Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Defining the cognitive impairment in schizophrenia

Cognitive psychology became an important discipline in schizophrenia research when information processing deficits were implicated as the basis from which psychotic symptoms emerged (Broen & Storms, 1967; Hemsley, 1977; Frith, 1979). The study of cognition as an independent construct began in earnest when the detection of brain morphological abnormalities on computed tomography (CT) in patients with schizophrenia (Johnstone et al. 1976; Weinberger et al. 1979) prompted the search for behavioural correlates. It became apparent that impairments typical of damage to frontal or medial temporal lobes could be seen in patients with schizophrenia, irrespective of symptom type or severity (Goldberg et al. 1988; McKenna et al. 1990). Since then a number of findings have been replicated sufficiently to make certain conclusions about the nature and extent of cognitive dysfunction in this disorder.
STTC-SD with LMMSE multi-user detection for WCDMA downlink

In this paper we analyze the performance of space time trellis coded-scrambling diversity (STTC-SD) scheme for WCDMA downlink, when a linear minimum mean squared error multi-user detection (LMMSE-MUD) receiver is used. STTC-SD scheme for CDMA systems was introduced in (S. Thirukkumaran and K.K. Pang, 2004) and was shown to perform better than conventional STTC scheme under low system loads. At high system loads, the STTC-SD scheme suffers excessively from multiple access interference. In this paper we show that, by using a LMMSE-MUD receiver, this problem can be rectified so that STTC-SD scheme performs significantly better than standard STTC scheme at all system loads.
Method and effect of adjustment for heterogeneous variance.

Lactation records were standardized for differing genetic and error variances across herds and over time based on phenotypic variance for each herd-year-parity group. Each herd-year-parity phenotypic variance estimate was combined with those of adjacent years and regressed toward a region-year-parity variance. Heritability was assumed to be . 25 at mean variance within year and to range from . 2 for herds with smallest phenotypic SD to . 3 for herds with largest phenotypic SD. Lactation deviations from management group mean were adjusted by ratio of base genetic SD to genetic SD estimated from heritability and phenotypic SD. The base was defined as 1987 calvings for first parity and 1988 calvings for later parities. Records were weighted according to heritability by multiplying lactation length weight by herd error weight defined as ratio of base error variance to error variance in the adjusted record. Estimated genetic trend for milk increased by nearly 5 kg/yr for Holsteins with this adjustment, which caused predicted breeding values of oldest animals to be lower by about 100 kg. Most correlations of parent and progeny information were slightly higher with adjusted data. Cows in high variance herds were most likely to have large reductions in their evaluations. Adjustment for heterogeneous variance was implemented in July 1991 for national evaluations for yield traits.
Evolutionary analysis of Old World arenaviruses reveals a major adaptive contribution of the viral polymerase

The Old World (OW) arenavirus complex includes several species of rodent‐borne viruses, some of which (i.e., Lassa virus, LASV and Lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus, LCMV) cause human diseases. Most LCMV and LASV infections are caused by rodent‐to‐human transmissions. Thus, viral evolution is largely determined by events that occur in the wildlife reservoirs. We used a set of human‐ and rodent‐derived viral sequences to investigate the evolutionary history underlying OW arenavirus speciation, as well as the more recent selective events that accompanied LASV spread in West Africa. We show that the viral RNA polymerase (L protein) was a major positive selection target in OW arenaviruses and during LASV out‐of‐Nigeria migration. No evidence of selection was observed for the glycoprotein, whereas positive selection acted on the nucleoprotein (NP) during LCMV speciation. Positively selected sites in L and NP are surrounded by highly conserved residues, and the bulk of the viral genome evolves under purifying selection. Several positively selected sites are likely to modulate viral replication/transcription. In both L and NP, structural features (solvent exposed surface area) are important determinants of site‐wise evolutionary rate variation. By incorporating several rodent‐derived sequences, we also performed an analysis of OW arenavirus codon adaptation to the human host. Results do not support a previously hypothesized role of codon adaptation in disease severity for non‐Nigerian strains. In conclusion, L and NP represent the major selection targets and possible determinants of disease presentation; these results suggest that field surveys and experimental studies should primarily focus on these proteins.
Urinary Water-Soluble Vitamins as Potential Nutritional Biomarkers to Assess Their Intakes

To determine micronutrient intake by dietary assessment is difficult because of high variations in habitual micronutrient intake. A nutritional biomarker can be an indicator of nutritional status with respect to intake or metabolism of dietary constituents. Recent validation studies have developed the urinary compounds as nutritional biomarkers to estimate nutrient intakes, and urinary nitrogen and sodium have been well established as nutritional biomarkers. Recent studies have conducted to establish urinary water-soluble vitamins as nutritional biomarkers to assess their intakes, and made the following findings to contribute to the establishment and effective use of urinary water-soluble vitamins as potential nutritional biomarkers. Only urinary vitamin B12 content reflects urine volume but not its intake. Eight of nine water-soluble vitamin levels in 24-hr urine increase in dose-dependent-manner, and are strongly correlated with vitamin intakes. Each urinary water-soluble vitamin level, except for vitamin B12, is positively correlated with the mean intake over the recent 2-4 days in free-living children, young and elderly. These findings suggest that urinary water-soluble vitamins can be used as nutritional biomarkers to assess their mean intakes in groups. Based on previous findings, the reference values for urinary water-soluble vitamins are proposed to show adequate nutritional status.
Numerical algorithm for electrical impedance tomography problem using pseudoanalytic approach

The authors perform a comparison between the accuracy of two numerical techniques those permit solving the direct Dirichlet boundary value problem in the 2D electrical impedance equation. The first technique is a variation of the Finite Element Method (FEM) for elliptic partial differential equations, whereas the second is a new technique based on the modern pseudoanalytic function theory.
Production and characterization of monoclonal antibodies against aflatoxin M1

By using an indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, four monoclonal antibodies were selected after fusion of mouse P3-NS1-Ag4-1 myeloma cells with spleen cells isolated from BALB/c mice that had been immunized with aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) conjugated to bovine serum albumin. Two of these antibodies were found to be specific for AFM1 and were designated AMW-1 and AMW-4. The specificities of AMW-1, which had higher affinity to AFM1, were determined by a competitive direct enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay with peroxidase-AFM1 as the marker. The relative cross-reactivity of each toxin (relative to AFM1) with AMW-1, as determined by the amount of aflatoxin necessary to cause 50% inhibition of enzyme activity, was 12, greater than 40, 12, and greater than 40 for B1, B2, G1, and G2, respectively.
Title : Smoking , disease and health service utilisation ; the paradox

Objectives: We compared need for and utilisation of health services among young, healthy smokers who did not want to quit (“the non-motivated”), and “motivated smokers”, relative to never-smokers. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 9,915 Hong Kong Police officers. We assessed smoking status, differentiating non-motivated from motivated smokers. Need was measured as number of respiratory symptoms and utilisation, as doctor consultations. Results: All smokers had significantly higher need, but relatively lower utilisation. After adjusting for other factors, the odds ratio for utilisation was 0.77 (95% CI 0.64-0.93) for motivated smokers and 0.62 (95% CI 0.50–0.77) for non-motivated, relative to never-smokers (p for trend<0.001). Conclusions: Young, relatively healthy smokers, particularly the non-motivated, utilise less health services relative to their need. This has implications for planning smoking cessation services.
Linking Cervical Cancer to the Human Papillomavirus: Findings from a Qualitative Study with Mexican Women

Cervical cancer is an important cause of mortality for women in developing countries. Researchers have established a link between cervical cancer and the human papillomavirus (HPV). We explored Mexican women's beliefs about cervical cancer and sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including HPV, to better understand the social implications of this linkage. We conducted eight focus groups with middle-aged and young women in Mexico City. Cervical cancer elicited different social and emotional responses than STIs; participants generally attached less culpability to it and saw it as more life threatening. Information campaigns should take into account differences in lay conceptions of these illnesses.
Sanguinarine-Induced Apoptosis in Human Leukemia U937 Cells via Bcl-2 Downregulation and Caspase-3 Activation

Background: Sanguinarine is a benzophenanthridine alkaloid derived from the root of Sanguinaria canadensis, which induces apoptosis in human cancer cells, but the underlying action mechanisms are not completely understood. We investigated the mechanisms of sanguinarine on the induction of apoptosis using U937 leukemia cells. Methods: Cytotoxicity was evaluated by MTT assay. Apoptosis was detected using DAPI staining, agarose gel electrophoresis and flow cytometry. The protein levels were determined by Western blot analysis. Casapse-3 activity was measured using a colorimetric assay. Results: Exposure of U937 cells to sanguinarine resulted in growth inhibition and induction of apoptosis. Apoptosis by sanguinarine treatment was associated with the activation of caspase-3 and degradation of poly-(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) and phospholipase C-γ1 protein. Induction of apoptosis by sanguinarine was also accompanied by upregulation of pro-apoptotic Bax and downregulation of anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 expression. Sanguinarine-induced caspase-3 activation and apoptosis were significantly attenuated in Bcl-2-overexpressing U937/Bcl-2 cells. Furthermore, a caspase-3-specific inhibitor blocked caspase-3 activation as well as PARP degradation, and increased the survival rate of sanguinarine-treated U937 cells. Conclusions: These results demonstrated that the induction of apoptosis by sanguinarine in U937 cells was associated with altering the balance of Bcl-2 and Bax protein expression and activation of the caspase-3 pathway.
On-wafer single contact quadrature accuracy measurement using receiver mode in four-port vector network analyzer

This paper presents the calibration procedure using a five-port calibration kit based on receiver mode in vector network analyzer (VNA). After de-embedding the phase/amplitude errors from cal-kit, the quadrature phase accuracy and amplitude error of a quadrature voltage controlled oscillator (QVCO) can be directly obtained using on-wafer testing with a single contact. A 5 GHz QVCO was tested to demonstrate the feasibility of measurement. The I/Q mismatch on both phase and amplitude of the QVCO were precisely measured. Only single probe contact is required during the measurement that minimizes the uncertainty.
Roseobacter-Like Bacteria in Red and Mediterranean Sea Aerobic Anoxygenic Photosynthetic Populations

ABSTRACT Bacteriochlorophyll a-containing aerobic anoxygenic phototrophs (AAnP) have been proposed to account for up to 11% of the total surface water microbial community and to potentially have great ecological importance in the world's oceans. Recently, environmental and genomic data based on analysis of the pufM gene identified the existence of α-proteobacteria as well as possible γ-like proteobacteria among AAnP in the Pacific Ocean. Here we report on analyses of environmental samples from the Red and Mediterranean Seas by using pufM as well as the bchX and bchL genes as molecular markers. The majority of photosynthesis genes retrieved from these seas were related to Roseobacter-like AAnP sequences. Furthermore, the sequence of a novel photosynthetic operon organization from an uncultured Roseobacter-like bacterial artificial chromosome retrieved from the Red Sea is described. The data show the presence of Roseobacter-like bacteria in Red and Mediterranean Sea AAnP populations in the seasons analyzed.
The Way Forward: Maximizing Our Impact Through Shared Responsibility and Smart Investments

Abstract:Scientific innovation and research advances have enabled significant progress toward what President Obama and Secretary Clinton have described as an AIDS-free generation. Over the past decade, the United States, through the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, has played a key role in laying the foundation for this goal. However, the global AIDS response is a shared responsibility that must be met by the global community. This article explores key questions to guide global partners' efforts in maximizing the impact of bilateral, multilateral, and partner country investments. To inform decision-making, make smart investments and support country ownership of programs, areas of analysis should include the following: the use of economic and financial data to understand expenditures; allocation of resources based on scientific evidence of impact; opportunities for collaboration with governments, the Global Fund and others to align programs; and streamlining of business processes to maximize impact. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief has applied this analysis in planning expansion of antiretroviral treatment programs, allowing investments to be tailored to country circumstances—a key to making smart investments and increasing the number of lives saved with the resources given.
GOLD severity stratification and risk of hospitalisation for COPD exacerbations.

BACKGROUND AND AIM The Italian Costs for Exacerbations in COPD ("ICE") study, following a pharmacoeconomic assessment of costs due to COPD exacerbations (primary endpoint), aimed also at evaluating (secondary endpoint) which clinical factors, among those considered for cost-analysis, may, at follow up, present a risk of new exacerbations and re-admission to hospital. MATERIALS AND METHODS A prospective, multicentre study was carried out on COPD patients admitted to 25 Hospital Centres as a result of an exacerbation from October-December 2002. Following discharge, a 6-month follow-up was performed in each patient via three bi-monthly telephone interviews with a questionnaire administered by an investigator clinician. RESULTS 570 patients were eligible for data processing, mean age 70.6 years (+/- 9.5 standard deviation, SD), males 69.2%. According to GOLD, severity stratification was as follows: moderate 36.4%; severe 31.3%; very severe 32.3%. 282 patients experienced at least one exacerbation at follow up, 42% of exacerbations requiring hospitalisation. No significant association was seen between exacerbations and GOLD stage or co-morbidities or treatments except LTOT. Conversely, COPD functional severity influenced hospitalisations very significantly, with relative risks 2.6 (95% Confidence Interval, CI 1.8-3.8) and 2.0 (CI 1.3-2.8) (GOLD very severe versus moderate and severe, respectively), and 1.3 (CI 0.85-2.1) (GOLD severe versus moderate). Hospitalisations were also significantly associated with treatments denoting more severe conditions (oral corticosteroids, oral theophylline, and LTOT). CONCLUSIONS Severity stratification of COPD patients according to respiratory function classes as outlined in GOLD guidelines and need for LTOT are confirmed as important predictors of hospitalisation for an exacerbation.
Breast cancer stem cell markers CD44, CD24 and ALDH1: expression distribution within intrinsic molecular subtype

Background and Aim The study of CD44/CD24 and ALDH1 expression is the most accurate method to identify cancer stem cells (CSC) from breast cancer populations. However, the overlap between CD44+CD24−/low and ALDH1high CSC phenotypes in breast cancer seems to be very small, as well as their distribution among intrinsic breast cancer subtypes. Due to this discrepancy, it is imperative to improve the understanding of breast CSC marker distribution. Methods 466 invasive breast carcinomas and eight breast cancer cell lines were analysed for the expression of CD44, CD24 and ALDH1, to evaluate their distribution among the distinct molecular subtypes. Results Basal-like tumours (76.5%) contained the higher percentage of cells with the CSC phenotype CD44+CD24−/low (p<0.0001). From ALDH1-positive cases, 39.4% were also basal-like tumours (p<0.0001). The analysis of breast cancer cell lines indicated that luminal cell lines are mainly enriched in a CD44−/lowCD24+ cell population, basal/mesenchymal breast cancer cell lines are enriched in the CD44+CD24−/low phenotype, whereas the remaining basal/epithelial cell lines are mainly positive for both markers. ALDH1 activity was mainly found in HER-OE and basal/epithelial breast cancer cell. Conclusions CD44+CD24−/low and ALDH1+ phenotypes seem to identify CSC with distinct levels of differentiation. It seems that the paramount method and biomarkers that identify breast CSC within the distinct molecular subtypes need to be better explored, because it is pivotal to translate the CSC concept to clinical practice. In the future, the recognition of reliable markers to distinguish the CSC pool in each molecular subtype will be decisive for the development of specific target therapies.
Being There : Patent Class Contrast and the Impact of Technological Innovations 1 ! !

We build on recent research on the effects of category contrast to gain new insights on why some patents have more impact than others. Analyzing forward citation patterns of almost three millions patents of USPTO, we show that the distinctiveness of the class to which a patent belongs affects the number of citations received in two ways: first, patents classified in high-contrast classes, on average, exhibit a higher impact compared to those belonging to low-contrast classes; second, the impact of recombinant patents is reduced when they belong to a high contrast class. The paper elaborates on the theoretical link between the sociological literature on categories and innovation research.
Mathematical description of linear dynamical systems

There are two different ways of describing uynamicu systems: (i) bymeans of state variables and (ii) by input/output relations. The first method may be regarded as an axiornatization of Newton’s laws of mechanics and is taken to be the basic definition of a system.It is then shown (in the linear case) that the input/output relations determine only one part of a system, that which is completely observable and completely controllable. Using the theory of controllability and observability, methods are given for calculating irreducible realization of a given impulse-response matrix. In particular, an explicit procedure is given to determine the minimal number of state variables necessary to realize a given transfer-function matrix. Difficulties arising from the use of reducible realizations are discussed briefly.
Future directions for agent-based software engineering

We briefly review the current state of play in the area of agent-based software engineering, and then consider, 'what next? ' We discuss a range of marketing activities that will together help in making people from other communities aware of work in this area. We then outline a number of research topics that are seen as vital to the future of the field. Although (as always) more research is needed, recent progress in both research and industrial adoption has been most encouraging, and the future of agent-based software engineering looks bright.
Lassa fever, a new virus disease of man from West Africa. I. Clinical description and pathological findings.

Abstract Lassa Fever, a hitherto unknown virus disease from Nigeria, caused the death of two missionary-nurses and the grave illness of a third. The onset is gradual with fever, weakness, myositis and ulcerative pharyngitis, progressing to symptoms of myocarditis, pneumonitis and pleuritis, encephalopathy, and evidences of a hemorrhagic diathesis. It is characterized in the early stages by moderate leukopenia, with increase of immature neutrophilic elements. It may be transmitted directly from person to person; the incubation period is about a week. It is likely to be of increasing public-health importance as travel to the interior parts of Nigeria increases, and as the area is developed because of future population pressures.
Comparison of the effects of a self‐supervised home exercise program with a physiotherapist‐supervised exercise program on the motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease

The effects of a self‐supervised home exercise program and a physiotherapist‐supervised exercise program on motor symptoms in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients were compared in a prospective single‐blinded clinical trial. Nineteen subjects (6 women, 13 men; mean age, 65 ± 8 years) with Hoehn and Yahr Stages 2 to 3 were recruited. Subjects were self‐selected into an 8‐week exercise program that was self‐supervised (HOME group) or physiotherapist‐supervised (PT group). The primary outcome measurement was the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) Motor subsection score (UPDRSm). The secondary outcome measurements were the Berg Balance Scale, Timed Up and Go Test, UPDRS Total score, and the Activities‐specific Balance Confidence Scale. All outcomes were assessed at baseline and at 8 and 16 weeks after the start of the study. The investigators were blinded to the subject treatment group. Bonferroni‐corrected paired Student's t test was used to evaluate the change in the UPDRSm from baseline to 8 weeks. Ninety‐five percent confidence intervals (CI) were calculated for the change in the secondary outcome measurements from baseline to 8 weeks. There was statistically significant and equal decrease in the UPDRSm from baseline to 8 weeks in both treatment groups. There was no difference in the 95% CI in the change of the secondary outcome measurements. A self‐supervised exercise program was found to have similar effectiveness as a physiotherapist‐supervised exercise program in improving motor symptoms in PD patients. This finding is important in the counseling of PD patients regarding adjunctive treatment of motor symptoms of PD with exercise. © 2005 Movement Disorder Society
Stability criteria for Takagi-Sugeno fuzzy delayed systems based on delay decomposition approach

This paper is concerned with the stability analysis of Takagi-Sugeno fuzzy dynamic systems with constant time delay. A new delay-dependent asymptotic stability condition for the system is derived by using a novel quadratic Lyapunov- Krasovskii functional, which is constructed by uniformly di- viding the delay interval into multiple segments and choosing proper functional with weighted matrices for each segment. It is shown that the result obtained with this approach is less conservative than some other existing results. And a numerical example given also demonstrates the effectiveness of the proposed approach.