Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
EyePACS: An Adaptable Telemedicine System for Diabetic Retinopathy Screening

Background: Annual retinal screening of patients with diabetes is the standard clinical practice to prevent visual impairment and blindness from diabetic retinopathy. Telemedicine-based diabetic retinopathy screening (DRS) in primary care settings can effectively detect sight-threatening retinopathy and significantly increase compliance with annual retinal exams. EyePACS is a license-free Web-based DRS system designed to simplify the process of image capture, transmission, and review. The system provides a flexible platform for collaboration among clinicians about diabetic retinopathy. Methods: Primary clinic personnel (i.e., nursing, technical, or administrative staff) are trained and certified by the EyePACS program to acquire retinal images from standard digital retinal cameras. Relevant clinical data and eight high-resolution images per patient (two external and six retinal images) are encrypted and transmitted to a secure Internet server, using a standard computer and Web browser. Images are then interpreted by certified EyePACS reviewers or local eye care providers who are certified through the EyePACS Retinopathy Grading System. Reports indicating retinopathy level and referral recommendations are transmitted back to primary care providers through the EyePACS Web site or through interfaces between EyePACS and Health Level 7-compliant electronic medical records or chronic disease registries. Results: The pilot phase of the EyePACS DRS program in California (2005–2006) recorded 3562 encounters. Since 2006, EyePACS has been expanded to over 120 primary care sites throughout California and elsewhere recording over 34,000 DRSs. The overall rate of referral is 8.21% for sight-threatening retinopathy and 7.83% for other conditions (e.g., cataract and glaucoma). Conclusion: The use of license-free Web-based software, standard interfaces, and flexible protocols has allowed primary care providers to adopt retinopathy screening with minimal effort and resources.
JJC Chemical Composition of Essential Oil of Jordanian Scabiosa prolifera at Different Flowering Stages

The essential oil chemical composition of fresh and air-dried aerial parts of the Scabiosa prolifera (Dipsacaceae Family) was analyzed using gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) at both the pre-flowering and flowering stages. Forty nine compounds were identified. In the fresh pre-flowering oil, E-salvene (54.90%), αpicoline (20.98%) and ethyl isovalerate (18.32%) were found to be the main components. In the dried pre-flowering oil, ethyl isovalerate (37.84%), 3,7-dimethyl-1,6-octadiene (9.61%) and myrtenal (7.60%) were the major components. On the other hand, the major constituents identified in the fresh flowering oil were ethyl isovalerate (59.57%), E-salvene (24.78%) and αpicoline (4.43%), whereas the dried flowering oil contained ethyl isovalerate (48.87%) as major component, in addition to α-thujone (8.10%), 3-para-menthene (6.10%), α-picoline (5.86%) and myrtenal (5.17%).
A multiple regression approach to study optical components of myopia in Singapore school children

Purpose: Previous studies on the optical components of childhood myopia adjusted only for age and gender or reported only the change of individual components with time. We perform a study to assess the association of the optical components of the eye contributing to the degree of myopia by building a statistical model which can better assess the individual effects of each optical component.
The bovine papillomavirus distal "enhancer" is not cis essential for transformation or for plasmid maintenance

We constructed a mutant of bovine papillomavirus type 1 (BPV-1) DNA that lacked a transcriptional enhancer located 3' to the polyadenylation site of the early viral RNAs expressed in transformed cells. This mutant DNA, when separated from the procaryotic sequences, transforms mouse cells with an efficiency comparable to that of the full BPV-1 genome, and it exists as a stable multicopy plasmid in transformed cells. The BPV-1 distal enhancer suppresses the effects of a cis-inhibitory element in pML2 sequences but is not essential for the expression of the viral genes involved in cellular transformation or plasmid maintenance.
Effects of Age, Education and Sex on Two Tests of Immediate Memory: A Study of Normal Subjects from 20 to 99 Years of Age

Spatial span (Corsi's block-tapping test) and verbal span (Wechsler Digits Forward) were measured in 1354 normal subjects, aged from 20 to 99 yr. , who were subdivided into seven age groups, into three groups according to education, and according to sex. Analysis of variance showed that the three main factors were significant for the spatial span test, while only age and education were significant for the verbal span test. The two spans examined held well up to the 60s, and only after this age did significant differences appear in the other age groups. On both tests there were significant differences between the groups divided according to education.
Intravitreal Angiogenesis Inhibitors for Choroidal Vascular Conditions Description

Angiogenesis inhibitors (e.g., ranibizumab, bevacizumab, pegaptanib, aflibercept) are being evaluated for the treatment of disorders of choroidal circulation. Ophthalmic disorders affecting the choroidal circulation include age-related macular degeneration (AMD), central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC), pathologic myopia, presumed ocular histoplasmosis syndrome, angioid streaks, idiopathic choroidal neovascularization (CNV), uveitis, choroidal rupture or trauma, and chorioretinal scars.
Duration of a clozapine trial in neuroleptic-resistant schizophrenia.

To the Editor. — Clozapine has been shown to be superior to chlorpromazine and haloperidol in treatment-resistant schizophrenic patients. 1 It has not yet been approved for use in the United States, but it is available in over 100 sites on a compassionate need basis. Well over 500 patients are currently receiving it in this country. The duration of an adequate trial is, therefore, of critical importance. In the study by Kane et al, 1 only 30% of patients had responded within 6 weeks of starting drug therapy. Other studies or commentaries on the use of clozapine in treatment-resistant patients have not addressed this issue. 2-5 We have now administered clozapine on an open basis to 51 schizophrenic patients who are comparable to the group studied by Kane et al. 1,6 Sixteen (31.4%) of the 51 patients responded within 6 weeks with a 20% or more decrease in the
Analysis of missing data with random forests

Random Forests are widely used for data prediction and interpretation purposes. They show many appealing characteristics, such as the ability to deal with high dimensional data, complex interactions and correlations. Furthermore, missing values can easily be processed by the built-in procedure of surrogate splits. However, there is only little knowledge about the properties of recursive partitioning in missing data situations. Therefore, extensive simulation studies and empirical evaluations have been conducted to gain deeper insight. In addition, new methods have been developed to enhance methodology and solve current issues of data interpretation, prediction and variable selection. A variable’s relevance in a Random Forest can be assessed by means of importance measures. Unfortunately, existing methods cannot be applied when the data contain miss- ing values. Thus, one of the most appreciated properties of Random Forests – its ability to handle missing values – gets lost for the computation of such measures. This work presents a new approach that is designed to deal with missing values in an intuitive and straightforward way, yet retains widely appreciated qualities of existing methods. Results indicate that it meets sensible requirements and shows good variable ranking properties. Random Forests provide variable selection that is usually based on importance mea- sures. An extensive review of corresponding literature led to the development of a new approach that is based on a profound theoretical framework and meets important statis- tical properties. A comparison to another eight popular methods showed that it controls the test-wise and family-wise error rate, provides a higher power to distinguish relevant from non-relevant variables and leads to models located among the best performing ones. Alternative ways to handle missing values are the application of imputation methods and complete case analysis. Yet it is unknown to what extent these approaches are able to provide sensible variable rankings and meaningful variable selections. Investigations showed that complete case analysis leads to inaccurate variable selection as it may in- appropriately penalize the importance of fully observed variables. By contrast, the new importance measure decreases for variables with missing values and therefore causes se- lections that accurately reﬂect the information given in actual data situations. Multiple imputation leads to an assessment of a variable’s importance and to selection frequencies that would be expected for data that was completely observed. In several performance evaluations the best prediction accuracy emerged from multiple imputation, closely fol- lowed by the application of surrogate splits. Complete case analysis clearly performed worst.
Approximation Algorithms for Maximum Link Scheduling under SINR-Based Interference Model

A fundamental problem in wireless networks is the maximum link scheduling (MLS) problem. In this problem, interference is a key issue and past researchers have shown that determining reception using Signal-to-Interference plus Noise Ratio (SINR) is more realistic than graph-based interference models. Unfortunately, the MLS problem has been proven to be NP-hard for SINR interference models. To date, several approximation algorithms have been proposed to solve MLS under the SINR-based interference model. However, most of these works do not have either an approximation bound or a distributed version. To this end, we present a novel scheduling method with a constant approximation ratio which is much simpler and only 1/28 of it in past research. The improvement of constant ϕ also offers a better MLS set. In addition, based on our centralized method, we present a polynomial time, randomized, distributed algorithm, which only requires estimates of the number of links, and maximum and minimum link lengths. We prove its correctness and show that it can compute a MLS with time complexity of O ( lo g 2 n ) , where n is an estimate of the number of links.
Slow DoS attacks: definition and categorisation

Denial of service (DoS) attacks evolved and consolidated as severe security threats to network servers, not only for internet service providers but also for governments. Earlier DoS attacks involved high-bandwidth flood-based approaches exploiting vulnerabilities of networking and transport protocol layers. Subsequently, distributed DoS attacks have been introduced amplifying not only the overall attack bandwidth but also the attack source, thus eluding simple counter measures based on source filtering. Current low bit-rate approaches, instead, exploit vulnerabilities of application layer protocols to accomplish DoS or DDoS attacks. Slow DoS attacks like, e.g., slowloris are particularly dangerous because they can bring down a well equipped server using small attacker’s bandwidth, hence they can effectively run on low performance hosts, such as routers, game consoles, or mobile phones. In this paper, we study slow DoS attacks, analysing in detail the current threats and presenting a proper definition and categorisation for such attacks. Hopefully, our work will provide a useful framework for the study of this field, for the analysis of network vulnerabilities, and for the proposal of innovative intrusion detection methodologies.
Prevalence of Depression in Patients With Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Importance Depression is common in individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and may confer a higher likelihood of progression to dementia. Prevalence estimates of depression in those with MCI are required to guide both clinical decisions and public health policy, but published results are variable and lack precision. Objective To provide a precise estimate of the prevalence of depression in individuals with MCI and identify reasons for heterogeneity in the reported results. Data Sources A search of literature from database inception to March 2016 was performed using Medline, Embase, and PsycINFO. Hand searching of all included articles was performed, including a Google Scholar search of citations of included articles. Study Selection Articles were included if they (1) were published in English, (2) reported patients with MCI as a primary study group, (3) reported depression or depressive symptoms using a validated instrument, and (4) reported the prevalence of depression in patients with MCI. Data Extraction and Synthesis All abstracts, full-text articles, and other sources were reviewed, with data extracted in duplicate. The overall prevalence of depression in patients with MCI was pooled using a random-effects model. Heterogeneity was explored using stratification and random-effects meta-regression. Main Outcomes and Measures The prevalence of depression in patients with MCI, reported as a percentage with 95% CIs. Estimates were also stratified by population source (community-based or clinic-based sample), method of depression diagnosis (clinician-administered, informant-based, or self-report), and method of MCI diagnosis (cognitive vs global measure and amnestic vs nonamnestic). Results Of 5687 unique abstracts, 255 were selected for full-text review, and 57 studies, representing 20 892 patients, met all inclusion criteria. The overall pooled prevalence of depression in patients with MCI was 32% (95% CI, 27-37), with significant heterogeneity between estimates (I2 = 90.7%). When stratified by source, the prevalence of depression in patients with MCI in community-based samples was 25% (95% CI, 19-30) and was 40% (95% CI, 32-48) in clinic-based samples, which was significantly different (P < .001). The method used to diagnose depression did not significantly influence the prevalence estimate, nor did the criteria used for MCI diagnosis or MCI subtype. Conclusions and Relevance The prevalence of depression in patients with MCI is high. A contributor to heterogeneity in the reported literature is the source of the sample, with greater depression burden prevalent in clinic-based samples.
Lung inhomogeneity in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome.

RATIONALE Pressures and volumes needed to induce ventilator-induced lung injury in healthy lungs are far greater than those applied in diseased lungs. A possible explanation may be the presence of local inhomogeneities acting as pressure multipliers (stress raisers). OBJECTIVES To quantify lung inhomogeneities in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). METHODS Retrospective quantitative analysis of CT scan images of 148 patients with ARDS and 100 control subjects. An ideally homogeneous lung would have the same expansion in all regions; lung expansion was measured by CT scan as gas/tissue ratio and lung inhomogeneities were measured as lung regions with lower gas/tissue ratio than their neighboring lung regions. We defined as the extent of lung inhomogeneities the fraction of the lung showing an inflation ratio greater than 95th percentile of the control group (1.61). MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS The extent of lung inhomogeneities increased with the severity of ARDS (14 ± 5, 18 ± 8, and 23 ± 10% of lung volume in mild, moderate, and severe ARDS; P < 0.001) and correlated with the physiologic dead space (r(2) = 0.34; P < 0.0001). The application of positive end-expiratory pressure reduced the extent of lung inhomogeneities from 18 ± 8 to 12 ± 7% (P < 0.0001) going from 5 to 45 cm H2O airway pressure. Lung inhomogeneities were greater in nonsurvivor patients than in survivor patients (20 ± 9 vs. 17 ± 7% of lung volume; P = 0.01) and were the only CT scan variable independently associated with mortality at backward logistic regression. CONCLUSIONS Lung inhomogeneities are associated with overall disease severity and mortality. Increasing the airway pressures decreased but did not abolish the extent of lung inhomogeneities.
[Influence of inhaled corticosteroids on distribution of throat flora in children with bronchial asthma].

OBJECTIVE To explore the effects of inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) on the distribution of throat flora in children with bronchial asthma. METHODS Sixty healthy children were included in the study as the control group and 160 children with asthma in acute period before ICS therapy were chosen as the experimental group. The experimental group were treated with ICS therapy. In this group, 89 children were followed up for 3 months, 68 for 6 months and 60 for 12 months. The ICS in the study was budesonide with the trade name as Pulmicort. Swab from the pharynx was used, then inoculated in agar plate. The bacteria were isolated, the distribution and variation of the microbial population in pharyngeal portion were evaluated. The data collected were analyzed using SPSS12.0 software. RESULTS Bacteria could be detected in all samples collected from children with asthma in acute, untreated period, which were mainly non-β-hemolytic streptococcus and gram negative cocci bacteria. Gram negative bacilli, streptococcus pneumoniae and mycetes were less. There were no significant differences (χ(2) value were 4.7441, 7.8582 and 1.5583 respectively, Fisher exact value were 0.0699, 0.6398, 0.2433, 0.8580, 0.6616, 0.6339, and 0.8479 respectively, P > 0.05) among children with asthma in acute period, children with asthma treated with ICS after 3, 6 and 12 months and control group. Three strains of mycetes were detected in the experimental group, and one strain in children with asthma treated with ICS for 6 months group. CONCLUSIONS There were no significant changes in the distribution of throat flora between the control group and the experimental group. The throat microbiology did not show significant change. Inhaled corticosteroids had no obvious effect in throat flora in children with asthma after being used for a short term and for 12 months, which suggested that inhaled corticosteroids was safe in bronchial asthma treatment. Dynamic monitoring of throat flora while the inhaled corticosteroids are used is of clinical significance.
Crowbar Resistance Setting and its Influence on DFIG low voltage Ride through

Doubly-fed induction generator (DFIG) often adopts a crowbar protective circuit to realize low-voltage ride through (LVRT) under low-voltage fault of the grid. Crowbar resistance will aﬀect the LVRT eﬀect of the unit signiﬁcantly. Time domain expression of transient current of the wind turbine generator system under the voltage drop fault and the calculation formula of fault current at the rotor side were deduced through space vector analysis and Laplace transformation based on the transient mathematical model of the DFIG system under voltage drop. A crowbar resistance adjustment method conforming to engineering practices was proposed, which overcame the overcurrent at the rotor side and overvoltage of the DC bus after the crowbar protective circuit is applied. The case study and the simulation test demonstrated that the proposed method inhibits the transient fault current component eﬀectively and can increase the automation level of the DFIG system.
Dynamics of Neuronal Circuits in Addiction: Reward, Antireward, and Emotional Memory

Drug addiction is conceptualized as chronic, relapsing compulsive use of drugs with significant dysregulation of brain hedonic systems. Compulsive drug use is accompanied by decreased function of brain substrates for drug positive reinforcement and recruitment of brain substrates mediating the negative reinforcement of motivational withdrawal. The neural substrates for motivational withdrawal ("dark side" of addiction) involve recruitment of elements of the extended amygdala and the brain stress systems, including corticotropin-releasing factor and norepinephrine. These changes, combined with decreased reward function, are hypothesized to persist in the form of an allostatic state that forms a powerful motivational background for relapse. Relapse also involves a key role for the basolateral amygdala in mediating the motivational effects of stimuli previously paired with drug seeking and drug motivational withdrawal. The basolateral amygdala has a key role in mediating emotional memories in general. The hypothesis argued here is that brain stress systems activated by the motivational consequences of drug withdrawal can not only form the basis for negative reinforcement that drives drug seeking, but also potentiate associative mechanisms that perpetuate the emotional state and help drive the allostatic state of addiction.
Fate of neuron–glia synapses during proliferation and differentiation of NG2 cells

Progenitor cells expressing proteoglycan NG2 (also known as oligodendrocyte precursor cells or polydendrocytes) are widespread in the grey and white matter of the CNS; they comprise 8–9% of the total cell population in adult white matter, and 2–3% of total cells in adult grey matter. NG2 cells have a complex stellate morphology, with highly branched processes that may extend more than 100 μm around the cell body. NG2 cells express a complex set of voltage‐gated channels, AMPA/kainate and/or γ‐aminobutyric acid (GABA)A receptors, and receive glutamatergic and/or GABAergic synaptic input from neurons. In every region of the brain NG2 cells are found as proliferative cells, and the fraction of actively cycling NG2 cells is quite high in young as well as in adult animals. During development NG2 cells either differentiate into myelinating oligodendrocytes (and possibly also few astrocytes and neurons) or persist in the brain parenchyma as NG2 cells. This review highlights new findings related to the morphological and electrophysiological changes of NG2 cells, and the fate of synaptic input between neurons and NG2 cells during proliferation and differentiation of these cells in the neonatal and adult nervous system of rodents.
Effect of pH on Intracellular Accumulation of Trace Concentrations of Hg(II) in Escherichia coli under Anaerobic Conditions, as Measured Using a mer-lux Bioreporter

ABSTRACT The effects of pH on the uptake and accumulation of Hg(II) by Escherichia coli were determined at trace, environmentally relevant, concentrations of Hg and under anaerobic conditions. Hg(II) accumulation was measured using inducible light production from E. coli HMS174 harboring a mer-lux bioreporter plasmid (pRB28). The effect of pH on the toxicity of higher concentrations of Hg(II) was measured using a constitutive lux plasmid (pRB27) in the same bacterial host. In this study, intracellular accumulation and toxicity of Hg(II) under anaerobic conditions were both significantly enhanced with decreasing pH over the pH range of 8 to 5. The pH effect on Hg(II) accumulation was most pronounced at pHs of <6, which substantially enhanced the Hg(II)-dependent light response. This enhanced response did not appear to be due to pH stress, as similar results were obtained whether cells were grown at the same pH as the assay or at a different pH. The enhanced accumulation of Hg(II) was also not related to differences in the chemical speciation of Hg(II) in the external medium resulting from the changes in pH. Experiments with Cd(II), also detectable by the mer-lux bioreporter system, showed that Cd(II) accumulation responded differently to pH changes than the net accumulation of Hg(II). Potential implications of these findings for our understanding of bacterial accumulation of Hg(II) under anaerobic conditions and for bacteria-mediated cycling of Hg(II) in aquatic ecosystems are discussed. Arguments are provided suggesting that this differential accumulation is due to changes in uptake of mercury.