LLukas22/scidocs huggingface dataset:
DNA methylation profile associated with rapid decline in kidney function: findings from the CRIC study.

BACKGROUND
Epigenetic mechanisms may be important in the progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD).


METHODS
We studied the genome-wide DNA methylation pattern associated with rapid loss of kidney function using the Infinium HumanMethylation 450 K BeadChip in 40 Chronic Renal Insufficiency (CRIC) study participants (n = 3939) with the highest and lowest rates of decline in estimated glomerular filtration rate.


RESULTS
The mean eGFR slope was 2.2 (1.4) and -5.1 (1.2) mL/min/1.73 m(2) in the stable kidney function group and the rapid progression group, respectively. CpG islands in NPHP4, IQSEC1 and TCF3 were hypermethylated to a larger extent in subjects with stable kidney function (P-values of 7.8E-05 to 9.5E-05). These genes are involved in pathways known to promote the epithelial to mesenchymal transition and renal fibrosis. Other CKD-related genes that were differentially methylated are NOS3, NFKBIL2, CLU, NFKBIB, TGFB3 and TGFBI, which are involved in oxidative stress and inflammatory pathways (P-values of 4.5E-03 to 0.046). Pathway analysis using Ingenuity Pathway Analysis showed that gene networks related to cell signaling, carbohydrate metabolism and human behavior are epigenetically regulated in CKD.


CONCLUSIONS
Epigenetic modifications may be important in determining the rate of loss of kidney function in patients with established CKD.
Cryptanalysis and improvement of an efficient mutual authentication RFID scheme based on elliptic curve cryptography

Radio frequency identification (RFID) is a wireless technology for automatic identification and data capture. Security and privacy issues in the RFID systems have attracted much attention. Many approaches have been proposed to achieve the security and privacy goals. One of these approaches is RFID authentication protocols by which a server and tags can authorize each other through an intracity process. Recently, Chou proposed a RFID authentication protocol based on elliptic curve cryptography. However, this paper demonstrates that the Chou’s protocol does not satisfy tag privacy, forward privacy and authentication, and server authentication. Based on these security and privacy problems, we also show that Chou’s protocol is defenseless to impersonation attacks, tag cloning attacks and location tracking attacks. Therefore, we propose a more secure and efficient scheme, which does not only cover all the security flaws and weaknesses of related previous protocols, but also provides more functionality. We prove the security of the proposed improved protocol in the random oracle model.
Spectrum of congenital heart defects and extracardiac malformations associated with chromosomal abnormalities: results of a seven year necropsy study.

OBJECTIVE
To analyse the spectrum of congenital heart malformations, the frequency of extracardiac malformations, and the proportion of chromosome aberrations among fetuses sent for necropsy.


MATERIAL
Necropsies were performed on 815 fetuses-448 induced abortions (55%), 220 spontaneous abortions (27%), and 147 stillbirths (18%)-during a seven year period (1991-97) in the department of pathology of the Charité Medical Centre in Berlin. A congenital heart defect was identified in 129 cases (16%). For all 129 fetuses, karyotyping and an ultrasound examination had been performed.


RESULTS
Congenital heart defects were present in 22% of induced abortions (99 cases), 9% of spontaneous abortions (20 cases), and 7% of stillbirths (10 cases). The heart malformations were classified into 13 categories. A fetus with more than one defect was included only in the category of the most serious defect. The malformations in order of frequency were: ventricular septal defect (VSD) (28%), atrioventricular septal defect (AVSD) (16%), hypoplastic left heart (HLH) (16%), double outlet right ventricle (DORV) (12%), coarctation of the aorta (CoA) (6%), transposition of the great arteries (TGA) (4%), aortic valve stenosis (AoVS) (4%), tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) (3%), truncus arteriosus communis (TAC) (3%), pulmonary valve stenosis/pulmonary valve atresia (PaVS/PaVA) (3%), tricuspid atresia (TA) (3%), single ventricle (SV) (1.5%), and atrial septal defect (ASD) (0.5%). The most common congenital heart defects were VSD, AVSD, HLH, and DORV, which made up 72% of all the cases. In 11 cases the heart defect was isolated (no other cardiovascular or extracardiac malformations present), 85 cases (66%) were associated with additional cardiac malformations, 85 cases (66%) were associated with extracardiac malformations, and chromosome anomalies were detected in 43 cases (33%).


CONCLUSIONS
Fetal congenital heart malformations are common. These defects are often associated with other cardiovascular and extracardiac malformations, as well as with chromosome anomalies. Complex heart defects such as AVSD, HLH, and DORV are frequent in fetuses, as they often lead to spontaneous abortion or stillbirth or, after prenatal diagnosis, to deliberate termination of pregnancy.
Nutritional Regulation of IGF-I Expression during Brain Development in Mice

Although brain injury induced by undernutrition during early life is well described, the mechanisms that mediate the effects of undernutrition on brain development are not known. IGF-I plays an important role in the stimulation of postnatal somatic and brain growth. We have shown that IGF-I overexpression in brain ameliorates the effects of undernutrition on early postnatal brain growth, and thus, we postulated that alterations in IGF-I expression or action mediate the pathogenesis of malnutrition-induced brain injury. To begin to address this issue we evaluated the influence of undernutrition on brain IGF-I expression during early postnatal development in mice. Undernutrition was induced in mice by separating half of the pups in each litter from their lactating dams for a defined period each day. Pups were killed at postnatal day (P) 7, P14, P21, and P28. The changes in IGF-I mRNA were quantified by ribonuclease protection assay. At P7 IGF-I mRNA abundance in undernourished animals was increased in cerebral cortex (223% of controls), but decreased in diencephalon (36% of controls). At P14, IGF-I mRNA abundance was increased in diencephalon (230% of controls). Although there were no other statistically significant alterations of IGF-I mRNA in undernourished mice, IGF-I abundance in the cerebral cortex appeared increased at P14 (142% of controls), and in cerebellum it was consistently but modestly decreased (78 and 59% of controls) from P7 to P21, respectively. We conclude that nutrition regulates murine brain IGF-I expression in a developmentally specific fashion that is dependent on the region of expression. Importantly, the influence of undernutrition on IGF-I expression is markedly different in the brain than in liver, where nutritional deficiency profoundly decreases IGF-I expression. We speculate that the relative preservation of or increases in regional brain IGF-I expression explain, at least in part, the well-known finding that undernutrition during early postnatal development has less marked growth-retarding effects on the brain than it does on the soma.
Graphical simulation and high-level control of humanoid robots

Physically-based simulation software is commonly used for developing and testing low-level robot control algorithms. In order to facilitate the development and evaluation of higher-level robot behaviors, broaderbased simulations are needed. Examples include software for simulating 3D vision, motion planning for obstacle avoidance, and integrating vision and planning. In addition to modeling the general interaction between the robot and its environment, the software can be used as a graphical user interface for directly controlling or interacting with a robot operating in the real world. This paper describes our current efforts toward building a large-scale software simulation framework for the development and testing of high-level behaviors for humanoid robots. We view this as a potential useful tool for the visualization and development of robotic systems, as well as an interactive, task-level programming interface for robots.
Effects of hypodontia on craniofacial structures and mandibular growth pattern

INTRODUCTION
This study was performed to examine craniofacial structures in persons with hypodontia and to reveal any differences, that may occur, when agenetic teeth are only found in the maxilla, the mandible or in both jaws. The groups consistent of 50 children (33 girls, 17 boys) aged between 9 and 13.5 years were analyzed and assigned to three subgroups. Group 1 = upper jaw hypodontia. Group 2 = lower jaw hypodontia. Group 3 = hypodontia in both jaws.


MATERIALS AND METHODS
Eleven angular and three index measurements from lateral encephalographs and two linear measurements from dental blaster casts were calculated. All data was statistically analyzed, parameters with p < 5% were investigated for each subgroup respectively.


RESULTS
In comparison with standards the study group showed bimaxillary retrognathism and a reduction of the lower anterior facial height. Moreover both overbite and overjet significantly increased. Other values laid within the normal ranges. Evaluating results of the subgroups, differences in the means of SNA, SNB and overjet between the groups were observed.Analysis of the mandibular growth pattern revealed, that neither vertical nor horizontal patterns are dominant in hypodontia patients.


CONCLUSIONS
In certain dentofacial parameters differences between persons with hypodontia and such with full dentition exist. According to our findings agenetic teeth may have a negative influence on the saggital development of a jaw and the lower face and may be responsible for increased overbites. This should receive attention in orthodontic treatment of hypodontia patients.
3D Simultaneous Localisation and Map-Building Using Active Vision for a Robot Moving on Undulating Terrain

Work in simultaneous localisation and map-building (“SLAM”) for mobile robots has focused on the simplified case in which a robot is considered to move in two dimensions on a ground plane. While this is often a good approximation, a large number of real-world applications require robots to move around terrain which has significant slopes and undulations, and it is desirable that these robots too should be able to estimate their locations by building maps of natural features. In this paper we describe a real-time EKF-based SLAM system permitting unconstrained 3D localisation, and in particular develop models for the motion of a wheeled robot in the presence of unknown slope variations. In a fully automatic implementation, our robot observes visual point features using fixating stereo vision and builds a sparse map on-the-fly. Combining this visual measurement with information from odometry and a roll/pitch accelerometer sensor, the robot performs accurate, repeatable localisation while traversing an undulating course.
Translating Neuralese

Several approaches have recently been proposed for learning decentralized deep multiagent policies that coordinate via a differentiable communication channel. While these policies are effective for many tasks, interpretation of their induced communication strategies has remained a challenge. Here we propose to interpret agents’ messages by translating them. Unlike in typical machine translation problems, we have no parallel data to learn from. Instead we develop a translation model based on the insight that agent messages and natural language strings mean the same thing if they induce the same belief about the world in a listener. We present theoretical guarantees and empirical evidence that our approach preserves both the semantics and pragmatics of messages by ensuring that players communicating through a translation layer do not suffer a substantial loss in reward relative to players with a common language.1
Photoluminescence investigation of the carrier recombination processes in ZnO quantum dots and nanocrystals

The carrier recombination processes in ZnO quantum dots 4 nm in diameter , ZnO nanocrystals 20 nm in diameter and bulk ZnO crystal have been studied using photoluminescence PL spectroscopy in the temperature range from 8.5 to 300 K. The obtained experimental data suggest that the ultraviolet PL in ZnO quantum dots originates from recombination of the acceptor-bound excitons for all temperatures. In the larger size ZnO nanocrystals, the recombination of the acceptor-bound excitons is the dominant contribution to PL only at low temperature T 150 K . For higher temperatures T 150 K , PL is mostly due to recombination of the donor-bound excitons. Recombination processes in ZnO quantum dots and nanocrystals differ from those in bulk ZnO mainly because of the large surface-to-volume ratio in both types of nanoparticles and, consequently, a large number of acceptor defects near the surface. No strong inhomogeneous broadening has been observed in ultraviolet PL from ZnO quantum dots. Our results shed light on the carrier-recombination processes in ZnO quantum dots and nanocrystals, and can be used for the ZnO nanostructure optimization for the proposed optoelectronic and spintronic applications.
Catheter-directed therapy for the treatment of massive pulmonary embolism: systematic review and meta-analysis of modern techniques.

PURPOSE
Systemic thrombolysis for the treatment of acute pulmonary embolism (PE) carries an estimated 20% risk of major hemorrhage, including a 3%-5% risk of hemorrhagic stroke. The authors used evidence-based methods to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of modern catheter-directed therapy (CDT) as an alternative treatment for massive PE.


MATERIALS AND METHODS
The systematic review was initiated by electronic literature searches (MEDLINE, EMBASE) for studies published from January 1990 through September 2008. Inclusion criteria were applied to select patients with acute massive PE treated with modern CDT. Modern techniques were defined as the use of low-profile devices (< or =10 F), mechanical fragmentation and/or aspiration of emboli including rheolytic thrombectomy, and intraclot thrombolytic injection if a local drug was infused. Relevant non-English language articles were translated into English. Paired reviewers assessed study quality and abstracted data. Meta-analysis was performed by using random effects models to calculate pooled estimates for complications and clinical success rates across studies. Clinical success was defined as stabilization of hemodynamics, resolution of hypoxia, and survival to hospital discharge.


RESULTS
Five hundred ninety-four patients from 35 studies (six prospective, 29 retrospective) met the criteria for inclusion. The pooled clinical success rate from CDT was 86.5% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 82.1%, 90.2%). Pooled risks of minor and major procedural complications were 7.9% (95% CI: 5.0%, 11.3%) and 2.4% (95% CI: 1.9%, 4.3%), respectively. Data on the use of systemic thrombolysis before CDT were available in 571 patients; 546 of those patients (95%) were treated with CDT as the first adjunct to heparin without previous intravenous thrombolysis.


CONCLUSIONS
Modern CDT is a relatively safe and effective treatment for acute massive PE. At experienced centers, CDT should be considered as a first-line treatment for patients with massive PE.
Impact of gender on the density of intraplaque neovascularization: a quantitative contrast-enhanced ultrasound study.

OBJECTIVE
Atherosclerosis is the main underlying cause of the majority of cardiovascular events. Although cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are a major challenge in both males and females, gender specific differences in the prevalence of CVD have been observed. This may indicate that there are differences in the development of atherosclerosis between males and females. The presence of intraplaque neovessels (IPN) is an imaging marker for plaque vulnerability. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of gender on IPN.


METHODS
A total of 159 patients with ≥1 cardiovascular risk factor were included in this prospective study (mean age 56.9±8.7 years, 47% females). Patients had no symptoms of carotid atherosclerotic disease. All patients underwent a standard carotid ultrasound examination in conjunction with contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS). The presence of atherosclerotic plaques was assessed according to the Mannheim consensus. IPN was assessed using a visual grading scale and semi-automated quantification software.


RESULTS
Subclinical atherosclerosis was detected using standard carotid ultrasound and CEUS in 64 females (86%) and in 79 males (93%) (p=0.177). The mean atherosclerotic plaque sizes were not significantly different (p=0.068). Semi-automated quantification of IPN demonstrated that females had significant more IPN compared to males (p<0.05). After adjustment for clinical variables this association remained significant (p<0.05).


CONCLUSION
In this population at increased risk for CVD, females had significantly more IPN compared to males. This suggests that the females had a more vulnerable atherosclerotic plaque type.
ODETTE: A non-scan design-for-test methodology for Trojan detection in ICs

In this paper, we propose a two-step non-scan design-for-test methodology that can ease detection of an embedded Trojan and simultaneously partially obfuscates a design against Trojan implantations. In the first step, we use Q signals of flip-flops in a circuit to increase the number of reachable states. In the second step, we partition these flip-flops into different groups enhancing the state-space variation. Creation of these new reachable states helps to trigger and propagate the Trojan effect more easily. Experimental results on ISCAS'89 benchmarks show that this method can effectively uncover Trojans which are otherwise very difficult to detect in the normal functional mode. In addition, partitioning the flip-flops of the circuit into different groups and selecting the output (Q or Q) based on input controlled ENABLE signals conceal its actual functionality beyond simple recognition thereby making it difficult for the adversary to implant Trojans.
Influence of different methods of irrigation and nitrogen levels on crop growth rate and yield of maize (Zea mays L.)

An experiment was conducted on alfisol at the Agronomy Farm, B. A. College of Agriculture, Anand Agricultural University, Anand during two consecutive rabi seasons of the year 2002-03 and 2003-04 with a view to study the influence of different methods of irrigation and nitrogen levels on crop growth rate and yield of maize (Zea mays L.). Twenty treatment combinations, comprised of four methods of irrigation (flat bed, all furrow, alternate furrow and skip furrow irrigations) and five nitrogen levels (75, 100, 125, 150 and 175 kg ha) were tried in a split plot design replicated four times, wherein, methods of irrigation were relegated in the main plots and nitrogen levels were assigned to the sub-plots. The results revealed that methods of irrigation and nitrogen had significant influence on growth attributes. Significantly higher grain and stover yields (5165 and 8297 kg ha) were recorded under all furrow irrigation than alternate and skip furrow irrigation but it was at par with flat bed irrigation which recorded the grain and stover yields of 4917 and 8018 kg ha, respectively. Application of 175 kg N ha (N5) recorded significantly higher grain yield (5077 kg ha) than the rest of the nitrogen levels except 150 kg N ha, which recorded the grain yield of 4960 kg ha but 150 and 125 kg N ha were also at par.
BLE-Based Accurate Indoor Location Tracking for Home and Office

Nowadays the use of smart mobile devices and the accompanying needs for emerging services relying on indoor location-based services (LBS) for mobile devices are rapidly increasing. For more accurate location tracking using Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), this paper proposes a novel trilateration-based algorithm and presents experimental results that demonstrate its effectiveness.
Time course of sympathetic neural hyperactivity after uncomplicated acute myocardial infarction.

BACKGROUND
Little information is available on sympathetic activity after acute myocardial infarction (AMI), despite the belief that sympathetic drive is important in relation to morbidity and mortality. Indirect indices such as plasma catecholamines are transiently elevated after uncomplicated AMI, whereas other prognostically important autonomic indices may be affected longer. We planned to quantify central sympathetic output to the periphery after uncomplicated AMI and to investigate its progress over time.


METHODS AND RESULTS
After uncomplicated AMI, 13 patients had muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) assessed from multiunit discharges and from single units with defined vasoconstrictor properties (s-MSNA). Measurements were obtained 2 to 4 days after AMI and were repeated after 3 and 6 months. We also examined 3 matched control groups comprising normal subjects, patients with coronary artery disease, and hospitalized patients without AMI. MSNA and s-MSNA after AMI (84+/-4.6 bursts/100 beats and 95+/-5.8 impulses/100 beats) were unchanged at 3 months but decreased (P<0.01 and P<0.001) after 6 months (75+/-4.0 bursts/100 beats and 80+/-4.4 impulses/100 beats). These were still greater (at least P<0.01) than values in normal subjects, patients with coronary artery disease, and hospitalized patients without AMI (51+/-3.9 bursts/100 beats, 58+/-4.7 impulses/100 beats; 56+/-2.2 bursts/100 beats, 61+/-2.2 impulses/100 beats; and 55+/-3.6 bursts/100 beats, 61+/-3.3 impulses/100 beats, respectively). This sympathetic hyperactivity was inversely correlated to left ventricular ejection fraction but not to changes in blood pressure.


CONCLUSIONS
A protracted state of sympathetic hyperactivity was shown to occur after uncomplicated AMI. It is suggested that this hyperactivity may explain delayed cardiovascular morbidity and mortality and that it arises because of an impairment of reflexes from cardiac receptors.
The efficacy of pegylated interferon alpha 2a or 2b plus ribavirin in chronic hepatitis C patients.

BACKGROUND/AIMS
We aimed to compare viral responses to pegylated interferon 2a plus ribavirin with pegylated interferon alpha 2b plus ribavirin.


METHODS
Patients with the following characteristics were included: anti HCV(+); normal and/or elevated serum transaminase levels; positive HCV RNA by quantitative PCR; and at least stage 1 fibrosis according to Knodell Scoring System on liver biopsy. Patients were assigned into two groups. Group 1 consisted of 37 patients (24 female, 13 male) who received pegylated interferon alpha 2a 180 microg s.c. weekly plus ribavirin adjusted for patient's weight. All patients were genotype 1. Group 2 consisted of 37 patients (27 female, 10 male) who received pegylated interferon alpha 2b 1.5 microg/kg s.c. weekly plus ribavirin adjusted for patient's weight. At week 24, the treatment was discontinued in patients positive for HCV RNA by PCR, while patients negative for HCV RNA continued treatment up to 48 weeks. The end of treatment and sustained virologic responses of the patients were ascertained by assessing HCV RNA levels at the end of the treatment and after 24 weeks follow-up after the cessation of treatment.


RESULTS
At week 48, the proportion of patients with negative HCV RNA (end of treatment viral response) was 28/37 (75.7%) in Group 1 and 27/37 (73%) in Group 2. The group sustained virologic response rates were 48.6% and 35.1% for Group 1 and Group 2, respectively. No significant differences were noted between the two groups.


CONCLUSION
The two pegylated interferon molecules were similar in terms of sustained virologic response rate.