Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Diabetes Mellitus : Preliminary Results The Added Value of Log File Analyses of the Use of a Personal Health Record for Patients With Type 2

The electronic personal health record (PHR) is a promising technology for improving the quality of chronic disease management. Until now, evaluations of such systems have provided only little insight into why a particular outcome occurred. The aim of this study is to gain insight into the navigation process (what functionalities are used, and in what sequence) of e-Vita, a PHR for patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), to increase the efficiency of the system and improve the long-term adherence. Log data of the first visits in the first 6 weeks after the release of a renewed version of e-Vita were analyzed to identify the usage patterns that emerge when users explore a new application. After receiving the invitation, 28% of all registered users visited e-Vita. In total, 70 unique usage patterns could be identified. When users visited the education service first, 93% of all users ended their session. Most users visited either 1 or 5 or more services during their first session, but the distribution of the routes was diffuse. In conclusion, log file analyses can provide valuable prompts for improving the system design of a PHR. In this way, the match between the system and its users and the long-term adherence has the potential to increase.
Sphingosine 1-Phosphate Analogs as Receptor Antagonists*

Sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P) is a lysophospholipid mediator that evokes a variety of cell and tissue responses via a set of cell surface receptors. The recent development of S1P receptor agonists, led by the immunomodulatory pro-drug FTY720, has revealed that S1P signaling is an important regulator of lymphocyte trafficking. With the twin goals of understanding structure-activity relationships of S1P ligands and developing tool compounds to explore S1P biology, we synthesized and tested numerous S1P analogs. We report herein that a subset of our aryl amide-containing compounds are antagonists at the S1P1 and S1P3 receptors. The lead compound in series, VPC23019, was found in broken cell and whole cell assays to behave as a competitive antagonist at the S1P1 and S1P3 receptors. The structure-activity relationship of this series is steep; for example, a slight modification of the lead compound resulted in VPC25239, which was one log order more potent at the S1P3 receptor. These new chemical entities will enable further understanding of S1P signaling and provide leads for further S1P receptor antagonist development.
Postmenopausal estrogen therapy and cardiovascular disease. Ten-year follow-up from the nurses' health study.

BACKGROUND The effect of postmenopausal estrogen therapy on the risk of cardiovascular disease remains controversial. Our 1985 report in the Journal, based on four years of follow-up, suggested that estrogen therapy reduced the risk of coronary heart disease, but a report published simultaneously from the Framingham Study suggested that the risk was increased. In addition, studies of the effect of estrogens on stroke have yielded conflicting results. METHODS We followed 48,470 postmenopausal women, 30 to 63 years old, who were participants in the Nurses' Health Study, and who did not have a history of cancer or cardiovascular disease at base line. During up to 10 years of follow-up (337,854 person-years), we documented 224 strokes, 405 cases of major coronary disease (nonfatal myocardial infarctions or deaths from coronary causes), and 1263 deaths from all causes. RESULTS After adjustment for age and other risk factors, the overall relative risk of major coronary disease in women currently taking estrogen was 0.56 (95 percent confidence interval, 0.40 to 0.80); the risk was significantly reduced among women with either natural or surgical menopause. We observed no effect of the duration of estrogen use independent of age. The findings were similar in analyses limited to women who had recently visited their physicians (relative risk, 0.45; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.31 to 0.66) and in a low-risk group that excluded women reporting current cigarette smoking, diabetes, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, or a Quetelet index above the 90th percentile (relative risk, 0.53; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.31 to 0.91). The relative risk for current and former users of estrogen as compared with those who had never used it was 0.89 (95 percent confidence interval, 0.78 to 1.00) for total mortality and 0.72 (95 percent confidence interval, 0.55 to 0.95) for mortality from cardiovascular disease. The relative risk of stroke when current users were compared with those who had never used estrogen was 0.97 (95 percent confidence interval, 0.65 to 1.45), with no marked differences according to type of stroke. CONCLUSIONS Current estrogen use is associated with a reduction in the incidence of coronary heart disease as well as in mortality from cardiovascular disease, but it is not associated with any change in the risk of stroke.
Volumetric muscle controller

We describe a controller with a fully integrated musculoskeletal model actuated by more than a hundred muscles. Inspired by a QP-based control algorithm, we improved the algorithm to control the volumetric muscles directly. Furthermore, the highly-detailed musculoskeleton was modeled using a non-manifold method and a computation time was effectively reduced through implicit jacobian computation. Our entire system can simulate the musculoskeleton model with detailed volumetric muscles in a feasible computation time.
Critical functions of priming and lysosomal damage for NLRP3 activation

Inflammasomes are cytosolic multi‐protein complexes that form in response to infectious or injurious challenges. Inflammasomes control the activity of caspase‐1, which is essential for the maturation and release of IL‐1β family cytokines. The NLRP1, IPAF and AIM2 inflammasomes recognize specific substances, while the NLRP3 inflammasome responds to many structurally and chemically diverse triggers. Here, we discuss the critical roles of priming and lysosomal damage in NLRP3 inflammasome activation.
Analysis of 3-D integral imaging displays using the Wigner distribution

Integral imaging is a promising technology for 3-D TV and 3-D display. In this paper, a theoretical analysis of 3-D integral imaging systems is performed in the frame of the Wigner distribution formalism. It is shown that the entire intensity distribution in the pick-up image plane of these systems can be obtained from a single 2-D Wigner distribution function of a single lenslet pupil. This result reveals the Wigner distribution function as a powerful tool for analysis of 3-D integral imaging systems with different pupil functions. As an example, the extension of the depth of field of an integral imaging system with lenslets having amplitude modulation (central obscuration) is proposed
The challenges and directions of MIS curriculum development in respect of transformation of business requirements

Effective use of information technology (IT), is becoming one of the prime determinants of success of business organization. However, rapid advances in IT cause that knowledge and skills required by IS professionals have to be changed continuously and profoundly. In this environment, IS/IT skills can become obsolete quite easily. The IS/IT jobs of tomorrow will require the flexible updating of knowledge, skills and abilities for effective performance of changing tasks and duties.
STATISTICS ON PERMUTATIONS

Let π = π1π2 · · · πn be any permutation of length n, we say a descent πiπi+1 is a lower, middle, upper if there exists j > i + 1 such that πj < πi+1, πi+1 < πj < πi, πi < πj, respectively. Similarly, we say a rise πiπi+1 is a lower, middle, upper if there exists j > i + 1 such that πj < πi, πi < πj < πi+1, πi+1 < πj, respectively. In this paper we give an explicit formula for the generating function for the number of permutations of length n according to number of upper, middle, lower rises, and upper, middle, lower descents. This allows us to recover several known results in the combinatorics of permutation patterns as well as many new results. For example, we give an explicit formula for the generating function for the number of permutations of length n having exactly m middle descents.
Small-grained wild grasses as staple food at the 23 000-year-old site of Ohalo II, Israel

More than 16 000 grains of small-grained grasses were retrieved at Ohalo II, a submerged 23 000-year-old site on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, Israel. The grains were part of a very large archaeobotanical assemblage, unique for its period and region, as well as its exceptionally good preservation. This paper proposes that these grains were a staple food at Ohalo II, based on several lines of evidence: 1. the large number of grains found; 2. the fact that all grains were fully mature; and 3. ethnographic parallels for the use of small-grained grasses in hunter-gatherers’ societies as well as among present-day agriculturalists.
Analysis of the First‐ and Second‐Generation Raving Dragon Novelty Bath Salts Containing Methylone and Pentedrone

In recent years, a large number of designer drugs sold as “Bath Salts” have appeared on the market. In July of 2011, Raving Dragon Novelty Bath Salts was obtained over the Internet. This product became unavailable in October of that year coinciding with the DEA issuing a temporarily schedule of mephedrone, methylone, and MDPV. Four months later in February of 2012, a new product was released from the same company under the new name Raving Dragon Voodoo Dust. The contents of both products were identified using spectroscopy methods: nuclear magnetic resonance, infrared, UV–visible, tandem mass spectrometry, and high‐resolution time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry. It was determined that Raving Dragon Novelty Bath Salts contained methylone. The replacement product Raving Dragon Voodoo Dust contained the unscheduled drug pentedrone. The Raving Dragon brand of products illustrates the rapid change of ingredients in these products to circumvent laws restricting availability, distribution, and use.
Does intravenous sildenafil clinically ameliorate pulmonary hypertension during perioperative management of congenital heart diseases in children? – A prospective randomized study

Background: Pulmonary hypertension (PHT), if present, can be a significant cause of increased morbidity and mortality in children undergoing surgery for congenital heart diseases (CHD). Various techniques and drugs have been used perioperatively to alleviate the effects of PHT. Intravenous (IV) sildenafil is one of them and not many studies validate its clinical use. Aims and Objectives: To compare perioperative PaO2 – FiO2 ratio peak filling rate (PFR), systolic pulmonary artery pressure (PAP) – systolic aortic pressure (AoP) ratio, extubation time, and Intensive Care Unit (ICU) stay between two groups of children when one of them is administered IV sildenafil perioperatively during surgery for CHDs. Materials and Methods: Patients with ventricular septal defects and proven PHT, <14 years of age, all American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status III, undergoing cardiac surgery, were enrolled into two groups – Group S (IV sildenafil) and Group C (control) – over a period of 14 months, starting from October 2013. Independent t-test and Mann–Whitney U-test were used to compare the various parameters between two groups. Results: PFR was higher throughout, perioperatively, in Group S. PAP/AoP was 0.3 and 0.4 in Group S and Group C, respectively. In Group S, mean group extubation time was 7 ± 7.34 h, whereas in Group C it was 22.1 ± 10.6. Postoperative ICU stay in Group S and Group C were 42.3 ± 8.8 h and 64.4 ± 15.9 h, respectively. Conclusion: IV sildenafil, when used perioperatively, in children with CHD having PHT undergoing corrective surgery, improves not only PaO2 – FiO2 ratio and PAP – AoP ratio but also reduces extubation time and postoperative ICU stay.
Turbo Adaptive Threshold Bit Flipping For LDPC Decoding

In this paper, we present a novel bit flipping algorithm for high-throughput decoding of LDPC codes. The algorithm exploits the turbo principle to reduce the average number of iterations and employs a bit-local thresholding operation to remove the need for a block-wise minimum operation — which is common to many conventional bit flipping decoders — that hinders decoder throughput. Through simulations the proposed decoder is shown to achieve comparable bit-error rate performance to state-of-the-art techniques while requiring approximately half the number of iterations on average thus facilitating high-throughput decoding.
Partial discharge defects classification using neuro-fuzzy inference system

Partial discharge measurement is among the most important diagnostics methods of insulation systems in high voltage equipments, which makes it convenient to assess the insulation status and its prospective condition. Partial discharge activities may stem from various defects, and correspondingly behave differently. Since the origins of the PD activities are of major concern in insulation diagnostics, a large number of recognition methodologies have been proposed and used for this purpose. Among them, Phase Resolve Partial Discharge (PRPD) analysis has gained more attractions. However, sometimes the complexity of the patterns is of much more sophistication where utilization of intelligent based or expert system is inevitable. In this paper an Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS) based classification method has been considered, where statistical features are extracted from the measured PRPD data first, then Fuzzy IF-THEN classification rules which are obtained from experts are employed in training procedures of the ANFIS model, and finally the classification of the PD defects is done automatically by the trained system, which makes it ready to be interpreted for decision making purposes.
CMDragons 2010 Team Description

In this paper we present an overview of CMDragons 2010, Carnegie Mellon's entry for the RoboCup Small Size League. Our team builds upon the research and success of RoboCup entries in previous years. The overview describes both the robot hardware and the general software architecture of our team. Technical improvements include a new attacker control system, a short-term physics-based motion planner, and an experimental system for inferring opponent state from ball dynamics observations.
Size and mobility of lipid domains tuned by geometrical constraints

Significance Diffusion of lipids and proteins organized in finite-sized domains plays a pivotal role in biological membranes enhancing biomolecular signaling efficiency. The impact of membrane geometry and spatial boundaries on the lateral mobility of domains in membranes remains, however, still unclear. By using pore-spanning membranes, we were able to control the length scale and dynamics of lipid domains by an underlying porous mesh serving both as a confinement and as a source of additional friction that slows down the mobility of domains by several orders of magnitude. We could show that increased hydrodynamic drag acting on liquid-ordered domains due to the confined geometry is responsible for the reduction of diffusion constants. In the plasma membrane of eukaryotic cells, proteins and lipids are organized in clusters, the latter ones often called lipid domains or “lipid rafts. ” Recent findings highlight the dynamic nature of such domains and the key role of membrane geometry and spatial boundaries. In this study, we used porous substrates with different pore radii to address precisely the extent of the geometric constraint, permitting us to modulate and investigate the size and mobility of lipid domains in phase-separated continuous pore-spanning membranes (PSMs). Fluorescence video microscopy revealed two types of liquid-ordered (lo) domains in the freestanding parts of the PSMs: (i) immobile domains that were attached to the pore rims and (ii) mobile, round-shaped lo domains within the center of the PSMs. Analysis of the diffusion of the mobile lo domains by video microscopy and particle tracking showed that the domains’ mobility is slowed down by orders of magnitude compared with the unrestricted case. We attribute the reduced mobility to the geometric confinement of the PSM, because the drag force is increased substantially due to hydrodynamic effects generated by the presence of these boundaries. Our system can serve as an experimental test bed for diffusion of 2D objects in confined geometry. The impact of hydrodynamics on the mobility of enclosed lipid domains can have great implications for the formation and lateral transport of signaling platforms.
Continuity of Care: A Reconceptualization

Although continuity of care is considered an essential feature of good health care, researchers have used and measured continuity in many different ways, and no clear conceptual framework links continuity to outcomes. This article offers a reconceptualization and definition of continuity based on agency theory. It posits that the value of continuity is to reduce agency loss by decreasing information asymmetry and increasing goal alignment. Three decades of empirical literature on continuity were examined to assess whether this model would provide greater clarity about continuity. Some authors measured improved information transfer, but more appeared to assume that continuity would lead to better information. Most authors appeared to have assumed that goal alignment was present and did not measure it. The model of continuity based on agency theory appears to provide a useful conceptual tool for health services research and policy.
Exclusão Digital das Pequenas e Médias Empresas Brasileiras - um olhar pela teoria de adoção das Tecnologias de Informação e Comunicação

The aim of this research is to study the digital exclusion of small and medium enterprises (SMEs). It was adopted as theoretical perspective the TOE model of technology adoption by organizations proposed by Tornatzky & Fleischer (1990). The intent was to determine which factors, among those considered technological, organizational and external environment influence the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) in SMEs. The study was conducted based on a sample of 2,519 companies, obtained from survey data "ICT companies", conducted annually by the Internet Steering Committee in Brazil (CGI.br). The main findings of this study indicate that access to technology and the Internet, as well as skills and attitude towards ICT are still important issues when it is observed that these factors are related to the more intensive use of ICT by organizations. As contributions, it could mention the operationalization of a theoretical model (TOE) to study the adoption of ICT in SMEs, given that technology adoption, by the organization's point of view and not the individual, is still a little studied topic.
Multidrug efflux pumps: drug binding – gates or cavity?

The role of the ATP‐binding cassette ABCB1 in mediating the resistance to chemotherapy in many forms of cancer has been well established. The protein is also endogenously expressed in numerous barrier and excretory tissues, thereby regulating or impacting on drug pharmacokinetic profiles. Given these prominent roles in health and disease, a great deal of biochemical, structural and pharmacological research has been directed towards modulating its activity. Despite the effort, only a small handful of compounds have reached the later stages of clinical trials. What is responsible for this poor return on the heavy research investment? Perhaps the most significant factor is the lack of information on the location, physical features and chemical properties of the drug‐binding site(s) in ABCB1. This minireview outlines the various strategies and outcomes of research efforts to pin‐point the sites of interaction. The data may be assimilated into two working hypotheses to describe drug binding to ABCB1; (a) the central cavity and the (b) domain interface models.
Realistic time-scale fully atomistic simulations of surface nucleation of dislocations in pristine nanopillars

We use our recently proposed accelerated dynamics algorithm (Tiwary and van de Walle, 2011) to calculate temperature and stress dependence of activation free energy for surface nucleation of dislocations in pristine Gold nanopillars under realistic loads. While maintaining fully atomistic resolution, we achieve the fraction of a second time-scale regime. We find that the activation free energy depends significantly and non-linearly on the driving force (stress or strain) and temperature, leading to very high activation entropies. We also perform compression tests on Gold nanopillars for strain-rates varying between 7 orders of magnitudes, reaching as low as 10^3/s. Our calculations bring out the perils of high strain-rate Molecular Dynamics calculations: we find that while the failure mechanism for compression of Gold nanopillars remains the same across the entire strain-rate range, the elastic limit (defined as stress for nucleation of the first dislocation) depends significantly on the strain-rate. We also propose a new methodology that overcomes some of the limits in our original accelerated dynamics scheme (and accelerated dynamics methods in general). We lay out our methods in sufficient details so as to be used for understanding and predicting deformation mechanism under realistic driving forces for various problems.
Seamounts as refugia from ocean acidification for cold-water stony corals

Cold-water stony corals create habitat for a diverse range of deep-water species but are thought to be threatened by ocean acidification due to oceanic uptake of anthropogenic CO2. Knowledge of the severity of this threat is hampered by our limited understanding of the distribution and habitat requirements of these corals. Here we estimate the global acidification threat to these organisms using a global database of cold-water stony coral records and a species distribution modelling approach. We parameterised the models using present-day environmental data, and then replaced these data with future projections of ocean chemistry from the year 2099. We found suitable coral habitat to be very heterogeneously distributed, being concentrated in the northern North Atlantic and around New Zealand. Projected changes in ocean chemistry induced a pronounced reduction in habitat suitability in the North Atlantic, and a low-tomoderate impact elsewhere under both the IPCC IS92a and S650 scenarios. Seamount summits are impacted by these changes, but consistently provide more suitable habitat than the surrounding seafloor, with around 98% of seamount summits having higher suitability in both future scenarios; this is because they lie in shallower waters with a higher aragonite saturation state. These results suggest that anthropogenic-induced changes in ocean chemistry are likely to severely impact cold-water stony coral habitat in the deep-sea of the North Atlantic, and that impacts will be less severe elsewhere. We predict that coral communities on the summits and upper slopes of seamounts will be less susceptible to ocean acidification during this century than those on the surrounding seafloor, and thus that seamounts may serve as temporary refugia. Marine Ecology. ISSN 0173-9565