Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Identification of factor inhibitors by diagnostic haemostasis laboratories

Summary We have assessed the proficiency of diagnostic haemostasis facilities to correctly identify coagulation factor abnormalities and inhibitors. Forty-two laboratories participating in the external Quality Assurance Program (QAP) conducted by the RCPA agreed to participate and were each sent a set of eight sample (each 3x1ml) for evaluation. They were asked to blind test these samples for the presence or absence of inhibitors, and wher identified, to perform further analysis (including specific inhibitor analysis). In order to make the exercise more challenging, in addition to true factor inhibitors, samples were provided that reflected potential pre-analytical variables that might arise and complicate inhibitor detection or lead to false inhibitor identification. In brief, the sample set comprised a true high level factor (F)V inhibitor, a true moderate level FVIII inhibitor (but sample was defibrinogenated),a true lupus anticoagulant (LA),a normal (but slightly aged) plasma sample, a normal serum sample, a normal EDTA sample, an oral anticoagulant/vitamin K deficiency sample, and a gross heparin (∼10U/ml) contaminated sample. Sixty-three percent of participants correctly identified the true FV inhibitor as such, although the reported range varied greatly [10 to >250 Bethesda units (BU/ml)] and 46% correctly identi fied the true FVIII inhibitor, despite the complication of the sample presentation, although the reported range also varied (7 to 64 BU/ml). Some laboratories either failed to identify the inhibitor present, or misidentified the inhibitor type. The LA, the oral anticoagulant/vitamin K deficiency, the normal serum sample, and the normal (aged) sample were also correctly identified by most laboratories, as was the absence of specific factor inhibitors in these samples. However, a small subset of laboratories incorrectly identified the presence of specific factor inhibitors in some of these samples. The heparin sample was also correctly identified by most (68%) laboratories. In contrast, the normal EDTA sample was misidentified as a FV and/or FVIII inhibitor by most (68%) laboratories, and only one laboratory correctly identified this as an EDTA sample. Thus, we conclude that although laboratories are able, in most cases, to identify the presence of true factor inhibitors, there is a large variation in identified inhibitor levels and there are also some significant errors in identification (i.e. false negatives and misidentifications). In addition, there is a significant false positive error rate where some laboratories will identify the presence of specific factor inhibitors where no such inhibitor exists (i.e. false positives).
Examining Visual Saliency Prediction in Naturalistic Scenes Conference

Given the significant number of potential applications, visual saliency has increasingly become an area of interest in image and vision research. Many different strategies for predicting visual saliency have been proposed, that differ in their composition or rationale, and with a significant focus on improving performance across standard benchmarks. Recent benchmarks considering a large number of algorithms have further provided an understanding of the behavior of different algorithms. Performance evaluation has primarily focused on indoor and outdoor images of urban environments, many of which are composed, and contain salient objects. In this work, we test the performance of a number of the better performing algorithms on data derived from naturalistic scenes. In addition, given the strong connection to human vision, we test a putative model for early visual processing in primates tied to spectral energy and normalization. Results demonstrate significant differences between common datasets, and natural images. Performance analysis of the second-order contrast model also provides additional insight concerning the role of spectral energy in determining saliency. Finally we include analysis that demonstrates statistical properties of images that tend to imply common gaze patterns across observers.
Toxicity of Zanthoxylum piperitum and Zanthoxylum armatum Oil Constituents and Related Compounds to Stomoxys calcitrans (Diptera: Muscidae)

ABSTRACT Zanthoxylum plants (Rutaceae) have drawn attention because they contain insecticidal principles against insects. An assessment was made of the insecticidal and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitory activities of Zanthoxylum piperitum steam distillate and Zanthoxylum armatum seed oil, their 28 constituents, and eight structurally related compounds against female stable fly, Stomoxys calcitrans (L.). Results were compared with those of two organophosphorus insecticides chlorpyrifos and dichlorvos. Potent fumigant toxicity was observed with cuminaldehyde, thymol, (1S)-(-)-verbenone, (-)-myrtenal, carvacrol, (S)-(Z)-verbenol, Zanthoxylum piperitum steam distillate, cuminyl alcohol, Zanthoxylum armatum seed oil, piperitone, (-)-(Z)-myrtanol, and citronellal (LC50, 0.075–0.456 µg/cm3). However, they were five orders of magnitude less toxic than either chlorpyrifos or dichlorvos. An in vitro bioassay using female fly heads indicates that strong AChE inhibition was produced by citronellyl acetate, &agr;-pinene, thymol, carvacrol, and &agr;-terpineol (1.20–2.73 mM), but no direct correlation between fly toxicity and AChE inhibition by the test compounds was observed. Structure-activity relationships indicate that structural characteristics, such as carbon skeleton, degrees of saturation and types of functional groups, and vapor pressure parameter, appear to play a role in determining toxicities of the test monoterpenoids to stable flies. Global efforts to reduce the level of highly toxic synthetic insecticides in the agricultural environment justify further studies on Z. piperitum and Z. armatum oil-derived materials as potential insecticides for the control of stable fly populations.
Time post‐lung transplant correlates with increasing peripheral blood T cell granzyme B and proinflammatory cytokines

Immunosuppression therapy following lung transplant fails to prevent chronic rejection/bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome, which we have shown is associated with lack of suppression of peripheral blood T cell granzyme B, interferon (IFN)‐γ and tumour necrosis factor (TNF)‐α. We hypothesized that these proinflammatory mediators may increase with time post‐transplant in otherwise stable patients before clinical signs of declining lung function, and patients experiencing declining lung function would show a further increase in these mediators. Intracellular cytokine profiles and granzyme B were investigated in T cells in whole blood and airways from lung transplant patients using flow cytometry. There was a significant negative correlation between forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1), drug dose and time post‐transplant. A significant correlation between increased granzyme B, IFN‐γ, interleukin (IL)‐2 and TNF‐α and time post‐transplant was noted in peripheral blood T cells but not lung T cells from stable patients. Patients with similar drug dose but experiencing declining FEV1 showed a further increase in peripheral blood T cell IFN‐γ, IL‐2 and TNF‐α. Time post‐lung transplant correlates with increasing peripheral blood T cell granzyme B and proinflammatory cytokines. Declining FEV1 is associated with a further increase in these proinflammatory mediators. Drugs that reduce these inflammatory mediators effectively may reduce the incidence of chronic graft rejection.
A Harmonic Suppression Antenna using T-shaped Wide Slot

This paper proposes a T-shaped wide slot harmonic suppression antenna at the frequency of 4 GHz. Harmonic suppression is achieved by using a narrow microstrip-line-fed and a grounded T shaped conductor line. The return losses and radiation patterns of the antenna at fundamental and harmonic frequencies are measured and compared with those of the conventional T-shaped slot antenna.
Determinants of pulmonary artery hypertension at rest and during exercise in patients with heart failure.

AIMS Pulmonary hypertension, a marker of poor prognosis in heart failure, may develop or increase during exercise. We sought to examine the determinants of pulmonary hypertension at rest and during exercise in heart failure patients. METHODS AND RESULTS Forty-six patients with left ventricular (LV) dysfunction (ejection fraction: 30 +/- 6%) underwent a semi-recumbent, incremental bicycle exercise Doppler echocardiography. LV systolic and diastolic function, pulmonary artery systolic pressure (PASP), functional mitral regurgitation (MR), and left atrial volume were quantified at rest and during exercise. Wide changes in PASP at exercise were unrelated to PASP at rest (r = 0.12). Independent predictors of PASP at rest were left atrial volume (P = 0.006), E-wave velocity (P = 0.02), mitral tenting area (P = 0.005), and mitral effective regurgitant orifice (ERO) (P = 0.02). The incidence of dyspnoea was similar in patients with and without moderately severe pulmonary hypertension at baseline. At peak exercise, LV ejection fraction (P = 0.03) and mitral ERO (P = 0.008) were independently associated with PASP. Patients with a larger exercise increase in PASP (>60 mmHg) interrupted frequently exercise for dyspnoea (70 vs. 27%; P = 0.04). A larger rise in mitral regurgitant volume during exercise emerged as the single determinant of exercise-induced increases in PASP. CONCLUSION In patients with HF, left atrial volume, mitral deformation, and mitral regurgitant orifice correlated with pulmonary pressure at rest, whereas dynamic MR and limited contractile reserve correlated with pulmonary pressure at exercise. The magnitude of pulmonary pressure during exercise in these patients mainly depends on dynamic MR.
Embedding {0, }-Cuts in a Branch-and-Cut Framework: A Computational Study

Embedding cuts into a branch-and-cut framework is a delicate task, especially when a large set of cuts is available. In this paper we describe a separation heuristic for {0, ½} cuts, a special case of Chvatal-Gomory cuts, that tends to produce many violated inequalities within relatively short time. We report computational results on a large testbed of integer linear programming (ILP) instances of combinatorial problems including satisfiability, max-satisfiability, and linear ordering problems, showing that a careful cut-selection strategy produces a considerable speedup with respect to the cases in which either the separation heuristic is not used at all, or all of the cuts it produces are added to the LP relaxation.
Nucleotide sequence analysis of the Leptospira biflexa serovar patoc rpsL and rpsG genes

The Leptospira biflexa rpsL and rpsG genes were sequenced. Although similar in many respects, proteins encoded by these L. biflexa genes had several unusual features when compared with homologous proteins of other organisms. Unlike the rpsL genes of other eubacteria, the L. biflexa rpsL gene is adjacent to a rpoC-like gene.
Low cost high performance microcontroller based semiconductor device tester

This paper deals with design and implementation of a versatile tester system for diode, bipolar junction transistor (BJT), and junction field effect transistor (JFET). The basic building blocks for this tester design include PIC 18F452 microcontroller, analog multiplexer/demultiplexer 74HC4052, and Liquid Crystal Display (LCD). The tester system discussed in this paper provide accurate identification of semiconductor device under test (Diode, BJT, JFET), types of bipolar transistor (NPN, PNP), types of junction field effect transistor (N channel JFET, P channel JFET). The proposed system also detects leads of diode, bipolar junction transistor (BJT), and junction field effect transistor (JFET). Apart from this the tester also measures various parameters of above mentioned semiconductor devices such as forward voltage (VF) and forward current (IF) for diode, current gain (HFE) for BJT, saturation current with the gate shorted to the source (IDSS) for JFET. All measurement and test results are clearly represented on LCD. Low power consumption, simple hardware, user friendly design and compact size are salient features of this semiconductor device tester.
Some information on reproduction and embryonic development of the lesser guitarfish Zapteryx brevirostris in Southern Brazil

Individuals of Zapteryx brevirostris were caught from August 2003 to September 2004 using bottom trawl nets in a bay located in Southern Brazil. Total length ranged from 42.8 to 47.3 cm in males and 44.1 to 52.2 cm in females. Females with early developing embryos were captured in August 2003 and September 2004, suggesting that gestation occurs mainly in the spring. Length-weight relationship of the 45 embryos was alometric, and embryos' total length did not reach the estimated newborn length. The data suggested that the studied area is used by Z. brevirostris during the gestation period.
X-ray attenuation properties of carbon nanotubes filled composite materials

Aim of the work is the characterization of carbon nanotubes filled composite material in terms of radiation shielding capability. The evaluation of both linear and mass attenuation coefficient in low energy (up to 30keV) X-ray range for different carbon-based polymeric composites is presented. The preliminary results show the intriguing capability provided by composites realized by including few weight percentages (<;2%) of carbon nanotubes within a commercial epoxy matrix, thus suggesting the effective possibility to employ such materials for both structural and radiation shielding applications.
Deep Investment Behavior Profiling by Recurrent Neural Network in P2P Lending

Peer to peer marketplaces, as a type of online micro loan markets, provide a huge amount of transactional data for micro loan marketing analysis. Prior work primarily studies factors that reflect listings’ quality or affect lenders’ decision in a collective level; whereas what discriminative characters that an individual investor possesses and how individuals’ investment behaviors change over time are less studied. To investigate these issues, this article conducts a new study from the individual investor level, namely investment behavior profiling. In particular, we first design a uniform and information-comprehensive feature representation to profile an individual ’s investment behavior at a certain time slot, which includes various types of attributes from the perspectives of investor, borrower, listing, investor-borrower relationship, and exterior factors. On the basis of the profile representation, we employ the deep recurrent neural network (RNN) techniques to capture and model individual investors’ long and short term time-varying behavior characteristics. By using the trained RNN profiling model, an investor’s future investment behavior profile can be predicted based on his/her historical behaviors (i.e., investment profiles in previous time slots). Some preliminary experiments verify that the RNN based investment behavior profiling can outperform the state-of-the-art time series prediction approaches.
Hypothalamo‐preoptic Histaminergic Projections in Sleep‐Wake Control in the Cat

Cats were chronically implanted with electrodes for polygraphic recordings and cannulae for intracerebral microinjections in order to study the functional role of histaminergic innervation of the preoptic‐anterior hypothalamus in sleep‐wake control. α‐Fluoromethylhistidine (αFMH, 50 μg in 1 μl), a specific inhibitor of the histamine‐synthesizing enzyme, when injected bilaterally into the preoptic area, where numerous histaminergic fibres and terminal‐like structures are present, caused a significant increase in deep slow wave sleep (S2) and paradoxical sleep (PS) and a decrease in wakefulness. In contrast, microinjections of histamine (5 or 30 μg in 1 μl) in the same area dose‐relatedly increased wakefulness and decreased both slow wave sleep and paradoxical sleep. The effects of histamine were reduced by pretreatment with mepyramine (1 mg/kg i. p.), a well known histamine H1 receptor antagonist, and were mimicked by a local injection of impromidine (1 μg in 1 μl), a potent histamine H2 receptor agonist. Microinjections of mepyramine alone (120 μg in 1 μl) caused an increase in slow wave sleep. These results suggest that preoptic histaminergic innervation is involved in sleep‐wake control and that the action might be mediated via both H1 and H2 receptors.
Neuroimaging biomarkers for Parkinson disease: Facts and fantasy

In this grand rounds, we focus on development, validation, and application of neuroimaging biomarkers for Parkinson disease (PD). We cover whether such biomarkers can be used to identify presymptomatic individuals (probably yes), provide a measure of PD severity (in a limited fashion, but frequently done poorly), investigate pathophysiology of parkinsonian disorders (yes, if done carefully), play a role in differential diagnosis of parkinsonism (not well), and investigate pathology underlying cognitive impairment (yes, in conjunction with postmortem data). Along the way, we clarify several issues about definitions of biomarkers and surrogate endpoints. The goal of this lecture is to provide a basis for interpreting current literature and newly proposed clinical tools in PD. In the end, one should be able to critically distinguish fact from fantasy. Ann Neurol 2014;76:769–783
Fibrinopeptide A (FPA) levels in atrial fibrillation and the effects of heparin administration.

It has been reported that a patient with atrial fibrillation (AF) is in the hypercoagulable state and that this state results in a high incidence of systemic thromboembolisms. In this paper, we have investigated plasma fibrinopeptide A (FPA) levels and the effects of subcutaneous administration of heparin on these levels in patients with AF. Forty-five patients with hypertension (HT) or mitral stenosis (MS) were classified into four groups according to whether they had AF complications; i.e. HT with normal sinus rhythm (NSR), HT with AF, MS with NSR and MS with AF. Patients with AF demonstrated significantly higher plasma FPA levels and lower plasma antithrombin III (AT III) activities than those with NSR. When low dose heparin was administered to patients with AF, plasma FPA levels were decreased to the near normal range, accompanied by an increase in heparin-AT III complex activity and heparin concentration 0.5-1.0 h after injection. These levels were maintained for 5 h. From these results it was concluded that patients with AF were in the hypercoagulable state and that the measurement of plasma FPA levels provided a possibility to detect the underlying activation of blood coagulation.
Cardiovascular pre-participation screening of young competitive athletes for prevention of sudden death: proposal for a common European protocol.

The 1996 American Heart Association consensus panel recommendations stated that pre-participation cardiovascular screening for young competitive athletes is justifiable and compelling on ethical, legal, and medical grounds. The present article represents the consensus statement of the Study Group on Sports Cardiology of the Working Group on Cardiac Rehabilitation and Exercise Physiology and the Working Group on Myocardial and Pericardial diseases of the European Society of Cardiology, which comprises cardiovascular specialists and other physicians from different European countries with extensive clinical experience with young competitive athletes, as well as with pathological substrates of sudden death. The document takes note of the 25-year Italian experience on systematic pre-participation screening of competitive athletes and focuses on relevant issues, mostly regarding the relative risk, causes, and prevalence of sudden death in athletes; the efficacy, feasibility, and cost-effectiveness of population-based pre-participation cardiovascular screening; the key role of 12-lead ECG for identification of cardiovascular diseases such as cardiomyopathies and channelopathies at risk of sudden death during sports; and the potential of preventing fatal events. The main purpose of the consensus document is to reinforce the principle of the need for pre-participation medical clearance of all young athletes involved in organized sports programmes, on the basis of (i) the proven efficacy of systematic screening by 12-lead ECG (in addition to history and physical examination) to identify hypertrophic cardiomyopathy—the leading cause of sports-related sudden death—and to prevent athletic field fatalities; (ii) the potential screening ability in detecting other lethal cardiovascular diseases presenting with ECG abnormalities. The consensus document recommends the implementation of a common European screening protocol essentially based on 12-lead ECG.
A Proteomic Analysis of Lysosomal Integral Membrane Proteins Reveals the Diverse Composition of the Organelle*S

Lysosomes are endocytic subcellular compartments that contribute to the degradation and recycling of cellular material. Using highly purified rat liver tritosomes (Triton WR1339-filled lysosomes) and an ion exchange chromatography/LC-tandem MS-based protein/peptide separation and identification procedure, we characterized the major integral membrane protein complement of this organelle. While many of the 215 proteins we identified have been previously associated with lysosomes and endosomes, others have been associated with the endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi, cytosol, plasma membrane, and lipid rafts. At least 20 proteins were identified as unknown cDNAs that have no orthologues of known function, and 35 proteins were identified that function in protein and vesicle trafficking. This latter group includes multiple Rab and SNARE proteins as well as ubiquitin. Defining the roles of these proteins in the lysosomal membrane will assist in elucidating novel lysosomal functions involved in cellular homeostasis and pathways that are affected in various disease processes.
Answering the Question: “Doctor, if This Were Your Child, What Would You Do?”

Tommy* was only 2 years old when he was admitted to our ICU. He was a bright toddler, full of joy and laughter. His parents loved him dearly, and they cared for him with great affection. Tommy's family did not have a pool, but they did have a small fishpond in the backyard. No one ever thought about putting a fence around the fishpond; how dangerous could such a small pond be? Well, it seems it was quite dangerous, and one morning Tommy's mother found him face down in it. She called 911, and Tommy's heart began beating after prolonged cardiopulmonary resuscitation. He was admitted to our ICU unconscious and unresponsive. Two days went by, and Tommy showed no sign of neurologic recovery. Although his other organ systems improved, he had no purposeful movements. I had been meeting with the parents every day in anticipation of our discussion that day. I explained to Tommy's parents that without some recovery by 48 hours, there was no hope of meaningful recovery after such an event. I explained that we had 2 options: discontinue support, and he would likely die relatively quickly, or continue the ventilator, and his brainstem would regain enough function that he would continue to breathe but would surely remain in a vegetative or minimally conscious state for the rest of his life. Then it came—the question: “Doctor, if he were your child, what would you do? ” In 1999, Truog1 wrote a thought-provoking essay in which he distinguished differences between giving advice based on medical facts and giving value-laden advice. Truog also drew our attention to the “gray zone” between these extremes. He argued that although it is appropriate for physicians to give strictly medical advice, it may be less advisable to give advice that is based on … Address correspondence to Alexander A. Kon, MD, Pediatrics and Bioethics, University of California at Davis, 2516 Stockton Blvd, Sacramento, CA 95817. E-mail: aakon{at}ucdavis.edu