Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Resilience of the Dominant Human Fecal Microbiota upon Short-Course Antibiotic Challenge

ABSTRACT Recent studies have shown that the human fecal microbiota is composed of a consortium of species specific to the host and resistant to modifications over time. Antibiotics are known to affect the intestinal microflora, and ensuing changes may result in antibiotic-associated diarrhea. It is therefore important to characterize the nature and amplitude of these modifications and the ability of this ecosystem to return to its original profile—i.e., its resilience. Six healthy volunteers received oral amoxicillin (1.5 g/day) for 5 days. Fecal samples were collected at day 0 (D0) before antibiotic treatment and at set intervals until 60 days thereafter. Fecal DNA was isolated, and V6-to-V8 regions of the 16S rRNA genes were amplified by PCR with general primers and analyzed by temporal temperature gradient gel electrophoresis. Dominant species profiles were compared on the basis of similarity (Pearson correlation coefficient). Dominant species profiles at D0 were used as a reference. The fecal microbiota showed a major shift in dominant species upon antibiotic treatment, starting 24 h after treatment initiation and reaching an average similarity of only 74% after 4 days. Within 30 days following antibiotic treatment, the fecal microbiota tended to reach an average similarity of 88% to the D0 value; within 60 days, the average similarity to the D0 value was 89%. However, in one subject, important modifications persisted for at least 2 months, with similarity to the D0 value remaining below 70%. We demonstrated the resilience of the dominant human fecal microbiota upon short-course antibiotic challenge. Yet the persistence of long-term alterations in some subjects may explain susceptibilities to antibiotic-associated diarrhea. Furthermore, these findings suggest that strategies reinforcing the ability of the fecal microbiota to resist modifications would be of clinical relevance.
Change in Leukocyte Telomere Length Predicts Mortality in Patients with Stable Coronary Heart Disease from the Heart and Soul Study

Background Short telomere length independently predicts mortality in patients with coronary heart disease. Whether 5-year change in telomere length predicts subsequent mortality in patients with coronary heart disease has not been evaluated. Methods In a prospective cohort study of 608 individuals with stable coronary artery disease, we measured leukocyte telomere length at baseline and after five years of follow-up. We divided the sample into tertiles of telomere change: shortened, maintained or lengthened. We used Cox survival models to evaluate 5-year change in telomere length as a predictor of mortality. Results During an average of 4.2 years follow-up, there were 149 deaths. Change in telomere length was inversely predictive of all-cause mortality. Using the continuous variable of telomere length change, each standard deviation (325 base pair) greater increase in telomere length was associated with a 24% reduction in mortality (HR 0.76, 95% CI 0.61–0.94; p = 0.01), adjusted for age, sex, waist to hip ratio, exercise capacity, LV ejection fraction, serum creatinine, and year 5 telomere length. Mortality occurred in 39% (79/203) of patients who experienced telomere shortening, 22% (45/203) of patients whose telomere length was maintained, and 12% (25/202) of patients who experienced telomere lengthening (p<0.001). As compared with patients whose telomere length was maintained, those who experienced telomere lengthening were 56% less likely to die (HR 0.44, 95% CI, 0.23–0.87). Conclusions In patients with coronary heart disease, an increase in leukocyte telomere length over 5 years is associated with decreased mortality.
Long-Term Outcomes of Inoperable Patients With Aortic Stenosis Randomly Assigned to Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement or Standard Therapy

Background— The long-term outcomes of transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) in inoperable patients with severe aortic stenosis remain unknown. Methods and Results— In the Placement of Aortic Transcatheter Valves (PARTNER) study, 358 patients were randomly assigned to TAVR or standard therapy. We report the 3-year outcomes on these patients, and the pooled outcomes for all randomly assigned inoperable patients (n=449) in PARTNER, as well, including the randomized portion of the continued access study (n=91). The 3-year mortality rate in the TAVR and standard therapy groups was 54.1% and 80.9%, respectively (P<0.001; hazard ratio, 0.53; 95% confidence interval, 0.41–0.68; P<0.001). In survivors, there was significant improvement in New York Heart Association functional class sustained at 3 years. The cumulative incidence of strokes at 3-year follow-up was 15.7% in TAVR patients versus 5.5% in patients undergoing standard therapy (hazard ratio, 2.81; 95% confidence interval, 1.26–6.26; P=0.012); however, the composite of death or strokes was significantly lower after TAVR versus standard therapy (57.4% versus 80.9%, P<0.001; hazard ratio, 0.60; 95% confidence interval, 0.46–0.77; P<0.001). Echocardiography showed a sustained increase in aortic valve area and decrease in transvalvular gradient after TAVR. Analysis of the 449 pooled randomly assigned patients (TAVR, n=220; standard therapy, n=229) demonstrated significant improvement in all-cause mortality and functional status during early and 3-year follow-up. The results of the pooled cohort were similar to the results obtained from the pivotal PARTNER trial. Conclusions— TAVR resulted in better survival and functional status in inoperable patients with severe aortic stenosis with durable hemodynamic benefit on long-term follow-up. However, high residual mortality, even in successfully treated TAVR patients, highlights the need for more strategic patient selection. Clinical Trial Registration— URL: http://www.clinicaltrials. gov. Unique identifier: NCT00530894.
Long‐Term Results of Biopsy‐Guided Selection and Allocation of Kidneys From Older Donors in Older Recipients

In our old‐for‐old program, we discard or allocate older extended criteria donor kidneys to single (SKT) or dual kidney transplantation (DKT) depending on histological Remuzzi's score in recipients older than 60 years. Here, we analyze the long‐term results of this program and try to identify independent predictors of patient and graft survival. Between December 1996 and January 2008, we performed 115 SKT and 88 DKT. Discard rate was 15%. Acute rejection incidence was higher in SKT than in DKT (22.6% vs. 11.4%, p = 0.04). Renal function was better in DKT than in SKT up to 5 years after transplantation. Surgical complications were frequent in DKT. Ten‐year cumulative graft survival was significantly lower in the SKT group (31% vs. 53%, p = 0.03). In SKT, histological score 4 provided similar graft survival than 3 or less, whereas in DKT score 4, 5 or 6 displayed similar outcome. Finally, independent predictors of graft survival were history of major adverse cardiac event and 1‐year serum creatinine, rather than SKT or DKT. In conclusion, this biopsy‐guided old‐for‐old strategy resulted in acceptable long‐term graft survival. Our results suggest that DKT should be considered for scores of 5 or 6 only.
An 8-bit single-ended ultra-low-power SAR ADC with a novel DAC switching method

An 8-bit single-ended ultra-low-power successive approximation register (SAR) ADC with a novel DAC switching method is designed and fabricated in a 0.35-μm BCD (bipolar-CMOS-DMOS) technology. The switching method uses VR/2, rather than VR, as the only reference voltage to digitize the input signals with the amplitude range of (0, VR). The scheme is also compared with other switching methods in MATLAB. Compared with the conventional switching method, the proposed design reduces the average power consumption in the DAC during digitizing by 87.5%. Measurement results show that at the power supply of 1.4 V and the reference voltage of 1 V and with the sampling rate of 2 kS/s, the ADC can digitize the input signal with a full-scale range of 2 V, resulting in a signal-to-noise-and-distortion ratio (SNDR) of 48.2 dB at the frequencies larger than its Nyquist bandwidth (1 kHz). It consumes 101 nW and reaches a figure of merit of 227 fJ/(conversion-step). The ADC is targeted to be used as part of the ultra-lowpower analog front-end circuit of an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD).
The UPV-PRHLT combination system for WMT 2011

This paper presents the submissions of the pattern recognition and human language technology (PRHLT) group to the system combination task of the sixth workshop on statistical machine translation (WMT 2011). Each submissions is generated by a multi-system minimum Bayes risk (MBR) technique. Our technique uses the MBR decision rule and a linear combination of the component systems' probability distributions to search for the minimum risk translation among all the sentences in the target language.
Infant mortality statistics from the 2002 period: linked birth/infant death data set.

OBJECTIVES This report presents 2002 period infant mortality statistics from the linked birth/infant death data file by a variety of maternal and infant characteristics. The linked file differs from the mortality file, which is based entirely on death certificate data. METHODS Descriptive tabulations of data are presented and interpreted. RESULTS The U.S. infant mortality rate increased from 6.8 infant deaths per 1000 live births in 2001 to 7.0 in 2002. The rate for infants of non-Hispanic white mothers was 5.7 in 2001 compared with 5.8 in 2002. The rate for infants of non-Hispanic black mothers was 13.5 in 2001 compared with 13.9 in 2002. Neither of the changes for non-Hispanic white nor non-Hispanic black was significant. Between 2001 and 2002, overall cause-specific rates increased 5 percent for low birthweight and 14 percent for maternal complications. The rate rose significantly for infants of mothers who smoked, 10.5 to 11.1. It also increased significantly from 10.7 to 11.5 for infants of mothers aged 15-17 years. The rate dropped significantly for triplet births, 71.4 to 60.1. Infant mortality rates ranged from 3.0 per 1000 live births for Chinese mothers to 13.9 for non-Hispanic black mothers. Among Hispanics, rates ranged from 3.7 for Cuban mothers to 8.2 for Puerto Rican mothers. Infant mortality rates were higher for those infants whose mothers were born in the 50 States and the District of Columbia, were unmarried, or smoked during pregnancy. Infant mortality was also higher for male infants, multiple births, and infants born preterm or at low birthweight. The three leading causes of infant death-Congenital malformations, low birthweight, and Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)-taken together accounted for 45 percent of all infant deaths. For infants of non-Hispanic black mothers, the cause-specific infant mortality rate for low birthweight was nearly four times that for infants of non-Hispanic white mothers. For infants of non-Hispanic black and American Indian mothers, the SIDS rates were at least double the rate for non-Hispanic white mothers. A more intensive analysis of the rise in the infant mortality rate utilizing information on maternal and infant health risk factors available in the linked birth/infant death and fetal death data files is forthcoming.
Secure Degrees of Freedom of MIMO X-Channels With Output Feedback and Delayed CSIT

We investigate the problem of secure transmission over a two-user multi-input multi-output (MIMO) X-channel in which channel state information is provided with one-unit delay to both transmitters (CSIT), and each receiver feeds back its channel output to a different transmitter. We refer to this model as MIMO X-channel with asymmetric output feedback and delayed CSIT. The transmitters are equipped with M antennas each, and the receivers are equipped with N antennas each. For this model, accounting for both messages at each receiver, we characterize the optimal sum secure degrees of freedom (SDoF) region. We show that, in the presence of asymmetric output feedback and delayed CSIT, the sum SDoF region of the MIMO X-channel is the same as the SDoF region of a two-user MIMO BC with 2M antennas at the transmitter, N antennas at each receiver, and delayed CSIT. This result shows that, upon availability of asymmetric output feedback and delayed CSIT, there is no performance loss in terms of sum SDoF due to the distributed nature of the transmitters. Next, we show that this result also holds if only output feedback is conveyed to the transmitters, but in a symmetric manner, i.e., each receiver feeds back its output to both transmitters and no CSIT. We also study the case in which only asymmetric output feedback is provided to the transmitters, i.e., without CSIT, and derive a lower bound on the sum SDoF for this model. Furthermore, we specialize our results to the case in which there are no security constraints. In particular, similar to the setting with security constraints, we show that the optimal sum DoF region of the (M,M,N,N)-MIMO X-channel with asymmetric output feedback and delayed CSIT is the same as the DoF region of a two-user MIMO BC with 2M antennas at the transmitter, N antennas at each receiver, and delayed CSIT. We illustrate our results with some numerical examples.
Efficient computation of LALR(1) look-ahead sets

We define two relations that capture the essential structure of the problem of computing LALR(1) look-ahead sets, and present an efficient algorithm to compute the sets in time linear in the size of the relations. In particular, for a PASCAL grammar, our algorithm performs less than 20% of the set unions performed by a popular-compiler (YACC).
Biochemistry and genetics of ACC deaminase: a weapon to “stress ethylene” produced in plants

1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate deaminase (ACCD), a pyridoxal phosphate-dependent enzyme, is widespread in diverse bacterial and fungal species. Owing to ACCD activity, certain plant associated bacteria help plant to grow under biotic and abiotic stresses by decreasing the level of “stress ethylene” which is inhibitory to plant growth. ACCD breaks down ACC, an immediate precursor of ethylene, to ammonia and α-ketobutyrate, which can be further metabolized by bacteria for their growth. ACC deaminase is an inducible enzyme whose synthesis is induced in the presence of its substrate ACC. This enzyme encoded by gene AcdS is under tight regulation and regulated differentially under different environmental conditions. Regulatory elements of gene AcdS are comprised of the regulatory gene encoding LRP protein and other regulatory elements which are activated differentially under aerobic and anaerobic conditions. The role of some additional regulatory genes such as AcdB or LysR may also be required for expression of AcdS. Phylogenetic analysis of AcdS has revealed that distribution of this gene among different bacteria might have resulted from vertical gene transfer with occasional horizontal gene transfer (HGT). Application of bacterial AcdS gene has been extended by developing transgenic plants with ACCD gene which showed increased tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses in plants. Moreover, distribution of ACCD gene or its homolog's in a wide range of species belonging to all three domains indicate an alternative role of ACCD in the physiology of an organism. Therefore, this review is an attempt to explore current knowledge of bacterial ACC deaminase mediated physiological effects in plants, mode of enzyme action, genetics, distribution among different species, ecological role of ACCD and, future research avenues to develop transgenic plants expressing foreign AcdS gene to cope with biotic and abiotic stressors. Systemic identification of regulatory circuits would be highly valuable to express the gene under diverse environmental conditions.
Reconstruction of Composite Types for Decompilation

Decompilation is reconstruction of a program in a high-level language from a program in a low-level language. This paper presents a method for automatic reconstruction of composite types (structures, arrays and combinations of them)in a high-level program during decompilation. Assembly code is obtained by disassembling a binary code or traces collected by a simulator. The proposed method is based on expressing memory access operations as pairs base offset, then building equivalence classes for the bases used in the program and accumulating offsets for each equivalence class. For Strictly conforming C programs our approach is substantiated by the C language semantics as defined in the international standard. However, experimental results have revealed that it is applicable for real-world programs also. Experimental results are obtained for a number of open-source programs as well as for traces collected from them. The method is an essential part of the tool for program decompilation TyDec being developed by the authors. Decompiler TyDec can be used as a standalone tool or as a plug-in for Interactive Trace Explorer TrEx being developed in Institute for System Programming, Russian Academy of Sciences.
Weight-supported treadmill vs over-ground training for walking after acute incomplete SCI

Objective: To compare the efficacy of step training with body weight support on a treadmill (BWSTT) with over-ground practice to the efficacy of a defined over-ground mobility therapy (CONT) in patients with incomplete spinal cord injury (SCI) admitted for inpatient rehabilitation. Methods: A total of 146 subjects from six regional centers within 8 weeks of SCI were entered in a single-blinded, multicenter, randomized clinical trial (MRCT). Subjects were graded on the American Spinal Injury Association Impairment Scale (ASIA) as B, C, or D with levels from C5 to L3 and had a Functional Independence Measure for locomotion (FIM-L) score <4. They received 12 weeks of equal time of BWSTT or CONT. Primary outcomes were FIM-L for ASIA B and C subjects and walking speed for ASIA C and D subjects 6 months after SCI. Results: No significant differences were found at entry between treatment groups or at 6 months for FIM-L (n = 108) or walking speed and distance (n = 72). In the upper motor neuron (UMN) subjects, 35% of ASIA B, 92% of ASIA C, and all ASIA D subjects walked independently. Velocities for UMN ASIA C and D subjects were not significantly different for BWSTT (1.1 ± 0.6 m/s, n = 30) and CONT (1.1 ± 0.7, n = 25) groups. Conclusions: The physical therapy strategies of body weight support on a treadmill and defined overground mobility therapy did not produce different outcomes. This finding was partly due to the unexpectedly high percentage of American Spinal Injury Association C subjects who achieved functional walking speeds, irrespective of treatment. The results provide new insight into disability after incomplete spinal cord injury and affirm the importance of the multicenter, randomized clinical trial to test rehabilitation strategies.
Robust Neural Networks Compensating Motion Control of Reconfigurable Manipulator

There are many uncertainties in real dynamics system of reconfigurable manipulator that makes PID etc. traditional methods control imprecisely. Thus, in this paper, to enhance computed torque control (CTC) based method, robust neural networks (RNN) compensating control scheme is developed to compensate structured and unstructured uncertainties. The controller for a RRP reconfigurable manipulator is designed, uniformly ultimately bounded (UUB) stability is proved by Lyapunov theory and simulations show its effectiveness on satisfactory tracking performance
Iterative $QR$  Decomposition Architecture Using the Modified Gram–Schmidt Algorithm for MIMO Systems

Implementation of an iterative QR decomposition (QRD) (IQRD) architecture based on the modified Gram-Schmidt (MGS) algorithm is proposed in this paper. A QRD is extensively adopted by the detection of multiple-input-multiple-output systems. In order to achieve computational efficiency with robust numerical stability, a triangular systolic array (TSA) for QRD of large-size matrices is presented. In addition, the TSA architecture can be modified into an iterative architecture that is called IQRD for reducing hardware cost. The IQRD hardware is constructed by the diagonal and the triangular process with fewer gate counts and lower power consumption than TSAQRD. For a 4 &times; 4 matrix, the hardware area of the proposed IQRD can reduce about 41% of the gate counts in TSAQRD. For a generic square matrix of order m IQRD, the latency required is 2m - 1 time units, which is based on the MGS algorithm. Thus, the total clock latency is only 10 m - 5 cycles.
Mental Health in the Digital Age: Grave Dangers, Great Promise

Mental Health in the Digital Age: Grave Dangers, Great Promise Edited by Elias Aboujaoude and Vladan Starcevic Oxford University Press, 2015, £29.58, pb, 302 pp. ISBN: 9780199380183 Technology has always been a double-edged sword: there are associated risks and benefits. As a practising
Nonsyndromic Paucity of Interlobular Bile Ducts: Report of 10 Patients

Objectives Only a few reports of nonsyndromic paucity of interlobular bile ducts (NS-PILBD) have been published. The authors' aim was to outline the clinical and laboratory profile of patients with NS-PILBD diagnosed at a tertiary referral center. Methods The authors reviewed all the reports of pediatric liver biopsies performed between 1991 and 2000 at their institution. Upon diagnosis of NS-PILBD, patients' records were examined for clinical, laboratory, and histologic data, and liver biopsy specimens were re-evaluated. Results Three hundred biopsies were performed in children during the study period, of which 64 were in infants younger than 1 year. NS-PILBD was diagnosed in 10 of 64 (16%) biopsy specimens. Mean age at presentation was 10 days (range, 1 day–6 weeks), and mean follow-up was 4.5 years (range, 1–9 years). An underlying condition was identified in 70% of children with NS-PILBD: namely congenital cytomegalovirus (n = 2), progressive familial intrahepatic cholestasis (PFIC, n = 2), mitochondrial DNA depletion (n = 1), Niemann-Pick type C (n = 1), and arthrogryposis multiplex congenita, renal dysfunction, and cholestasis (ARC syndrome; n = 1). All children presented with jaundice. Four children had initially acholic stools. At their last follow-up visit, failure to thrive was present in five children, and cholestasis in six children. Mortality was noted only in children with metabolic diseases (n = 2). Conclusions In the study, NS-PILBD was common in young children undergoing liver biopsy. Although NS-PILBD is nonspecific, a wide survey for inborn errors of metabolism should be included in the diagnostic work-up of NS-PILBD. In the authors' center, the association of certain metabolic diseases with NS-PILBD carries a grave prognosis.
Borderline Personality Disorder

A complete Works Cited list begins on page 64. Mention of commercial products does not indicate endorsement. Faculty Mark Rose, BS, MA, is a licensed psychologist and researcher in the field of alcoholism and drug addiction based in Minnesota. He has written or contributed to the authorship of numerous papers on addiction and other medical disorders and has written books on prescription opioids and alcoholism published by the Hazelden Foundation. He also serves as an Expert Advisor and Expert Witness to various law firms on matters related to substance abuse, is on the Board of Directors of the Minneapolis-based International Institute of Anti-Aging Medicine, and is a member of several professional organizations.