Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Elevated Levels of C-Reactive Protein and Interleukin-6 in Patients With Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome Are Decreased by Nasal Continuous Positive Airway Pressure

Background—C-reactive protein (CRP) and interleukin (IL)-6 are important risk factors for atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease. In the present study, we examined serum levels of CRP and IL-6, IL-6 production by monocytes, and the effect of nasal continuous positive airway pressure (nCPAP) in patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS). Methods and Results—After polysomnography, venous blood was collected at 5 am from 30 patients with OSAS and 14 obese control subjects. Serum levels of CRP and IL-6 and spontaneous production of IL-6 by monocytes were investigated. In addition, the effects of 1 month of nCPAP were studied in patients with moderate to severe OSAS. Levels of CRP and IL-6 were significantly higher in patients with OSAS than in obese control subjects (CRP P <0.001, IL-6 P <0.05). IL-6 production by monocytes was also higher in patients with OSAS than in obese control subjects (P <0.01). In patients with OSAS, the primary factors influencing levels of CRP were severity of OSAS and body mass index and those influencing levels of IL-6 were body mass index and nocturnal hypoxia. nCPAP significantly decreased levels of both CRP (P <0.0001) and IL-6 (P <0.001) and spontaneous IL-6 production by monocytes (P <0.01). Conclusions—Levels of CRP and IL-6 and spontaneous production of IL-6 by monocytes are elevated in patients with OSAS but are decreased by nCPAP. Therefore, OSAS is associated with increased risks for cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, and nCPAP may be useful for decreasing these risks.
EFNS guidelines on neuropathic pain assessment: revised 2009

Background and purpose: We have revised the previous EFNS guidelines on neuropathic pain (NP) assessment, which aimed to provide recommendations for the diagnostic process, screening tools and questionnaires, quantitative sensory testing (QST), microneurography, pain‐related reflexes and evoked potentials, functional neuroimaging and skin biopsy.
Description and Predictive Value of a Novel Method for Determining the Respiratory Compensation Point Using Standard Scores

Abstract Bellar, DM, Judge, LW, and Davis, GR. Description and predictive value of a novel method for determining the respiratory compensation point using standard scores. J Strength Cond Res 29(5): 1433–1438, 2015—The ability to use data from tests of maximum aerobic capacity to estimate the ventilatory threshold and point of respiratory compensation (RCP) is useful for coaches and practitioners in the development of training schemes. Current methods for determining the RCP generally involve identifying deflections in respiratory variables when examined alongside minute ventilation. This investigation describes a novel mathematical method for determining RCP using standard scores (Z-scores) for minute ventilation (VE) and oxygen consumption ( ). This method allows for the point where ventilation becomes disproportionate to oxygen consumption to be quantified as an intersection between 2 lines of best fit. This novel Z-score method was compared with a well-described determination of RCP and was found to be highly correlated (r = 0.926, p ⩽ 0.001). The Z-score method was also found to be related to 10-km road race performance using regression analysis (R 2 = 0.824, p ⩽ 0.001) in a group of 18 athletes and recreational runners. Based on the evidence from this study, the Z-score method of RCP determination is highly correlated to previous methods and endurance performance. This method potentially offers further benefits as it is not reliant on visual determination of changes in slope in variables of interest but rather on the mathematical solution to the intersection of 2 regression lines.
Softmax-Margin Training for Structured Log-Linear Models

We describe a method of incorporating task-specific cost functions into standard conditional log-likelihood (CLL) training of linear structured prediction models. Recently introduced in the speech recognition community, we describe the method generally for structured models, highlight connections to CLL and maxmargin learning for structured prediction (Taskar et al., 2003), and show that the method optimizes a bound on risk. The approach is simple, efficient, and easy to implement, requiring very little change to an existing CLL implementation. We present experimental results comparing with several commonly-used methods for training structured predictors for named-entity recognition.1
Reactivity of Synthetic SAG1 (p30) Peptide Sequences with RH, S273 and Beverley Strain-Induced Anti-Toxoplasma gondii Antibodies

Objectives: We compared the reactivity of IgG1 and IgG2a antibodies in mouse sera after infection with virulent RH and low-virulent S273 and Beverley strains of Toxoplasma gondii against RH SAG1 recombinant p30 (rp30) and synthetic SAG1 peptides. Methods: Infected mouse serum samples were collected 9 days after infection, and the level of total IgG, IgG1 and IgG2a against the RH SAG1 rp30 protein and twenty peptides of the RH SAG1 protein were assessed. The glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) modification site, the hydrophilic-hydrophobic structure, the transmembrane region and the secondary structure of the SAG1 sequence of virulent and low-virulent strains were analyzed using software. Results: The virulent strain-infected mice produced a higher level of IgG1 but a lower IgG2a against the rp30 antigen, while the low-virulent strain-infected mice produced a higher level of IgG2a than the virulent strain. The difference in the secondary structure of SAG1 protein between the virulent and low-virulent strain was largely confined to amino acid positions 291–336, showing mutations and GPI anchor site. Conclusion:The difference in the reactivity of IgG against the rp30 antigen and synthetic peptides between virulent and low-virulent strains points to the importance of the primary and secondary structure assumed by antigens in the activation of Th cells and, subsequently, in the induction of IgG and its subclasses.
High‐resolution oligonucleotide array‐CGH applied to the detection and characterization of large rearrangements in the hereditary breast cancer gene BRCA1

We have developed a new method for detecting and characterizing large rearrangements in the BRCA1 gene based on high‐resolution oligonucleotide array‐CGH technology. We designed a specific CGH array for the BRCA1 gene and its flanking regions. We then used this approach to analyze nine DNA samples known to contain large deletions and large duplications. When possible, the deleted or duplicated region was sequenced to identify the break point. All the large rearrangements were detected by the new method, and their size was estimated to be within 1–2 kb. This enabled us to develop a simple polymerase chain reaction screening test for other family members. A refined choice of oligonucleotides should improve the precision of the breakpoint determination. Finally, the high resolution of oligonucleotide array‐CGH should help to detect new large rearrangements missed by other current methods.
Long-Pulsed Nd:YAG Laser Treatment of Warts: Report on a Series of 369 Cases

Various treatment methods have been adopted in the management of warts; however, there is still no consensus on first-line treatment. This study was designed to evaluate the efficacy of long-pulsed Nd:YAG laser in the treatment of warts. Over the course of 1 yr, 369 patients with recalcitrant or untreated warts were exposed to a long-pulsed Nd:YAG laser. The following parameters were used: spot size, 5 mm; pulse duration, 20 msec; and fluence, 200 J/cm2. No concomitant topical treatment was used. In all, 21 patients were lost during follow up; hence, the data for 348 patients were evaluated. The clearance rate was 96% (336 of the 348 treated warts were eradicated). The clearance rate of verruca vulgaris after the first treatment was very high (72.6%), whereas the clearance rate of deep palmopantar warts after the first treatment was low (44.1%). During a median follow-up period of 2.24 months (range, 2-10 months), 11 relapses were seen (recurrence rate, 3.27%). In conclusion, long-pulsed Nd:YAG laser is safe and effective for the removal or reduction of warts and is less dependent on patient compliance than are other treatment options.
Mechanical and AFM investigations of elastomers filled with multiwall carbon nanotubes

Strong reinforcing effects are observed when multiwall carbon nanotubes are incorporated in a styrene–butadiene copolymer. The good level of dispersion of carbon nanotubes in the host matrix that allows to take advantage of their high aspect ratio as well as their orienting capability under uniaxial extension, appear to be the main parameters for mechanical reinforcement. Atomic force microscopy carried out in the unstretched and stretched states has been shown to bring important insights for the understanding of the mechanical properties of the composites.
Local Expression of Indoleamine 2,3 Dioxygenase in Syngeneic Fibroblasts Significantly Prolongs Survival of an Engineered Three-Dimensional Islet Allograft

OBJECTIVE The requirement of systemic immunosuppression after islet transplantation is of significant concern and a major drawback to clinical islet transplantation. Here, we introduce a novel composite three-dimensional islet graft equipped with a local immunosuppressive system that prevents islet allograft rejection without systemic antirejection agents. In this composite graft, expression of indoleamine 2,3 dioxygenase (IDO), a tryptophan-degrading enzyme, in syngeneic fibroblasts provides a low-tryptophan microenvironment within which T-cells cannot proliferate and infiltrate islets. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Composite three-dimensional islet grafts were engineered by embedding allogeneic mouse islets and adenoviral-transduced IDO–expressing syngeneic fibroblasts within collagen gel matrix. These grafts were then transplanted into renal subcapsular space of streptozotocin diabetic immunocompetent mice. The viability, function, and criteria for graft take were then determined in the graft recipient mice. RESULTS IDO-expressing grafts survived significantly longer than controls (41.2 ± 1.64 vs. 12.9 ± 0.73 days; P < 0.001) without administration of systemic immunesuppressive agents. Local expression of IDO suppressed effector T-cells at the graft site, induced a Th2 immune response shift, generated an anti-inflammatory cytokine profile, delayed alloantibody production, and increased number of regulatory T-cells in draining lymph nodes, which resulted in antigen-specific impairment of T-cell priming. CONCLUSIONS Local IDO expression prevents cellular and humoral alloimmune responses against islets and significantly prolongs islet allograft survival without systemic antirejection treatments. This promising finding proves the potent local immunosuppressive activity of IDO in islet allografts and sets the stage for development of a long-lasting nonrejectable islet allograft using stable IDO induction in bystander fibroblasts.
AN IMPLEMENTATION OF A GENERAL-PURPOSE PARALLEL SORTING ALGORITHM

A parallel sorting algorithm is presented for general purpose internal sorting on MIMD machines. The algorithm initially sorts the elements within each node using a serial sorting algorithm, then proceeds with a two-phase parallel merge. The algorithm is comparison-based and requires additional storage of order the square root of the number of elements in each node. Performance of the algorithm on the Fujitsu AP1000, Thinking Machines CM5, and nCUBE2 is discussed. The performance is good: eciencies of 0.8 to 0.9 are typical when sorting a large number of elements.
Multiple Facial Action Unit recognition by learning joint features and label relations

Although both feature dependencies and label dependencies are crucial for facial action unit (AU) recognition, little work addresses them simultaneously till now. To address this limitation, we propose a 4-layer Restrict Boltzmann Machine (RBM) to simultaneously capture feature level and AU level dependencies to recognize multiple AUs. Specifically, the bottom two layers of the RBM model capture dependencies among image features, while the top two layers capture the high order dependencies among AU labels. An efficient learning algorithm is introduced to jointly learn all layers to leverage the interactions among different layers. Experiments on two benchmark databases demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach in modelling complex AU relationships from both features and labels jointly, and its improved performance over the existing methods.
The Quality of Life in Women with Urinary Incontinence as Measured by the Sickness Impact Profile

The objectives of this paper were to assess the quality of life of community‐living women with urinary incontinence according to age, symptom group, amount of leakage, and duration, by use of the Sickness Impact Profile (SIP). Thirty‐six women aged between 40 and 60 years and 40 women aged 70 years or more were randomly selected from the clients attending an incontinence clinic and interviewed using the SIP questionnaire. Urge and stress incontinence subgroups were defined by means of a symptom questionnaire. Total, psychosocial, and physical dysfunctions were moderate (8%, 7%, and 8% respectively) in general, but major differences were found when age and symptom groups were analysed. Urge symptoms were associated with more impairment than symptoms of stress incontinence. The elderly women with symptoms of stress incontinence were relatively little affected, while their younger counterparts were severely affected, especially in the categories of emotional behavior and recreation and pastimes. We conclude that urinary incontinence in women adversely affects quality of life to a significant degree; the extent depends on the nature of incontinence and the age of the person.
A levels and intelligence as predictors of medical careers in UK doctors: 20 year prospective study

Abstract Objective To assess whether A level grades (achievement) and intelligence (ability) predict doctors' careers. Design Prospective cohort study with follow up after 20 years by postal questionnaire. Setting A UK medical school in London. Participants 511 doctors who had entered Westminster Medical School as clinical students between 1975 and 1982 were followed up in January 2002. Main outcome measures Time taken to reach different career grades in hospital or general practice, postgraduate qualifications obtained (membership/fellowships, diplomas, higher academic degrees), number of research publications, and measures of stress and burnout related to A level grades and intelligence (result of AH5 intelligence test) at entry to clinical school. General health questionnaire, Maslach burnout inventory, and questionnaire on satisfaction with career at follow up. Results 47 (9%) doctors were no longer on the Medical Register. They had lower A level grades than those who were still on the register (P < 0.001). A levels also predicted performance in undergraduate training, performance in postregistration house officer posts, and time to achieve membership qualifications (Cox regression, P < 0.001; b=0.376, SE=0.098, exp(b)=1.457). Intelligence did not independently predict dropping off the register, career outcome, or other measures. A levels did not predict diploma or higher academic qualifications, research publications, or stress or burnout. Diplomas, higher academic degrees, and research publications did, however, significantly correlate with personality measures. Conclusions Results of achievement tests, in this case A level grades, which are particularly used for selection of students in the United Kingdom, have long term predictive validity for undergraduate and postgraduate careers. In contrast, a test of ability or aptitude (AH5) was of little predictive validity for subsequent medical careers.
Density Functional Theory Study of Influence of Hydrogen Molecule Absorption on the Field Emission Properties of Carbon Nanotubes

Using first-principles density-functional theory investigate (5, 5) capped single-walled carbon nanotubes adsorbed at one end by hydrogen molecule with and without an applied electric field. It is found that the structure of carbon nanotubes with hydrogen molecules is stable under field-emission conditions. The induced dipole moments is the direction of the applied electric field，and the LUMO-HOMO energy gaps decrease. These results elucidate that the field-emission properties of carbon nanotubes can be enhanced by the adsorption of hydrogen molecules, and are consistent with the experimental results.
Rising Occupational and Industry Mobility in the United States: 1968-97

We analyze the dynamics of worker mobility in the United States over the 1968-1993 period at various levels of occupational and industry aggregation. We find a substantial overall increase in occupational and industry mobility over the period and document the levels and time trends in mobility for various age-education subgroups of the population. To control for measurement error in occupation and industry coding, we develop a method that utilizes the newly released, by the Panel Study of Income Dynamics, Retrospective Occupation-Industry Supplemental Data Files. We emphasize the importance of the findings for understanding a number of issues in macro and labor economics, including changes in wage inequality, productivity, life-cycle earnings profiles, job stability and job security.
Early Aggressive Use of Fresh Frozen Plasma Does Not Improve Outcome in Critically Injured Trauma Patients

Objectives:Recent data from Iraq supporting early aggressive use of fresh frozen plasma (FFP) in a 1:1 ratio to packed red blood cells (PRBCs) has led many civilian trauma centers to adopt this resource intensive strategy. Methods:Prospective data were collected on 806 consecutive trauma patients admitted to the intensive care unit over 2 years. Patients were stratified by PRBC:FFP transfusion ratio over the first 24 hours. Stepwise regression models were performed controlling for age, gender, mechanism of injury, injury severity, and acute physiology and chronic health evaluation (APACHE) 2 score to determine if early aggressive use of PRBC:FFP improved outcome. Results:Seventy-seven percent of patients were male (N = 617) and 85% sustained blunt injury (n = 680). Mean age, injury severity score (ISS), and APACHE score were 43 ± 20 years, 29 ± 13, and 13 ± 7, respectively. Mean number of PRBCs and FFP transfused were 7.7 ± 12 U, 6 U, and 5 ± 12 U, respectively. Three hundred sixty-five (45%) patients were transfused in the first 24 hours. Sixty-eight percent (n = 250) of them received both PRBCs and FFP. Analyzing these patients by stepwise regression controlling for all significant variables, the PRBC:FFP ratio did not predict intensive care unit days, hospital days, or mortality even in patients who received massive transfusion (≥10 U). Furthermore, there was no significant difference in outcome when comparing patients who had a 1:1 PRBC:FFP ratio with those who did not receive any FFP. Conclusion:Early and aggressive use of FFP does not improve outcome after civilian injury. This may reflect inherent differences compared with military injury; however, this practice should be reevaluated.
Linker scanning mutagenesis of the 5'-flanking region of the mouse beta-major-globin gene: sequence requirements for transcription in erythroid and nonerythroid cells

We analyzed the sequences required for transcription of the mouse beta-major-globin gene by introducing deletion and linker scanning mutations into the 5'-flanking region and then studying the effects of these mutations on beta-globin gene transcription in a HeLa cell transient expression assay or after stable introduction into mouse erythroleukemia cells. Consistent with earlier studies, we found that three distinct regions upstream from the RNA capping site are required for efficient beta-globin gene transcription in HeLa cells: the ATA box located 30 base pairs upstream from the mRNA capping site (-30), the CCAAT box located at -75, and the distal sequence element CCACACCC located at -90. In the ATA and CAAT box regions, the sequences necessary for efficient transcription extend beyond the limits of the canonical sequences. Mutations in the sequences located between the three transcriptional control elements do not significantly affect transcription in HeLa cells. Although the promoter defined in HeLa cell transfection experiments is also required for efficient transcription in mouse erythroleukemia cells, none of the mutations tested affects the regulation of beta-globin gene transcription during mouse erythroleukemia cell differentiation. Thus, DNA sequences downstream from the mRNA cap site appear to be sufficient for the regulation of beta-globin gene expression during the differentiation of mouse erythroleukemia cells in culture.
Molecular Cloning and Characterization of PI3K-p85α Gene from Inner Mongolia Cashmere Goat (Capra hircus)

PI3K, phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase, is a specific lipid kinase family. It is associated with cell proliferation and survival.Class-IA PI3K is heterodimers composed of catalytic subunit (p110) and regulatory subunit (p85). p85α is the most abundant regulatory subunit of PI3K family. PI3K-p85α partial cDNA was amplified by RT-PCR from Inner Mongolia Cashmere Goat (Capra hircus) and sequenced. The molecular characterization of the PI3K-p85α gene was described. The amplified fragment is 1152bp in length, corresponding to a polypeptide of 384 amino acids residues with 45.4 kDa predicted molecular mass. The cDNA nucleotide sequence has 98% identity with regulatory subunit alpha (PIK3R1) of bovine and 93% identity with human. The goat PI3K-p85α patial cDNA is cloned.
An Architecture based Approach for Reliability Estimation of a Source Code Navigation tool

Annotations play a significant role both in software development and software maintenance activities. The semantically rich annotations will be supporting the software developers to a very significant level. The current source code annotations which are provided by modern development environment such as Eclipse are having difficulty in managing the annotations. Thus, the motivation to improve usability, efficiency of development tools and to reduce development time and cost has been emerged. The main objective of this paper is to provide insights in defining semantically rich annotations to source code using Tags for Software Engineering Activities (TagSEA) tool and to improve navigation and management of annotations while estimating the reliability of the tool. Reliability is one of the illusive targets to achieve in the software development for the successful software projects. It is one of the most important parameter or attribute of software to be achieved for the software quality. There are different techniques and models used for estimating the reliability of the software. We are using an architecture-based approach for estimating the reliability.
Association d'un détecteur de visages et d'un détecteur d'entités nommées pour l'annotation automatique d'images

In this paper, we present a method for the annotation of faces in a large real corpus. We use a face detector and a named entities detector together: pictures containing faces can be annotated by the most frequent named entities found in the text surrounding the pictures. Although this method is quite simple, it yields good results. This is a first step towards more intelligent image annotation techniques, using high-level features of the documents. MOTS-CLES : Annotation d’images, detection de visages, entites nommees, fosse semantique