Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Correlation between the Family Levels of Socioeconomic Status and Stage at Diagnosis of Breast Cancer

Background Stage is one of the most important prognostic factors for the cancer diagnosis, including the breast cancer. Studies have found that the rate of breast cancer late-stage diagnosis, among the women with lower socioeconomic status, is more than the others. The aim of this study was investigation the relationship between family levels of socioeconomic status and stage at diagnosis of breast cancer. Methods This cross-sectional, descriptive study has conducted on 526 patients who have suffered from breast cancer, and have registered in Cancer Research Center of Shahid Beheshti university of Medical science, from March 2008 till December 2013. A reliable and valid questionnaire about family status of socioeconomic status, have filled by interviewing the patients via phone. For analyzing the data, Multinomial logistic regression, Kendal tau-b correlation coefficient and Contingency Coefficient tests have executed by SPSS 19. Results The results have indicated that the mean age of the patients was 48.30 (SD=11.41). There was a significant relationship between stage at diagnosis of breast cancer and family levels of socioeconomic status at the time of diagnosis (p=0.024). Also, the relationship between stage at diagnosis and living place (in or out of Tehran) was significant (p=0.044). In the Multiple logistic regressions, these associations were significant. There wasn’t any significant relationship between stage of diagnosis of breast cancer and age, marital status and family history. Conclusion Regarding the results of this study, deep paying attention to the family socioeconomic status as an important variable in stage at diagnosis of breast cancer, among Iranian women, was too important, and then providing the prevention plans related to this topic has seemed necessary.
Saddle Point in the Minimax Converse for Channel Coding

A minimax metaconverse has recently been proposed as a simultaneous generalization of a number of classical results and a tool for the nonasymptotic analysis. In this paper, it is shown that the order of optimizing the input and output distributions can be interchanged without affecting the bound. In the course of the proof, a number of auxiliary results of separate interest are obtained. In particular, it is shown that the optimization problem is convex and can be solved in many cases by the symmetry considerations. As a consequence, it is demonstrated that in the latter cases, the (multiletter) input distribution in information-spectrum (Verdú-Han) converse bound can be taken to be a (memoryless) product of single-letter ones. A tight converse for the binary erasure channel is rederived by computing the optimal (nonproduct) output distribution. For discrete memoryless channels, a conjecture of Poor and Verdú regarding the tightness of the information spectrum bound on the error exponents is resolved in the negative. Concept of the channel symmetry group is established and relations with the definitions of symmetry by Gallager and Dobrushin are investigated.
Improving Bandwidth Efficiency of FBMC-OQAM Through Virtual Symbols

Filter bank multicarrier (FBMC) systems that are based on offset quadrature amplitude modulation (OQAM), namely, FBMC-OQAM, have been criticized for their inefficiency in the use of spectral resources, because of the long ramp-up and ramp-down tails at the beginning and the end of each data packet, respectively. We propose a novel method for shortening these tails. By appending a set of virtual (i.e., none data carrying) symbols to the beginning and the end of each packet, and clever selection of these symbols, we show that the ramp-up and rampdown tails in FMBC-OQAM can be suppressed to an extent that they deem as negligible and thus may be ignored. This shortens the length of signal burst in each FBMC-OQAM packet, hence, improves on its bandwidth efficiency, viz., the same data is transmitted over a shorter period of time. We develop an optimization method that allows computation of virtual symbols, for each data packet. Simulation results show that, compared to existing methods, the proposed tail-shortening approach leads to a superior out-of-band (OOB) emission performance and a much lower error vector magnitude (EVM) for the demodulated symbols.
The Role of T Cells in the Enhancement of Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection Severity during Adult Reinfection of Neonatally Sensitized Mice

ABSTRACT Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the major cause of infantile bronchiolitis and hospitalization. Severe RSV disease is associated with the development of wheezing in later life. In a mouse model of the delayed effects of RSV, the age at primary infection determines responses to reinfection in adulthood. During primary RSV infection, neonatal BALB/c mice developed only mild disease and recruited CD8 cells that were defective in gamma interferon production. Secondary reinfection of neonatally primed mice caused enhanced inflammation and profuse lung T-cell recruitment. CD4 cell depletion during secondary RSV challenge attenuated disease (measured by weight loss); depletion of CD8 cells also markedly attenuated disease severity but enhanced lung eosinophilia, and depletion of both CD4 and CD8 cells together completely abrogated weight loss. Depletion of CD8 (but not CD4) cells during primary neonatal infection was protective against weight loss during adult challenge. Therefore, T cells, in particular CD8 T cells, play a central role in the outcome of neonatal infection by enhancing disease during secondary challenge. These findings demonstrate a crucial role for T cells in the regulation of immune responses after neonatal infection.
Rad52-Independent Accumulation of Joint Circular Minichromosomes during S Phase in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

ABSTRACT We investigated the formation of X-shaped molecules consisting of joint circular minichromosomes (joint molecules) in Saccharomyces cerevisiae by two-dimensional neutral/neutral gel electrophoresis of psoralen-cross-linked DNA. The appearance of joint molecules was found to be replication dependent. The joint molecules had physical properties reminiscent of Holliday junctions or hemicatenanes, as monitored by strand displacement, branch migration, and nuclease digestion. Physical linkage of the joint molecules was detected along the entire length of the minichromosome and most likely involved newly replicated sister chromatids. Surprisingly, the formation of joint molecules was found to be independent of Rad52p as well as of other factors associated with a function in homologous recombination or in the resolution of stalled replication intermediates. These findings thus imply the existence of a nonrecombinational pathway(s) for the formation of joint molecules during the process of DNA replication or minichromosome segregation.
MPPT control technique for a PMSG wind generation system by the estimation of the wind speed

Most of the Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) controls for a wind generation system are based on the unknown wind speed. In these methods, a Power Signal Feedback (PSF) method, an optimal Tip Speed Ratio (TSR) method and a Perturbation & Observation (P&O) method are used. However, in this paper, an estimating technique of the wind speed using the efficiency curve of the blade is proposed. By the proposed wind speed estimated approach, the Maximum Power Point (MPP) can be easily calculated and improved. The control methods for a Permanent Magnet Synchronous Generator (PMSG), a back-to-back converter and the MPPT algorithm are presented, and verified the MPPT algorithm through the simulation results.
Strand- and site-specific DNA lesion demarcation by the xeroderma pigmentosum group D helicase

The most detrimental responses of the UV-exposed skin are triggered by cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers (CPDs). Although placental mammals rely solely on nucleotide excision repair (NER) to eliminate CPDs, none of the core NER factors are apparently able to distinguish this hazardous lesion from native DNA, raising the question of how CPDs are circumscribed to define correct excision boundaries. A key NER intermediate involves unwinding of the damaged duplex by transcription factor TFIIH, a reaction that requires xeroderma pigmentosum group D (XPD) protein. This study was prompted by the observation that the ATPase/helicase activity of XPD is necessary for an effective anchoring of this subunit to UV lesions in mammalian nuclei. The underlying mechanism by which XPD impinges on damaged DNA has been probed with a monomeric archaeal homolog, thus revealing that the collision with a single CPD inhibits the helicase but stimulates its ATPase activity. Restriction and glycosylase protection assays show that the XPD helicase remains firmly bound to a CPD situated in the translocated strand along which the enzyme moves with 5′–3′ polarity. Competition assays confirm that a stable complex is formed when the XPD helicase encounters a CPD in the translocated strand. Instead, the enzyme dissociates from the substrate after running into a CPD in the complementary 3′–5′ strand. These results disclose a damage verification and demarcation process that takes place by strand-selective immobilization of the XPD helicase and its conversion to a site-specific ATPase at DNA lesions.
Functional implications of cross-orientation inhibition of cortical visual cells. I. Neurophysiological evidence

Simple and complex cells of striate cortex of anaesthetized and paralysed cats were stimulated with two superimposed one-dimensional grating stimuli of different orientations to investigate inhibitory effects of non-optimally oriented stimuli. We confirmed that a stimulus of orientation orthogonal to a cell’s long axis significantly reduces the cell’s discharge rate. Further experiments revealed the following, (i) The inhibition was typically stronger for simple than for complex cells, (ii) It is very broadly tuned for orientation, all orientations outside the cell’s tuning band having a comparable inhibitory effect. (iii) Similarly, it is broadly tuned for spatial frequency. These last two results suggest that the inhibition arises not from a single cell but from a pool of cells, (iv) The pattern of the discharge of the inhibition in response to stimulation by phase-reversed sinusoidal gratings is consistent with the notion that the inhibition arises from complex cells. A second series of recordings of stimulation by visual noise patterns demonstrated how ‘cross-orientation inhibition’ prevents simple cells from responding to two-dimensional visual noise while allowing them to respond to comparable one-dimensional noise patterns. We suggest that this mechanism may serve to render simple cells selectively sensitive to one-dimensional stimuli, such as the contours or borders of visual objects.
How Do World of Warcraft-Players Experience and Give Meaning to Their Activity? An Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis

With its 12 million players World of Warcraft (WoW) is one of the most popular computer games to date. The game‘s versatility makes it a unique phenomenon for scientific and even philosophic exploration. However, the public’s attention has mainly been directed to stories of players who are portrayed as victims to the games seductiveness. Consequently the game has become a central topic in the controversial issue of video game addiction. This apparent unilateral focus on the game’s potential addictiveness has led some of its players to experience being subject to stigmatization. In this study we explore how players experience and gave meaning to their playing. An IPA analysis of a focus group interview with three highly experienced players was conducted. The findings revealed three reciprocally connected main themes; identity, social interaction and game play. The participants themselves appeared to consider the social aspect to be the most important factor. Negative attention by non-players brought shame and concealment to a highly appreciated recreational activity. In-game friendships and relations were reoccurring topics, and were mainly perceived as meaningful and rewarding. The community constituted a complex digital culture with its own rules and norms, making it an arena for identity and play.
Efficacy and Tolerability of an Inhaled Selective Glucocorticoid Receptor Modulator – AZD5423 – in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Patients: Phase II Study Results

AZD5423 is a novel, inhaled, selective glucocorticoid receptor modulator (SGRM), which in an allergen challenge model in asthma patients improved lung function and airway hyper‐reactivity. In the current trial, AZD5423 was for the first time tested in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). In this double‐blind, randomized and parallel group study, we examined airway and systemic effects of two doses of AZD5423, inhaled via Turbuhaler for 12 weeks, in 353 symptomatic patients with COPD (average pre‐bronchodilator forced expiratory volume in one‐second (FEV1) at screening was 50–52% of predicted normal). Pre‐bronchodilator FEV1 was primary variable, with other lung function parameters plus symptoms and 24‐hr plasma cortisol being secondary variables. Plasma concentrations of AZD5423 were also measured. Effects were compared against placebo and a reference glucocorticoid receptor agonist control. Neither AZD5423, at doses which have shown to be efficacious in allergen‐induced asthma, nor the reference control, at double the approved dose, had any clinically meaningful effect in the patient population studied in regard to lung function or markers of inflammation. Both GR modulators were well tolerated and did suppress 24‐hr cortisol. This study suggests that the selected population of patients with COPD does not respond to treatment with AZD5423 as regards lung function, while showing the expected systemic effects. It cannot be ruled out that a favourable lung function response of AZD5423 can be evoked using another experimental setting and/or within a different population of patients with COPD.
Eigenvalue Problems for the P-laplacian

We study nonlinear eigenvalue problems for the p-Laplace operator subject to diierent kinds of boundary conditions on a bounded domain. Using the Ljusternik-Schnirelman principle, we show the existence of a nondecreasing sequence of nonnegative eigenvalues. We prove the simplicity and isolation of the principal eigenvalue and give a characterization for the second eigenvalue.
An arm exoskeleton system for teleoperation and virtual environments applications

The control of exploratory and manipulative procedures in teleoperation and virtual environments requires the availability of adequate advanced interfaces capable not only of recording the movements of the human hands and arms, but also of replicating sensations of contact and collisions. In this paper the problem of replicating external forces acting against the remote/virtual arm is addressed. The design of an arm exoskeleton system developed in the authors' laboratory is presented. The exoskeleton consists of a 7 DOF actuated and sensorized mechanical structure wrapping up completely the human arm and directly supported by the shoulders and the trunk of the human operator. Emphasis is given to the implemented control procedures and to the description of the transputer-based control architecture. <<ETX>>
Brain network extraction from probabilistic ICA using functional Magnetic Resonance Images and advanced template matching techniques

The human brain is a complicated network made-up of a large number of regions, which are structurally and/or functionally connected. Recently, neuroimaging studies using functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging have revealed that certain neural structures are highly active during periods of rest. Amongst several methods that have been developed to analyze resting-state fMRI data, Probabilistic Independent Component Analysis (PICA) is currently the most popular technique. The major challenge of using PICA is that resting-state networks are split into several components and visually extracting them can be difficult. In this paper, we propose a fast and precise algorithm based on advanced template matching in spatial domain such as Normalized Cross Correlation adapted to functional images in order to automatically extract the Default Mode Network (DMN) which is the task independent resting state network in the brain using PICA. We create a DMN template covering all reported regions in literature using two standard atlases. Ultimately, we reconstruct an image of the extracted DMN from PICA using an optimized decision making. Our approach was effective given that our algorithm results correlated highly with the DMN template.
Heat-stress survival in the pre-adult stage of the life cycle in an intercontinental set of recombinant inbred lines of Drosophila melanogaster

SUMMARY In insects, pre-adult stages of the life cycle are exposed to variation in temperature that may differ from that in adults. However, the genetic basis for adaptation to environmental temperature could be similar between the pre-adult and the adult stages of the life cycle. Here, we tested quantitative trait loci (QTL) for heat-stress survival in larvae of Drosophila melanogaster, with and without a mild-heat-stress pre-treatment. Two sets of recombinant inbred lines derived from lines artificially selected for high and low levels of knockdown resistance to high temperature in young flies were used as the mapping population. There was no apparent increase in heat-shock survival between heat-pretreated and non-pretreated larvae. There was a positive correlation between the two experimental conditions of heat-shock survival (with and without a heat pre-treatment) except for males from one set of lines. Several QTL were identified involving all three major chromosomes. Most QTL for larval thermotolerance overlapped with thermotolerance QTL identified in previous studies for adults, indicating that heat-stress resistance is not genetically independent between life cycle stages because of either linkage or pleiotropy. The sign of the effects of some QTL alleles differed both between the sexes and between life stages.
Silicone colonization by non-Candida albicans Candida species in the presence of urine.

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are the most common nosocomial infections and 80 % are related to the use of urinary catheters. Furthermore, Candida species are responsible for around 15 % of UTIs and an increasing involvement of non-Candida albicans Candida (NCAC) species (e.g. Candida glabrata, Candida tropicalis and Candida parapsilosis) has been recognized. Given the fact that silicone is frequently used in the manufacture of urinary catheters, the aim of this work was to compare both the adhesion and biofilm formation on silicone of different urinary clinical isolates of NCAC species (i.e. C. glabrata, C. tropicalis and C. parapsilosis) in the presence of urine. Several clinical isolates of NCAC species recovered from patients with UTIs, together with reference strains of each species, were examined. Adhesion and biofilm formation were performed in artificial urine and the biofilm biomass was assessed by crystal violet staining. Hydrophobicity and surface charge of cells was determined by measuring contact angles and zeta potential, respectively. The number of viable cells in biofilms was determined by enumeration of c.f. u. after appropriate culture. The biofilm structure was also examined by confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). The results showed that all isolates adhered to silicone in a species- and strain-dependent manner with C. parapsilosis showing the lowest and C. glabrata the highest levels of adhesion. However, these differences in adhesion abilities cannot be correlated with surface properties since all strains examined were hydrophilic and exhibited a similar zeta potential. Despite a higher number of cultivable cells being recovered after 72 h of incubation, stronger biofilm formation was not observed and CLSM showed an absence of extracellular polymeric material for all isolates examined. In summary, this work demonstrated that all tested NCAC species were able to adhere to and survive on silicone in the presence of urine. Furthermore, C. glabrata strains presented higher colonization abilities than C. tropicalis and C. parapsilosis strains, a fact that might explain the larger role of C. glabrata colonization and disseminated infections in hospitalized and catheterized patients.
EEG entropy estimation using a Markov model of the EEG for sleep stage separation in human neonates

Entropy calculated on EEG has been shown to be a useful indicator of effects from insufficient oxygen supply. In this paper, the estimation of entropy is based on transition matrices instead of probability density functions. It is shown that the separation of sleep stages thereby can be improved. This suggests that by including time information given by the transition matrix in entropy estimates of the EEG, classification can be improved.
A biologically inspired recurrent neural network for sound source recognition incorporating auditory attention

In this paper, a human-mimicking model for sound source recognition is presented. It consists of an artificial neural network with three neuron layers (input, middle and output) that are connected by feedback connections between the output and middle layer, on top of feedforward connections from the input to middle and middle to output layers. Learning is accomplished by the model following the Hebb principle, dictating that “cells that fire together, wire together”, with some important alterations, compared to standard Hebbian learning, in order to prevent the model from forgetting previously learned patterns, when learning new ones. In addition, short-term memory is introduced into the model in order to facilitate and guide learning of neuronal synapses (long-term memory). As auditory attention is an essential part of human auditory scene analysis (ASA), it is also indispensable in any computational model mimicking it, and it is shown that different auditory attention mechanism naturally emerge from the neuronal behaviour as implemented in the model described in this paper. The learning behavior of the model is further investigated in the context of an urban sonic environment, and the importance of short-term memory in this process is demonstrated. Finally, the effectiveness of the model is evaluated by comparing model output on presented sound recordings to a human expert listeners evaluation of the same fragments.
Optimal scheduling of electrical vehicle charging under two types of steering signals

The increasing penetration of electrical vehicles and plug-in hybrid electrical vehicles is causing an increasing load upon our residential distribution network. However, the charging of these vehicles is often shiftable in time to off-peak hours due to long parking times at a fixed location during the night. This implies that these vehicles offer great potential for use in demand side management. For scalability reasons, demand side management methodologies often apply steering signals to control appliances. These steering signals are used locally to generate a schedule for these appliances. In this paper we consider the problem of generating an optimal schedule for electrical vehicles based upon two types of steering signals; time-varying prices and a target profile. The local objective, to be minimized at the appliance side, is a weighted sum of the consumption cost implied by the prices and the squared deviation from the target profile. We show that, using the structure of the problem, an efficient algorithm of time complexity O(n log n) can be derived to solve the minimization problem to optimality. We implemented the algorithm in Matlab and tested it against a traditional convex optimization solver to verify its validity and efficiency. The resulting algorithm outperformed the convex solver by roughly four orders of magnitude. Furthermore, the very low computational time of the algorithm implies that it is suitable for being implemented on a low-cost local controller within a household or EV charging station.