Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Disease activity patterns over time in patients with SLE: analysis of the Hopkins Lupus Cohort

Objective To describe SLE disease activity patterns in the Hopkins Lupus Cohort. Methods Disease activity was studied in 1886 patients followed-up for 1–28 years. Disease activity patterns were defined using (1) Physician Global Assessment (PGA) and (2) modified SLE Disease Activity Index (M-SLEDAI) as follows: long quiescent (LQ), M-SLEDAI=0/PGA=0 at all visits; relapsing-remitting (RR), periods of activity (M-SLEDAI>0/PGA>0) interspersed with inactivity (M-SLEDAI=0/PGA=0); chronic active (CA), M-SLEDAI>0/PGA>0 at all visits. The pattern of first 3 consecutive follow-up years was determined in 916 patients as: persistent LQ (pLQ), persistent RR (pRR) and persistent CA (pCA), LQ, RR and CA pattern in each of the 3 years, respectively; mixed, at least two different pattern types were identified. Results The RR pattern accounted for the greatest proportion of follow-up time both by M-SLEDAI and PGA, representing 53.8% and 49.9% of total patient-years, respectively. The second most frequent pattern was LQ based on M-SLEDAI (30.7%) and CA based on PGA (40.4%). For the first 3-year intervals, the mixed pattern type was the most common (56.6%). The pRR was the second most frequent (M-SLEDAI 33.3%, PGA 26.5%), while pLQ (M-SLEDAI 6.4%, PGA 0.7%) and pCA were less frequent (M-SLEDAI 3.7%, PGA 16.3%). Conclusions The RR pattern was the most prevalent pattern. LQ was achieved in a subset of patients, using the M-SLEDAI. However, the PGA captured mild activity missed on the M-SLEDAI in these patients. Over a 3-year perspective, less than half of patients maintained their original pattern.
A carcinoid tumour arising within a tailgut cyst: a diagnostic challenge

A 49-year-old man was referred with constipation that had lasted for a few months. On colonoscopy, a subepithelial tumour more than 4 cm in size was seen in the rectum. He underwent endoscopic ultrasound and pelvic magnetic resonance imaging. He was preoperatively diagnosed with a rectal duplication cyst based on imaging studies. However, the final histopathologic diagnosis after transanal excision of the rectal mass was rectal carcinoid tumour with tailgut cyst. Tailgut cysts are very rare congenital lesions in the presacral area and are most often discovered incidentally in middle-aged women. It is difficult to distinguish the imaging appearance of tailgut cysts from that of many other retrorectal cysts. Malignant transformation of tailgut cysts has been estimated to occur in 2 to 13% of cases. We report the diagnostic difficulties encountered in a case of carcinoid tumour arising from a tailgut cyst in a male patient.
Optimal Feature Matching Method using Bayesian Graph Theory

Local feature matching is an essential component of many image and object retrieval algorithms. Feature similarities between object model and scene graph are complemented with a regularization term that measures differences of the relational structure. In this paper, we present a novel approach to the optimal feature matching using new Bayesian graph theory. First, we will discuss properties of various local invariant feature detectors and descriptors for scale, affine transformation and illumination changes. Second, we propose an efficient features corresponding method using local invariant features and new graph matching algorithm. Main theoretical background of our algorithm is that it can be based on the Bayes theorem and an iterative convex successive projection algorithm used to obtain the global optimum solution for feature matching problem. Finally, we have conducted the comparative experiments between proposed method and existing method on various real images. Experimental results show that our method outperforms clearly rather than the existing algorithms about feature correspondence in two images with rotation or scale transformation and illumination changes.
Distributed Algorithms for Stochastic Source Seeking with Mobile Robot Networks: Technical Report

Autonomous robot networks are an effective tool for monitoring large-scale environmental fields. This paper proposes distributed control strategies for localizing the source of a noisy signal, which could represent a physical quantity of interest such as magnetic force, heat, radio signal, or chemical concentration. We develop algorithms specific to two scenarios: one in which the sensors have a precise model of the signal formation process and one in which a signal model is not available. In the model-free scenario, a team of sensors is used to follow a stochastic gradient of the signal field. Our approach is distributed, robust to deformations in the group geometry, does not necessitate global localization, and is guaranteed to lead the sensors to a neighborhood of a local maximum of the field. In the model-based scenario, the sensors follow the stochastic gradient of the mutual information between their expected measurements and the location of the source in a distributed manner. The performance is demonstrated in simulation using a robot sensor network to localize the source of a wireless radio signal.
[Characterization of patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus in southern Brazil: chronic complications and associated factors].

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the prevalence of chronic vascular complications and associated factors in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus (DM). METHODS Cross sectional study with type 1 DM patients attending the Endocrine Division, Hospital de Clinicas de Porto Alegre. Patients were evaluated for presence of chronic vascular complications. RESULTS We evaluated 573 patients, mean age of 33 years. The presence of diabetic retinopathy (DR) was observed in 43.3%, diabetes duration [OR: 1.07, 95% CI: 1.03 to 1.11, P <0001], the presence of diabetic nephropathy (DN) [OR: 3.40; CI 95%: 1.89 to 6.13, P <0001] and hypertension (HPT) [OR: 2.12, 95% CI: 1.16 to 3.87, P = 0014] were associated with DR. The DN was present in 34.5% and was associated with HPT [OR: 1.93, 95% CI: 1.16 to 3.21, P = 0001] and total cholesterol [OR: 1.0, 95% CI: 1.0-1.01, P = 0.05]. Seven patients had macrovascular disease. Only 22% achieved an A1c of <7.0%. HPT was 33% and 48% had levels <130/80 mm Hg and 45% of patients had values for LDL> 100 mg/dl. CONCLUSION We observed a high prevalence of microvascular complications and HPT. Duration of DM, HPT and presence of DN were associated with DR. HPT and dyslipidemia were associated with DN. Most patients did not meet the desired glycemic control, blood pressure and lipid targets. Greater efforts are needed to intensify the pressure and metabolic control of patients with type 1 DM.
The Impact of Allergic Rhinitis and Asthma on Human Nasal and Bronchial Epithelial Gene Expression

Background The link between upper and lower airways in patients with both asthma and allergic rhinitis is still poorly understood. As the biological complexity of these disorders can be captured by gene expression profiling we hypothesized that the clinical expression of rhinitis and/or asthma is related to differential gene expression between upper and lower airways epithelium. Objective Defining gene expression profiles of primary nasal and bronchial epithelial cells from the same individuals and examining the impact of allergic rhinitis with and without concomitant allergic asthma on expression profiles. Methods This cross-sectional study included 18 subjects (6 allergic asthma and allergic rhinitis; 6 allergic rhinitis; 6 healthy controls). The estimated false discovery rate comparing 6 subjects per group was approximately 5%. RNA was extracted from isolated and cultured epithelial cells from bronchial brushings and nasal biopsies, and analyzed by microarray (Affymetrix U133+ PM Genechip Array). Data were analysed using R and Bioconductor Limma package. For gene ontology GeneSpring GX12 was used. Results The study was successfully completed by 17 subjects (6 allergic asthma and allergic rhinitis; 5 allergic rhinitis; 6 healthy controls). Using correction for multiple testing, 1988 genes were differentially expressed between healthy lower and upper airway epithelium, whereas in allergic rhinitis with or without asthma this was only 40 and 301 genes, respectively. Genes influenced by allergic rhinitis with or without asthma were linked to lung development, remodeling, regulation of peptidases and normal epithelial barrier functions. Conclusions Differences in epithelial gene expression between the upper and lower airway epithelium, as observed in healthy subjects, largely disappear in patients with allergic rhinitis with or without asthma, whilst new differences emerge. The present data identify several pathways and genes that might be potential targets for future drug development.
All about Microtext - A Working Definition and a Survey of Current Microtext Research within Artificial Intelligence and Natural Language Processing

: This paper defines a new term, ‘Microtext’, and takes a survey of the most recent and promising research that falls under this new definition. Microtext has three distinct attributes that differentiate it from the traditional free-text or unstructured text considered within the AI and NLP communities. Microtext is text that is generally very short in length, semi-structured, and characterized by amorphous or informal grammar and language. Examples of microtext include chatrooms (such as IM, XMPP, and IRC), SMS, voice transcriptions, and micro-blogging such as Twitter(tm). This paper expands on this definition, and provides some characterizations of typical microtext data. Microtext is becoming more prevalent. It is the thesis of this paper that the three distinct attributes of microtext yield different results and require different techniques than traditional AI and NLP techniques on long-form free text. By creating a working definition for microtext, providing a survey of the current state of research in the area, it is the goal of this paper to create an understanding of microtext within the AI and NLP communities.
Gouvernement d'entreprise, investissement dans les activités de recherche et développement et performance

Il est communement partage que l'investissement en recherche et developpement (R&D) joue un role crucial dans la croissance et le maintien de la competitivite des entreprises specialement celles operant dans des secteurs de haute technologie. Toutefois, bien que l'investissement en R&D constitue un facteur de creation de valeur, il peut en l'absence d'un controle efficace des dirigeants renforcer la latitude manageriale. En effet, etant donnee les caracteristiques propres aux activites de R&D (specificite, horizon temporel long, risque eleve) et en presence de conflits d'interets entre actionnaires et dirigeants, ces derniers peuvent etre amenes a pratiquer une politique discretionnaire en matiere d'investissement en R&D leur permettant de maximiser leur richesse au depens des actionnaires. En se placant dans le contexte de la theorie du gouvernement d'entreprise, divers mecanismes de controle peuvent intervenir pour discipliner les dirigeants et les contraindre a prendre des decisions strategiques, notamment en R&D, de maniere a ameliorer la valeur actionnariale. L'objectif de cette these consiste a etudier l'effet des mecanismes de gouvernement d'entreprise, en particulier la structure de propriete et le conseil d'administration, sur le comportement des dirigeants en matiere d'investissement en R&D, d'une part, et sur la relation entre cet investissement et la performance de l'entreprise, d'autre part. Cette etude est enrichie en integrant la theorie de l'enracinement comme cadre d'analyse qui retient l'hypothese d'un comportement actif des dirigeants. Les resultats obtenus sur un echantillon d'entreprises francaises cotees sur la periode 2001-2008 montrent que les depenses de R&D ainsi que leur effet sur la performance de l'entreprise dependent significativement des caracteristiques de la structure de la propriete, du conseil d'administration et de l'enracinement des dirigeants.
An efficient, parametric fixpoint algorithm forincremental analysis of java bytecode

Abstract interpretation has been widely used for the analysis of object-oriented languages and, more precisely, Java source and bytecode. However, while most of the existing work deals with the problem of finding expressive abstract domains that track accurately the characteristics of a particular concrete property, the underlying fixpoint algorithms have received comparatively less attention. In fact, many existing (abstract interpretation based) fixpoint algorithms rely on relatively inefficient techniques to solve inter-procedural call graphs or are specific and tied to particular analyses. We argue that the design of an efficient fixpoint algorithm is pivotal to support the analysis of large programs. In this paper we introduce a novel algorithm for analysis of Java bytecode which includes a number of optimizations in order to reduce the number of iterations. Also, the algorithm is parametric in the sense that it is independent of the abstract domain used and it can be applied to different domains as "plug-ins". It is also incremental in the sense that, if desired, analysis data can be saved so that only a reduced amount of reanalysis is needed after a small program change, which can be instrumental for large programs. The algorithm is also multivariant and flowsensitive. Finally, another interesting characteristic of the algorithm is that it is based on a program transformation, prior to the analysis, that results in a highly uniform representation of all the features in the language and therefore simplifies analysis. Detailed descriptions of decompilation solutions are provided and discussed with an example.
TumorHoPe: A Database of Tumor Homing Peptides

Background Cancer is responsible for millions of immature deaths every year and is an economical burden on developing countries. One of the major challenges in the present era is to design drugs that can specifically target tumor cells not normal cells. In this context, tumor homing peptides have drawn much attention. These peptides are playing a vital role in delivering drugs in tumor tissues with high specificity. In order to provide service to scientific community, we have developed a database of tumor homing peptides called TumorHoPe. Description TumorHoPe is a manually curated database of experimentally validated tumor homing peptides that specifically recognize tumor cells and tumor associated microenvironment, i.e., angiogenesis. These peptides were collected and compiled from published papers, patents and databases. Current release of TumorHoPe contains 744 peptides. Each entry provides comprehensive information of a peptide that includes its sequence, target tumor, target cell, techniques of identification, peptide receptor, etc. In addition, we have derived various types of information from these peptide sequences that include secondary/tertiary structure, amino acid composition, and physicochemical properties of peptides. Peptides in this database have been found to target different types of tumors that include breast, lung, prostate, melanoma, colon, etc. These peptides have some common motifs including RGD (Arg-Gly-Asp) and NGR (Asn-Gly-Arg) motifs, which specifically recognize tumor angiogenic markers. TumorHoPe has been integrated with many web-based tools like simple/complex search, database browsing and peptide mapping. These tools allow a user to search tumor homing peptides based on their amino acid composition, charge, polarity, hydrophobicity, etc. Conclusion TumorHoPe is a unique database of its kind, which provides comprehensive information about experimentally validated tumor homing peptides and their target cells. This database will be very useful in designing peptide-based drugs and drug-delivery system. It is freely available at http://crdd.osdd. net/raghava/tumorhope/.
Design of a high lateral misalignment tolerance magnetic coupler for wireless power transfer systems

Wireless power transfer (WPT) systems with square shaped ferrite core are widely used in various applications because of its simplicity. However, it allows very limited lateral misalignment of the power receiver relative to the power transmitter and suffers from big amount of magnetic cores, which is not suitable for some applications such as electric vehicle wireless charging. This paper presents a novel magnetic coupler characterized by its high lateral misalignment tolerance and fewer magnetic cores. Methods to enhance lateral misalignment tolerance are analyzed and simulated.
Report of MDA muscle disease symposium on newborn screening for Duchenne muscular dystrophy

This report summarizes the progress made in newborn screening for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). This subject was discussed fully at a symposium held on September 11–12, 2012, in Bethesda, Maryland, by a group of experts from multiple disciplines. The meeting was triggered by the simultaneous combination of improvements in methods for newborn screening for DMD and greater potential for treatment. On the screening side, a two‐tier system of newborn screening was introduced that enabled creatine kinase levels and DMD gene analysis to be done on the same dried blood spots obtained at birth. Treatment improvements included promising results from exon skipping as well as multiple studies showing long‐term benefits of glucocorticoids and data indicating that early intervention of both forms of therapy was the most beneficial. Conclusions from this symposium with supportive data could have a significant impact on propelling efforts for approval of newborn screening for DMD. Muscle Nerve, 2013
Snail Involves in the Transforming Growth Factor β1-Mediated Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition of Retinal Pigment Epithelial Cells

Background The proliferation of retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells resulting from an epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) plays a key role in proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR), which leads to complex retinal detachment and the loss of vision. Genes of Snail family encode the zinc finger transcription factors that have been reported to be essential in EMT during embryonic development and cancer metastasis. However, the function of Snail in RPE cells undergoing EMT is largely unknown. Principal Findings Transforming growth factor beta(TGF-β)-1 resulted in EMT in human RPE cells (ARPE-19), which was characterized by the expected decrease in E-cadherin and Zona occludin-1(ZO-1) expression, and the increase in fibronectin and α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) expression, as well as the associated increase of Snail expression at both mRNA and protein levels. Furthermore, TGF-β1 treatment caused a significant change in ARPE-19 cells morphology, with transition from a typical epithelial morphology to mesenchymal spindle-shaped. More interestingly, Snail silencing significantly attenuated TGF-β1-induced EMT in ARPE-19 cells by decreasing the mesenchymal markers fibronectin and a-SMA and increasing the epithelial marker E-cadherin and ZO-1. Snail knockdown could effectively suppress ARPE-19 cell migration. Finally, Snail was activated in epiretinal membranes from PVR patients. Taken together, Snail plays very important roles in TGF-β-1-induced EMT in human RPE cells and may contribute to the development of PVR. Significance Snail transcription factor plays a critical role in TGF-β1-induced EMT in human RPE cells, which provides deep insight into the pathogenesis of human PVR disease. The specific inhibition of Snail may provide a new approach to treat and prevent PVR.
The role of regret and responsibility in decision-making

Regret is a cognitively mediated, multifaceted emotion engendered by thoughts of how things might have been better had we behaved differently. The causes, experience and behavioural impact of regret have been widely studied by psychologists. However, research into the neural basis of regret has been motivated primarily by economic approaches, which often reduce regret to such a simplistic construct that it loses many of its interesting qualities. This thesis attempts to build a bridge between recent functional imaging studies of regret and a more established psychological literature that addresses the subjective content and motivational impacts of regret. The thesis aims to provide a deeper understanding of the experience of regret, the factors necessary for it to be elicited, and its behavioural impact. Using functional imaging, I also provide new insights into the neural mechanisms underlying each of these levels. In the first two studies, I provide evidence for a key role of responsibility in the experience and neuronal representation of regret, and in the efficacy of learning and decision-making more generally. In three further studies, I explore the immediate motivational impact of the experience of regret, and contrast findings with conventional models that address the impact of anticipated regret on choice. Specifically, I provide evidence that experienced regret encourages decision inertia, a bias to repeat, rather than avoid, a previous choice. These studies indicate that conventional models of the experiential content of regret, and its motivational effect, traditionally employed by economists and cognitive neuroscientists alike, do not provide a full description of behavioural responses to regret. I go on to consider multiple motivational effects of regret, including those (not always beneficial) responses through which individuals tend to manage and regulate aversive emotions.
A critique of the IPA Chart (Revised to 1951,1979 and 1989)

The three versions of the IPA chart (revised to 1951, 1979 and 1989) are submitted to a detailed critique in a general attempt to evaluate the merits or flaws in the IPA's principled treatment therein of various sounds of languages. First the salient features of the two earlier versions are taken up for discussion. Then the latest version revised to 1989 is scnitinized to see what changes have been brought about, for better or for worse. As a result of this examination, I have come on to the conclusion that, all in all, no obvious improvements are in evidence
Class D amplifier for a power piezoelectric load

We present a high efficiency inverter (>90%) that can drive an acoustic cavitation reactor with a 2 kW power between 10 and 100 kHz. This reactor is composed of numerous piezoelectric transducers and is particularly used to accelerate various industrial chemical reactions and destroy a variety of organic contaminants in water. The class-D amplifier or inverter is composed of power MOSFETs, type IRFP460, in a full bridge configuration driven by IR2110 circuits in bootstrap mode. The specific nature of the problem comes from the fact that, at frequencies slightly different from a resonant frequency frn, the load is mostly capacitive. The insertion of an appropriate low-pass filter in front of the load allowed an efficient solution to the problem due to the load being capacitive for harmonics. The realized system can provide nearly 2 kW to this type of piezoelectric load, with an efficiency of more than 95%.
Color naming reflects optimal partitions of color space

The nature of color categories in the world's languages is contested. One major view holds that color categories are organized around universal focal colors, whereas an opposing view holds instead that categories are defined at their boundaries by linguistic convention. Both of these standardly opposed views are challenged by existing data. Here, we argue for a third view based on a proposal by Jameson and D'Andrade [Jameson KA, D'Andrade RG (1997) in Color Categories in Thought and Language, eds Hardin CL, Maffi L (Cambridge Univ Press, Cambridge, U.K.), pp 295–319]: that color naming across languages reflects optimal or near-optimal divisions of an irregularly shaped perceptual color space. We formalize this idea, test it against color-naming data from a broad range of languages and show that it accounts for universal tendencies in color naming while also accommodating some observed cross-language variation.