Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Linking structural, metabolic and functional changes in multiple sclerosis

In patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has markedly improved our ability to detect the macroscopic abnormalities of the brain and spinal cord. New quantitative magnetic resonance (MR) approaches with increased sensitivity to subtle normal‐appearing white matter (NAWM) and grey matter changes and increased specificity to the heterogeneous pathological substrates of MS may give information complementary to conventional MRI. Magnetization transfer imaging (MTI) and diffusion‐weighted imaging (DWI) have the potential to provide important information on the structural changes occurring within and outside T2‐visible lesions. Magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) adds information on the biochemical nature of such changes. Functional MRI might quantify the efficiency of brain plasticity in response to MS injury and improve our understanding of the link between structural damage and clinical manifestations. The present review summarizes how the application of these MR techniques to the study of MS is dramatically changing our understanding of how MS causes irreversible neurological deficits.
Treatment Outcome in Patients With Chronic Schizophrenia During Long-term Administration With Risperidone

Abstract: Treatment outcome was evaluated in outpatients with chronic schizophrenia during long-term administration of risperidone in a study reflecting clinical practice. This UK multicenter, noncomparative, open trial was conducted in 79 patients. Risperidone treatment for 52 weeks commenced at 2 mg/d, with the option to titrate to 6 mg/d. The primary efficacy variable was study failure (study discontinuation for relapse, adverse events, insufficient response, withdrawn consent, lost to follow-up, or noncompliance). The most common dosage was 6 mg/d. Of the 79 patients in the intent-to-treat analysis, 38 completed the study (sustained treatment success), 29 were classified as treatment failure, and 12 were "not evaluable. " When the intent-to-treat population was reclassified into study success or study failure, there were 40 study successes (38 treatment successes and 2 ineligible to continue) and 39 study failures (29 treatment failures, 3 lost to follow-up, and 7 noncompliant). Among patients considered to be treatment failures, only 10 had relapse and 10 had adverse events, 2 had insufficient response, and 7 withdrew consent. Raw mean time to treatment failure was 101.7 ± 90.9 days, and median time was 77 days (range 7 to 284). From Kaplan-Meier curves, mean time to treatment failure was 213.3 ± 12.2 days; the median was longer than the study period. There was significant improvement (reduction in severity of symptoms) for the intent-to-treat population in total and all Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale subscale scores (P ≤ 0.0119), Clinical Global Impression Severity (P = 0.0003), cognitive function "letter fluency totals" (P = 0.0044), Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale (P < 0.0001), and Targeting Abnormal Kinetic Effects scale (measures abnormal kinetic effects; P < 0.0001) at study end point. Most patients considered the treatment at least "acceptable" during the study, and mean change at study end corresponded to between "acceptable" and "quite acceptable. " After 1 year of risperidone treatment in a naturalistic setting reflecting usual UK clinical practice, patients with chronic schizophrenia showed improvement in symptoms and reduction in disease severity, and only 10 of 79 had relapse; 48.1% of patients were considered to be sustained treatment successes, 36.7% as treatment failures, and 15.2% as not "evaluable. " Fifty-one percent of patients were considered to be study successes and 49% as study failures.
Policy on the rebound: trends and causes of delayed discharges in the NHS

Summary Objectives The Community Care (Delayed Discharges, etc.) Act, 2003 was aimed at reducing the number of patients whose discharge from hospital was delayed, incorporating financial incentives based on a model from Sweden. The Act permitted NHS hospital trusts to charge local authority Social Service Departments for delays they were deemed responsible for and was accompanied by grants aimed at supporting improvements in the transfer of care. This study aims to assess how far the subsequent reduction in delays has been due to the operation of the Act, and to evaluate the extent that the legislation increased efficiency across health and social care. Design Analysis and interpretation of a range of official routine health statistics plus unpublished performance data. Setting Data on patients delayed in hospital in England from 2001–2002 to 2006–2007 and trends in hospital activity. Main outcome measures Trend analysis of health statistics and performance data relating to delayed discharges and other relevant indicators. Results Althought there has been an overall reduction in delayed discharges, this trend predates the implementation of the Act. Overall, bed- days lost to delayed discharges accounted for only a small proportion of all bed-days – 1.6% in 2006–2007, and over the period studied the causes of the majority of delays were attributed to the NHS (68%). Conclusions These findings indicate lttle evidence to support the policy of charging social services to improve public sector efficiency. The focus on reducing delays should be set in the context of the wider health economy. There are a number of pressures to reduce the time patients spend in hospital including fewer beds and increasing numbers of admissions, plus a rise in emergency readmission rates is noted. There are few good data available to monitor the impact of earlier discharge, such as on the quality and availability of post-discharge care.
The way to an open-source software for automated optimization and learning — OpenOpal

An optimization framework combines various methods, strategies, and programming interfaces on a robust software platform. Its development requires knowledge from application areas, and about optimization methods, as well as from software engineering. Different persons provide diverse know-how about modeling and simulating engineering and/or business problems, about search and optimization methods, and about new software trends to implement them into software. This paper describes the approach how an optimization framework based on evolutionary algorithms and other methods is developed in subsequent projects with application engineers and software developers cooperatively working together guaranteeing a sophisticated knowledge transfer. Therefore, particular knowledge management aspects are emphasized. As result, the optimization platform OpenOpal and the ideas behind its software architecture, supporting the know-how transfer, are presented. In order to continuously improve this optimization framework it is transferred into an open-source software initiative. The objective is to broaden the user group by increasing the number of knowledge contributors both from academia — integrating and testing newly developed optimization methods — and from various engineering areas — providing real-world problems to be solved.
Dynamic reorganization of human resting-state networks during visuospatial attention

Significance The brain is never at rest, and patterns of ongoing correlated activity have been found to resemble patterns during active behavior. A fundamental problem in neuroscience concerns the relationship between spontaneous and task-driven activity. During a demanding task that requires selective attention to sensory stimuli, correlated patterns of spontaneous (rest) activity are generally preserved. However, specific changes in synchronization occur within and between networks that correlate with behavioral performance. These results indicate that attention modifies spontaneous activity patterns in support of task performance. Fundamental problems in neuroscience today are understanding how patterns of ongoing spontaneous activity are modified by task performance and whether/how these intrinsic patterns influence task-evoked activation and behavior. We examined these questions by comparing instantaneous functional connectivity (IFC) and directed functional connectivity (DFC) changes in two networks that are strongly correlated and segregated at rest: the visual (VIS) network and the dorsal attention network (DAN). We measured how IFC and DFC during a visuospatial attention task, which requires dynamic selective rerouting of visual information across hemispheres, changed with respect to rest. During the attention task, the two networks remained relatively segregated, and their general pattern of within-network correlation was maintained. However, attention induced a decrease of correlation in the VIS network and an increase of the DAN→VIS IFC and DFC, especially in a top-down direction. In contrast, within the DAN, IFC was not modified by attention, whereas DFC was enhanced. Importantly, IFC modulations were behaviorally relevant. We conclude that a stable backbone of within-network functional connectivity topography remains in place when transitioning between resting wakefulness and attention selection. However, relative decrease of correlation of ongoing “idling” activity in visual cortex and synchronization between frontoparietal and visual cortex were behaviorally relevant, indicating that modulations of resting activity patterns are important for task performance. Higher order resting connectivity in the DAN was relatively unaffected during attention, potentially indicating a role for simultaneous ongoing activity as a “prior” for attention selection.
Restructuring Restaurant Work: Employer Responses to Local Labor Standards in the Full-Service Restaurant Industry

Recent research shows that increasing the minimum wage does not result in significant job losses. Yet, there is still uncertainty as to how higher labor standards may reshape employment practices within firms. This article directly examines employer responses to higher labor standards through a qualitative case comparison of the full-service restaurant industry across two fundamentally different institutional settings: San Francisco—with the nation’s highest minimum wage and related mandates—and North Carolina’s Research Triangle region. Evidence shows that higher labor standards led to wage compression even while some employers offered higher benefits to reduce turnover. San Francisco employers seek higher-skilled, more professional workers, rather than invest in formal in-house training, and find better matches. Yet, higher-wage mandates have exacerbated the wage gap between occupations, and some employers have responded by radically restructuring industry compensation practices by adding service charges and eliminating tipping.
Achievable rates for the AWGN channel with multiple parallel relays

Relaying is a key technology to increase capacity in wireless networks. In this paper, the point-to-point AWGN channel with N parallel relays and time-invariant, frequency-flat fading is studied. For it, we derive achievable rates with four coding techniques, namely: decode-and-forward, partial decode-and-forward, compress-and-forward and linear relaying. The first two are based on signal regeneration at the relay nodes and aim at mimicking a transmit antenna array. We study their scaling law for N rarr infin and Rayleigh fading, and show that is lower than log2 log (N) due to the source-relays broadcast limitation. In turn, compress-and-forward aims at mimicking a receive antenna array and consists of relay nodes distributedly compressing their signals and transmitting them to destination. We provide its achievable rate considering distributed Wyner-Ziv compression at the relays, and show that it also scales as log2 log (N); in this case, due to the relays-destination MAC limitation. Finally, linear relaying is the extension of amplify-and-forward to full-duplex operation. For it we derive the optimum transmitted signal at the source and propose suboptimum linear relaying functions at the relays. All techniques are compared with the max-flow-min-cut upper bound, evaluated for AWGN channels.
Assisted reproductive therapies and imprinting disorders--a preliminary British survey.

BACKGROUND Recent reports have suggested a higher risk of Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome (BWS) and Angelman syndrome (AS) after assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs), but it is unclear whether this might also apply to other disorders of genomic imprinting. METHODS We contacted families of children with BWS, AS, Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) and transient neonatal diabetes mellitus (TNDM) to determine use of ART. RESULTS A statistically significant increased frequency of ART in children with BWS was confirmed [2.9%, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.4-6.3% vs 0.8% expected] but there was no significant association with PWS or TNDM. Consideration of the molecular subgroup of BWS and AS suggested the feasibility of association with ART. CONCLUSIONS These differences may relate to variations in (i) the molecular mechanisms for disordered imprinting in the different disorders and (ii) the susceptibility of specific imprinting control regions to ART-associated methylation alterations (epimutations).
Histomorphometry and micro-computed tomography of bone augmentation under a titanium membrane.

OBJECTIVES Bone augmentation underneath an occlusive titanium membrane is evaluated in most cases by means of serial histological sections and histomorphometry. Micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) is a less invasive and dynamic technique to measure bone volume in animals of a size that fits into the gantry. The aim of the present study was to evaluate whether the latter approach could match histomorphometry to assess bone augmentation under a titanium membrane. MATERIAL AND METHODS Pre-formed titanium cups were placed on the skull of 16 rabbits. Bone formation underneath the cups was allowed to occur for 12 weeks. The amount of bone volume assessed by micro-CT was expressed as a numerical unit. One unit volume corresponds to 0.043 mm3. The measurements reveal the volume of bone-like tissue under the membrane, with the same density as that of the original rabbit skull bone. Histological sections were cut along the same plane as the one used for the micro-CT images. The total bone surface was assessed by a digital image system in double-stained undecalcified histological sections and related to the maximum available surface of the titanium cups, which was on average 1366 mm2. RESULTS The amount of total bone surface found under the titanium membrane varied between 40 and 163 mm2. Measured by micro-CT, the bone detected ranged from 3.7 to 396 numerical units. A highly significant (P<0.001) correlation was found between the total bone volume measured in conventional serial histological sections and by the micro-CT technique (r2=0.72). CONCLUSIONS The total bone volume measured underneath a membrane using the micro-CT when compared with histological sections remained within a 16% error. This is because of the scattering effect of the metallic membrane and the impossibility to distinguish newly formed bone from the original skull bone on the micro-CT images.
Using context-free grammars for embedded speech recognition with Weighted Finite-State Transducers

In this paper we propose an extension to weighted ﬁnite-state transducers in order to enable them to model context-free grammars. Classical ﬁnite-state transducers are restricted to modeling regular grammars. However, for some tasks it is neces-sary to use more general context-free grammars. Even some regular grammar models can be scaled down using context-free rules. The paper extents the transducers to pushdown weighted ﬁnite-state transducers and explains the decoding procedure. We apply the method to an embedded speech dialog system. Speech recognition results show that more than 80% in network size can be saved. Additionally pushdown weighted ﬁnite-state transducers clearly outperform the classic ones in terms of best recognition performance and low computation time. Altogether this extension has enabled our recognition task to be executed on a digital signal processor. propose an extension to classic ﬁnite-state transducer similar to pushdown automatons, which enables them for modeling context-free grammars. These extended transducers are used for speech recognition, especially for command recognition on a strictly resource restricted digital signal processor. Experiments show that the extension is able to reduce the size of the produced networks strongly. The recognition performance will additionally be improved.
The Nature of Power Spikes: a regime-switch approach

textabstractDue to its non-storable nature, electricity is a commodity with probably the most volatile spot prices, exemplified by occasional spikes. Appropriate pricing, portfolio, and risk management models have to incorporate these characteristics, and the spikes in particular. We investigate the nature of power spikes in a number of different markets. We test what time-series model is best able to capture the dynamics of these disruptive spot prices. We use regime-switching models to infer whether the price spikes should be treated as abnormal and independent deviations from the ‘normal’ price dynamics or whether they form an integral part of the price process. We test the time-series models on day-ahead markets in Europe and the US. We find that regimeswitch models are better able to capture the market dynamics than a GARCH(1,1) or Poisson jump model. We also find clear differences between the markets and attribute part of the differences to the share of hydro-power in the total supply stack: hydro-power serves as an indirect means to store electricity, which has a dampening effect on spikes.
Plasma enterolactone or intestinal Bifidobacterium levels do not explain adenoma formation in multiple intestinal neoplasia (Min) mice fed with two different types of rye-bran fractions

The study was designed to evaluate whether two types of rye-bran fractions result in distinct bifidogenic effect or enterolactone production in multiple intestinal neoplasia (Min) mice and whether these parameters are associated with intestinal tumorigenesis in this animal model. The experimental diets were a non-fibre diet (control), a rye-bran diet, and diets containing either the soluble extract or the insoluble fraction prepared from rye bran. The main result on adenoma formation in these experiments was the observation that the soluble extract increased number (P=0·012) and size (P=0·008) of adenomas in the distal small intestine when compared with the non-fibre group. All rye-supplemented diets supported similarly the in vivo growth of Bifidobacterium (108–109 colony forming units/g) in Min mice, whereas the non-fibre diet lowered intestinal Bifidobacterium below the level of detection. The results show that water solubility does not affect the bifidogenicity of rye bran. Mean plasma enterolactone concentration was highest in the rye-bran group (30·0 nmol/l; P=0·002), which along with the soluble-extract group (16·2 nmol/l; P=0·024) differed significantly from the non-fibre diet group (7·5nmol/l). Thus, the mice fed with the rye bran were the best enterolactone producers. In conclusion, rye bran and rye fractions influence adenoma formation in Min mice to a varying degree but plasma enterolactone levels or the production of bifidogenic bacteria do not mediate the effect.
A short report on chronic myeloid leukemia from Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh

Abstract Post Graduate Institute (PGI) Chandigarh is a premier institute of North India. There are approximately 70,000 admissions per year. The adult clinical hematology department sees more than 2000 new patients per year. A preliminary analysis of 299 chronic myeloid leukemia patients registered from January 2001 until December 2007 was done. Out of these, 256 (86%) patients were in chronic phase (CP). The median age at presentation was 40 years. At 6 months of follow-up 95% of patients who were started on Imatinib mesylate based therapy remained in CP. Partial cytogenetic remission was seen in 69% of patients while complete cytogenetic response was seen in only 20% of patients at 6 months on Imatinib mesylate.
WHEN GAMBLING IS NOT WINNING: EXPLORING OPTIMALITY OF VIX TRADING UNDER THE EXPECTED UTILITY THEORY

Recently, financial innovations have given rise to complex derivatives within the asset management industry. Although traditional assets pay dividends or coupons, vIX futures contracts have been partly misunderstood by unsophisticated investors, as they only provide portfolio insurance against stock market crashes. Therefore, over the calmer period 2009-2014, the most traded vIX futures exchange-traded product lost practically all of its value, ruining unexperienced investors. hence, this paper investigates appropriateness of these complex derivatives with investor's risk aversion. We address portfolio-choice optimality under uncertainty, for overlay allocations composed of equities, bonds, and vIX futures. This paper proposes a non-trivial solution based on the expected utility theory to simulate investor's behavior with risk aversion. Furthermore, it derives an investor's surprise metric defined as a welfare criterion measure, and a modelimplied risk premium defined as the insurance premium investor pays ex post to hedge. Empirical results show investing in vIX futures significantly beats traditionally diversified portfolios, but they turn to be particularly inappropriate for risk-loving investors. From the asset management perspective, this paper has practical implications since it recommends pedagogical efforts to raise investors' awareness of overlay strategies.
The influence of the period of adaptation on the digestibility of diets containing different types of indigestible polysaccharides in rats

In balanced experiments with rats the influence of the period of adaptation on nutrient digestibility in diets containing cellulose (CEL), guar gum (GG), pectin (PEC) or retrograded high amylose maize starch (RS) was studied. Inclusion level was 80 g/kg diet DM except for the retrograded high-amylose maize starch, where the level was 316 g/kg diet DM. A diet containing normal maize starch only acted as a controi diet (FF). The apparent digestibilities of DM, NSP, starch and protein were determined after adaptation periods of 4 d and 2, 4, 6 and 8 weeks. The digestibility of nutrients was affected by diet (P < 0.001) as well as by the period of adaptation (P < 0.001). The digestibilities of DM, NSP and starch increased asymptotically during the course of the experiment. The asymptotic progress over time was most pronounced for the GG, PEC and RS diets. The estimated periods of adaptation required for stable DM digestibility were approximately 1 week for the GG, PEC and RS diets and < 4 d for the FF and CEL diets. The digestibility of NSP in the GG and PEC diets was also stable after approximately 1 week, while it was stable from < 4 d for the CEL diet. However, PEC increased the faecal content of uronic acids for at least 2 weeks. A stable starch digestibility required 1 month in the case of RS and 3–10 d for the other diets. The high faecal content of glucose for the RS diet decreased during all 8 weeks but was still high at the close of the experiment. The apparent protein digestibility changed over time in a parabolic rather than an asymptotic fashion. The GG, PEC and RS diets increased the amount of N excreted by the faecal route.