Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Property testing: current research and surveys

Editor's Introduction. - A Brief Introduction to Property Testing. - The Program of the Mini-Workshop. - Surveys. - Limitation on the Rate of Families of Locally Testable Codes. - Testing Juntas. - Sublinear-time Algorithms. - Short Locally Testable Codes and Proofs: A Survey in Two Parts. - Introduction to Testing Graph Properties. - Property Testing of Massively Parameterized Problems. - Sublinear Graph Approximation Algorithms. - Transitive-Closure Spanners. - Testing by Implicit Learning. - Invariance in Property Testing. - Extended Abstracts. - Testing Monotone Continuous Distributions on High-Dimensional Real Cubes. - On Constant Time Approximation of Parameters of Bounded Degree Graphs. - Sublinear Algorithms in the External Memory Model. - Polylogarithmic Approximation for Edit Distance and the Asymmetric Query Complexity. - Comparing the Strength of Query Types in Property Testing: The Case of Testing k-Colorability. - Testing Linear-Invariant Non-linear Properties: A Short Report. - Optimal Testing of Reed-Muller Codes. - Query-Efficient Dictatorship Testing with Perfect Completeness. - Composition of Low-Error 2-Query PCPs Using Decodable PCPs. - Hierarchy Theorems for Property Testing. - Algorithmic Aspects of Property Testing in the Dense Graphs Model. - Testing Euclidean Spanners. - Symmetric LDPCCodes and Local Testing. - Some Recent Results on Local Testing of Sparse Linear Codes. - Testing (Subclasses of) Halfspaces. - Dynamic Approximate Vertex Cover and Maximum Matching. - Local Property Reconstruction and Monotonicity. - Green's Conjecture and Testing Linear Invariant Properties.
Perimenstrual symptoms: prevalence and risk factors.

&NA; This article provides an overview of information on the prevalence of perimenstrual symptoms. Overall, at least 40% of women experience some cyclical perimenstrual symptoms. Although most women rate their symptoms as mild, approximately 2%‐10% report severe symptoms. Prospective studies of perimenstrual symptoms indicate that retrospective reports are reasonably accurate among women who experience moderate to severe symptoms. However, among the majority of women with few or minimal symptoms, retrospective reports may amplify the cyclicity of variation in comparison to concurrent reports. A variety of risk factors are associated with patterns of symptom reporting and may provide clues to the etiology of perimenstrual symptoms and help to identify women most vulnerable to them. A woman's age and cycle characteristics are predictors of the type and severity of perimenstrual symptoms she experiences. In addition, a history of affective illness may be associated with increased reporting of perimenstrual symptoms. Future research should focus on developing new diagnostic criteria for subtypes of perimenstrual syndromes, exploring positive symptoms and experiences associated with the menstrual cycle, and formulating holistic treatment approaches that view perimenstrual syndromes as psychosomatic conditions.
Anti tumor activity of stachydrine by inhibiting histone diacetylase enzyme in gastric cancer

Present investigation evaluates the anti tumor activity of stachydrine by inhibiting histone diacetylase enzyme in gastric cancer. Gastric cancer was induced by chronic administration of 1-Methyl-3-nitro-1- nitrosoguanidine (MNNG) for 40 weeks. Thereafter rats were treated with stachydrine (5 and 10 mg/kg, IP) for 8 week. Antitumor activity was assessed at the end of protocol by estimating lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) concentration in the serum and Cell cycle, apoptosis ratio, HDAC activity, expression of acetylated H3&4 proteins, markers of oxidative stress [superoxide dismutase (SOD) & glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px)], cytokines and histopathological study of gastrointestinal tissues was also done in MNNG induced gastric cancerous rats. There were significantly (p<0.01) decreases the concentration of LDH in serum of stachydrine treated rats compared to MNNG induced gastric cancerous rats. It was observed that alteration in the cell cycle and apoptosis in the gastrointestinal tissues with the stachydrine treatment compared to cancerous rats. Moreover, activity of HDAC, markers of oxidative stress and level of cytokine significantly (p<0.01) decreases in the gastrointestinal tissues of stachydrine treated rats compared MNNG induced gastric cancerous rats. Histopathology of gastric tissue suggested that stachydrine treatment reverse the hyperplasia, metaplasia in MNNG induced gastric cancerous rat. Present study concludes that stachydrine ameliorates the gastric cancer induced MNNG in rats on the virtue of its HDAC inhibition activity.
Comparison of computerized exercise ECG parameters in detecting myocardial ischemia

The exercise ECG test is the most widely used method of evaluating myocardial ischemia, but its diagnostic accuracy is only about 70 %. Many studies introducing different diagnostic computerized exercise ECG parameters have been published, but according to the authors' knowledge there is no overall comparison of these parameters. We calculated 52 exercise ECG parameters from the ST-segment value, ST-segment shape and ST-segment/heart rate slope and compared the diagnostic power of these parameters by ROC-analysis. We found that ST-segment/heart rate slope has better diagnostic power than ST-segment depression or ST-segment shape alone. Another result was that the ST-segment shape seemed to be better diagnostic parameter than ST-segment depression when measuring an individual lead. However, further research with larger patient material is needed to get statistically significant differences between the parameters.
Genetic Evidence for an Evolutionarily Conserved Role of IL-7 Signaling in T Cell Development of Zebrafish

In mammals, the cytokine IL-7 is a key regulator of various aspects of lymphocyte differentiation and homeostasis. Because of the difficulty of identifying cytokine homologs in lower vertebrates and the paucity of assay systems and reagents, the degree of functional conservation of cytokine signaling pathways, particularly those pertaining to lymphocyte development, is unclear. In this article, we report on the analysis and characterization of three zebrafish mutants with severely impaired thymopoiesis. The identification of affected genes by positional cloning revealed components of the IL-7 signaling pathway. A presumptive null allele of the zebrafish homolog of the IL-7Rα–chain causes substantially reduced cellularity of the thymus but spares B cell development in the kidney. Likewise, nonsense mutations in the zebrafish homologs of janus kinases JAK1 and JAK3 preferentially affect T cell development. The functional interactions of the cytokine receptor components were examined in the three groups of fish hetero- or homozygous for either il7r and jak1, il7r and jak3, or jak1 and jak3 mutations. The differential effects on T cell development arising from the different genotypes could be explained on the basis of the known structure of the mammalian IL-7R complex. Because IL-7 signaling appears to be a universal requirement for T cell development in vertebrates, the mutants described in this article represent alternative animal models of human immunodeficiency syndromes amenable to large-scale genetic and chemical screens.
Enhancing oscillator strength for second harmonic generation in AlGaAs/InGaAs quantum cascade lasers

This paper explores tunable oscillator strength and nonlinear susceptibility in strained quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) that lead to frequency mixing within a GaAs matrix. The study involves a QCL cavity design with emission near the 3. 8µm range, a region within the atmospheric water transparency window that is useful for various sensing applications. A self-consistent Schrodinger-Poisson solver was employed to analyze the effects of strain within an AlGaAs/InGaAs active region between AlGaAs/GaAs injectors on a [111] GaAs matrix for the purpose of enhancing nonlinear susceptibility. A neural network simulator was employed to model the influence of indium composition in the active region based on oscillator strength. Results from neural network modeling highlight critical regions within the design space where the oscillator strength is maximized. Results demonstrate the feasibility of strained AlGaAs/InGaAs devices on GaAs for producing higher order harmonics that lay below the 4-µm spectral limit.
Bowel wall thickening in children: differentiation with US.

PURPOSE To determine whether vascular, ischemic, and inflammatory causes of bowel wall thickening in children can be differentiated at gray-scale and color Doppler ultrasonography (US). MATERIALS AND METHODS Thirty-seven children with acute bowel disease underwent graded compression US. Findings of bowel wall thickness, wall echotexture, location of bowel involvement, and presence of color Doppler flow were evaluated. Diagnoses were classified as inflammation (n = 25), vasculitis (n = 7), or ischemia (n = 5) and were confirmed with findings from colonoscopy and biopsy, stool culture analysis, surgery, and cutaneous biopsy, and with a combination of clinical and laboratory data. RESULTS Patient age (P = .0022), bowel wall thickness (P = .0001), and color Doppler flow (P = .0013) were statistically significantly related to disease type. Wall thickening and absence of visible color Doppler flow suggested ischemia. Older patient age and visible color Doppler flow suggested inflammation, whereas younger patient age and visible color flow suggested vasculitis. Difference in location of bowel disease in patients with ischemic versus those with vascular wall thickening was statistically significant (P = .0185). No difference was found between disease type and wall stratification. CONCLUSION Gray-scale and color Doppler flow US can aid in differentiating ischemic, vascular, and inflammatory bowel wall thickening.
Impact of Race/Ethnicity and Socioeconomic Status on Risk-Adjusted Readmission Rates

Under the Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program (HRRP) of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), hospitals with excess readmissions for select conditions and procedures are penalized. However, readmission rates are not risk adjusted for socioeconomic status (SES) or race/ethnicity. We examined how adding SES and race/ethnicity to the CMS risk-adjustment algorithm would affect hospitals’ excess readmission ratios and potential penalties under the HRRP. For each HRRP measure, we compared excess readmission ratios with and without SES and race/ethnicity included in the CMS standard risk-adjustment algorithm and estimated the resulting effects on overall penalties across a number of hospital characteristics. For the 5 HRRP measures (heart failure, acute myocardial infarction, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, pneumonia, and total hip or knee arthroplasty), we used data from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project’s State Inpatient Databases for 2011-2012 to calculate the excess readmission ratio with and without SES and race/ethnicity included in the model. With these ratios, we estimated the impact on HRRP penalties and found that risk adjusting for SES and race/ethnicity would affect Medicare payments for 83.8% of hospitals. The effect on the size of HRRP penalties ranged from −14.4% to 25.6%, but the impact on overall Medicare base payments was small—ranging from −0.09% to 0.06%. Including SES and race/ethnicity in the calculation had a disproportionately favorable effect on safety-net and rural hospitals. Any financial effects on hospitals and on the Medicare program of adding SES and race/ethnicity to the HRRP risk-adjustment calculation likely would be small.
LNA for Biomedical Applications

LNA, which stands for low noise amplifier, as the name suggests, is used for amplifying weak and very low power signals. LNA is an important part of transceiver system. It is the fundamental building block of communication systems. LNA is used in industrial, scientific and medical bands (ISM). Radios, cellular telephones, GPS receiver, and satellite communication, etc. employ LNA. In this paper, we have discussed about various topologies of LNA and their mode of implementation in biomedical applications. Biomedical applications involve the use of LNA in neural applications, biosensors, ECG applications, etc. Comparison of the different topologies in terms of power consumption, chip area and mode of implementation has
Extracellular Matrix Molecules Improve Periodontal Ligament Cell Adhesion to Anorganic Bone Matrix

Bone replacement graft (BRG) materials are used in periodontal therapy to encourage new bone formation. Extracellular matrix proteins may improve periodontal ligament fibroblast (PDLF) attachment to these materials. We demonstrate that PDLFs adhere well to the extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins fibronectin, vitronectin, laminin, and collagen types I and IV. PDLFs express numerous ECM-receptor integrin subunit transcripts (α1, a2, a3, a4, a5, α11, (31, β5, and (38) at high levels, while others (a6, a9, aV, β3, (36, and β7) are expressed at reduced levels. Despite the fact that PDLFs adhere well to fibronectin and collagen type IV bound to plastic, and express integrins that recognize these ECM proteins, they do not attach well to anorganic bovine bone matrix (ABM) coated with these same proteins. However, the addition of vitronectin, laminin, or collagen type I to these same ABMs substantially increased PDL cell attachment. Thus, selective use of ECM proteins may be clinically useful in promoting cell attachment to ABM and bone regrowth. Abbreviations: extracellular matrix (ECM), periodontal ligament (PDL), bone replacement graft (BRG), anorganic bovine bone matrix (ABM), reverse transcriptase polymerase chain-reaction (RT-PCR).
The 1992–1993 Excavations at the Die Kelders Middle and Later Stone Age Cave Site, South Africa

AbstractRenewed excavations at Die Kelders Cave 1, South Africa, have confirmed and augmented prior findings. The new excavations focused on the Middle Stone Age (MSA) deposits, but they added seeds, pips, and crayfish to the categories of Later Stone Age (LSA) food debris and artifacts recovered earlier. With respect to the MSA deposits, the principal new findings are: 1) previously unrecognized site formation processes ,including phosphatization by guano, microfaults, and slippage faces, and numerous minor interruptions in sand accumulation that correspond to Short occupation episodes; 2) ESR dates that place the top of the MSA sequence between 80,000 and 60,000 years b.p.; 3) fine-grained rock types, flake-blade sizes and other features that suggest the top of the sequence contains either the Howieson's Poort or a similar silcrete-rich variant of the MSA; 4) a pattern of artifact and bone abundance in newly recognized microstrati-graphic units that suggests that eagle owls (rather than people) accumula.
Grating-cavity continuous-wave optical parametric oscillators for high-resolution mid-infrared spectroscopy.

The use of grating as a spectral filter provides a simple way of improving wavelength tuning and stability of continuous-wave optical parametric oscillators (cw OPOs). In this paper, we discuss how to design and use such grating-cavity cw OPOs for high-resolution spectroscopy in the molecular fingerprint region at ∼3μm. The first design presented in the paper is based on a metal-coated diffraction grating, which produces fast and broad wavelength tuning and high wavelength stability. The second design uses a bulk Bragg grating for high optical power and good spectral purity. We report a new Bragg-grating OPO and demonstrate its use in a Doppler-free absorption spectroscopy of CH4 at ∼3. 22μm. In addition, we describe a new balanced detection scheme, which can be used to improve the signal-to-noise ratio of absorption measurements if the measurement noise is limited by the intensity noise of the mid-infrared OPO.
Efficacy and safety of early dexmedetomidine during noninvasive ventilation for patients with acute respiratory failure: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot study.

BACKGROUND Successful application of noninvasive ventilation (NIV) for acute respiratory failure (ARF) requires patient cooperation and comfort. The efficacy and safety of early IV dexmedetomidine when added to protocolized, as-needed IV midazolam and fentanyl remain unclear. METHODS Adults with ARF and within 8 h of starting NIV were randomized to receive IV dexmedetomidine (0.2 μg/kg/h titrated every 30 min to 0.7 μg/kg/h to maintain a Sedation-Agitation Scale [SAS] score of 3 to 4) or placebo in a double-blind fashion up to 72 h, until NIV was stopped for ≥ 2 h, or until intubation. Patients with agitation (SAS ≥ 5) or pain (visual analog scale ≥ 5 of 10 cm) 15 min after each dexmedetomidine and placebo increase could receive IV midazolam 0.5 to 1.0 mg or IV fentanyl 25 to 50 μg, respectively, at a minimum interval of every 3 h. RESULTS The dexmedetomidine (n = 16) and placebo (n = 17) groups were similar at baseline. Use of early dexmedetomidine did not improve NIV tolerance (score, 1 of 4; OR, 1.44; 95% CI, 0.44-4.70; P = .54) nor, vs. placebo, led to a greater median (interquartile range) percent time either tolerating NIV (99% [61%-100%] vs. 67% [40%-100%], P = .56) or remaining at the desired sedation level (SAS score = 3 or 4, 100% [86%-100%] vs. 100% [100%-100%], P = .28], or fewer intubations (P = .79). Although use of dexmedetomidine was associated with a greater duration of NIV vs placebo (37 [16-72] vs. 12 [4-22] h, P = .03), the total ventilation duration (NIV + invasive) was similar (3.3 [2-4] days vs. 3.8 [2-5] days, P = .52). More patients receiving dexmedetomidine had one or more episodes of deep sedation vs placebo (SAS ≤ 2, 25% vs. 0%, P = .04). Use of midazolam (P = .40) and episodes of either severe bradycardia (heart rate ≤ 50 beats/min, P = .18) or hypotension (systolic BP ≤ 90 mm Hg, P = .64) were similar. CONCLUSIONS Initiating dexmedetomidine soon after NIV initiation in patients with ARF neither improves NIV tolerance nor helps to maintain sedation at a desired goal. Randomized, multicenter trials targeting patients with initial intolerance are needed to further elucidate the role for dexmedetomidine in this population.
Pranayam for Treatment of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: Results From a Randomized, Controlled Trial.

CONTEXT Existing medications for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) do not modify the long-term decline in lung functions. The increasing prevalence of COPD requires the development of interventions beyond the usual medical treatment, with a specific focus on rehabilitation. Controlled breathing (pranayam) is a specific set of respiratory exercises within yoga that has been shown to improve the resting respiratory rate, vital capacity, maximum voluntary ventilation, breath-holding time, and maximal inspiratory and expiratory pressures. OBJECTIVE In this study, pranayam was analyzed as an adjunct treatment for medically stable individuals with moderate to severe COPD. DESIGN The research team carried out a case control study. SETTING This study took place at a tertiary care institution, with the participation of the departments of Physiology, Yoga and Naturopathy, and Pulmonary Medicine at Pandit Bhagwat Dayal Sharma Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences in Rohtak, Haryana, India. PARTICIPANTS Participants were 50 medically stable individuals with moderate to severe COPD. INTERVENTION Twenty-five participants in the intervention arm (IA) were trained to practice pranayam for 30 min 2 ×/d and also received the usual medical treatment. The control group also included 25 participants, and they received the usual medical treatment only, without pranayam. OUTCOME MEASURES The COPD assessment test (CAT) score and the body-mass index, obstruction, dyspnea, exercise (BODE) capacity index were assessed at baseline and at 3 mo. The results were expressed using standard statistical methods. RESULTS For the IA, a significant improvement occurred in the CAT score (21.2 ± 2.6-17.4 ± 2.5, P < .001) and in the impact level, which moved from high (>20) to medium (10-20) after 3 mo of practicing pranayam. The control arm (CA) showed no significant improvement in the CAT score (21.6 ± 2.7-21.4 ± 2.7). Although the IA showed a significant improvement in a 6-min walk test (6MWT) when compared to the CA, (1) the IA's forced expiratory volume in 1 sec (FEV1), which is a measure of airflow that is commonly impaired in COPD patients and which is associated with poor functional status, showed no significant improvements, and (2) the IA's BODE capacity index showed no significant improvements. CONCLUSION The current study shows that pranayam has been demonstrated as useful for individuals with moderate to severe COPD. Significant improvements in the IA's CAT scores after 3 mo of practice suggests that pranayam can improve the subjective experience of health, disease severity, and functional status for COPD patients, without much improvement in FEV1 actually occurring and with airflow limitation not fully reversible but usually progressive. The research team concluded that pranayam is a useful adjunct treatment and can be an effective rehabilitation program for individuals with COPD.
Factors Associated With Glucose and Insulin Levels in Healthy Postmenopausal Women

OBJECTIVE Little is known about the covariates of hyperglycemia and hyperinsulinemia. We examined candidate factors in postmenopausal women. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS We determined the cross-sectional associations of sociodemographic, body-size, lifestyle, reproductive, and menopausal factors with pretrial fasting and postchallenge glucose and insulin levels in 869 postmenopausal women aged 45-65 years. Women were participants in the Postmenopausal Estrogen/Progestin Interventions study who were not taking estrogen or insulin. RESULTS Plasma glucose levels increased significantly with age; serum insulin levels did not. BMI and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) each showed graded positive and independent associations with glucose and insulin levels. Alcohol intake, cigarette smoking, physical activity, parity, education, and income were also associated with insulin or glucose in age-adjusted models. In multivariable models, BMI and WHR explained 18% of the variability in fasting glucose, 16% in postchallenge glucose, 28% in fasting insulin, and 17% in postchallenge insulin. Age and all other factors combined accounted for <6% of the variance in glucose or insulin. In multiply adjusted models, African-American and Hispanic women had higher fasting and 2-h insulin levels than non-Hispanic white women. CONCLUSIONS Most of the variance in glycemia and insulin is unexplained. Measures of obesity and fat distribution account for nearly all the explained variance.
A Data Set of Human Endogenous Protein Ubiquitination Sites*

Lysine ubiquitination is an important and versatile protein post-translational modification. Numerous cellular functions are regulated by ubiquitination, suggesting that extensive numbers of proteins, if not all, are modified with ubiquitin at certain times. However, proteome-wide profiling of ubiquitination sites in the mammalian system is technically challenging. We report the design and characterization of an engineered protein affinity reagent for the isolation of ubiquitinated proteins and the identification of ubiquitination sites with mass spectrometry. This recombinant protein consists of four tandem repeats of ubiquitin-associated domain from UBQLN1 fused to a GST tag. We used this GST-qUBA reagent to isolate polyubiquitinated proteins and identified 294 endogenous ubiquitination sites on 223 proteins from human 293T cells without proteasome inhibitors or overexpression of ubiquitin. Mitochondrial proteins constitute 14.7% of this data set, implicating ubiquitination in a wide range of mitochondrial functions.