Functional role of ICAM-3 polymorphism in genetic susceptibility to SARS infection.

Key Messages 1. Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) patients who are homozygous for intercellular adhesion molecule-3 (ICAM-3) Gly143 showed significant association with higher lactate dehydrogenase levels and lower total white blood cell counts on admission. 2. In vitro functional studies demonstrated low level binding of ICAM-3 to DC-SIGN and a wide variation in T-cell response of the wild-type ICAM-3 genotype.published_or_final_versio

Role of polymorphisms of the inflammatory response genes and DC-SIGNR in genetic susceptibility to SARS and other infections.

Research Fund for the Control of Infectious Diseases: Research Dissemination Reports (Series 2)1. A genetic risk-association study involving more than 1200 subjects showed individuals homozygous for L-SIGN tandem repeats are less susceptible to SARS infection. 2. This was supported by in vitro binding studies that demonstrated homozygous L-SIGN, compared to heterozygous, had higher binding capacity for SARS coronavirus (SARS-CoV), with higher proteasome-dependent viral degradation. In contrast, homozygous L-SIGN demonstrated lower binding capacity for HIV1-gp120.3. Genetic-association studies for single nucleotide polymorphisms of the inflammatory response genes, namely TNF-alpha, INF-alpha, INF-beta, INF-gamma, IL1-alpha, IL1-beta, IL-4, IL-6 and iNOS, failed to show a significant association with SARS clinical outcomes or susceptibility.published_or_final_versio

Association of a single nucleotide polymorphism in the CD209 (DC-SIGN) promoter with SARS severity.

published_or_final_versio

Simulation of gait asymmetry and energy transfer efficiency between unilateral and bilateral amputees

Efficient walking or running requires symmetrical gait. Gait symmetry is one of the key factors in efficient human dynamics, kinematics and kinetics. The desire of individuals with a lower-limb amputation to participate in sports has resulted in the development of energy-storing and-returning (ESR) feet. This paper analyses a case study to show the effect of symmetry and asymmetry as well as energy transfer efficiency during periodic jumping between simulated bilateral and unilateral runners. A custom gait analysis system is developed as part of this project to track the motion of the body of a physically active subject during a set of predefined motions. Stance and aerial times are accurately measured using a high speed camera. Gait frequency, the level of symmetry and the non-uniform displacement between left and right foot and their effects on the position of the Centre of Mass (CM) were used as criteria to calculate both peak energies and transformation efficiency. Gait asymmetry and discrepancy of energy transfer efficiency between the intact foot and the ESR are observed. It is concluded that unilateral runners require excessive effort to compensate for lack of symmetry as well as asymmetry in energy transfer, causing fatigue which could be a reason why bilateral amputee runners using ESR feet have a superior advantage over unilateral amputees

Seizure outcomes in people with drug-resistant focal epilepsy evaluated for surgery but do not proceed

Objective: To ascertain seizure outcomes in people with drug-resistant focal epilepsy considered for epilepsy surgery but who did not proceed. // Methods: We identified people discussed at a weekly presurgical epilepsy multi-disciplinary (MDT) meeting from January 2015 to December 2019 and in whom a decision not to proceed to surgery was made. Seizure outcomes were obtained from individuals, primary care physicians and attending neurologists at a minimum of 12 months following the not to proceed decision. // Results: We considered 315 people who did not proceed to surgery after evaluation. Nine died, and 25 were lost to follow-up. We included 281 people with a median follow-up of 2.4 (IQR 1.5–4) years. In total, 83 (30%) people reported that seizures had improved or resolved since the MDT meeting. Thirteen (5%) were seizure-free over the last 12 months of follow-up, 70 (25%) had experienced more than 50% reduction in seizure frequency, 180 (64%) had no meaningful change, and 18 (6%) reported a doubling of seizure frequency. Of the 53 (16%) who had vagal nerve stimulation, 19/53 (37%) reported more than 50% reduction in frequency, including one seizure-free. // Significance: The chances of seizure freedom with further medications and neurostimulation are low for people with drug-resistant focal epilepsy who have been evaluated for surgery and do not proceed, but improvement may still occur. Up to a quarter have a > 50% reduction in seizures, and one in twenty become seizure-free eventually. Trying additional anti-seizure medication and neurostimulation is worthwhile in this population

Reasons for not having epilepsy surgery

Objective: This study was undertaken to determine reasons for adults with drug-resistant focal epilepsy who undergo presurgical evaluation not proceeding with surgery, and to identify predictors of this course. // Methods: We retrospectively analyzed data on 617 consecutive individuals evaluated for epilepsy surgery at a tertiary referral center between January 2015 and December 2019. We compared the characteristics of those in whom a decision not to proceed with surgical treatment was made with those who underwent definitive surgery in the same period. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to identify predictors of not proceeding with surgery. // Results: A decision not to proceed with surgery was reached in 315 (51%) of 617 individuals evaluated. Common reasons for this were an inability to localize the epileptogenic zone (n = 104) and the presence of multifocal epilepsy (n = 74). An individual choice not to proceed with intracranial electroencephalography (icEEG; n = 50) or surgery (n = 39), risk of significant deficit (n = 33), declining noninvasive investigation (n = 12), and coexisting neurological comorbidity (n = 3) accounted for the remainder. Compared to 166 surgically treated patients, those who did not proceed to surgery were more likely to have a learning disability (odds ratio [OR] = 2.35, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.07‒5.16), normal magnetic resonance imaging (OR = 4.48, 95% CI = 1.68–11.94), extratemporal epilepsy (OR = 2.93, 95% CI = 1.82‒4.71), bilateral seizure onset zones (OR = 3.05, 95% CI = 1.41‒6.61) and to live in more deprived socioeconomic areas (median deprivation decile = 40%–50% vs. 50%–60%, p < .05). // Significance: Approximately half of those evaluated for surgical treatment of drug-resistant focal epilepsy do not proceed to surgery. Early consideration and discussion of the likelihood of surgical suitability or need for icEEG may help direct referral for presurgical evaluation

Observation of associated near-side and away-side long-range correlations in √sNN=5.02 TeV proton-lead collisions with the ATLAS detector

Two-particle correlations in relative azimuthal angle (Δϕ) and pseudorapidity (Δη) are measured in √sNN=5.02  TeV p+Pb collisions using the ATLAS detector at the LHC. The measurements are performed using approximately 1  μb-1 of data as a function of transverse momentum (pT) and the transverse energy (ΣETPb) summed over 3.1<η<4.9 in the direction of the Pb beam. The correlation function, constructed from charged particles, exhibits a long-range (2<|Δη|<5) “near-side” (Δϕ∼0) correlation that grows rapidly with increasing ΣETPb. A long-range “away-side” (Δϕ∼π) correlation, obtained by subtracting the expected contributions from recoiling dijets and other sources estimated using events with small ΣETPb, is found to match the near-side correlation in magnitude, shape (in Δη and Δϕ) and ΣETPb dependence. The resultant Δϕ correlation is approximately symmetric about π/2, and is consistent with a dominant cos⁡2Δϕ modulation for all ΣETPb ranges and particle pT

A rough set-based association rule approach implemented on exploring beverages product spectrum

[[abstract]]When items are classified according to whether they have more or less of a characteristic, the scale used is referred to as an ordinal scale. The main characteristic of the ordinal scale is that the categories have a logical or ordered relationship to each other. Thus, the ordinal scale data processing is very common in marketing, satisfaction and attitudinal research. This study proposes a new data mining method, using a rough set-based association rule, to analyze ordinal scale data, which has the ability to handle uncertainty in the data classification/sorting process. The induction of rough-set rules is presented as method of dealing with data uncertainty, while creating predictive if—then rules that generalize data values, for the beverage market in Taiwan. Empirical evaluation reveals that the proposed Rough Set Associational Rule (RSAR), combined with rough set theory, is superior to existing methods of data classification and can more effectively address the problems associated with ordinal scale data, for exploration of a beverage product spectrum.[[notice]]補正完畢[[incitationindex]]SCI[[booktype]]紙本[[booktype]]電子

Search for direct pair production of the top squark in all-hadronic final states in proton-proton collisions at s√=8 TeV with the ATLAS detector

The results of a search for direct pair production of the scalar partner to the top quark using an integrated luminosity of 20.1fb−1 of proton–proton collision data at √s = 8 TeV recorded with the ATLAS detector at the LHC are reported. The top squark is assumed to decay via t˜→tχ˜01 or t˜→ bχ˜±1 →bW(∗)χ˜01 , where χ˜01 (χ˜±1 ) denotes the lightest neutralino (chargino) in supersymmetric models. The search targets a fully-hadronic final state in events with four or more jets and large missing transverse momentum. No significant excess over the Standard Model background prediction is observed, and exclusion limits are reported in terms of the top squark and neutralino masses and as a function of the branching fraction of t˜ → tχ˜01 . For a branching fraction of 100%, top squark masses in the range 270–645 GeV are excluded for χ˜01 masses below 30 GeV. For a branching fraction of 50% to either t˜ → tχ˜01 or t˜ → bχ˜±1 , and assuming the χ˜±1 mass to be twice the χ˜01 mass, top squark masses in the range 250–550 GeV are excluded for χ˜01 masses below 60 GeV

Search for new phenomena in final states with an energetic jet and large missing transverse momentum in pp collisions at √ s = 8 TeV with the ATLAS detector

Results of a search for new phenomena in final states with an energetic jet and large missing transverse momentum are reported. The search uses 20.3 fb−1 of √ s = 8 TeV data collected in 2012 with the ATLAS detector at the LHC. Events are required to have at least one jet with pT > 120 GeV and no leptons. Nine signal regions are considered with increasing missing transverse momentum requirements between Emiss T > 150 GeV and Emiss T > 700 GeV. Good agreement is observed between the number of events in data and Standard Model expectations. The results are translated into exclusion limits on models with either large extra spatial dimensions, pair production of weakly interacting dark matter candidates, or production of very light gravitinos in a gauge-mediated supersymmetric model. In addition, limits on the production of an invisibly decaying Higgs-like boson leading to similar topologies in the final state are presente