Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Artefacts Supporting Distributed Design Collaboration

This study addresses the mechanisms by which collaboration environments affect design teams’ collaboration via shared artefacts. We collected data by observing design teams consisting of experts and decision makers. The teams utilized (1) a state-of-the-art web conferencing collaboration environment and (2) a three-dimensional virtual world in their collaboration. Our analysis reveals the virtual worlds’ potential to foster the use of pictorial documents as design teams’ shared artefacts. In addition, our study embraces the web conferencing tool’s potential to nourish interaction on the basis of written artefacts. The findings contribute towards distributed design research, describing the role of design artefacts, and describing ways, how different collaboration environments can support distributed design teamwork.
High-Pressure Deuterium Annealing Effect on Nanoscale Strained CMOS Devices

High-pressure deuterium annealing was applied to nanoscale strained CMOS devices, and its effect was characterized in terms of charge pumping method, hot-carrier-induced stress, negative bias temperature instability stress, and 1/f noise for the first time. For the NMOS, the characteristics of both control and tensile-stressed NMOS devices were improved by annealing; in particular, tensile-stressed NMOS devices had more improved characteristics than the characteristics of control devices. However, for the PMOS, compressive-stressed PMOS devices particularly had more degraded characteristics compared with the characteristics of control PMOS devices.
Self-expanding metal stents (SEMS) provide superior outcomes compared to plastic stents for pancreatic cancer patients undergoing neoadjuvant therapy.

BACKGROUND Neoadjuvant therapy is increasingly utilized for pancreatic cancer patients to decrease tumor burden in anticipation of later surgical resection. However, infectious complications such as life threatening cholangitis may occur for those with biliary obstruction. We hypothesized that placement of metal rather than plastic stents in such patients results in lower rates of stent-related complications, leading to improved clinical outcomes. METHODS Retrospective cohort of pancreatic cancer patients treated by the University of Michigan Multidisciplinary Pancreatic Cancer Destination Program between January 2005 and June 2010. Only patients undergoing neoadjuvant therapy with one or more biliary stents placed for malignant obstruction were studied. Time to stent complication was compared between metal and plastic stents. The complication rate was estimated as the ratio of complications to total stent exposure time and 95% confidence intervals were calculated. RESULTS 52 patients met inclusion criteria. A total of 113 stents were placed in 52 patients (70 plastic, 43 metal). The complication rate was almost 7 times higher with plastic stents, 0.20 (95% CI, 0.14-0.30), than with metal stents, 0.03 (95% CI, 0.01-0.06). Moreover, the rate of hospitalization for stent-related complications was 3-fold higher in the plastic stent group than the metal stent group. The first quartile estimate of time to stent complication was almost 5 times longer for metal than for plastic stents (44 vs. 200 days) (P<0.0001). CONCLUSION Compelling evidence indicates that self-expanding metal, not plastic stents should be used for malignant biliary obstruction in patients undergoing neoadjuvant therapy for pancreatic cancer.
Effect of Verbal Instruction on Muscle Activity During the Bench Press Exercise

Abstract Snyder, BJ and Fry, WR. Effect of verbal instruction on muscle activity during the bench press exercise. J Strength Cond Res 26(9): 2394–2400, 2012—Recent research suggests that humans have some ability to selectively activate or relax some muscles during isometric or dynamic muscle actions without changing posture or position. This study sought to reveal whether trained athletes could isolate either the pectoral or triceps muscles, respectively, at different intensities when given verbal technique instruction. Eleven male Division III football players performed 3 sets of bench press at 50% 1-repetition max (1RM) and 80% 1RM while electromyographic (EMG) activity was recorded from the pectoralis major (PM), anterior deltoid (AD), and triceps brachii (TB). In the first set, the subjects performed the exercise without instruction. In the second set, the subjects were given verbal instructions to use only chest muscles. In the third set, the subjects were instructed to use only triceps muscles. Mean normalized root mean square EMG activity was calculated during 3 repetitions in each condition. Repeated-measures analysis of variance was used to detect differences from the preinstruction condition, with significance set to p ⩽ 0.017 as indicated by a Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons. During the 50% max lift with verbal instructions to focus on chest muscles, PM EMG activity increased by 22% over preinstruction activity (p = 0.005), whereas AD and TB activities were statistically unchanged. When the subjects were instructed to focus on only the triceps muscles, PM returned to baseline activity, whereas TB activity was increased by 26% (p = 0.005). When the lift was increased to 80% max, PM and AD activities were both increased with verbal instructions to use only chest muscles. The TB activity was unchanged during the 80% lifts, regardless of instructions. In conclusion, it is found that verbal technique instruction is effective in shifting muscle activity during a basic lift, but it may be less effective at higher intensities.
Singing-Related Neural Activity in a Dorsal Forebrain–Basal Ganglia Circuit of Adult Zebra Finches

The anterior forebrain pathway (AFP) of songbirds, a specialized dorsal forebrain–basal ganglia circuit, is crucial for song learning but has a less clear function in adults. We report here that neurons in two nuclei of the AFP, the lateral magnocellular nucleus of the anterior neostriatum (LMAN) and Area X, show marked changes in neurophysiological activity before and during singing in adult zebra finches. The presence of modulation before song output suggests that singing-related AFP activity originates, at least in part, in motor control nuclei. Some neurons in LMAN of awake birds also responded selectively to playback of the bird's own song, but neural activity during singing did not completely depend on auditory feedback in the short term, because neither the level nor the pattern of this activity was strongly affected by deafening. The singing-related activity of neurons in AFP nuclei of songbirds is consistent with a role of the AFP in adult singing or song maintenance, possibly related to the function of this circuit during initial song learning.
Glutathione S-transferase polymorphisms and outcome of chemotherapy in childhood acute myeloid leukemia.

PURPOSE Glutathione S-transferase theta (GSTT1) and mu (GSTM1) genes are polymorphic, the genes being absent in approximately 15% and 50% of the population, respectively. Because glutathione S-transferases may be involved in the metabolism of chemotherapy drugs, we hypothesized that presence or absence of the genes may influence the outcome of treatment for childhood acute myeloid leukemia (AML). PATIENTS AND METHODS We genotyped GSTT1 and GSTM1 in 306 children with AML receiving chemotherapy on Children's Cancer Group therapeutic studies. Outcomes were compared in those with and without GSTT1 and GSTM1 genes. RESULTS Patients with the GSTT1-negative genotype had reduced survival compared with those with at least one GSTT1 allele (GSTT1 positive) (52% v 40% at 5 years; log-rank P =.05). A multivariate model of survival adjusted for age group, sex, WBC count, chloroma, CNS involvement, and French-American-British group confirmed the increased risk of death in the GSTT1-null cases (relative risk, AQ 1.6; P =.02). The frequency of death in remission was increased in GSTT1-negative cases compared with GSTT1-positive cases (24% v 12%, log-rank P =.05). The frequency of relapse from end of induction was similar in GSTT1-negative and GSTT1-positive cases (38% v 35%, log-rank P =.5). CONCLUSION Children who lacked GSTT1 had greater toxicity and reduced survival after chemotherapy for AML compared with children with at least one GSTT1 allele. If confirmed in further studies, GSTT1 genotype might be useful in selecting appropriate chemotherapy regimens for children with AML.
Psoriasis and HLA‐Cw6

The prevalence of histocompatibility antigen HLA‐Cw6 was 72.7% in twenty‐two patients with the guttate form and 45.9% in thirty‐seven patients with the vulgaris form of psoriasis; the difference between these figures and the prevalence (7.4%) in 462 healthy blood donors in Finland is highly significant. The previously observed excess of several HLA‐B locus genes might be secondary to their close linkage with the Cw6 gene. Hereditary factors appear more important in the guttate than in the vulgaris form of psoriasis.
Cancer and the Immortal Strand Hypothesis

THE main causes of mortality in the Western world are largely a matter of somatic genetics. As we age, our cells accumulate more and more mutations. Eventually one of them acquires a set of changes in phenotype that allows it to generate an expanding clone of descendants, causing an atheromatous plaque in an artery or an invasive cancer. These changes are the result of a cumulative process extending throughout our life, as is demonstrated in the relation between smoking and lung cancer and between pregnancy and breast cancer. Someone who started smoking at the age of 15 will, when 65, have a higher risk of lung cancer than someone who started at 20, showing that lungs can store for half a century the damage acquired in your teenage years (Doll and Peto 1981). Conversely, because pregnancy protects somewhat against the subsequent risk of breast cancer, a woman who first became pregnant when 13 will, when 70, have a lower risk of breast cancer than a woman whose first pregnancy was in her 20s, showing that the latter was accumulating risk as a teenager (MacMahon et al. 1973). Long-lived animals protect themselves from the physical and chemical dangers of their environment by continuous replacement of the cells on their external surfaces and it is in these sites of continuous cell division that most human cancers arise. An adult human contains ∼1012 rapidly multiplying cells. During a life span of ∼30,000 days, each of us makes and discards from skin, gut, and certain internal organs such as lymph glands and bone marrow about one-third of these cells each day (Potten and Morris 1988). If all these 1012 cells divide every third day, the cells remaining after 80 years would each have had ∼10,000 successive divisions in their ancestry. So by the age of 80, given a mutation rate of ∼10−6/gene/replication (Drake 1999), 1 in 100 of the copies of each gene would be mutant. In a collection of 1012 cells, 1010 would have a mutant copy of any particular gene, 108 would have mutations in any pair of genes, and a million would have mutations in any trio of genes. Nevertheless, despite there being many combinations of mutant genes that can trigger cancer (Hahn and Weinberg 2002), most people never develop cancer. So there must be some feature of multicellular systems that slows the rate of accumulation of replication errors.
Cigarette smoke-induced emphysema: A role for the B cell?

RATIONALE Little is known about what drives the inflammatory reaction in the development of chronic obstructive lung disease. B cells have been found. OBJECTIVE To study the involvement of B cells in the development of emphysema. METHODS The presence of B-cell follicles and their interaction with other cells were investigated in lungs of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and of smoking mice. B cells were isolated from lymphoid follicles by laser microdissection and analyzed for the presence of immunoglobulin rearrangements and somatic mutations. MAIN RESULTS Lymphoid follicles consisting of B cells and follicular dendritic cells with adjacent T cells were demonstrated both in the parenchyma and in bronchial walls of patients with emphysema. A clonal process was observed in all follicles and the presence of ongoing somatic mutations was observed in 75% of the follicles, indicating oligoclonal, antigen-specific proliferation. Similar lymphoid follicles were detected in mice that had developed pulmonary inflammation and progressive alveolar airspace enlargement after smoking. The increase in the number of B-cell follicles was progressive with time and correlated with the increase in mean linear intercept. Specific bacterial or viral nucleic acids could not be detected. CONCLUSIONS B-cell follicles with an oligoclonal, antigen-specific reaction were found in men and mice with emphysema. In mice, the development was progressive with time and correlated with the increase in airspace enlargement. We hypothesize that these B cells contribute to the inflammatory process and/or the development and perpetuation of emphysema by producing antibodies against either tobacco smoke residues or extracellular matrix components.
Reversal of Hypermethylation and Reactivation of p16INK4a, RARβ, and MGMT Genes by Genistein and Other Isoflavones from Soy

Purpose: We have previously shown the reactivation of some methylation-silenced genes in cancer cells by (−)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate, the major polyphenol from green tea. To determine whether other polyphenolic compounds have similar activities, we studied the effects of soy isoflavones on DNA methylation. Experimental Design: Enzyme assay was used to determine the inhibitory effect of genistein on DNA methyltransferase activity in nuclear extracts and purified recombinant enzyme. Methylation-specific PCR and quantitative real-time PCR were employed to examine the DNA methylation and gene expression status of retinoic acid receptor β (RARβ), p16INK4a, and O6-methylguanine methyltransferase (MGMT) in KYSE 510 esophageal squamous cell carcinoma cells treated with genistein alone or in combination with trichostatin, sulforaphane, or 2′-deoxy-5-aza-cytidine (5-aza-dCyd). Results: Genistein (2-20 μmol/L) reversed DNA hypermethylation and reactivated RARβ, p16INK4a, and MGMT in KYSE 510 cells. Genistein also inhibited cell growth at these concentrations. Reversal of DNA hypermethylation and reactivation of RARβ by genistein were also observed in KYSE 150 cells and prostate cancer LNCaP and PC3 cells. Genistein (20-50 μmol/L) dose-dependently inhibited DNA methyltransferase activity, showing substrate- and methyl donor–dependent inhibition. Biochanin A and daidzein were less effective in inhibiting DNA methyltransferase activity, in reactivating RARβ, and in inhibiting cancer cell growth. In combination with trichostatin, sulforaphane, or 5-aza-dCyd, genistein enhanced reactivation of these genes and inhibition of cell growth. Conclusions: These results indicate that genistein and related soy isoflavones reactivate methylation-silenced genes, partially through a direct inhibition of DNA methyltransferase, which may contribute to the chemopreventive activity of dietary isoflavones.
Effect of pravastatin and omega-3 fatty acids on plasma lipids and lipoproteins in patients with combined hyperlipidemia.

This study compared the effects of a 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase inhibitor, fish oil, and placebo on plasma lipids and lipoproteins in patients with mixed hyperlipidemia. After an initial run-in phase, 32 patients were randomized for 6 weeks to either (1) pravastatin 40 mg/d, n = 10; (2) fish oil (himega 6 g/d, equivalent to 3 g omega-3 fatty acids/d), n = 10; or (3) placebo. After single drug therapy, in the pravastatin group mean total plasma cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and apolipoprotein (apo) B fell significantly by 23% (P < .001), 30% (p < .001), and 26% (P < .01), respectively. LDL Stokes' diameter did not change. In the fish oil group mean plasma triglycerides (TG) fell 30% (P < .05), LDL Stokes' diameter increased from 25.0 to 25.9 nm (P < .05), and there was a nonsignificant increase in LDL-C. There were no changes in the placebo group. To assess the effect of the combination of pravastatin plus fish oil therapy, all patients, except one woman from the placebo group who developed nausea on fish oil, then took combined therapy of pravastatin 40 mg/d plus fish oil 6 g/d for an additional 12 weeks. In each case, there were no clinically significant episodes of muscle tenderness or elevation of creatine phosphokinase or alanine aminotransferase. After 12 weeks of combined therapy of pravastatin plus fish oil, there were significant reductions in the mean TC, TG, LDL-C, and apoB in the three groups compared with baseline levels. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Long-Term Results After Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion With Allograft and Plating: A 5- to 11-Year Radiologic and Clinical Follow-up Study

Study Design. A retrospective review. Objectives. To determine the clinical and radiologic outcomes beyond 5 years after anterior cervical discectomy and fusion with allograft and plating. Summary of Background Data. Anterior cervical discectomy and fusion is commonly performed for cervical disc disease. The routine use of allografts and plating, though increasing in popularity, has not been well studied for long-term results and complications. Methods. Seventy-one patients who had anterior cervical discectomy and fusion with allograft and plating an average of 7.2 years prior responded to an invitation to return for a follow-up clinical and radiographic review. Results. At final review, symptom resolution remained greater than 82% and fusion occurred in 92.6% of the disc spaces operated on. No graft extrusion or migration occurred. Based on our strict criteria, the rates of collapse and subsidence were high, at 47.9% (34 patients) overall. However, in only 6 patients (8.5%) did segmental kyphosis result, none of whom required any revision surgery in the follow-up period. Implant complications occurred in 7 patients (9.9%), none of whom required revision surgeries. Adjacent level degeneration occurred in 52 patients (73.2%). Further cervical spine surgeries were required in 14 patients (19.7%), 2 for inadequate decompression, and 12 for adjacent level disease. Segmental and global cervical lordosis was restored and maintained by the surgery over the study period. Conclusions. The use of allografts and plate fixation in combination for anterior cervical discectomy and fusion does not compromise the radiologic and clinical outcomes while providing the advantages of donor site morbidity elimination, restoration of cervical segmental lordosis, and not requiring postoperative immobilization.
Context-aware aided parking solutions based on VANET

Vehicular Ad-hoc Network (VANET) is a special application of the Mobile Ad-hoc Network (MANET) for managing road traffic and substantially contributes to the development of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS). VANET was introduced as a standard for data communication between moving vehicles with and without fixed infrastructure. It aims to support drivers by improving safety and driving comfort as a step towards constructing a safer, cleaner and a more intelligent environment. Nowadays, vehicles are manufactured equipped with a number of sensors and devices called On Board Units (OBU) assisting the vehicle to sense the surrounding environment and then process the context information to effectively manage communication with the surrounding vehicles and the associated infrastructure. A number of challenges have emerged in VANET that have encouraged researchers to investigate this concept further. Many of the recent studies have applied different technologies for intelligent parking management. However, despite all the technological advances, researchers are no closer to developing a system that enables drivers to easily locate and reserve a parking space. Limited resources such as energy, storage space, availability and reliability are factors which could have contributed to the lack success and progress in this area. The task then is to close these gaps and present a novel solution for parking.
Charge and wavelength scaling of RF photoinjector designs

The optimum design of an emittance compensated rf photoinjector is very complicated and time‐consuming, relying heavily on multi‐particle simulations without good analytical models as a guide. Emittance compensated designs which have been developed, however, can be used to generate other designs with no additional effort if the original design is scaled correctly. This paper examines the scaling of rf photoinjector design with respect to charge and wavelength, and presents emittance and brightness scaling laws for these variables. Parametric simulation studies are presented to illustrate these scaling laws. Deviations from scaling and practical considerations are also discussed.
A Modification of the Moving Least-Squares Approximation in the Element-Free Galerkin Method

The element-free Galerkin (EFG) method is one of the widely used meshfree methods for solving partial differential equations. In the EFG method, shape functions are derived from a moving least-squares (MLS) approximation, which involves the inversion of a small matrix for every point of interest. To avoid the calculation of matrix inversion in the formulation of the shape functions, an improved MLS approximation is presented, where an orthogonal function system with a weight function is used. However, it can also lead to ill-conditioned or even singular system of equations. In this paper, aspects of the IMLS approximation are analyzed in detail. The reason why singularity problem occurs is studied. A novel technique based on matrix triangular process is proposed to solve this problem. It is shown that the EFG method with present technique is very effective in constructing shape functions. Numerical examples are illustrated to show the efficiency and accuracy of the proposed method. Although our study relies on monomial basis functions, it is more general than existing methods and can be extended to any basis functions.
Hearing loss and falls among older adults in the United States.

chusetts (Dr Manson). Correspondence: Dr Manson, Division of Preventive Medicine, Department of Epidemiology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, 900 Commonwealth Ave, Third Floor, Boston, MA 02215 (jmanson@rics.bwh.harvard.edu). Financial Disclosure: None reported. Funding/Support: Dr Manson and colleagues at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, are recipients of funding from the National Institutes of Health to conduct the VITamin D and OmegA-3 TriaL (VITAL), a large-scale randomized trial of vitamin D and omega-3s in the prevention of cancer and cardiovascular disease.
Multicenter Experience: Prevention and Management of Left Ventricular Assist Device Infections

Implantable left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) have demonstrated clinical success in both the bridge-to-transplantation and destination-therapy patient populations; however, infection remains one of the most common causes of mortality during mechanical circulatory support. Thus, serious LVAD infections may negate the benefits of LVAD implantation, resulting in decreased quality of life, increased morbidity and mortality, and increased costs associated with implantation. Prevention of device-related infection is crucial to the cost–effective use of mechanical circulatory support devices. Therefore, adherence to evidence-based infection control and prevention guidelines, meticulous surgical technique and optimal postoperative surgical site care form the foundation for LVAD associated infection prevention.