Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of Vitamin E Administration on the Elevated Oxygen Stress and the Telomeric and Subtelomeric Status in Alzheimer’s Disease

Background: Oxidative stress (OS) may be involved in the neurodegenerative process in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Telomeres, the repeated sequences that cap chromosome ends, undergo shortening with each cell division, are sensitive to OS, and serve as markers of a cell’s replicative history. Telomere length shortening has been reported to relate to OS with aging process and aging-associated diseases, but the telomeric changes were not always identical, especially in change of telomere length distribution and subtelomeric methylation. The involvement of an OS-associated telomere change in the pathogenesis of AD has been discussed for decades, and the telomere length and telomerase activity were analyzed. However, other telomeric factors, such as the telomere distribution and subtelomeric methylation status, have not yet been analyzed. Objective: The subtelomeric methylation status as well as the telomere length were studied in AD with an antioxidant vitamin in terms of OS. Methods: We measured urinary 8-iso-PGF2α, a lipid-peroxidation product as an OS marker, and methylated and non-methylated telomere lengths in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells by Southern blotting in AD patients before and after vitamin E treatment. Results: The level of urinary 8-iso-PGF2α was found to have increased in AD. Middle-ranged telomeres (4.4–9.4 kb) increased and the shortest telomeres (<4.4 kb) decreased in AD patients. Telomeres were more methylated in both long telomeres and in short telomeres in AD compared with the control. The oral administration of the antioxidant vitamin E in 400 mg/day for 6 months in AD patients partly reversed AD-associated alterations in OS marker levels. Conclusions: AD patients showed an elevated OS marker level, and vitamin E lowered the OS level. In comparison with controls, AD patients showed shorter telomere lengths. Cells with short and long telomeres bore relatively hypermethylated subtelomeres in AD patients. Aging-associated accumulation of cells bearing short telomeres was not observed in AD. These results imply that long telomeres with hypomethylation tend to shorten faster, and cells bearing short telomeres with hypomethylation tend to more easily enter into a senescent state under elevated OS stress in AD. However, no significant effect on the altered telomeric profiles in AD patients could be detected after a 6-month administration of vitamin E.
Production, Manufacturing and Logistics Single versus multiple supplier sourcing strategies

Successful supply chain management necessitates an effective sourcing strategy to combat uncertainties in both supply and demand. In particular, supply disruption results in excessive downtime of production resources, upstream and downstream supply chain repercussions, and eventually a loss in the market value of the firm. In this paper we analyze single period, single product sourcing decisions under demand uncertainty. Our approach integrates product prices, supplier costs, supplier capacities, historical supplier reliabilities and firm specific inventory costs. A unique feature of our approach is the integration of a firm specific supplier diversification function. We also extend our analysis to examine the impact of minimum supplier order quantities. Our results indicate that single sourcing is a dominant strategy only when supplier capacities are large relative to the product demand and when the firm does not obtain diversification benefits. In other cases, we find that multiple sourcing is an optimal sourcing strategy. We also characterize a non-intuitive trade-off between supplier minimum order quantities, costs, and supplier reliabilities. Finally, we examine the robustness of our results through an extensive numerical analysis of the key parameters of our model. � 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Pedestrian Detection in Crowded Environments through Bayesian Prediction of Sequential Probability Matrices

In order to safely navigate populated environments, an autonomous vehicle must be able to detect human shapes using its sensory systems, so that it can properly avoid a collision. In this paper, we introduce a Bayesian approach to the Viola-Jones algorithm, as a method to automatically detect pedestrians in image sequences. We present a probabilistic interpretation of the basic execution of the original tool and develop a technique to produce approximate convolutions of probability matrices with multiple local maxima.
Management of sialorrhoea in motor neuron disease: A survey of current UK practice

Abstract Our objective was to better understand UK-wide practice in managing sialorrhoea in motor neuron disease among specialist clinicians. We used a survey of neurologists in the UK with a special interest in motor neuron disease designed to establish clinicians’ attitudes towards treatment options and resources for sialorrhoea management. Twenty-three clinicians replied, representing 21 centres. Sixteen centres were specialist MND Care Centres. Clinicians estimated seeing a total of 1391 newly diagnosed patients with MND in 2011. One hundred and ninety-three patients were described. Forty-two percent of patients reviewed in clinicians’ last clinic had sialorrhoea and 46% of those with sialorrhoea had uncontrolled symptoms. Clinicians’ preferred drugs were hyoscine patches, amitriptyline, carbocisteine and botulinum toxin. Botulinum toxin was used in 14 centres. Risk of dysphagia and staff skills were identified as the main barriers to botulinum toxin use. This survey suggests that there may be as many as 1700 patients with MND in the UK who have symptoms of sialorrhoea and that symptoms may be poorly controlled in nearly half. Treatment strategies varied, reflecting the lack of evidence based guidelines. The use of specialist treatments was influenced by local infrastructure. This study highlights the need for further work to develop evidence based guidance.
Query-sensitive distance measure selection for time series nearest neighbor classification

Many distance or similarity measures have been proposed for time series similarity search. However, none of these measures is guaranteed to be optimal when used for 1-Nearest Neighbor (NN) classification. In this paper we study the problem of selecting the most appropriate distance measure, given a pool of time series distance measures and a query, so as to perform NN classification of the query. We propose a framework for solving this problem, by identifying, given the query, the distance measure most likely to produce the correct classification result for that query. From this proposed framework, we derive three specific methods, that differ from each other inthe way they estimatethe probability that a distance measure correctly classifiesa query object. In our experiments, our pool of measures consists of Dynamic Time Warping (DTW), Move-Split-Merge (MSM), and Edit distance with Real Penalty (ERP). Based on experimental evaluation with 45 datasets, the best-performing of the three proposed methods provides the best results in terms of classification error rate, compared to the competitors, which include using the Cross Validation method for selecting the distance measure in each dataset, as well as using a single specific distance measure (DTW, MSM, or ERP) across all datasets.
Postural habits and weight of backpacks of Portuguese adolescents: Are they associated with scoliosis and low back pain?

BACKGROUND The adoption of incorrect postures or carrying overweight backpacks may contribute to the development of musculoskeletal disorders in school children. OBJECTIVE This study evaluated the weight of backpacks and the postural habits adopted in schools by Portuguese adolescents, and their association with scoliosis and low back pain (LBP). METHOD The sample comprised 966 Portuguese students, aged between 10 and 16 years. The instruments included a questionnaire to characterize the presence of LBP and the postural habits adopted by students, the weighing of backpacks and a scoliometer to evaluate scoliosis. RESULTS No association was observed between assuming incorrect postures and carrying overweight backpacks, in students with scoliosis. Students who adopted incorrect sitting postures had 1.77 times the risk (95% CI: 1.32-2.36; p < 0.001) of developing LBP; those positioned incorrectly whilst watching TV and playing games had 1.44 times the risk (95% CI: 1.08-1.90; p = 0.012) of developing LBP; and those standing incorrectly had 2.39 the risk (95% CI: 1.52-3.78; p < 0.001) of developing LBP. CONCLUSIONS The results revealed that students who sat with the spine positioned wrongly, as well as those who were standing incorrectly, were more likely to present with LBP.
Structure-property relationships in the crystals of the smallest amino acid: an incoherent inelastic neutron scattering study of the glycine polymorphs.

Incoherent inelastic neutron scattering spectra for the three crystalline polymorphs (alpha- P2(1)/n, beta- P2(1), gamma- P3(1)) of glycine (C2H5NO2) at temperatures between 5 and 300 K (using the time-of-flight (ToF) spectrometer NEAT at HMI) and at pressures from ambient up to 1 GPa (using the ToF spectrometer IN6 at the ILL) were measured. Significant differences in the band positions and their relative intensities in the density of states (DoS) were observed for the three polymorphs, which can be related to the different intermolecular interactions. The mean-squared displacement, (T), dependence reveals a change in dynamic properties at about the same temperature (150 K) for all the three forms, which can be related to the reorientation of the NH3 group. Besides, a dynamic transition in beta-glycine at about 230-250 K on cooling was also observed, supporting previously obtained adiabatic calorimetry data. This behavior is similar to that already observed in amorphous solids, on approaching the glass transition temperatures, as well as in biological systems. It suggests the onset of degrees of freedom most likely related to transitions between slightly different conformational orientations. The DoS obtained as a function of pressure has confirmed the stability of the alpha-form with respect to pressure and also depicted a sign of the previously reported reversible beta-beta' glycine phase transition in between 0.6 and 0.8 GPa. Moreover, a remarkable kinetic effect in the pressure-induced phase transition in gamma-glycine was revealed. After the sample was kept at 0.8 GPa for an hour in the neutron beam, an irreversible transition into a high-pressure form (different from the beta'-form) occurred, although previously in X-Ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy experiments a gamma- to delta-glycine phase transition was observed above 3.5 GPa only.
Pre-analytical errors in blood homocysteine assays.

Blood homocysteine is a major biomarker for cardiovascular as well as other disorders. Several published studies reported inconsistent homocysteine levels with variable ranges. The reference intervals are variable hence the comparison of studies is difficult. Pre- analytical factors that influence homocysteine testing such as the storage, processing and transportation of blood samples, often pose severe problems in clinical settings. Total homocysteine levels were determined in 36 blood samples collected from normal healthy subjects by HPLC with fluorescence detection. The results indicate that delay separated samples stored at ambient temperature have significantly higher values than the delay separated samples stored at 2-8oC. The rise was 41.9 % in 3 hours that amounts to a rate of �14 % per hour. It is concluded that there is a strong need for standardization of blood sample collection and processing in homocysteine assays. It is strongly advocated that homocysteine should never be measured in serum and that it is ideal to use plasma specimens preserved at 2-8oC.
(Ba, Sr)TiO3 dielectrics for future stacked- capacitor DRAM

Thin films of barium-strontium titanate (Ba,Sr)TiO3 (BSTO) have been investigated for use as a capacitor dielectric for future generations of dynamic random-access memory (DRAM). This paper describes progress made in the preparation of BSTO films by liquid-source metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (LS-MOCVD) and the issues related to integrating films of BSTO into a DRAM capacitor. Films of BSTO deposited on planar Pt electrodes meet the electrical requirements needed for future DRAM. The specific capacitance and charge loss are found to be strongly dependent on the details of the BSTO deposition, the choice of the lower electrode structure, the microstructure of the BSTO, the post-electrode thermal treatments, BSTO dopants, and thin-film stress. Films of BSTO deposited on patterned Pt electrodes with a feature size of 0.2 µm are found to have degraded properties compared to films on large planar structures, but functional bits have been achieved on a DRAM test site at 0.20-µm ground rules. Mechanisms influencing specific capacitance and charge loss of BSTO films are described, as are the requirements for the electrode and barrier materials used in stacked-capacitor structures, with emphasis given to the properties of the Pt/TaSi(N) electrode/barrier system. Major problems requiring additional investigation are outlined.
Human Mobility Synchronization and Trip Purpose Detection with Mixture of Hawkes Processes

While exploring human mobility can benefit many applications such as smart transportation, city planning, and urban economics, there are two key questions that need to be answered: (i) What is the nature of the spatial diffusion of human mobility across regions with different urban functions? (ii) How to spot and trace the trip purposes of human mobility trajectories? To answer these questions, we study large-scale and city-wide taxi trajectories; and furtherly organize them as arrival sequences according to the chronological arrival time. We figure out an important property across different regions from the arrival sequences, namely human mobility synchronization effect, which can be exploited to explain the phenomenon that two regions have similar arrival patterns in particular time periods if they share similar urban functions. In addition, the arrival sequences are mixed by arrival events with distinct trip purposes, which can be revealed by the regional environment of both the origins and destinations. To that end, in this paper, we develop a joint model that integrates Mixture of Hawkes Process (MHP) with a hierarchical topic model to capture the arrival sequences with mixed trip purposes. Essentially, the human mobility synchronization effect is encoded as a synchronization rate in the MHP; while the regional environment is modeled by introducing latent Trip Purpose and POI Topic to generate the Point of Interests (POIs) in the regions. Moreover, we provide an effective inference algorithm for parameter learning. Finally, we conduct intensive experiments on synthetic data and real-world data, and the experimental results have demonstrated the effectiveness of the proposed model.
Production , Manufacturing and Logistics Optimal policies for inventory systems with two types of product sharing common hardware platforms : Single period and finite horizon

In this paper, we consider an inventory system whose products share a common hardware platform but are differentiated by two types of software. Choice of different software results in different installation cost and different selling price of the whole product. Product with different software also faces different customer demand. We investigate the optimal proportion of an order to be installed with software 1 or 2, that maximizes expected profit in the single and multiple period scenarios, respectively. The optimal policy is analytically obtained and proved to be an order-up-to policy in each scenario. Our investigation reveals that whether to replenish, and how much to replenish each product depend not only on its own initial inventory level, and system parameters, but also the initial inventory level of the other product. We perform numerical experiments using the optimal policies we have derived in the paper. 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Hyperpolarized 3He and 129Xe MR imaging in healthy volunteers and patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

PURPOSE To quantitatively compare hyperpolarized helium 3 (3He) and xenon 129 (129Xe) magnetic resonance (MR) images obtained within 5 minutes in healthy volunteers and patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and to evaluate the correlations between 3He and 129Xe MR imaging measurements and those from spirometry and plethysmography. MATERIALS AND METHODS This study was approved by an ethics board and compliant with HIPAA. Written informed consent was obtained from all subjects. Eight healthy volunteers and 10 patients with COPD underwent MR imaging, spirometry, and plethysmography. Ventilation defect percentages (VDPs) at 3He and 129Xe imaging were obtained by using semiautomated segmentation. Apparent diffusion coefficients (ADCs) were calculated from 3He (b=1.6 sec/cm2) and 129Xe (b=12 sec/cm2) diffusion-weighted images. VDPs at hyperpolarized 3He and 129Xe imaging were compared with a two-tailed Wilcoxon signed rank test and analysis of variance; Pearson correlation coefficients were used to evaluate the relationships among measurements. RESULTS 129Xe VDP was significantly greater than 3He VDP for patients with COPD (P<.0001) but not for healthy volunteers (P=.35), although 3He and 129Xe VDPs showed a significant correlation for all subjects (r=0.91, P<.0001). The forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) showed a similar and significant correlation with 3He VDP (r=-0.84, P<.0001) and 129Xe VDP (r=-0.89, P<.0001), although the correlation between the FEV1/forced vital capacity (FVC) ratio and 129Xe VDP (r=-0.95, P<.0001) was significantly greater (P=.01) than that for FEV1/FVC and 3He VDP (r=-0.84, P<.0001). A significant correlation was also observed for 3He and 129Xe ADC (r=0.97, P<.0001); 129Xe ADC was significantly correlated with diffusing capacity of lung for carbon monoxide (r=-0.79, P=.03) and computed tomographic emphysema measurements (areas with attenuation values in the 15th percentile: r=-0.91, P=.0003; relative areas with attenuation values of less than -950 HU: r=0.87, P=.001). CONCLUSION In patients with COPD, the VDP obtained with hyperpolarized 29Xe MR imaging was significantly greater than that with 3He MR imaging, suggesting incomplete or delayed filling of lung regions that may be related to the different properties of 129Xe gas and physiologic and/or anatomic abnormalities in COPD.
Reliability and concurrent validity of bathroom weighing scale and sphygmomanometer in quantifying magnitude of digital postero-anterior spinal pressure.

PURPOSE The main objective of this study was to determine the reliability and concurrent validity of using Modified Sphygmomanometer (sphyg) and body weighing scale to determine the magnitude of pressure and body weight change during digital spinal examination. SUBJECTS One hundred and twenty apparently healthy subjects were recruited. METHODS Weighing scale was used to measure the body weight of the investigator while Mercury sphygmomanometer was used to measure the pressure exerted. There was test re-test interval of 2 weeks. Data were analysed by descriptive statistic and Pearson product moment correlation. RESULTS The result showed that there was significant correlation between the weight change (WC) values obtained on the weighing scale on day 1 and 2 (r=0.91). Also, there was significant correlation between Pressure obtained in the sphygmomanometer on day 1 and 2 (r=0.94). Similarly, there was significant correlation between the WC and Pressure Change (PC), (r=-0.49). The participant's age, height, weight and BMI contributed significantly as predictors for both BWC and PC change respectively. CONCLUSION This study concluded that weighing scale and Mercury sphygmomanometer are reliable and valid to determine the magnitude of pressure applied during DPAP.
Las tecnologías médicas más relevantes de los últimos 25 años según la opinión de médicos generalistas

Objetivos: Identificar las innovaciones medicas mas relevantes de los ultimos 25 anos y conocer su impacto sobre la salud de los pacientes segun la opinion de los medicos generalistas. Metodos: Estudio descriptivo transversal. Se seleccionaron las 30 tecnologias que habian recibido mas citas bibliometricas en los ultimos 25 anos (1977-2002) en revistas medicas generalistas y de atencion primaria. Para la evaluacion de su impacto se encuesto por correo a los responsables medicos de 46 hospitales (entre 100 y 400 camas) y a una muestra aleatoria igual de directores de centros de atencion primaria de Cataluna. Se pidio que valoraran las tecnologias cuya ausencia comportaria los mayores o menores efectos negativos sobre la salud de los pacientes. Se recogieron caracteristicas profesionales y de los centros de los participantes. Resultados: Se obtuvo respuesta de 49 medicos (53%). Las tecnologias diagnosticas y las instrumentales han tenido un mayor impacto sobre la salud, y la ecografia fue la mejor valorada. En el otro extremo, se consideran diversos tratamientos farmacologicos, y los hipoglucemiantes orales fueron los menos valorados. Las valoraciones no fueron muy distintas segun las caracteristicas de los encuestados (r ≥ 0,7), aunque aparecieron algunas diferencias en las tecnologias diagnosticas y se observo cierta variabilidad en las respuestas. Conclusiones: La valoracion del impacto de 30 tecnologias por medicos generalistas es variable, pero parece que las tecnologias diagnosticas e instrumentales a traves de la imagen se valoran mejor que las farmacologicas. Esta variabilidad parece mas relacionada con caracteristicas individuales de los profesionales que con diferencias en sus ambitos de practica.
Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease: Work-Related Disease?

Background: An occupation-related susceptibility of professional singers to experience gastroesophageal reflux has been suggested. Aims: To investigate the prevalence of gastroesophageal reflux symptoms in a series of professional opera choristers, wind players, glassblowers and water polo players in comparison with a sample of general population. Subjects and Methods: A total of 202 professional opera choristers from well-known choirs in different Hungarian regions, 71 professional wind players, 43 glassblowers, 54 water polo players were identified and 115 control subjects were compared prospectively. Reflux symptoms together with selected individual characteristics and lifestyle habits were investigated in study groups through a reflux questionnaire. Results:Professional opera choristers reported a statistically significantly higher prevalence of heartburn, regurgitation and hoarseness than control subjects (p < 0.001). Among professional wind players, heartburn and regurgitation were significantly more frequent compared with controls (p < 0.05 and p < 0.01, respectively). Glassblowers reported a significantly higher prevalence of acid regurgitation in comparison with controls (p < 0.01). The prevalence of reflux symptoms in water polo players was similar to that of controls. In opera choristers, wind players and glassblowers, reflux symptoms appeared to be significantly correlated with the cumulative lifetime duration of professional singing, playing and working activity, respectively (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Our results demonstrate that professional opera choristers, professional wind players and glassblowers have a higher prevalence of reflux symptoms compared with control subjects. Gastroesophageal reflux in these professions should be considered as a work-related disorder that may have an impact on quality of life and may negatively interfere with professional performance.