Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Invasive Aspergillosis in Patients with Hematologic Malignancies

Invasive aspergillosis is an increasingly common and often fatal opportunistic fungal infection in patients with hematologic malignancies. Prolonged and profound neutropenia remains a key risk factor for the development of invasive aspergillosis. However, qualitative deficiencies in host immune responses resulting from prolonged corticosteroid therapy, graft‐versus‐host disease, and cytomegalovirus infection are important risk factors for the recurrence and progression of Aspergillus infections after bone marrow recovery. Early diagnosis of invasive aspergillosis remains a challenge, and few tools are available for monitoring its course once the diagnosis is established. Even with the recent introduction of new antifungal therapies, mortality in patients with invasive aspergillosis remains high, and uniformly effective prophylaxis or preemptive therapeutic strategies are lacking. Strategies such as combination antifungal therapy and immunotherapy often are used as first‐line treatment approaches in patients with documented invasive aspergillosis despite a paucity of clinical trial data. Recent advances in our understanding of the epidemiology, pathogenesis, and treatment of invasive aspergillosis in patients with hematologic malignancies are reviewed. The problems and controversies associated with defining optimal treatment strategies for invasive aspergillosis in this heavily immunocompromised population are highlighted.
Edge detection in ultrasonic images using Gabor filters

An integration method of speckle suppression and edge detection in ultrasonic images using Gabor filters is presented. In this approach, the logarithm is firstly applied to the ultrasonic images in order to convert the multiplicative noise into the additive noise case. The wavelet based denoising is adopted in order to remove the speckle noise in ultrasonic images. Next, the inverse wavelet transform is computed and applied the inverse logarithm. In the edge detection process, the wavelet transform using Gabor filters is applied using the third and fourth scales. The wavelet transform coefficients of the edges candidate are combined using the alternative to product with shift method where the shifting edge locations through multiple scales are considered for robust edge detection in the presence of noise. Finally, the nonmaxima suppression is used to get the final result. The result reveals that the proposed method leads to a useful method for edge detection in ultrasonic images. Also, the method is general and can be applied to other images.
Intravenous immunoglobulin may lessen all forms of infection in patients receiving allogeneic bone marrow transplantation for acute lymphoblastic leukemia: a pediatric oncology group study.

Fifty patients with refractory acute lymphoblastic leukemia underwent allogeneic bone marrow transplantation after conditioning with high-dose cytosine arabinoside and fractionated total body irradiation. Twenty-nine received intravenous immunoglobulin (i.v.Ig) infusion, primarily to prevent cytomegalovirus infection, and 21 did not. The two groups were biologically comparable. Seven (24.5%) of the i.v. Ig-treated and 14 (66.7%) of the non-i.v. Ig-treated patients developed systemic viral, fungal or bacterial infections and/or interstitial pneumonitis (p less than 0.005), which were fatal in three and 12 cases respectively (p less than 0.001). Currently, 23 (79.3%) of the 29 i.v. Ig-treated and eight (38.1%) of the 21 non-i.v. Ig-treated patients are alive and well (p less than 0.01). We conclude that prophylactic i.v. Ig infusions may reduce the frequency of all forms of serious infection in patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia undergoing allogeneic marrow transplantation, and thereby improve their survival expectation.
Chronic lung disease of prematurity and intrauterine growth retardation: a population-based study.

OBJECTIVE To determine the risk of chronic lung disease (CLD) in small for gestational age (SGA) preterm infants in comparison to appropriately grown and large for gestational age (LGA) infants. METHODS Observational study derived from a geographically defined population (Trent Health Region, United Kingdom). All preterm infants of <or=32 completed weeks' gestation born to Trent resident mothers admitted to neonatal units between 1995 and 1999 (inclusive) were included. Birth weight percentiles were created for the whole population, and infants were classified as SGA infants (if <10th percentile), appropriately grown (if between 25th and 75th percentiles-reference group), and LGA infants (if >or=90th centile). Both mortality and CLD rates (using both 28 days' and 36 weeks' postmenstrual age [PMA] definitions) were determined for these groups of infants. RESULTS Four thousand fifty-one preterm infants <or=32 weeks' gestation were identified. SGA infants showed higher mortality before 28 days' postnatal age and 36 weeks' PMA as compared with reference group infants (odds ratio [OR]: 2.01, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.49-2.72; and OR: 2.00, 95% CI: 1.49-2.69), respectively. SGA infants showed a significantly greater risk of developing CLD, both at 28 days' and 36 weeks' PMA as compared with the reference group infants (OR: 1.34, 95% CI: 1.03-1.74; and OR: 1.87, 95% CI: 1.39-2.51), respectively. LGA infants showed a trend toward a reduced incidence of CLD in comparison to the reference group, which was statistically significant for the 36 weeks' definition (OR: 0.76-28 weeks, 95% CI: 0.57-1.01; and OR: 0.55-36 weeks, 95% CI: 0.37-0.81). CONCLUSIONS Fetal growth seems to influence mortality in general and morbidity, attributable to CLD, in particular in preterm infants. SGA preterm infants are at higher risk of death before 28 days' and 36 weeks' PMA and CLD by both definitions. LGA infants show reduced risk of CLD.
Good business practice needs good communications-new generation chat software for real-time discussion

Whilst the email and newsgroups have long been recognised as commercially useful tools, chatroom technology has generally been regarded as a somewhat frivolous application. Chatrooms however may serve a variety of useful commercial and educational as well as recreational purposes. Each context of use, however, has its own requirements. Consequently, there is a need for the design of generic software for chatroom generation which is readily configurable to the requirements of a context and which is also extensible. The design requirements of such a system are discussed and a novel generic system, ChatterBox, implemented in Java, is presented.
Expression and Characterization of a Minimal Hepatitis C Virus Glycoprotein E2 Core Domain That Retains CD81 Binding

ABSTRACT The hepatitis C virus glycoprotein E2 receptor-binding domain is encompassed by amino acids 384 to 661 (E2661) and contains two hypervariable sequences, HVR1 and HVR2. E2 sequence comparisons revealed a third variable region, located between residues 570 and 580, that varies widely between genotypes, designated here as igVR, the intergenotypic variable region. A secreted E2661 glycoprotein with simultaneous deletions of the three variable sequences retained its ability to bind CD81 and conformation-dependent monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) and displayed enhanced binding to a neutralizing MAb directed to E2 immunogenic domain B. Our data provide insights into the E2 structure by suggesting that the three variable regions reside outside a conserved E2 core.
Milk Fatty Acids Predicted by Mid-infrared Spectroscopy in Mixed Dairy Herds

Summary Over the last years, healthy food has gained interest among consumers, especially with regard to the fat content of livestock products which has been associated to the risk of cardiovascular diseases. Individual milk samples (n = 12,624) of 2,977 Holstein-Friesian (HF), Brown Swiss (BS) and Simmental (SI) cows from 39 multibreed herds were analyzed for fat content, protein content, casein content and somatic cell count using mid-infrared spectroscopy (MIRS). Daily milk yield was also recorded. Groups of fatty acids (FA), expressed as percentage of milk fat, were predicted by MIRS: they were saturated (SFA), unsaturated (UFA), monounsaturated (MUFA) and polyunsaturated (PUFA) FA. Data were analyzed with a linear mixed model including the fi xed eff ects of month of sampling, parity, days in milk (DIM), herd, breed, and interactions between parity and breed, and DIM and breed. Th e random eff ects were cow nested within breed and residual. Milk of HF cows exhibited the lowest percentage of SFA (70.45%) and the highest of UFA (31.20%), and milk of SI cows was intermediate between that of HF and BS breeds for all groups of FA. Th e values of groups of FA across DIM were similar for the diff erent breeds. Results from this study indicate that, under similar environmental and management conditions, milk of HF exhibits better FA profi le than milk of BS and SI.
Resistive switching in copper oxide nanowire-based memristor

A copper oxide nanowire (CuO NW) based memristor is designed for the non-volatile random access memories (NVRAM) and the resistive memory effect based transducers. The devices are prototyped using a copper oxide and cuprous oxide (CuO-Cu2O) hetero-junction formed from as-grown CuO NWs. We report an experimental investigation of using electron beam irradiation in fabricating such devices. Experiments have been performed using nanorobotic manipulation inside a transmission electron microscope. Because the memristor is conducted as a dynamical resistor, the bipolar resistive switching (BRS) behaviors of the as-fabricated device demonstrated typical ones of memristors. Furthermore, the as-fabricated nanowire memristor is sensitive to the electron bombardment. The irradiation ratio of NWs and the memristor effect are co-related, which is promising for the application in a transducer. The CuO NW based memristor will enrich the binary transition oxide family and holds a simpler design than the traditional thin-film version. Owing to these advantages, the CuO nanowire based memristors will facilitate their applications in nanoelectronic and potentially in micro-/nano-electromechanical systems (MEMS/NEMS).
Epstein–Barr Virus‐Associated Genital Ulcers: An Under‐recognized Disorder

Abstract: Infectious mononucleosis is the best‐known syndrome associated with primary Epstein–Barr virus infection. Although a variety of cutaneous and mucosal manifestations are recognized in infectious mononucleosis, genital ulcers have only rarely been described. We describe an otherwise healthy 14‐year‐old girl in whom painful genital ulcers developed during an episode of serologically‐confirmed primary Epstein–Barr virus infection. Clinical, serologic, and histopathologic evaluation failed to disclose evidence of any other etiologic explanation for her lesions. The patient remains well, without recurrence. To date, only 13 instances of genital ulceration in females attributable to Epstein–Barr virus infection have been reported.
Predictive accuracy of the SCORE risk function for cardiovascular disease in clinical practice: a prospective evaluation of 44 649 Austrian men and women

Background In 2003, a new risk function for cardiovascular risk in clinical practice was developed by the SCORE project group. The aim of this paper was to evaluate the predictive accuracy of the SCORE in a large Austrian population. Design A prospective, multicentre, longitudinal linkage project. Methods Using the ‘SCORE risk function for low-risk regions', we calculated the risk of death from cardiovascular and coronary heart disease events over a 10-year period for 44 649 participants aged 40-65 years in the Vorarlberg Health Monitoring and Promotion Programme (VHM&PP). The predicted risks were compared with the 95% confidence intervals (CI) of the observed events. Results We observed a total of 487 deaths (1.1%; 95% CI 1.0-1.2) for all cardiovascular disease within 10 years, 371 (1.8%; 95% CI 1.6-2.0) in men and 116 (0.5%; 95% CI 0.4-0.6) in women. The SCORE function overestimated cardiovascular mortality and predicted 666 (1.5%) events, 444 (2.2%) in men and 222 (0.9%) in women. Receiver operating characteristics analyses revealed area under the curve values of 0.76 (95% CI 0.74-0.79) for men and 0.78 (95% CI 0.74-0.82) for women. Multivariable analyses showed that obesity (in men only) increased levels of glucose, gamma-glutamyl transferase, triglycerides (in women only), and blue-collar job status (in women only) significantly contributed to the SCORE as additional independent risk factors. Conclusion Although the SCORE overpredicted the mortality pattern in the cohort as a whole, its predictive ability at the individual level still demonstrates a potentially widespread utility in clinical practice.
UNBALANCED KARYOTYPE IN A HUMAN FOETUS DUE TO A RECURRENT FAMILIAL TRANSLOCATION

Couples with multiple miscarriages are at risk for carrying a balanced translocation since they may produce unbalanced gametes. Chromosomal imbalances may lead to spontaneous abortions, or an offspring with multiple congenital anomalies. This report emphasizes the importance of the cytogenetic investigations in couples with recurrent spontaneous abortions. A couple was referred for cytogenetic prenatal testing because of a history of recurrent miscarriages and due to the fact that after an ultrasound examination the foetal heart rate was not perceived and the suspicion that the pregnancy stopped growing was raised. Chromosome studies of the chorionic villi from the foetus revealed a karyotype with deletion of the terminal region of chromosome 11. Analysis of the chromosomes of the couple revealed the presence of a chromosomal rearrangement, a balanced translocation (10;11) for the mother, while the father had a normal karyotype. Further investigation of the family from the mother side revealed the same balanced translocation for her mother and her brother. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) using telomere probes for the short arm of chromosome 10 and the long arm of chromosome 11 was performed to better characterize the balanced state in the mother. This helped delineate the 46,XX,der(11)(11pter→11q21::10p14→10pter) karyotype of the foetus. This paper confirms that a chromosomal abnormality carried by one of the parents is likely to be associated with a high rate of spontaneous abortion. The diagnosis of the chromosomal balanced translocation of the genitors has significant implications for management and options in this family. Chorionic villi sampling should be offered to women who present with first-trimester spontaneous abortions and it is the most reliable method of determining the karyotype of spontaneously aborted foetuses.
The incidence of SUDEP

Objective: To identify all cases of sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) among people in Sweden during 1 year and to determine the SUDEP incidence in relation to age, sex, and psychiatric comorbidity. Methods: We included all individuals with a hospital-based ambulatory care or hospital discharge diagnosis of epilepsy in the Swedish National Patient Registry during 1998–2005 who were alive on January 1, 2008. Deaths during 2008 were identified by linkage to the National Cause of Death Registry. Death certificates, medical charts, and police and autopsy reports were extensively reviewed to identify SUDEP cases. Results: Of 57,775 epilepsy patients alive on January 1, 2008, 1,890 died (3.3%) during 2008. Of these, 99 met the Annegers SUDEP criteria (49 definite, 19 probable, and 31 possible). SUDEP accounted for 5.2% of all deaths and 36% of deaths in the 0–15 years age group. The incidence of definite/probable SUDEP was 1.20/1,000 person-years, and higher in men (1.41) than in women (0.96). All SUDEP cases <16 years were in boys. SUDEP incidence at ages <16, 16–50, and >50 years was 1.11, 1.13, and 1.29, respectively, per 1,000 person-years. The incidence was 5-fold increased among female patients with psychiatric comorbidities compared to those without. Epilepsy was mentioned on the death certificate in only 62 of the 99 (63%) SUDEP cases. Conclusions: Methods relying on death certificates underestimate SUDEP incidence. SUDEP risk has been underestimated especially in boys and in older people regardless of sex. Patients with psychiatric comorbidities, women in particular, are at increased SUDEP risk.
Colonialism and Migration in the Ancient Mediterranean

People and their material culture have moved across the Mediterranean since early prehistory. By the early first millennium BC, a crucial change occurred when people began to establish permanent settlements overseas and migrated in substantial numbers. This review focuses on the critical centuries of the Iron Age to examine how thinking about colonialism and migration in the Mediterranean has changed in recent decades. Because Mediterranean and Classical archaeology have always paid more attention to the colonial settlements founded than to the people who migrated, this review begins with an examination of colonial terminology to assess its conceptual roots and the influences of modern colonialism and nationalism. This leads to a discussion of approaches to migration and colonialism in recent decades and consideration of present postcolonial views of colonial situations and (material) culture. The review concludes with a brief survey of potential connections between migration studies and Mediterranean col.
Characterization of data retention faults in DRAM devices

Dynamic random access memory (DRAM) is the most widely used type of memory in the consumer market today, and it is still widely used for mass memories for space application. Even though accurate tests are performed by vendors to ensure high reliability, DRAM errors continue to be a common source of failures in the field. Recent large-scale studies reported how most of the errors experienced by DRAM subsystem are due to faults repeating on the same memory address but occurring only under specific condition. As these failures could be related to the memory cell's ability to retain its stored charge, an empirical characterization of DRAM data retention time was performed within this study. Retention time information was collected from SDRAM devices from two different vendors to evaluate the impact of four different factors (temperature, data background, previous charge level and variable retention time) on DRAM cells retention time. Gathered results can be useful in defining enhanced test procedures for the early detection of data retention faults.
Cured meat intake is associated with worsening asthma symptoms

Background Cured meat intake—a recent carcinogenic factor—may increase the risk of COPD, but its association with asthma remains unknown. Though body mass index (BMI) is a likely risk factor for asthma, its role in the diet–asthma association as a mediator has never been studied. We investigated the association between cured meat intake and worsening asthma symptoms in adults, and the role of BMI as a potential mediator. Methods Using data from the French prospective EGEA study (baseline: 2003–2007; follow-up: 2011–2013), we applied a mediation analysis in the counterfactual framework, a marginal structural model (MSM), to estimate the direct effect of baseline cured meat intake (<1, 1–3.9, ≥4 servings/week) on change in asthma symptom score (worsening or not), and the indirect effect mediated by BMI. Results Among the 971 participants (mean age 43 years; 49% men; 42% with asthma), 20% reported worsening asthma symptoms during the mean follow-up time of 7 years. Using the MSM, we reported a positive direct effect of cured meat intake on worsening asthma symptoms (multivariable OR=1.76, 95% CI 1.01 to 3.06 for ≥4 vs <1 serving/week). We also reported an indirect effect mediated by BMI (OR=1.07; 95% CI 1.01 to 1.14), accounting for 14% of the total effect. Conclusions Higher cured meat intake was associated with worsening asthma symptoms over time, through a direct effect and to a lesser extent an effect mediated by BMI. This research extends the effect of diet on asthma in adults.
Risk factors and global cognitive status related to brain arteriolosclerosis in elderly individuals

Risk factors and cognitive sequelae of brain arteriolosclerosis pathology are not fully understood. To address this, we used multimodal data from the National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center and Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative data sets. Previous studies showed evidence of distinct neurodegenerative disease outcomes and clinical-pathological correlations in the “oldest-old” compared to younger cohorts. Therefore, using the National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center data set, we analyzed clinical and neuropathological data from two groups according to ages at death: < 80 years (n = 1008) and ≥80 years (n = 1382). In both age groups, severe brain arteriolosclerosis was associated with worse performances on global cognition tests. Hypertension (but not diabetes) was a brain arteriolosclerosis risk factor in the younger group. In the ≥ 80 years age at death group, an ABCC9 gene variant (rs704180), previously associated with aging-related hippocampal sclerosis, was also associated with brain arteriolosclerosis. A post-hoc arterial spin labeling neuroimaging experiment indicated that ABCC9 genotype is associated with cerebral blood flow impairment; in a convenience sample from Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (n = 15, homozygous individuals), non-risk genotype carriers showed higher global cerebral blood flow compared to risk genotype carriers. We conclude that brain arteriolosclerosis is associated with altered cognitive status and a novel vascular genetic risk factor.
Semantic Representations of Word Senses and Concepts

Representing the semantics of linguistic items in a machine interpretable form has been a major goal of Natural Language Processing since its earliest days. Among the range of different linguistic items, words have attracted the most research attention. However, word representations have an important limitation: they conflate different meanings of a word into a single vector. Representations of word senses have the potential to overcome this inherent limitation. Indeed, the representation of individual word senses and concepts has recently gained in popularity with several experimental results showing that a considerable performance improvement can be achieved across different NLP applications upon moving from word level to the deeper sense and concept levels. Another interesting point regarding the representation of concepts and word senses is that these models can be seamlessly applied to other linguistic items, such as words, phrases, sentences, etc. This tutorial will first provide a brief overview of the recent literature concerning word representation (both count based and neural network based). It will then describe the advantages of moving from the word level to the deeper level of word senses and concepts, providing an extensive review of state of the art systems. Approaches covered will not only include those which draw upon knowledge resources such as WordNet, Wikipedia, BabelNet or FreeBase as reference, but also the so called multi prototype approaches which learn sense distinctions by using different clustering techniques. Our tutorial will discuss the advantages and potential limitations of all approaches, showing their most successful applications to date. We will conclude by presenting current open problems and lines of future work.