Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
OTAL LEUKOCYTE COUNT AS A ISK FACTOR IN SUBJECTS FREE OF CHD

Inflammation is a key feature of atherosclerosis and its clinical manifestations. The leukocyte count is a marker of inflammation that is widely available in clinical practice. This paper reviews the available epidemiologic evidence for a relationship between the leukocyte count and coronary heart disease (CHD). Numerous epidemiologic and clinical studies have shown leukocytosis to be an independent predictor of future cardiovascular events, both in healthy individuals free of CHD at baseline and in patients with stable angina, unstable angina, or a history of myocardial infarction. This relationship has been observed in prospective and retrospective cohort studies, as well as in case-control studies. It is strong, consistent, temporal, dose-dependent, and biologically plausible. The relationship persists after adjustment for multiple CHD risk factors, including smoking. Elevated differential cell counts, including eosinophil, neutrophil, and monocyte counts, also predict the future incidence of CHD. Leukocytosis affects CHD through multiple pathologic mechanisms that mediate inflammation, cause proteolytic and oxidative damage to the endothelial cells, plug the microvasculature, induce hypercoagulability, and promote infarct expansion. In summary, leukocytosis has been consistently shown to be an independent risk factor and prognostic indicator of future cardiovascular outcomes, regardless of disease status. The leukocyte count is inexpensive, reliable, easy to interpret, and ordered routinely in inpatient and outpatient settings. However, its diagnostic and prognostic utility in CHD is widely unappreciated. Further studies are needed to assess the true impact of leukocytosis on CHD, compare it with other inflammatory markers such as C-reactive protein and lipoprotein phospholipase A2 levels, and promote its use in CHD prediction. (J Am Coll Cardiol 2004;44:1945–56) ublished by Elsevier Inc. doi:10.1016/j.jacc. 2004.07. 056
"two - 4 - six" - A Handheld Device for 3D-Presentations

We introduce a novel one-handed input device for 3D interaction. Its functionality is based on a classification and valuation of used degrees of freedom in common VR applications like Architecture Review, Virtual Museums or Games, where navigation is the predominant interaction mode. The two - 4 - six device allows efficient and comfortable control of six degrees of freedom with the fingertips. The device contains an additional gyroscopic rotation tracking sensor to indicate directions for movement or selection.
W‐band physical layer design issues in the context of the DAVID–DCE experiment

This paper aims at focusing on the aspects concerning the physical layer design for an innovative satellite communication experiment. Such an experiment, denoted by the acronym DAVID–DCE (Data and Video Interactive Distribution—Data Collection Experiment) is based on the exploitation of the W‐band (75–110 GHz) for high‐bit‐rate satellite transmission. The potential advantages of using of the W‐band are mainly related to the great bandwidth availability, and to the absence of interference. Moreover, an expected result of the experiment is a substantive improvement in the communication system's performances in the presence of meteorological phenomena (e.g. rain) as compared with the more conventional Ka‐band satellite transmission. On the other hand, problems to be faced concern the non‐ideal behaviours of hardware devices employed for high‐frequency digital transmission. In particular, carrier recovery and timing recovery are the most crucial signal‐processing tasks to be carefully considered in the design of the physical level of the system, because they considerably suffer from hardware impairments. The purpose of this work is to illustrate the proposed solutions in terms of the most critical modulation, demodulation and synchronization design issues, together with the effects of non‐ideal behaviours of hardware components on BER performances. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Intravenous immunoglobulin for in-vitro fertilization failure.

The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of intravenous (i.v.) immunoglobulin (Ig) for treatment of individuals experiencing failure after in-vitro fertilization (IVF) and embryo transfer. A total of 29 women with unexplained infertility who failed to become pregnant after IVF/embryo transfer were divided into two groups based on performance in previous IVF cycles: 16 women had fertilization of > or = 50% of oocytes retrieved and/or produced > or = 3 embryos each cycle and 13 had fertilization of < 50% of oocytes retrieved and/or produced < 3 embryos each cycle. Each woman had received at least 12 transferred embryos (95th percentile for successful IVF patients) or had experienced two or more biochemical pregnancies without ultrasonic confirmation of implantation during previous IVF/embryo transfer attempts. All women received i.v. Ig 500 mg/kg prior to the next embryo transfer. Only one of the 13 (8%) women with suboptimal fertilization and embryo yield became pregnant in the treatment cycle. Of 16 women who had previously had fertilization of at least 50% of oocytes retrieved and produced at least three embryos, nine (56%) became pregnant in the treatment cycle. The difference in pregnancy rates between the two groups is significant (P = 0.02). Intravenous Ig is useful in the treatment of unexplained IVF failure in women who have oocyte fertilization rates > or = 50% and generate at least three embryos per cycle.
Total-reflection inelastic X-ray scattering from a 10-nm thick La0.6Sr0.4CoO3 thin film.

To study equilibrium changes in composition, valence, and electronic structure near the surface and into the bulk, we demonstrate the use of a new approach, total-reflection inelastic x-ray scattering, as a sub-keV spectroscopy capable of depth profiling chemical changes in thin films with nanometer resolution. By comparing data acquired under total x-ray reflection and penetrating conditions, we are able to separate the O K-edge spectra from a 10 nm La0.6Sr0. 4CoO3 thin film from that of the underlying SrTiO3 substrate. With a smaller wavelength probe than comparable soft x-ray absorption measurements, we also describe the ability to easily access dipole-forbidden final states, using the dramatic evolution of the La N4,5 edge with momentum transfer as an example.
Analysing sentiments expressed on Twitter by UK energy company's consumers

—Automatic sentiment analysis provides an effective way to gauge public opinion on any topic of interest. However, most sentiment analysis tools require a general sentiment lexicon to automatically classify sentiments or opinion in a text. One of the challenges presented by using a general sentiment lexicon is that it is insensitive to the domain since the scores assigned to the words are ﬁxed. As a result, while one general sentiment lexicon might perform well in one domain, the same lexicon might perform poorly in another domain. Most sentiment lexica will need to be adjusted to suit the speciﬁc domain to which it is applied. In this paper, we present results of sentiment analysis expressed on Twitter by UK energy consumers. We optimised the accuracy of the sentiment analysis results by combining functions from two sentiment lexica. We used the ﬁrst lexicon to extract the sentiment-bearing terms and negative sentiments since it performed well in detecting these. We then used a second lexicon to classify the rest of the data. Experimental results show that this method improved the accuracy of the results compared to the common practice of using only one lexicon.
Assessment of plasma DNA levels, allelic imbalance, and CA 125 as diagnostic tests for cancer.

BACKGROUND Allelic imbalance (AI), the loss or gain of chromosomal regions, is found in many cancers. AI can be detected in genomic tumor DNA released into the blood after necrosis or apoptosis. We evaluated plasma DNA concentration, allelic status in plasma DNA, and serum CA 125 level as screening tests for ovarian and other cancers. METHODS Plasma samples were obtained from 330 women (44 normal healthy control individuals, 122 patients with various cancers, and 164 control patients with non-neoplastic diseases). Plasma DNA concentration was determined in all samples. Allelic status was determined by digital single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) analysis with eight SNP markers in plasma DNA from 54 patients with ovarian cancer and 31 control patients. CA 125 was determined in 63 samples. Receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curves were plotted, and the areas under the ROC curves--a measure of the overall ability of a diagnostic test with multiple cutoffs to distinguish between diseased and nondiseased individuals--were determined. RESULTS The area under the ROC curve for plasma DNA concentration was 0.90 for patients with neoplastic disease versus healthy control individuals and 0.74 for patients with neoplastic diseases versus control patients with non-neoplastic diseases. For control subjects given a specificity of 100% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 92% to 100%), the highest sensitivity achieved was 57% (95% CI = 49% to 67%). AI in at least one SNP was found in 87% (95% CI = 60% to 98%) of patients with stage I/II ovarian cancer and 95% (95% CI = 83% to 99%) of patients with stage III/IV ovarian cancer, but AI was not found in 31 patients with non-neoplastic diseases (specificity = 100%, 95% CI = 89% to 100%). The area under the ROC curve assessing AI was 0.95. Combining the serum CA 125 level with the plasma DNA concentration increased the area under the ROC curve from 0.78 (CA 125 alone) to 0.84. CONCLUSION Plasma DNA concentration may not be sensitive or specific enough for cancer screening or diagnosis, even when combined with CA 125. AI was detected with high specificity in plasma DNA from patients with ovarian cancer and should be studied further as a screening tool.
Alendronate, Raloxifene and Tibolone Inhibit the Proliferation-Stimulating Activity of 17β-Estradiol in MCF-7 Cells

Estrogen replacement therapy has been considered for many decades as the gold standard in the management of osteoporosis, but the risk of developing breast cancer outweighs its benefits. It is not known whether addition of another antiresorptive agent to estrogen replacement therapy will provide any beneficial effects against such risk. This in vitro study aimed to investigate the inhibitory effects of alendronate, raloxifene and tibolone on the proliferation-stimulating activity of 17β-estradiol in MCF-7 cells. The effects of individual drugs, alendronate, raloxifene and tibolone, alone at concentrations of 10 -10 - 10 -4 M and their combinations with 10 -8 M 17β-estradiol on MCF-7 cell proliferation were determined on day 2 and day 6 of incubation using the standard tetrazolium MTT (cell viability) method. The cytotoxic effect of the drugs either alone or in combination with 17β-estradiol was determined by visualizing morphological features of the MCF-7 cells and measuring the release of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) from the cells. The results indicated that the three drugs inhibited the proliferation of MCF-7 cells in a concentration-related manner on both days of investigation. At all indicated concentrations, they could significantly inhibit (p < 0.001) the proliferation-stimulating activity of 10 -8 M 17β-estradiol. Among the three drugs, tibolone exhibited the most potent inhibitory effect. Morphological detection and LDH determination revealed a strong cytotoxic activity of these three drugs. Extrapolations from these in vitro data suggest that the three drugs, alendronate, raloxifene and tibolone, do not increase the risk of cancer mediated via estrogen receptors and probably reduce the risk of developing breast cancer in estrogen users. ©All right reserved.
CHANNEL PERFORMANCE UNDER VENDOR MANAGED CONSIGNMENT INVENTORY CONTRACT WITH ADDITIVE STOCHASTIC DEMAND

Abstract Consignment as the shifting of the inventory ownership to a supplier is widely implemented in virtual market. In this form of business arrangement the supplier places goods at a retailer’s location without receiving payment, until the goods are sold. We consider a single period supply chain model, where the supplier contracts with the retailer with some probability of return. Market demand is additive, linearly price– dependent and uncertain. We focus on vendor managed consignment inventory (VMCI) channel, in which the supplier decides the consignment price and his service level and the retailer chooses the retail price. We study channel performance under VMCI setting by analysing how the model parameters influence decision quantities, channel profit and risk function. We also illustrate the obtained results by a numerical example, which explains the overall solutions well.
Dynamic marketing capabilities view on creating market change

The purpose of this paper is to examine the indirect relationship between dynamic capabilities (DCs) and organizational outcomes through matching and creating market change. In addition, the research aims to gain a deeper understanding of the role of marketing in DCs and to extend beyond a simplistic discussion of DCs by studying proactive market orientation and value innovation as specific DCs. ,A questionnaire was developed and data were collected from 270 senior executives. After ensuring reliability and validity, the hypotheses were examined by applying structural equation modeling and Monte Carlo simulation. ,The findings indicate that dynamic marketing capabilities (DMCs) are critical in the reconfiguration of operational marketing capabilities, which in turn lead to enhanced organizational performance. The results also suggest that organizations with enhanced DMCs are able to initiate market disruption and achieve superior performance by out-competing their rivals. ,The research provides guidelines for managers wanting to exploit their DMCs by showing that organizations can match the environment, create market turbulence or combine both strategies to fully exploit their DMCs. This study also provides managers with actionable tools that are specific, robust and easily applied. ,This study is one of the few to incorporate induced market turbulence into the DC literature and conceptualize, develop and validate scales to measure it. The study provides empirical evidence for the claim that operational marketing capabilities are necessary to utilize the benefits of DMCs.
Impact of processing parameters on low-voltage power MOSFET threshold voltage considering defect generation

Power MOSFET is the most commonly used power device due to its low gate drive power and fast switching speed compared to the existing power bipolar transistor. In this study, the vital parameters in manufacturing the power VD-MOSFET, such as P-base and N-drift doping concentrations, thickness of N-drift region, and gate width are investigated to overcome MOSFET defects like NBTI and HCI; as degradation due to NBTI and HCI results shift in threshold voltage. The impact of those parameters on the threshold voltage is recorded and analysed in this study. The VD-MOSFET model used in this study is capable to withstand the breakdown voltage less than 30V. The model is simulated using 2D device and process simulation software from SILVACO; ATLAS and ATHENA. It is shown that, concentration of P-base doping is significant in determining threshold voltage and threshold voltage is proportional to the P-base doping concentration.
Human and rodent decay‐accelerating factors (CD55) are not species restricted in their complement‐inhibiting activities

Homologous complement activation is restricted on cells by the complement regulators, decay‐accelerating factor (DAF), membrane cofactor protein (MCP) and CD59. These proteins act in concert with other membrane structures to protect cells from homologous complement attack. In contrast, cells are usually sensitive to heterologous complement attack. It has been suggested that species‐specific restriction of complement activation can be attributed to the inability of regulators to inhibit across species. We have investigated the capacities of human, rat and mouse analogues of DAF to regulate homologous and heterologous complement. Cells transfected with cDNA encoding these analogues were protected from heterologous complement attack. C3b‐deposition experiments indicated that whilst cells were best protected by DAF from the same species, all three analogues inhibited human, rat and mouse complement. Comparable results were obtained in haemolysis assays using soluble, recombinant forms of the proteins. Inhibition of the classical pathway (CP) was best achieved with homologous DAF, although human DAF also inhibited rat complement, rat DAF also inhibited human complement and mouse DAF inhibited complement from all species. Human DAF was the best inhibitor of alternative pathway (AP)‐mediated attack, inhibiting complement from all species. Mouse DAF inhibited mouse and rat AP, whilst rat DAF inhibited only rat AP. These data indicate that human and rodent analogues of DAF are not species restricted and highlights interesting differences in the capacity to regulate AP and CP. This has implications in broader fields of research, such as xenotransplantation, where cross‐species regulation of complement is of paramount importance.
Is Blockholder Dispersion Attracting Foreign Investors

This paper examines the impact of blockholder dispersion on the foreign ownership in the Korean stock market over the period 2005-2016. We use the Herfindahl Index as a substitute variable for blockholder dispersion. Results show that a lower Herfindahl Index leads to a higher foreign ownership of the publicly listed companies in Korea. This implies that foreign investors prefer companies with dispersed ownership. We confirmed that foreign investors also preferred firms with low volatility, small dividend yields, large, low leverage, and high accounting performance. We have also found that the behavior of foreign investors is different before and after global financial risk. Our findings contribute to our understanding regarding to the relation between foreign investors and ownership dispersion in Korean stock markets.
Dexamethasone does not counteract the response of acute promyelocytic leukaemia cells to all‐trans retinoic acid

Retinoic acid syndrome is a serious condition that may complicate the treatment of acute promyelocytic leukaemia patients. This syndrome may be treated effectively with high‐dose corticosteroid therapy and, as a result, many patients with acute promyelocytic leukaemia receive dexamethasone at some point during treatment. We investigated whether dexamethasone would also antagonize the beneficial effects of retinoic acid. In t(15;17)‐positive NB4 cells, dexamethasone did not affect the retinoic acid induced differentiation, normalization of PML‐nuclear bodies or the induction of thrombomodulin mRNA. Finally, dexamethasone did not inhibit the anti‐proliferative effect of retinoic acid but rather showed anti‐proliferative activity itself.
The clinical relevance of microbiology in acute and chronic wounds.

PURPOSE To improve clinical practice and the quality of patient care by providing a learning opportunity that enhances the participant's understanding of how wound microbiology affects healing. TARGET AUDIENCE This CME/CE activity is intended for physicians and nurses with an interest in interpreting the role of microorganisms in wound healing. OBJECTIVES At the conclusion of this course, participants should be able to: 1. Identify the microbiology of acute and chronic wounds, risk factors for infection, and advantages and disadvantages of wound culturing. 2. Identify methods of debridement and wounds for which they are appropriate. 3. Identify systemic antibiotic treatment options for acute and chronic wound infections.
Target Classification Using Pyroelectric Infrared Sensors in Unattended Wild Ground Environment

Abstract Pyroelectric Infrared (PIR) sensors are widely used as a simple presence trigger for alarms and a reliable counter for people in security home and smart office. Most paper have focused on the design and application of such systems, however, few research has be done on the detecting of targets in an outdoor environment using PIR sensors. In this paper, we realize a detecting system by means of PIR nodes to monitor outdoor targets more than 20 meters away from the PIR detectors. Furthermore, because of velocity difference, by extracting time domain amplitude, signal length, maximum frequency and corresponding frequency amplitude as features, we successfully classify people, wheeled vehicle and tracked vehicle in the unattended wild ground environment. Our detecting and classifying results confirm the average accuracy is 85.67% and 82.67% when PIR detectors are deployed 20 meters and 30 meters away from the area of interest (AoI), respectively.
Multi-stream Processing for Noise Robust Speech Recognition

In this thesis, the framework of multi-stream combination has been explored to improve the noise robustness of automatic speech recognition (ASR) systems. The central idea of multi-stream ASR is to combine information from several sources to improve the performance of a system. The two important issues of multi-stream systems are which information sources (feature representations) to combine and what importance (weights) be given to each information source. In the framework of hybrid hidden Markov model/artificial neural network (HMM/ANN) and Tandem systems, several weighting strategies are investigated in this thesis to merge the posterior outputs of multi-layered perceptrons (MLPs) trained on different feature representations. The best results were obtained by inverse entropy weighting in which the posterior estimates at the output of the MLPs were weighted by their respective inverse output entropies. In the second part of this thesis, two feature representations have been investigated, namely pitch frequency and spectral entropy features. The pitch frequency feature is used along with perceptual linear prediction (PLP) features in a multi-stream framework. The second feature proposed in this thesis is estimated by applying an entropy function to the normalized spectrum to produce a measure which has been termed spectral entropy. The idea of the spectral entropy feature is extended to multi-band spectral entropy features by dividing the normalized full-band spectrum into sub-bands and estimating the spectral entropy of each sub-band. The proposed multi-band spectral entropy features were observed to be robust in high noise conditions. Subsequently, the idea of embedded training is extended to multi-stream HMM/ANN systems. To evaluate the maximum performance that can be achieved by frame-level weighting, we investigated an ``oracle test''. We also studied the relationship of oracle selection to inverse entropy weighting and proposed an alternative interpretation of the oracle test to analyze the complementarity of streams in multi-stream systems. The techniques investigated in this work gave a significant improvement in performance for clean as well as noisy test conditions.