Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Auditory Deficits in Patients With Mild and Moderate Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome: A Speech Syllable Evoked Auditory Brainstem Response Study

Objectives The energy consumption process of cochlea and neural signal transduction along the auditory pathway are highly dependent on blood oxygen supply. At present, it is under debate on whether the obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) would affect the auditory function since the patients suffer from low oxygen saturation. Moreover, it is difficult to detect the functional state of auditory in less severe stage of OSAS. Recently, speech-evoked auditory brainstem response (speech-ABR) has been reported to be a new electrophysiological tool in characterizing the auditory dysfunction. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the auditory processes in adult patients with mild and moderate OSAS by speech-ABR. Methods An experimental group of 31 patients with mild to moderate OSAS, and a control group without OSAS diagnosed by apnea hypopnea index in polysomnogram were recruited. All participants underwent otologic examinations and tests of pure-tone audiogram, distortion product otoacoustic emissions, click-evoked auditory brainstem response (click-ABR) and speech-ABR, respectively. Results The results of pure-tone audiogram, distortion product otoacoustic emissions, and click-ABR in OSAS group showed no significant differences compared with the control group (P>0.05). Speech-ABRs for OSAS participants and controls showed similar morphological waveforms and typical peak structures. There were significant group differences for the onset and offset transient peaks (P<0.05), where OSAS group had longer latencies for peak V (6.69± 0.33 ms vs. 6.39±0.23 ms), peak C (13.48±0.30 ms vs. 13.31±0.23 ms), and peak O (48.27±0.39 ms vs. 47.60± 0.40 ms) compared to the control group. The latency of these peaks showed significant correlations with apnea hypopnea index for peak V (r=0.37, P=0.040), peak C (r=0.36, P=0.045), as well as peak O (r=0.55, P=0.001). Conclusion These findings indicate that some auditory dysfunctions may be present in patients with mild and moderate OSAS, and the damages were aggravated with the severity of OSAS, which suggests that speech-ABR may be a potential biomarker in the diagnosis and evaluation at early stage of OSAS.
A New Approach in Expanding the Hash Size of MD5

The enhanced MD5 algorithm has been developed by expanding its hash value up to 1280 bits from the original size of 128 bit using XOR and AND operators. Findings revealed that the hash value of the modified algorithm was not cracked or hacked during the experiment and testing using powerful bruteforce, dictionary, cracking tools and rainbow table such as CrackingStation, Hash Cracker, Cain and Abel and Rainbow Crack which are available online thus improved its security level compared to the original MD5. Furthermore, the proposed method could output a hash value with 1280 bits with only 10.9 ms additional execution time from MD5. Keywords: MD5 algorithm, hashing, client-server communication, modified MD5, hacking, bruteforce, rainbow table.
On Deep Neural Networks for Detecting Heart Disease

Heart disease is the leading cause of death, and experts estimate that approximately half of all heart attacks and strokes occur in people who have not been flagged as "at risk. " Thus, there is an urgent need to improve the accuracy of heart disease diagnosis. To this end, we investigate the potential of using data analysis, and in particular the design and use of deep neural networks (DNNs) for detecting heart disease based on routine clinical data. Our main contribution is the design, evaluation, and optimization of DNN architectures of increasing depth for heart disease diagnosis. This work led to the discovery of a novel five layer DNN architecture - named Heart Evaluation for Algorithmic Risk-reduction and Optimization Five (HEARO-5) -- that yields best prediction accuracy. HEARO-5's design employs regularization optimization and automatically deals with missing data and/or data outliers. To evaluate and tune the architectures we use k-way cross-validation as well as Matthews correlation coefficient (MCC) to measure the quality of our classifications. The study is performed on the publicly available Cleveland dataset of medical information, and we are making our developments open source, to further facilitate openness and research on the use of DNNs in medicine. The HEARO-5 architecture, yielding 99% accuracy and 0.98 MCC, significantly outperforms currently published research in the area.
Novel Image Segmentation Using Particle Swarm Optimization

Data clustering and classification technique algorithms often need to possess enough and prominent number of features in the data. Repeating and dominant features are useful in clustering or segmenting the image. The image segmentation method based on k-mean clustering, hierarchical clustering, and expectation maximization derives the optimum cluster centers based on the number of features such as similar intensity region. Deriving such number optimum number of clusters and its centers is an optimization problem. The aim of this paper is to improve the image segmentation using nature inspired techniques. Image segmentation which is complex optimization problem can be solved by this simple nature inspired PSO (Particle swarm optimization) model which is formulated in this paper. PSO model is generic model which is used to solve number of scientific problems. This paper formulates simple PSO model to solve the image segmentation problem. The proposed algorithm randomly assigns the centers to swarm and best value of objective function is initialized best on the color histogram of an image. This is discussed in section 2 and 3 of paper. Section 4 and 5 discusses and results and concluding remarks on results.
Sodium Tanshinone IIA Sulfonate Prevents Angiotensin II-Induced Differentiation of Human Atrial Fibroblasts into Myofibroblasts

Differentiation of atrial fibroblasts into myofibroblasts plays a critical role in atrial fibrosis. Sodium tanshinone IIA sulfonate (DS-201), a water-soluble derivative of tanshinone IIA, has been shown to have potent antifibrotic properties. However, the protective effects of DS-201 on angiotensin II- (Ang II-) induced differentiation of atrial fibroblasts into myofibroblasts remain to be elucidated. In this study, human atrial fibroblasts were stimulated with Ang II in the presence or absence of DS-201. Then, α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), collagen I, and collagen III expression and reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation were measured. The expression of transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) and the downstream signaling of TGF-β1, such as phosphorylation of Smad2/3, were also determined. The results demonstrated that DS-201 significantly prevented Ang II-induced human atrial fibroblast migration and decreased Ang II-induced α-SMA, collagen I, and collagen III expression. Furthermore, increased production of ROS and expression of TGF-β1 stimulated by Ang II were also significantly inhibited by DS-201. Consistent with these results, DS-201 significantly inhibited Ang II-evoked Smad2/3 phosphorylation and periostin expression. These results and the experiments involving N-acetyl cysteine (antioxidant) and an anti-TGF-β1 antibody suggest that DS-201 prevent Ang II-induced differentiation of atrial fibroblasts to myofibroblasts, at least in part, through suppressing oxidative stress and inhibiting the activation of TGF-β1 signaling pathway. All of these data indicate the potential utility of DS-201 for the treatment of cardiac fibrosis.
Psychometric properties of the Chinese Post-traumatic Growth Inventory in patients with chronic diseases.

After exposure to traumatic events, negative outcomes such as anxiety and stress disorders are often reported. However, positive changes, or posttraumatic growth (PTG), have also been increasingly documented1 and can be reflected in self-perception, a changed sense of relationship with others, and a changed philosophy of life.2 The Post-traumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI) has been widely used to measure PTG in five domains: appreciation of life, new possibilities, personal strength, spiritual change, and relating to others.3 Although the reliability of the PTGI has generally been supported, its psychometric properties among Chinese people remain unconfirmed. In a study of mainland Chinese people with skin disease, PTG has been understood as self-growth, new possibilities, and appreciation of life. Nonetheless, in studies of Chinese patients with cancer in Hong Kong and Taiwan, a higher-order model of PTG has been supported.4,5 The PTGI has not been validated in patients with non-cancer chronic conditions in Hong Kong. This study aimed to examine the psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the PTGI (CPTGI) among patients with chronic disease in terms of internal consistency, reliability, concurrent validity, underlying measurement model, and test-retest reliability.
Gordon H. Dixon’s trace in my personal career and the quantic jump experienced in regulatory information

ABSTRACT Even before Rosalin Franklin had discovered the DNA double helix, in her impressive X-ray diffraction image pattern, Erwin Schröedinger, described, in his excellent book, What is Life, how the finding of aperiodic crystals in biological systems surprised him (an aperiodic crystal, which, in my opinion is the material carrier of life). In the 21st century and still far from being able to define life, we are attending to a quick acceleration of knowledge on regulatory information. With the discovery of new codes and punctuation marks, we will greatly increase our understanding in front of an impressive avalanche of genomic sequences. Trifonov et al. defined a genetic code as a widespread DNA sequence pattern that carries a message with an impact on biology. These patterns are largely captured in transcribed messages that give meaning and identity to the particular cells. In this review, I will go through my personal career in and after my years of work in the laboratory of Gordon H. Dixon, extending toward the impressive acquisition of new knowledge on regulatory information and genetic codes provided by remarkable scientists in the field. Abbreviations: CA II: carbonic anhydridase II (chicken); Car2: carbonic anhydridase 2 (mouse); CpG islands: short (>0.5 kb) stretches of DNA with a G+C content ≥55%; DNMT1: DNA methyltransferases 1; DNMT3b: DNA methyltransferases 3B; DSB: double-strand DNA breaks; ERT: endogenous retrotransposon; ERV: endogenous retroviruses; ES cells: embryonic stem cells; GAPDH: glyceraldehide phosphate dehydrogenase; H1: histone H1; HATs: histone acetyltransferases; HDACs: histone deacetylases; H3K4me3: histone 3 trimethylated at lys 4; H3K79me2: histone 3 dimethylated at lys 79; HMG: high mobility group proteins; HMT: histone methyltransferase; HP1: heterochromatin protein 1; HR: homologous recombination; HSE: heat-shock element; ICRs: imprinted control regions; IRF: interferon regulatory factor; LDH-A/-B: lactate dehydrogenase A/B; LTR: long terminal repeats; MeCP2: methyl CpG binding protein 2; OCT4: octamer-binding transcription factor 4; PAF1: RNA Polymerase II associated factor 1; piRNA: PIWI-interacting RNA; poly(A) tails: poly-adenine tails; PRC2: polycomb repressive complex 2; PTMs: post-translational modifications; SIRT 1: sirtuin 1, silent information regulator; STAT3: signal transducer and activator of transcription; tRNAs: transfer RNA; tRFs: tRNA-derived fragments; TSS: transcription start site; TE: transposable elements; UB I: polyubiquitin I; UB II: polyubiquitin II; UBE 2N: ubiquitin conjugating enzyme E2N; 5ʹ-UTR: 5ʹ-untranslated sequences; 3ʹ-UTR: 3ʹ-untranslated sequences.
Personalized adapted locomotor training for an individual with sequelae of West Nile virus infection: a mixed-method case report

ABSTRACT Background West Nile virus (WNV) can have severe consequences, including encephalitis and paralysis. Purpose: To describe the benefits of intensive locomotor training (LT) for an individual with a previous WNV infection resulting in chronic paraplegia. Case Description: The patient, who became a wheelchair user following standard rehabilitation, began LT 3 years post infection. Her goals included standing and walking with an assistive device and transferring independently. The intervention consisted of bodyweight-supported treadmill training and overground training, which involved walking, balancing, strengthening, and transferring activities. Outcomes: Following 5 months of LT, the patient ambulated independently with a walker at a speed = 0.34m/s. She walked 110.1 metres in 6 minutes and increased her Berg Balance Scale score by 17 points. These improvements were either maintained or further increased 3 months post LT. The patient’s perspectives on LT were collected through a semi-structured interview. A conventional content analysis, which uses data to drive themes, revealed three themes: (1) recalibrating goals, (2) outcomes (i.e. physical and psychological benefits, such as a sense of accomplishment), and (3) challenges of LT and effective coping strategies. Conclusions: The patient demonstrated improved balance and walking abilities. Intensive LT was feasible and effective for this individual with chronic paraplegia due to WNV infection.
CoBaR: Confidence-Based Recommender

Neighborhood-based collaborative filtering algorithms usually adopt a fixed neighborhood size for every user or item, although groups of users or items may have different lengths depending on users' preferences. In this paper, we propose an extension to a non-personalized recommender based on confidence intervals and hierarchical clustering to generate groups of users with optimal sizes. The evaluation shows that the proposed technique outperformed the traditional recommender algorithms in four publicly available datasets.
Effect of T'ai Chi Exercise on Hypertension in Young and Middle-Aged In-Service Staff.

OBJECTIVE This study aims to investigate the effect of t'ai chi exercise on hypertension in young and middle-aged in-service staff. METHODS A total of 208 subjects with grade 1 hypertension were enrolled into this study. These subjects were randomly divided into two groups: research group and control group (n = 104, each). On the basis of general daily lifestyle intervention, subjects in the research group underwent 24-Style Simplified t'ai chi exercise for 3 months, whereas subjects in the control group underwent general daily lifestyle intervention. All subjects were followed up at the first and third month of intervention. The body mass index (BMI), blood pressure, blood lipid, and other indexes were measured before and after the intervention, and quality of life was evaluated. RESULTS (1) In the research group, after 1 month of exercise, systolic blood pressure (SBP), heart rate (HR), triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) significantly decreased (p < 0.05), while BMI, blood glucose (Glu), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), and pulse pressure (PP) did not significantly change. Furthermore, after 3 months of exercise, BMI, HR, SBP, DBP, PP, TG, TC, LDL-C, and Glu all significantly decreased (p < 0.05). (2) Moreover, the quality of life of subjects in the research group obviously improved after 3 months of t'ai chi exercise (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS t'ai chi exercise can reduce the level of blood pressure in young and middle-aged in-service staff with grade 1 hypertension, control weight, slow down the HR, improve metabolism, and improve quality of life. t'ai chi is an exercise suitable for in-service hypertension subjects.
Dietary Melatonin Supplementation Could Be a Promising Preventing/Therapeutic Approach for a Variety of Liver Diseases

In the therapeutic strategies, the role of diet is a well-established factor that can also have an important role in liver diseases. Melatonin, identified in animals, has many antioxidant properties and it was after discovered also in plants, named phytomelatonin. These substances have a positive effect during aging and in pathological conditions too. In particular, it is important to underline that the amount of melatonin produced by pineal gland in human decreases during lifetime and its reduction in blood could be related to pathological conditions in which mitochondria and oxidative stress play a pivotal role. Moreover, it has been indicated that melatonin/phytomelatonin containing foods may provide dietary melatonin, so their ingestion through balanced diets could be sufficient to confer health benefits. In this review, the classification of liver diseases and an overview of the most important aspects of melatonin/phytomelatonin, concerning the differences among their synthesis, their presence in foods and their role in health and diseases, are summarized. The findings suggest that melatonin/phytomelatonin supplementation with diet should be considered important in preventing different disease settings, in particular in liver. Currently, more studies are needed to strengthen the potential beneficial effects of melatonin/phytomelatonin in liver diseases and to better clarify the molecular mechanisms of action.
Tetrahymena RIB72A and RIB72B are microtubule inner proteins in the ciliary doublet microtubules

Doublet and triplet microtubules are essential and highly stable core structures of centrioles, basal bodies, cilia and flagella. In contrast to dynamic cytoplasmic microtubules, their luminal surface is coated with regularly arranged Microtubule Inner Proteins (MIPs). However, the protein composition and biological function(s) of MIPs remain poorly understood. Using genetic, biochemical and imaging techniques we identified Tetrahymena RIB72A and RIB72B proteins as ciliary MIPs. Fluorescence imaging of tagged RIB72A and RIB72B showed that both proteins co-localize to Tetrahymena cilia and basal bodies, but assemble independently. Cryo-electron tomography of RIB72A and/or RIB72B knockout strains revealed major structural defects in the ciliary A-tubule involving MIP1, MIP4 and MIP6 structures. The defects of individual mutants were complementary in the double mutant. All mutants had reduced swimming speed and ciliary beat frequencies, and high-speed video imaging revealed abnormal highly curved cilia during power stroke. Our results show that RIB72A and RIB72B are crucial for the structural assembly of ciliary A-tubule MIPs and are important for proper ciliary motility. SUMMARY Microtubule Inner Proteins (MIPs) bind to the luminal surface of highly stable microtubules. Combining cell biology and cryo-electron tomography, Stoddard et al. show that RIB72A and RIB72B are conserved MIPs in ciliary doublet microtubules and that they are important for proper ciliary motility.
Ambidextrous organization and agility in big data era: The role of business process management systems

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the effect of big data analytics-capable business process management systems (BDA-capable BPMS) on ambidextrous organizations’ agility. In particular, how the functionalities of BDA-capable BPMS may improve organizational dynamism and reactiveness to challenges of Big Data era will be explored. Design/methodology/approach A theoretical analysis of the potential of BDA-capable BPMS in increasing organizational agility, with particular attention to the ambidextrous organizations, has been performed. A conceptual framework was subsequently developed. Next, the proposed conceptual framework was applied in a real-world context. Findings The research proposes a framework highlighting the importance of BDA-capable BPMS in increasing ambidextrous organizations’ agility. Moreover, the authors apply the framework to the cases of consumer-goods companies that have included BDA in their processes management. Research limitations/implications The principal limitations are linked to the need to validate quantitatively the proposed framework. Practical implications The value of the proposed framework is related to its potential in helping managers to fully understand and exploit the potentiality of BDA-capable BPMS. Moreover, the implications show some guidelines to ease the implementation of such systems within ambidextrous organizations. Originality/value The research offers a model to interpret the effects of BDA-capable BPMS on ambidextrous organizations’ agility. In this way, the research addresses a significant gap by exploring the importance of information systems for ambidextrous organizations’ agility.
Wnt signaling in human and mouse breast cancer: Focusing on Wnt ligands, receptors and antagonists

Wnt proteins, a group of secreted glycoproteins, mainly combine with receptors Frizzled (FZD) and/or low‐density‐lipoprotein receptor‐related proteins 5/6 (LRP5/6), initiating β‐catenin‐dependent and ‐independent signaling pathways. These pathways, which can be regulated by some secreted antagonists such as secreted Frizzled‐related proteins (SFRP) and dickkopf‐related protein (DKK), play a critical role in embryo development and adult homeostasis. Overactivation of Wnt signaling has been implicated in some human diseases including cancer. Wnt transgenic mice provide convincing evidence that Wnt signaling is involved in breast cancer initiation and progression, which is further strengthened by observations on human clinical breast cancer patients and studies on in vitro cultured human breast cancer cells. This review focuses on the roles of Wnt ligands, receptors and antagonists in breast cancer development instead of molecules or signaling transactivating β‐catenin independent on Wnt upstream components.
Characterizing and Identifying Misexposed Activities in Android Applications

Exported Activity (EA), a kind of activities in Android apps that can be launched by external components, is one of the most important inter-component communication (ICC) mechanisms to realize the interaction and cooperation among multiple apps. Existing works have pointed out that, once exposed, an activity will be vulnerable to malicious ICC attacks, such as permission leakage attack. Unfortunately, it is observed that a considerable number of activities in commercial apps are exposed inadvertently, while few works have studied the necessity and reasonability of such exposure. This work takes the first step to systematically study the exposing behavior of EAs through analyzing 13,873 Android apps. It utilizes the EA associated call relationships extracted from byte-code via data-flow analysis, as well as the launch conditions obtained from the manifest files, to guide the study on the usage and misexposure of EAs. The empirical findings are that the EA mechanism is widely adopted in development and the activities are liable to be misexposed due to the developers' misunderstanding or carelessness. Further study on subsets of apps selected according to different criteria indicates that the misexposed EAs have specific characteristics, which are manually summarized into six typical misuse patterns. As a consequence, ten heuristics are designed to decide whether an activity should be exposed or not and are implemented into an automatic tool called Mist. Experiments on the collected apps show that around one fifth EAs are unnecessarily exposed and there are more than one third EAs whose exposure may not be suggested.