Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Quality measure study: progress in reducing the door-to-balloon time in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction.

BACKGROUND Reperfusion therapy improves both mortality and morbidity in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Timeliness of such reperfusion is an important factor in improving patient survival. For percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), the American College of Cardiology has recommended a goal of <90 minutes from initial hospital contact to first balloon inflation. METHODS The authors retrospectively reviewed 131 patients with a diagnosis of STEMI seen at a PCI capable hospital between January, 2006 and September, 2008, a period of time before and after implementation of a protocol aimed at reducing door-to-balloon time. Sixty-one percent of study population was Asian or Pacific Islander. This protocol was largely based on the identification by Bradley et al. of factors whose modification could shorten this time interval. RESULTS Time to reperfusion was compared between groups before (n=57), and after (n=58) protocol implementation. Median door-to-balloon time for the former group was 133 minutes, interquartile range (IQRs), (25th, 75th percentile; 104.5, 147), and for the latter group 67 minutes, IQRs (56, 80) respectively (p<0.001). Prior to implementation of the protocol, a door-to-balloon time of <90 minutes was achieved in 17% of cases. By the third quarter of 2008, this goal was being met in 100%. CONCLUSION This observational study provides support for the use of the strategies described as a key for reduction in door-to-balloon time.
Receiving Buffer Adaptation for High-Speed Data Transfer

New applications based on cloud computing, such as data synchronization for large chain departmental stores and bank transaction records, require very high-speed data transport. Although a number of high-bandwidth networks have been built, existing transport protocols or their variants over such networks cannot fully exploit the network bandwidth. Our experiments show that the fixed-size application level buffer employed in the receiver side is a major cause of this deficiency. A buffer that is either too small or too large impairs the transfer performance. Due to the varied natures of network conditions and of real-time packet processing (i.e., consuming) speed at the receiver, it is important to ensure that the buffer size is dynamically adjusted according to the perceived execution situation during runtime. In this paper, we propose Rada, a dynamic receiving buffer adaptation scheme for high-speed data transfer. Rada employs an exponential moving average aided scheme to quantify the data arrival rate and consumption rate in the buffer. Based on these two rates, we develop a linear aggressive increase conservative decrease scheme to adjust the buffer size dynamically. Moreover, a weighted mean function is employed to make the adjustment adaptive to the available memory in the receiver. Theoretical analysis is provided to demonstrate the rationale and parameter bounds of Rada. The performance of Rada is also theoretically compared with potential alternatives. We implement Rada in a Linux platform and extensively evaluate its performance in a variety of scenarios. Experimental results conform to the theoretical results, and show that Rada outperforms the static buffer scheme in terms of throughput, memory footprint, and fairness.
Fibrin induction of tissue plasminogen activator expression in corneal endothelial cells in vitro.

PURPOSE Fibrin is deposited in the anterior chamber of the eye in response to injury and can damage corneal endothelial cells (CEC). Fibrin degradation is plasmin dependent and is regulated by the balance between plasminogen activators (PA), tissue-PA (t-PA), urokinase-PA (u-PA), and their inhibitors (PAI). Although several factors can modulate PA/PAI expression in cells, the effect of fibrin is inconclusive. We hypothesized that fibrin can regulate fibrinolysis in the anterior segment by modulating PA/PAI expression in CEC. METHODS Bovine CEC (BCEC) were treated for 3 to 72 hours with in situ polymerized fibrin (2 mg/ml) +/- 35S-methionine, cycloheximide, or actinomycin D. Polymerization was thrombin catalyzed, and control BCEC were incubated with or without thrombin or polymerization by-products. PA and PAI in conditioned medium, fibrin matrix, and cell fractions were analyzed by PA-specific zymographic and enzymatic assays. RESULTS Fibrin treatment induced a dramatic (> 20-fold) accumulation of extracellular, fibrin-bound PA. This activity was identified as t-PA by its Mw (70 kD) affinity for fibrin and sensitivity to inhibition by Erythrina. Induction of t-PA was not observed in control BCEC under any condition. Fibrin induction of t-PA was selective because the levels of u-PA (45 kD), PAI-1 (50 kD), or protein synthesis in general were unaffected. Fibrin induction of t-PA was not accompanied by changes in cellular t-PA levels and was dependent on both RNA and protein synthesis. CONCLUSIONS Fibrin selectively induces t-PA expression in CEC. Induced t-PA is released extracellularly and binds exclusively to the fibrin matrix. These findings suggest a role for fibrin and CEC in the regulation of fibrinolysis in the anterior segment of the eye.
hRESTS: An HTML Microformat for Describing RESTful Web Services

The Web 2.0 wave brings, among other aspects, the programmable Web: increasing numbers of Web sites provide machine-oriented APIs and Web services. However, most APIs are only described with text in HTML documents. The lack of machine-readable API descriptions affects the feasibility of tool support for developers who use these services. We propose a microformat called hRESTS (HTML for RESTful Services) for machine-readable descriptions of Web APIs, backed by a simple service model. The hRESTS microformat describes main aspects of services, such as operations, inputs and outputs. We also present two extensions of hRESTS: SA-REST, which captures the facets of public APIs important for mashup developers, and MicroWSMO, which provides support for semantic automation.
Space efficient CMOS nonlinear transmission lines

Nonlinear transmission lines (NLTLs) are used in diverse applications such as edge-sharpening, pulse generation, and frequency conversion, however, length of a useful NLTL can require significant MMIC or RFIC real estate. We present an analytical model for the complex propagation constant of lossy, distributed NLTLs and fabricate several NLTLs in 0. 25µm CMOS for verification. Space-saving layout techniques such as serpentine folding and floating-grid substrate shielding are fabricated and we examine their impact on the edge-sharpening performance of the NLTLs.
Theoretical Modeling of Microstrip Thin-Film Circulators

We have calculated the S-parameters and losses in ferrite film junction circulators using a new effective-field theory assuming TEM-like propagation. At X-band conductivity loss dominates the dielectric and magnetic losses in Y-junction circulators fabricated on low-loss ferrite films with thicknesses less than 200 /spl mu/m. Our calculations compare closely with experiments.
Multi-core platforms for signal processing: source and channel coding

In this paper we propose to show how signal processing algorithm designers can understand the nuances of multicore computing engines in order to conveniently exploit these powerful devices. This is illustrated by presenting source and channel coding, two fundamental operations in multimedia signal processing. We describe methods and principles to develop parallel signal processing algorithms to compute motion estimation for Advanced Video Coding, and Low-Density Parity-Check code decoding for forward error correction in the channel coding context. The paper will consider general purpose multi-core architectures and accelerators such as the Cell/B.E. and graphics processing units. Experimental evaluation of the multi-core systems allows their performance for signal processing applications to be compared side by side with previous hardware dedicated solutions.
Slowing renal function decline in chronic kidney disease patients after nephrology referral

Aim: Late referral of chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients to nephrologists is associated with increased morbidity and mortality and is still quite common and seldom studied in Taiwan because of unique sociocultural factors. We aimed to study the decline in renal function and factors related to the change in renal function before and after referral.
Bleeding Patterns in Postmenopausal Women Taking Continuous Combined or Sequential Regimens of Conjugated Estrogens With Medroxyprogesterone Acetate

Objective: To compare the bleeding patterns obtained with two continuous combined and two sequential regimens of conjugated estrogens with medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) and conjugated estrogens alone. Methods: This was a 1‐year double‐blind, randomized study done with 1724 postmenopausal women at 99 sites in the United States and Europe. All five treatment groups received 0.625 mg/day of conjugated estrogens. Groups A and B also took continuous daily doses of 2.5 and 5.0 mg of MPA, respectively. Groups C and D took 5.0 and 10.0 mg of MPA, respectively, for the last 14 days of each 28‐day cycle. Group E took continuous daily doses of placebo to match MPA. Results: The two continuous combined regimens (A and B) produced amenorrhea in 61.4 and 72.8%, respectively, of all evaluable cycles. Generally, the incidence of amenorrhea increased and irregular bleeding decreased with longer duration of treatment. In addition, amenorrhea occurred for at least the last seven consecutive cycles of the treatment year for about 40% of the patients taking the lower‐dose continuous combined regimen (A), about 50% of the patients taking the higher‐dose continuous combined regimen (B), and about 50% of the patients taking conjugated estrogens alone. About 5% of the patients who took either of the sequential regimens (C or D) had amenorrhea during that time. Most of the cycles (81.3 and 77.0% in groups C and D, respectively) for patients taking the sequential conjugated estrogens‐MPA regimens had regular withdrawal bleeding or withdrawal spotting. There was no bleeding or spotting in 75.5% of the cycles for patients who took conjugated estrogens alone. Conclusions: Approximately half of the women who took the continuous combined conjugated estrogens‐MPA regimens had amenorrhea, and the incidence tended to increase during the study. Women who took the sequential regimens had good cycle control with minimal irregular bleeding. More than half of those who took conjugated estrogens alone had amenorrhea. (Obstet Gynecol 1994;83:686‐92)
K‐ras oncogene silencing strategy reduces tumor growth and enhances gemcitabine chemotherapy efficacy for pancreatic cancer treatment

Pancreatic adenocarcinoma remains a fatal disease characterized by rapid tumor progression, high metastatic potential and profound chemoresistance. Gemcitabine is the current standard chemotherapy for advanced pancreatic cancer, but it is still far from optimal and novel therapeutic strategies are needed urgently. Mutations in the k‐ras gene have been found in more than 90% of pancreatic cancers and are believed to play a key role in this malignancy. Thus, the goal of this study was to investigate the impact of k‐ras oncogene silencing on pancreatic tumor growth. Additionally, we examined whether combining k‐ras small interfering RNA (siRNA) with gemcitabine has therapeutic potential for pancreatic cancer. The treatment of tumor cell cultures with the corresponding k‐ras siRNA resulted in a significant inhibition of k‐ras endogenous expression and cell proliferation. In vivo, tumor xenografts were significantly reduced with k‐ras siRNAGAT delivered by electroporation. Moreover, combined treatment with pSsik‐rasGAT plus gemcitabine resulted in strong growth inhibition of orthotopic pancreatic tumors. Survival rate was significantly prolonged and the mean tumor volume was dramatically reduced in mice receiving the combined treatment compared with single agents. Collectively, these findings show that targeting mutant k‐ras through specific siRNA might be effective for k‐ras oncogene silencing and tumor growth inhibition. The improvement of gemcitabine‐based chemotherapy suggests that this strategy might be used therapeutically against human pancreatic cancer to potentiate the effects of conventional therapy. (Cancer Sci 2007; 98: 1128–1136)
Ranking Translation Candidates Acquired from Comparable Corpora

Domain-specific bilingual lexicons extracted from domain-specific comparable corpora provide for one term a list of ranked translation candidates. This study proposes to re-rank these translation candidates. We suggest that a term and its translation appear in comparable sentences that can be extracted from domainspecific comparable corpora. For a source term and a list of translation candidates, we propose a method to identify and align the best source and target sentences that contain the term and its translation candidates. We report results with two language pairs (French-English and FrenchGerman) using domain-specific comparable corpora. Our method significantly improves the top 1, top 5 and top 10 precisions of a domain-specific bilingual lexicon, and thus, provides a better user-
Longitudinal changes of axial length and height are associated and concomitant in children.

PURPOSE To examine the association between the longitudinal changes of axial length (AL) and height in Chinese children. METHODS The study participants were recruited from the Guangzhou Twin Registry. AL and height were measured every year from 2006 to 2008. AL was measured using partial coherence laser interferometry. Height was measured with the participants standing without shoes. Bivariate correlation coefficients and a multivariate generalized regression model were used to calculate the association between the changes of AL and height. Data from the first-born twins were selected to present the results: The right eye was arbitrarily selected to represent AL of the specific individual. RESULTS Mean annual increases of AL and height were 0.22 (SD, 0.17) mm and 3.93 (SD, 3.02) cm, respectively. Correlations between AL and height were 0.47 (95% CI, 0.40-0.52) in 2006. The correlation between AL at 2006 and height at 2008 was 0.44 (95% CI, 0.37-0.51); the correlation between AL at 2008 and height at 2006 was 0.38 (95% CI, 0.32-0.45). These cross-trait cross-time correlation coefficients remained statistically significant after adjusting for age and sex. Plotting the changes of AL and height suggested that the changes of AL and height with age were concomitant; greater changes were observed in younger children. CONCLUSIONS The association between AL and height in cross-sectional analysis and longitudinal changes may suggest common pathways for the development of eye size and body size in children.
Socioeconomic disparities in neurocognitive development in the first two years of life.

Socioeconomic status (SES) is strongly associated with cognition and achievement. Socioeconomic disparities in language and memory skills have been reported from elementary school through adolescence. Less is known about the extent to which such disparities emerge in infancy. Here, 179 infants from socioeconomically diverse families were recruited. Using a cohort-sequential design, 90 infants were followed at 9 and 15 months, and 89 were followed at 15 and 21 months. SES disparities in developmental trajectories of language and memory were present such that, at 21 months of age, children of highly educated parents scored approximately . 8 standard deviations higher in both language and memory than children of less educated parents. The home language and literacy environment and parental warmth partially accounted for disparities in language, but not memory development.
Tau PET imaging predicts cognition in atypical variants of Alzheimer's disease

Accumulation of paired helical filament tau contributes to neurodegeneration in Alzheimer's disease (AD). 18F‐flortaucipir is a positron emission tomography (PET) radioligand sensitive to tau in AD, but its clinical utility will depend in part on its ability to predict cognitive symptoms in diverse dementia phenotypes associated with selective, regional uptake. We examined associations between 18F‐flortaucipir and cognition in 14 mildly‐impaired patients (12 with cerebrospinal fluid analytes consistent with AD pathology) who had amnestic (n = 5) and non‐amnestic AD syndromes, including posterior cortical atrophy (PCA, n = 5) and logopenic‐variant primary progressive aphasia (lvPPA, n = 4). Amnestic AD patients had deficits in memory; lvPPA in language; and both amnestic AD and PCA patients in visuospatial function. Associations with cognition were tested using sparse regression and compared to associations in anatomical regions‐of‐interest (ROIs). 18F‐flortaucipir uptake was expected to show regionally‐specific correlations with each domain. In multivariate analyses, uptake was elevated in neocortical areas specifically associated with amnestic and non‐amnestic syndromes. Uptake in left anterior superior temporal gyrus accounted for 67% of the variance in language performance. Uptake in right lingual gyrus predicted 85% of the variance in visuospatial performance. Memory was predicted by uptake in right fusiform gyrus and cuneus as well as a cluster comprising right anterior hippocampus and amygdala; this eigenvector explained 57% of the variance in patients' scores. These results provide converging evidence for associations between 18F‐flortaucipir uptake, tau pathology, and patients' cognitive symptoms.
Examination of Ligand-Dependent Coactivator Recruitment by Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor-α (PPARα)

The ligand-dependent recruitment of coactivators to peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-α (PPARα) was examined. PPAR-binding protein (PBP), PPARγ coactivator-1α (PGC-1α), steroid receptor coactivator-1 (SRC-1), and CBP/p300-interacting transactivator with ED-rich tail 2 (CITED2) affected PPARα activity in the presence of Wy-14,643. The effects on PPARα activity in light of increased or decreased expression of these coactivators were qualitatively different depending on the ligand examined. Diminished expression of PGC-1α, SRC-1, or PBP by RNAi plasmids affected natural or synthetic agonist activity whereas only Wy-14,643 was affected by decreased PGC-1α. The interaction of PPARα with an LXXLL-containing peptide library showed ligand-specific patterns, indicative of differences in conformational change. The association of coactivators to PPARα occurs predominantly via the carboxyl-terminus and mutating 456LHPLL to 456LHPAA resulted in a dominant-negative construct. This research confirms that coactivator recruitment to PPARα is ligand-dependent and that selective receptor modulators (SRMs) of this important protein are likely.
Candida albicans: A Model Organism for Studying Fungal Pathogens

Candida albicans is an opportunistic human fungal pathogen that causes candidiasis. As healthcare has been improved worldwide, the number of immunocompromised patients has been increased to a greater extent and they are highly susceptible to various pathogenic microbes and C. albicans has been prominent among the fungal pathogens. The complete genome sequence of this pathogen is now available and has been extremely useful for the identification of repertoire of genes present in this pathogen. The major challenge is now to assign the functions to these genes of which 13% are specific to C. albicans. Due to its close relationship with yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, an edge over other fungal pathogens because most of the technologies can be directly transferred to C. albicans from S. cerevisiae and it is amenable to mutation, gene disruption, and transformation. The last two decades have witnessed enormous amount of research activities on this pathogen that leads to the understanding of host-parasite interaction, infections, and disease propagation. Clearly, C. albicans has emerged as a model organism for studying fungal pathogens along with other two fungi Aspergillus fumigatus and Cryptococcus neoformans. Understanding its complete life style of C. albicans will undoubtedly be useful for developing potential antifungal drugs and tackling Candida infections. This will also shed light on the functioning of other fungal pathogens.
CrossChip: a system supporting comparative analysis of different generations of Affymetrix arrays

SUMMARY To increase compatibility between different generations of Affymetrix GeneChip arrays, we propose a method of filtering probes based on their sequences. Our method is implemented as a web-based service for downloading necessary materials for converting the raw data files (*.CEL) for comparative analysis. The user can specify the appropriate level of filtering by setting the criteria for the minimum overlap length between probe sequences and the minimum number of usable probe pairs per probe set. Our website supports a within-species comparison for human and mouse GeneChip arrays. AVAILABILITY http://www.crosschip. org
Influenza Nucleoprotein Delivered with Aluminium Salts Protects Mice from an Influenza A Virus That Expresses an Altered Nucleoprotein Sequence

Influenza virus poses a difficult challenge for protective immunity. This virus is adept at altering its surface proteins, the proteins that are the targets of neutralizing antibody. Consequently, each year a new vaccine must be developed to combat the current recirculating strains. A universal influenza vaccine that primes specific memory cells that recognise conserved parts of the virus could prove to be effective against both annual influenza variants and newly emergent potentially pandemic strains. Such a vaccine will have to contain a safe and effective adjuvant that can be used in individuals of all ages. We examine protection from viral challenge in mice vaccinated with the nucleoprotein from the PR8 strain of influenza A, a protein that is highly conserved across viral subtypes. Vaccination with nucleoprotein delivered with a universally used and safe adjuvant, composed of insoluble aluminium salts, provides protection against viruses that either express the same or an altered version of nucleoprotein. This protection correlated with the presence of nucleoprotein specific CD8 T cells in the lungs of infected animals at early time points after infection. In contrast, immunization with NP delivered with alum and the detoxified LPS adjuvant, monophosphoryl lipid A, provided some protection to the homologous viral strain but no protection against infection by influenza expressing a variant nucleoprotein. Together, these data point towards a vaccine solution for all influenza A subtypes.