Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Factors Influencing Apnea and Bradycardia of Prematurity – Implications for Neurodevelopment

Background: Apnea and bradycardia of prematurity (ABP) are possible risks towards damage of the developing brain. Objectives: To characterize the influence of neonatal factors on ABP and to determine the relationship of ABP to neurodevelopmental outcome. Methods: ABP was described in very low birth weight infants (n = 83) using the frequency and severity of ABP episodes with a clinical score considering heart rate, oxygenation, duration and interventions performed during each episode. Neonatal factors were analyzed for their relationship to ABP using regression analysis. Neurodevelopment was investigated using the Mental Developmental Index (MDI) and Psychomotor Developmental Index (PDI) of the Bayley Scales of Infant Development II at a corrected age of 13 months. Power of ABP parameters to predict outcome was assessed by logistic regression analysis. Results: ABP typically started within the first week after birth. Spontaneous resolution occurred at a postmenstrual age (PMA) of 36.0 ± 2.2 (31.1–44.1) weeks. A delayed resolution (>36 weeks PMA) and a higher average daily ABP score during a defined developmental period (31–37 weeks PMA) were associated with a higher incidence of unfavorable outcome (MDI or PDI <69 or death). Conclusion: ABP is an age-specific phenomenon. However, more severe courses than expected for PMA or the resolution at a later PMA indicated an increased risk of neurodevelopmental disturbances at a corrected age of 13 months.
Effect of β-Blockers on the Risk of Atrial Fibrillation in Patients with Acute Myocardial Infarction

INTRODUCTION: Oral β-blockers improve the prognosis of patients with acute myocardial infarction, while atrial fibrillation worsens the prognosis of this population. The reduction of atrial fibrillation incidence in patients treated with β-blockers could at least in part explain the benefits of this drug. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of β-blockers on the incidence of atrial fibrillation in patients with acute myocardial infarction. METHODS: We analyzed 1401 patients with acute myocardial infarction and evaluated the occurrence or absence of atrial fibrillation, the use of oral β-blockers and mortality during the first 24 hours. RESULTS: a) The use of β-blockers was inversely correlated with the presence of atrial fibrillation (ρ = 0.004; OR = 0.54). b) Correlations with mortality were as follows: 31.5% in patients with atrial fibrillation, 9.2% in those without atrial fibrillation (ρ < 0.001; Odds Ratio = 4.52), and 17.5% in patients not treated with β-blockers and 6.7% in those who received the drug (ρ < 0.001; OR = 0.34). c) Adjusted Models: The presence of atrial fibrillation was independently correlated with mortality (OR = 2.48, ρ = 0.002). The use of β-blockers was inversely and independently correlated with mortality (OR = 0.53; ρ = 0.002). The patients who used β-blockers showed a lower risk of atrial fibrillation (OR = 0.59; ρ = 0.029) in the adjusted model. CONCLUSION: The presence of atrial fibrillation and the absence of oral β-blockers increased in-hospital mortality in patients with acute myocardial infarction. Oral β-blockers reduced the incidence of atrial fibrillation, which might be at least partially responsible for the drug’s benefit.
S-Methylmethionine Plays a Major Role in Phloem Sulfur Transport and Is Synthesized by a Novel Type of Methyltransferase

All flowering plants produce S-methylmethionine (SMM) from Met and have a separate mechanism to convert SMM back to Met. The functions of SMM and the reasons for its interconversion with Met are not known. In this study, by using the aphid stylet collection method together with mass spectral and radiolabeling analyses, we established that l-SMM is a major constituent of the phloem sap moving to wheat ears. The SMM level in the phloem (∼2% of free amino acids) was 1.5-fold that of glutathione, indicating that SMM could contribute approximately half the sulfur needed for grain protein synthesis. Similarly, l-SMM was a prominently labeled product in phloem exudates obtained by EDTA treatment of detached leaves from plants of the Poaceae, Fabaceae, Asteraceae, Brassicaceae, and Cucurbitaceae that were given l–35S-Met. cDNA clones for the enzyme that catalyzes SMM synthesis (S-adenosylMet:Met S-methyltransferase; EC 2.1.1.12) were isolated from Wollastonia biflora, maize, and Arabidopsis. The deduced amino acid sequences revealed the expected methyltransferase domain (∼300 residues at the N terminus), plus an 800-residue C-terminal region sharing significant similarity with aminotransferases and other pyridoxal 5′-phosphate–dependent enzymes. These results indicate that SMM has a previously unrecognized but often major role in sulfur transport in flowering plants and that evolution of SMM synthesis in this group involved a gene fusion event. The resulting bipartite enzyme is unlike any other known methyltransferase.
Job satisfaction among music therapists.

Job satisfaction surveys were mailed to 2,371 registered and certified members from the National Association for Music Therapy (NAMT) and the American Association for Music Therapy (AAMT). Materials included a 36-item questionnaire and a stamped, return addressed envelope. Of the questionnaires distributed, 1,344 (57%) were returned. Reliability analysis of the job satisfaction scale, performed as a measure of internal consistency on 885 cases, revealed an alpha coefficient of . 85. The measure of job satisfaction used in this study is therefore accepted as highly reliable. The present study suggests that music therapists indeed report a pleasurable emotional state as they evaluate their jobs. The nature of music therapists' work and other conditions of their employment contribute to high job satisfaction.
Recommendations for Treatment of Child and Adolescent Overweight and Obesity

In this article, we review evidence about the treatment of obesity that may have applications in primary care, community, and tertiary care settings. We examine current information about eating behaviors, physical activity behaviors, and sedentary behaviors that may affect weight in children and adolescents. We also review studies of multidisciplinary behavior-based obesity treatment programs and information about more aggressive forms of treatment. The writing group has drawn from the available evidence to propose a comprehensive 4-step or staged-care approach for weight management that includes the following stages: (1) Prevention Plus; (2) structured weight management; (3) comprehensive multidisciplinary intervention; and (4) tertiary care intervention. We suggest that providers encourage healthy behaviors while using techniques to motivate patients and families, and interventions should be tailored to the individual child and family. Although more intense treatment stages will generally occur outside the typical office setting, offices can implement less intense intervention strategies. We not ony address specific patient behavior goals but also encourage practices to modify office systems to streamline office-based care and to prepare to coordinate with professionals and programs outside the office for more intensive interventions.
Biology-Inspired Optimizations of Peer-to-Peer Overlay Networks

ABSTRACT The aim of this article is to examine the relationship of large-scale Peer-to-Peer (P2P) overlay networks and certain biological systems. In particular, we focus on organization mechanisms that are crucial to adjust and optimize the behavior of large-scale P2P systems in the face of a dynamic environment. We propose to adopt concepts and mechanisms of biological systems in order to extend their capabilities to cope with environmental changes, e.g. a highly dynamic network topology. We introduce the notion of organic P2P overlay networks that adopt behavioral and structural characteristics of biological systems. We present a framework that poses as a basis for understanding, investigating, and implementing organic P2P overlay networks. Using a case study, we analyze an organic P2P overlay network, AntCAN, that utilizes ant colony optimization to improve the query processing in the face of varying query distribution patterns. Experiments confirm the functional efficiency of this self-organization mechanisms as well as the applicability of our proposed framework.
Open-Lexicon Language Modeling Combining Word and Character Levels

In this paper we investigate different n-gram language models that are defined over an open lexicon. We introduce a character-level language model and combine it with a standard word-level language model in a back off fashion. The character-level language model is redefined and renormalized to assign zero probability to words from a fixed vocabulary. Furthermore we present a way to interpolate language models created at the word and character levels. The computation of character-level probabilities incorporates the across-word context. We compare perplexities on all words from the test set and on in-lexicon and OOV words separately on corpora of English and Arabic text.
The impact of breastfeeding on nasopharyngeal microbial communities in infants.

RATIONALE Breastfeeding elicits significant protection against respiratory tract infections in infancy. Modulation of respiratory microbiota might be part of the natural mechanisms of protection against respiratory diseases induced by breastfeeding. OBJECTIVES To study the association between breastfeeding and nasopharyngeal microbial communities, including all cultivable and noncultivable bacteria. METHODS In this observational study, we analyzed the microbiota of infants that had received exclusive breastfeeding (n = 101) and exclusive formula feeding (n = 101) at age 6 weeks and 6 months by 16S-based GS-FLX-titanium-pyrosequencing. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS At 6 weeks of age the overall bacterial community composition was significantly different between breastfed and formula-fed children (nonmetric multidimensional scaling, P = 0.001). Breastfed children showed increased presence and abundance of the lactic acid bacterium Dolosigranulum (relative effect size [RES], 2.61; P = 0.005) and Corynebacterium (RES, 1.98; P = 0.039) and decreased abundance of Staphylococcus (RES, 0.48; P 0.03) and anaerobic bacteria, such as Prevotella (RES, 0.25; P < 0.001) and Veillonella (RES, 0.33; P < 0.001). Predominance (>50% of the microbial profile) of Corynebacterium and Dolosigranulum was observed in 45 (44.6%) breastfed infants compared with 19 (18.8%) formula-fed infants (relative risk, 2.37; P = 0.006). Dolosigranulum abundance was inversely associated with consecutive symptoms of wheezing and number of mild respiratory tract infections experienced. At 6 months of age associations between breastfeeding and nasopharyngeal microbiota composition had disappeared. CONCLUSIONS Our data suggest a strong association between breastfeeding and microbial community composition in the upper respiratory tract of 6-week-old infants. Observed differences in microbial community profile may contribute to the protective effect of breastfeeding on respiratory infections and wheezing in early infancy. Clinical trial registered with www.clinicaltrials. gov (NCT 00189020).
Effect of Ultrathin Inserted Ag Layer on Perpendicular Magnetic Anisotropy of CoFeB Thin Film

We provide a new method to improve the perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) of CoFeB thin film by ultrathin Ag-layer insertion. Experimentally, 1 nm Ag insertion can greatly improve the ratio of Hc (out-of-plane)/Hc (in-plane) compared with the single-layer CoFeB film, indicating that stronger PMA can be achieved by 1 nm Ag insertion. Nevertheless, the strength of PMA critically depends upon the thickness of Ag insertion layer. On the contrary, 0.5 nm Ag-inserted CoFeB film cannot obtain PMA because of the failure in forming Ag/CoFeB interface and the Ag atoms' diffusion into CoFeB layer. Theoretically, based on the first-principles, total energy calculations show that the magnetic anisotropy energy (MAE) of the 1 nm Ag-inserted CoFeB film is positive and its value is much larger than that of single-layer CoFeB film. It proves that the 1 nm Ag insertion into CoFeB film can improve the PMA because of the interfacial effect. Nevertheless, in the 0.5 nm Ag-inserted model, the MAE is much smaller than that with 1 nm Ag insertion. Our results reveal that 1 nm Ag layer insertion in CoFeB film might pave a way toward enhancing PMA in high-density magnetic memory application.
New Patterns in the Otopathogens Causing Acute Otitis Media Six to Eight Years After Introduction of Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine

Objective: To describe NP and AOM otopathogens during the time frame 2007 to 2009, 6 to 8 years after the introduction of 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate (PCV7) in the United States and to compare nasopharyngeal (NP) colonization and acute otitis media (AOM) microbiology in children 6 to 36 months of age having first and second AOM episodes with children who are otitis prone. Methods: Prospectively, the microbiology of NP colonization and AOM episodes was determined in 120 children with absent or infrequent AOM episodes. NP samples were collected at 7 routine visits between 6 and 30 months of age and at the time of AOM. For first and subsequent AOM episodes, middle ear fluid (MEF) was obtained by tympanocentesis. Eighty otitis prone children were comparatively studied. All 200 children received age-appropriate doses of PCV7. Results: We found PCV7 serotypes were virtually absent: (0.9% isolated from both NP and MEF) in both study groups. However, non-PCV7 serotypes replaced PCV serotypes such that the frequency of isolation of S. pneumoniae (Spn) was nearly equal to that of non-typeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi). M. catarrhalis (Mcat) was less common and Staphylococcus aureus infrequent in the NP and MEF from the 2 groups. The proportion of Spn, NTHi and Mcat causing AOM was similar in children with first and second AOM episodes compared to otitis prone children. However, oxacillin-resistant Spn isolated from the NP and MEF was 19% for the absent/infrequent and 58% for the otitis prone groups, P < 0.0001. Beta-lactamase producing NTHi occurred more frequently in the otitis prone group, P = 0.04. Conclusions: Six to 8 years after widespread use of PCV7, Spn strains expressing vaccine-type serotypes have virtually disappeared from the NP and MEF of vaccinated children. NP colonization and AOM has changed to non-PCV7 strains of Spn. NTHi continues to be a major AOM pathogen. The otopathogens in first and second AOM and in otitis prone children are very similar although Spn and NTHi are more often antibiotic resistant in the otitis prone.
Informational cost in correlation-based neuronal networks

The cost of maintaining a given level of activity in a neuronal network depends on its size and degree of connectivity. Should a neural function require large-size fully-connected networks, the cost can easily exceed metabolic resources, especially for high level neural functions. We show that, even in this case, the cost can still match the energetic resources provided the function is broken down into a set of subfunctions, each assigned to a higly-connected, smallsize module, all together forming a correlation-based type network. Cell assemblies are the best examples of such type of networks.
Highly-Efficient and Compact 6 kW/4 × 125 kHz Interleaved DC-DC Boost Converter with SiC Devices and Low-Capacitive Inductors

This paper describes a four-leg interleaved DC-DC boost converter built on the basis of Silicon Carbide (SiC) devices (Metal-Oxide Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistors—MOSFETs and Schottky diodes) and improved, low-capacitive magnetic components. A combination of wide-bandgap semiconductors capable of operating at elevated switching frequencies and an interleaving technique brings substantial benefits, such as a cancellation of the input/output current ripples, a reduction of weight, dimensions and increase of power density. The 4 × 125 kHz DC-DC boost converter characterized by a volume of 0.75 dm 3 reaches an efficiency above 98.7% at nominal power of 6 kW. A special effort has been made to develop and test inductors with low parasitic capacitance. It is clearly proven that an improved design has an impact on the converter performance, especially on power losses. Reduction of the power losses is higher than 25% in reference to a standard design of the inductors and the efficiency is in excess of 99%.
Gesture Interaction and Evaluation Using the Leap Motion for Medical Visualization

In this paper, we present and evaluate an interactive gesture controlled application using the Leap Motion for medical visualization, focusing on user satisfaction as an important component in the composition of the application success factors. Usability testings were conducted to verify important application requirements, among which, the asepsis in the working environment, accuracy of the interaction gestures, interaction time, level of interactivity, naturalness, effectiveness, ease of use and of learning, visual quality of the interface, utility, satisfaction and the non-occurrence of fatigue (physical and mental). The results show the effectiveness of the application in the recognition process of the modeled gestures and a very high level of overall satisfaction of the participants, indicating its strong potential as a touchless support tool in medical tasks guided by radiological images conducted in operating rooms.
Regulation of microtubule protein levels during cellular morphogenesis in nerve growth factor-treated PC12 cells

Nerve growth factor induces neurite process formation in pheochromacytoma (PC12) cells and causes the parallel increase in levels of the microtubule-associated proteins, tau and MAP1, as well as increases in tubulin levels. Mechanisms to insure balanced accumulation of microtubule proteins and make their levels highly responsive to nerve growth factor were investigated. The effects on tau, MAP1, and tubulin are due to changes in protein synthesis rates, which for tau and tubulin we could show are due in part to changes in the mRNA levels. Whereas tubulin shows feedback regulation to modulate synthesis up or down, tau protein synthesis is not affected in a straightforward way by microtubule polymerization and depolymerization. The degradation of tau, MAP1, and both tubulin polypeptides, however, are stimulated by microtubule depolymerization caused by colchicine, or nerve growth factor removal. Combined feedback on synthesis and stability make tubulin levels highly responsive to assembly states. In addition, the linkage of tau and MAP1 turnover with the state of microtubule polymerization amplifies any change in their rate of synthesis, since tau and MAP1 promote microtubule polymerization. This linkage lends itself to rapid changes in the state of the system in response to nerve growth factor.
Mechanisms of copy number variation and hybrid gene formation in the KIR immune gene complex

The fine-scale structure of the majority of copy number variation (CNV) regions remains unknown. The killer immunoglobulin receptor (KIR) gene complex exhibits significant CNV. The evolutionary plasticity of the KIRs and their broad biomedical relevance makes it important to understand how these immune receptors evolve. In this paper, we describe haplotype re-arrangement creating novel loci at the KIR complex. We completely sequenced, after fosmid cloning, two rare contracted haplotypes. Evidence of frequent hybrid KIR genes in samples from many populations suggested that re-arrangements may be frequent and selectively advantageous. We propose mechanisms for formation of novel hybrid KIR genes, facilitated by protrusive non-B DNA structures at transposon recombination sites. The heightened propensity to generate novel hybrid KIR receptors may provide a proactive evolutionary measure, to militate against pathogen evasion or subversion. We propose that CNV in KIR is an evolutionary strategy, which KIR typing for disease association must take into account.
Nanotube‐Based Ultrafast Electrochromic Display

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An Algorithm for Komlós Conjecture Matching Banaszczyk's Bound

We consider the problem of finding a low discrepancy coloring for sparse set systems where each element lies in at most t sets. We give an efficient algorithm that finds a coloring with discrepancy O((t log n)1/2), matching the best known non-constructive bound for the problem due to Banaszczyk. The previous algorithms only achieved an O(t1/2 log n) bound. Our result also extends to the more general Komlós setting and gives an algorithmic O(log1/2 n) bound.
Hundred years of allergen immunotherapy

Allergic rhinitis was almost unknown until the early 19th century, but within 100 years it was described as a modern epidemic. Pollen was identified as the likely cause of hayfever and although the nature and mechanisms of the sensitivity remained obscure, it was speculated that hayfever might be caused by a toxin in pollen. Vaccination schedules were developed to treat this, but later it became clear that an antibody was responsible. The first clinical trials of specific immunotherapy (SIT) were published in 1911 and 1914 and were followed by several similar papers from the United States. The use of skin prick tests and new allergen extraction techniques accelerated the development of SIT, which became a widespread practice, especially in the United States. Formal controlled clinical trials were reported in 1953 (United Kingdom) and in 1965 (United States). Since then, many controlled clinical trials have confirmed the efficacy of SIT, and although some concerns have arisen around safety, SIT remains a valid option for treating allergic disease. Recent developments include the introduction of sublingual immunotherapy, and clinical trials of recombinant and peptide vaccines. Future developments should increase efficacy and safety, but the biggest challenge to the wider use of SIT is probably economic, as patients and healthcare providers become increasingly critical of all forms of allergy treatments.
Comparison between Regional and Local Pulse‐Wave Velocity Data

Gold standard for pulse‐wave velocity (PWV) measurement is determination of the carotid‐femoral cfPWV, reflecting regional aortic PWV. Nevertheless, in several echocardiographic laboratories, PWV is measured locally, most commonly at the common carotid artery (CCA). The aim of this study was to compare regional and local PWV values in healthy volunteers.