rank approximation to A + N is computed. We give high probability bounds on the quality of our approximation both in the Frobenius and the 2-norm.
Complete Genome Sequence of Photobacterium damselae Subsp. damselae Strain SSPD1601 Isolated from Deep-Sea Cage-Cultured Sebastes schlegelii with Septic Skin Ulcer

Photobacterium damselae subsp. damselae (PDD) is a Gram-negative bacterium that can infect a variety of aquatic organisms and humans. Based on an epidemiological investigation conducted over the past 3 years, PDD is one of the most important pathogens causing septic skin ulcer in deep-sea cage-cultured Sebastes schlegelii in the Huang-Bohai Sea area and present throughout the year with high abundance. To further understand the pathogenicity of this species, the pathogenic properties and genome of PDD strain SSPD1601 were analyzed. The results revealed that PDD strain SSPD1601 is a rod-shaped cell with a single polar flagellum, and the clinical symptoms were replicated during artificial infection. The SSPD1601 genome consists of two chromosomes and two plasmids, totaling 4,252,294 bp with 3,751 coding sequences (CDSs), 196 tRNA genes, and 47 rRNA genes. Common virulence factors including flagellin, Fur, RstB, hcpA, OMPs, htpB-Hsp60, VasK, and vgrG were found in strain SSPD1601. Furthermore, SSPD1601 is a pPHDD1-negative strain containing the hemolysin gene hlyAch and three putative hemolysins (emrA, yoaF, and VPA0226), which are likely responsible for the pathogenicity of SSPD1601. The phylogenetic analysis revealed SSPD1601 to be most closely related to Phdp Wu-1. In addition, the antibiotic resistance phenotype indicated that SSPD1601 was not sensitive to ceftazidime, pipemidic, streptomycin, cefalexin, bacitracin, cefoperazone sodium, acetylspiramycin, clarithromycin, amikacin, gentamycin, kanamycin, oxacillin, ampicillin, and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, but only the bacitracin resistance gene bacA was detected based on Antibiotic Resistance Genes Database. These results expand our understanding of PDD, setting the stage for further studies of its pathogenesis and disease prevention.
Monitoring Central Venous Catheter Resistance to Predict Imminent Occlusion: A Prospective Pilot Study

Background Long-term central venous catheters are essential for the management of chronic medical conditions, including childhood cancer. Catheter occlusion is associated with an increased risk of subsequent complications, including bloodstream infection, venous thrombosis, and catheter fracture. Therefore, predicting and pre-emptively treating occlusions should prevent complications, but no method for predicting such occlusions has been developed. Methods We conducted a prospective trial to determine the feasibility, acceptability, and efficacy of catheter-resistance monitoring, a novel approach to predicting central venous catheter occlusion in pediatric patients. Participants who had tunneled catheters and were receiving treatment for cancer or undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation underwent weekly catheter-resistance monitoring for up to 12 weeks. Resistance was assessed by measuring the inline pressure at multiple flow-rates via a syringe pump system fitted with a pressure-sensing transducer. When turbulent flow through the device was evident, resistance was not estimated, and the result was noted as “non-laminar. ” Results Ten patients attended 113 catheter-resistance monitoring visits. Elevated catheter resistance (>8.8% increase) was strongly associated with the subsequent development of acute catheter occlusion within 10 days (odds ratio = 6.2; 95% confidence interval, 1.8–21.5; p <0.01; sensitivity, 75%; specificity, 67%). A combined prediction model comprising either change in resistance greater than 8.8% or a non-laminar result predicted subsequent occlusion (odds ratio = 6.8; 95% confidence interval, 2.0–22.8; p = 0.002; sensitivity, 80%; specificity, 63%). Participants rated catheter-resistance monitoring as highly acceptable. Conclusions In this pediatric hematology and oncology population, catheter-resistance monitoring is feasible, acceptable, and predicts imminent catheter occlusion. Larger studies are required to validate these findings, assess the predictive value for other clinical outcomes, and determine the impact of pre-emptive therapy. Trial Registration Clinicaltrials.gov NCT01737554
In Vitro Muscarinic Receptor Radioligand‐Binding Assays

G‐protein‐coupled muscarinic receptors (mAChRs), of which there are five subtypes (M1‐M5), are attractive drug targets for a number of disorders. Described in this unit are radioligand‐binding assays for defining the selectivity and affinity of chemical agents at the five mAChR subtypes. Detailed methodologies and troubleshooting strategies are provided for saturation‐binding studies, to estimate KD and Bmax values, and for competition‐binding studies to estimate Ki values. Emphasis is placed on experimental details that are critical for executing a robust and reliable assay. Curr. Protoc. Pharmacol. 48:1.33. 1‐1.33. 18. © 2010 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.