Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
1 Sex Hormones and Vascular Function

The relationship between sex hormones and cardiovascular function and disease has long been recognized. As early as the 1950s, researchers concluded that although levels of cholesterol played a major role in the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD), other factors, including gender and hormones, played a role as well. (Anonymous, 1958). Since that time, despite extensive research focusing on the effects of estrogen on vascular function, the relationship remains poorly understood. Furthermore, clinical treatment of postmenopausal women with hormone replacement therapy (HRT) continues to be controversial due to conflicting findings in clinical trials. Until the 1990s, extensive observational data suggested that HRT was cardioprotective. However, results from the Heart and Estrogen/Progestin Replacement Study (HERS-I and – II) did not confirm a protective effect of HRT on the heart. (Hulley et al 1996; Grady et al 2002). Later, data from the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) reported an increase in coronary heart disease (CHD) risk in women treated with combined estrogen-progestin compared to placebo, while the WHI unopposed-estrogen arm showed no increase in CHD events (Roussow et al, 2002; Anderson et al, 2004). Since release of the WHI, follow-up analyses have shown that the timing of initiation of HRT makes a difference in outcomes. These analyses showed that younger postmenopausal women who initiate therapy at the time of menopause are not at increased risk of CHD events compared to women who initiate therapy at a later age. In this chapter, we will discuss the pathophysiologic effects of sex hormones on the vasculature, describe both clinical and basic research that has led us to our current understanding, and conclude with future perspectives on avenues of investigation that may lead to innovative treatments for postmenopausal women.
In Utero Tobacco Smoke Exposure Alters Pulmonary Responses of Newborn Rats to Ozone

Prenatal tobacco smoke (TS) exposure has been implicated in various adverse health outcomes in the offspring, including poor development of lung and immune system, which in turn can alter the response of neonates to environmental challenges. This study was performed to determine whether in utero exposure to TS influences the pulmonary response of newborn rat pups to ozone (O3). Timed pregnant Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were exposed to TS or air for 3 h/d from gestation d 7 through 21. The pulmonary response of pups was assessed following a single 3-h exposure to air or 0.6 ppm O3 on d 13 after birth. In all, 4 exposure groups were evaluated: (1) Air/Air (in utero air and postnatal air), (2) Air/O3 (in utero air and postnatal O3), (3) TS/Air (in utero TS and postnatal air), and (4) TS/O3 (in utero TS and postnatal O3). Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) was performed, and BAL cells and fluid were analyzed. Data revealed a significant increase in polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN) and total BALF protein in the Air/O3 group compared to the Air/Air control, reflecting the inflammatory and cytotoxic effects of O3. However, in utero exposure to TS attenuated PMN infiltration into the air spaces for recovery in the BAL of TS/O3 pups. Lung tissue myeloperoxidase activity significantly increased only in the TS/O3 group but not in Air/O3 pups, thus suggesting that PMN are sequestered in the lung tissue and that the in utero TS likely inhibits O3-mediated influx of PMN into the air spaces. Lung tissue analyses further showed a significant rise in manganese superoxide dismutase (SOD) protein and a decrease in extracellular SOD protein in the Air/O3 group, suggesting oxidative effects of O3. Interestingly, in utero TS exposure again suppressed these effects in the TS/O3 group. Overall, results suggest that in utero exposure to TS alone produced minimal acute pulmonary effects in newborn rats, but modulated adverse effects of postnatal O3 exposure. The results are contrary to the interactive toxic responses predicted for sequential exposures to TS and O3, and may represent the development of “cross-tolerance. ”
Self-Stabilising Target Counting in Wireless Sensor Networks Using Euler Integration

Target counting is an established challenge for sensor networks: given a set of sensors that can count (but not identify) targets, how many targets are there? The problem is complicated because of the need to disambiguate duplicate observations of the same target by different sensors. A number of approaches have been proposed in the literature, and in this paper we take an existing technique based on Euler integration and develop a fully-distributed, self-stabilising solution. We derive our algorithm within the field calculus from the centralised presentation of the underlying integration technique, and analyse the precision of the counting through simulation of several network configurations.
Parametric human body modelling system for virtual garment fitting

Modelling customer-tailored 3D human models is an important problem in virtual garment fitting systems. However, manual generation of such models often requires high cost and is considerably difficult for common users lacking the knowledge of computer graphics. To solve this, we propose a parametric human modelling method. In our study, the 3D body scan data of 250 different individuals are gathered, and for each model, 128 feature points are specified. The modelling parameters are then extracted by analysing the feature point statistics. Using these parameters, we generate a new set of feature points satisfying the input body sizes, and interpolate those points with a surface. As a result, a 3D human model satisfying the given constraints is obtained. Since our method uses only a few parameters, even a novice user can generate or modify the model easily. Further, since the method involves only simple calculations, the computational cost is low.
Hyperhomocysteinemia activates the aryl hydrocarbon receptor/CD36 pathway to promote hepatic steatosis in mice

Hyperhomocysteinemia (HHcy) is associated with liver diseases such as fatty liver and hepatic fibrosis; however, the underlying mechanism is still largely unknown. The current study aimed to explore the signaling pathway involved in HHcy‐induced hepatic steatosis (HS). C57BL/6 mice were fed a high‐methionine diet (HMD) for 4 and 8 weeks to establish the HHcy mouse model. Compared to a chow diet, the HMD induced hepatic steatosis and elevated hepatic expression of CD36, a fatty acid transport protein. The increased CD36 expression was associated with activation of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR). In primary cultured hepatocytes, high levels of homocysteine (Hcy) treatment up‐regulated CD36 and increased subsequent lipid uptake; both were significantly attenuated by small interfering RNA (siRNA) knockdown of CD36 and AHR. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assay revealed that Hcy promoted binding of AHR to the CD36 promoter, and transient transfection assay demonstrated markedly increased activity of the AHR response element by Hcy, which was ligand dependent. Mass spectrometry revealed significantly increased hepatic content of lipoxin A4 (LXA4), a metabolite of arachidonic acid, in HMD‐fed mice. Furthermore, overexpression of 15‐oxoprostaglandin 13‐reductase 1, a LXA4 inactivation enzyme, inhibited Hcy‐induced AHR activation, lipid uptake, and lipid accumulation. Moreover, LXA4‐induced up‐regulation of CD36 and lipid uptake was inhibited by AHR siRNA in vitro in hepatocytes. Finally, treatment with an AHR antagonist reversed HHcy‐induced lipid accumulation by inhibiting the AHR‐CD36 pathway in mice. Conclusion: HHcy activates the AHR‐CD36 pathway by increasing hepatic LXA4 content, which results in hepatic steatosis. (Hepatology 2016;64:92‐105)
Transformations that Preserve Detailed Balance in Markov Models

Aggregated Markov processes related by similarity transformation are equivalent in that they cannot be distinguished by steady-state experiments. We derive an explicit formula for the set of all detailed-balance preserving similarity transformations between such continuous time Markov chains with N states. The matrices that define the allowed similarity transformations are found to be a simple non-linear function applied to almost any element of the special orthogonal group in N dimensions. Since a model is identifiable only if there is no similarity transformations to an equivalent model, we expect this result to prove useful in the theory of identification of aggregated Markov chains, an enterprise of growing importance as more and more single molecules yield to observation.
Aging and neurogenesis in the adult forebrain: what we have learned and where we should go from here

In the brains of adult vertebrates, including humans, neurogenesis occurs in restricted niches where it maintains cellular turnover and cognitive plasticity. In virtually all species, however, aging is associated with a significant decline in adult neurogenesis. Moreover, an acceleration of neurogenic defects is observed in models of Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative diseases, suggesting an involvement in aging‐ and disease‐associated cognitive deficits. To gain insights into when, how and why adult neurogenesis decreases in the aging brain, we critically reviewed the scientific literature on aging of the rodent subventricular zone, the neurogenic niche of the adult forebrain. Our analysis revealed that deficits in the neurogenic pathway are largely established by middle age, but that there remains striking ambiguity in the underlying mechanisms, especially at the level of stem and progenitor cells. We identify and discuss several challenging issues that have contributed to these key gaps in our current knowledge. In the future, addressing these issues should help untangle the interactions between neurogenesis, aging and aging‐associated diseases.
Solar Surface Convection

We review the properties of solar convection that are directly observable at the solar surface, and discuss the relevant underlying physics, concentrating mostly on a range of depths from the temperature minimum down to about 20 Mm below the visible solar surface.The properties of convection at the main energy carrying (granular) scales are tightly constrained by observations, in particular by the detailed shapes of photospheric spectral lines and the topology (time- and length-scales, flow velocities, etc.) of the up- and downflows. Current supercomputer models match these constraints very closely, which lends credence to the models, and allows robust conclusions to be drawn from analysis of the model properties.At larger scales the properties of the convective velocity field at the solar surface are strongly influenced by constraints from mass conservation, with amplitudes of larger scale horizontal motions decreasing roughly in inverse proportion to the scale of the motion. To a large extent, the apparent presence of distinct (meso- and supergranulation) scales is a result of the folding of this spectrum with the effective “filters” corresponding to various observational techniques. Convective motions on successively larger scales advect patterns created by convection on smaller scales; this includes patterns of magnetic field, which thus have an approximately self-similar structure at scales larger than granulation.Radiative-hydrodynamical simulations of solar surface convection can be used as 2D/3D time-dependent models of the solar atmosphere to predict the emergent spectrum. In general, the resulting detailed spectral line profiles agree spectacularly well with observations without invoking any micro- and macroturbulence parameters due to the presence of convective velocities and atmosphere inhomogeneities. One of the most noteworthy results has been a significant reduction in recent years in the derived solar C, N, and O abundances with far-reaching consequences, not the least for helioseismology.Convection in the solar surface layers is also of great importance for helioseismology in other ways; excitation of the wave spectrum occurs primarily in these layers, and convection influences the size of global wave cavity and, hence, the mode frequencies. On local scales convection modulates wave propagation, and supercomputer convection simulations may thus be used to test and calibrate local helioseismic methods.We also discuss the importance of near solar surface convection for the structure and evolution of magnetic patterns: faculae, pores, and sunspots, and briefly address the question of the importance or not of local dynamo action near the solar surface. Finally, we discuss the importance of near solar surface convection as a driver for chromospheric and coronal heating.
Impulse Oscillometry as a Predictor of Asthma Exacerbations in Young Children

Background: In a post-hoc analysis of a pediatric asthma study, we identified the predictors of asthma exacerbations (AEs) and related them to forced expiratory volume (FEV1), the FEV1/FVC ratio, and bronchial hyperresponsiveness (BHR). Objectives: We sought to detect predictors of AEs in a prospective study that utilizes impulse oscillometry (IOS) and to compare the results to previously determined predictors. Methods: A moderate AE was defined as an increased use of salbutamol during coughing episodes. Pulmonary function and BHR were measured during symptom- and medication-free periods. Additionally, allergen testing and IOS were included. To calculate the sensitivity and specificity of AE detection, a receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve was plotted, and accuracy was measured with the area under the ROC curve (AUC). A logistic regression analysis was used to predict the probability of an exacerbation. Results: Seventy-five pediatric patients (4-7 years of age) with intermittent asthma were included. In 69 patients, the following cut-off values demonstrated the best sensitivity and specificity combination for predicting an AE: FEV1 103.2% (AUC 0.62), BHR (PD20methacholine) 0.13 mg (AUC 0.61), and, in 54 children, Rrs5 0.78 kPa × l-1 × s (AUC 0.80). Logistic regression analysis demonstrated that the combination of all parameters predicted the individual risk of AEs with an accuracy of 86%. Conclusions: IOS, a simple method, predicted the probability of AEs in young children. Airway resistance, measured by IOS, was superior to FEV1 and methacholine testing. The current data suggest that peripheral airway obstruction is present during symptom-free periods and that these children more likely experience AEs.
A Successful Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococci Reduction Bundle at a Singapore Hospital

Abstract We report a reduction in the vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) rate from a peak of 1.5 cases per 1,000 admissions (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.0−2.1) in August 2012 to 0.5 per 1,000 admissions (95% CI: 0.3−1.0) by January 2015, associated with a bundle of interventions. Infect. Control Hosp. Epidemiol. 2015;37(1):107–109
Trichogerminoma: further evidence to support a specific follicular neoplasm

Sir: A 74-year-old woman had developed a slowly growing lesion on the face over a period of 18 months, which became ulcerated and was excised with a clinical diagnosis of basal cell carcinoma. No enlarged lymph nodes, general symptoms, or evidence of distant tumour growth were present at the time of excision. The surgical specimen consisted of a 35 · 20 mm skin ellipse with soft tissue attached to a maximum depth of 10 mm. A 20-mm central ulceration with elevated margins was identified extending into the underlying soft tissue, which was replaced by dense white tissue. Histological examination revealed a well-circumscribed lesion invading the deep dermis, not connected with the superficial epidermis, and separated from the surrounding soft tissue by a thick capsule (Figure 1A). Perineural invasion but no vascular or lymphatic invasion was demonstrated at the periphery of the tumour. The intratumoral stroma showed hyalinized collagen and a focal desmoplastic reaction. Numerous trichilemmal-type keratinous microcysts were also identified throughout the neoplasm (Figure 1B). Central tumour cell necrosis resulted in a pseudopapillary growth pattern (Figure 1A), whereas viable tumour showed primitive cytological features with vesicular nuclei, prominent nucleoli and frequent mitotic figures (10–15 per 10 high-power fields), along with scattered catagen-like apoptotic bodies (Figure 1C). Adnexal neoplasm with follicular differentiation remains the most elusive diagnosis in dermatopathology, due to the variety of lesions and their relative low frequency. The diagnosis of adnexal neoplasm requires both consideration of the criteria for malignancy and evidence of pilar differentiation. They are generally benign and can be diagnosed in most instances at low magnification. General criteria for malignancy can be applied to all adnexal neoplasms, including infiltrative growth pattern, deep location, presence of necrosis and nuclear changes (hyperchromatism, pleomorphism, nucleolar enlargement, and mitotic figures). Pilar differentiation is suggested by the presence of hyalinized stromal changes [periodic acid–schiff (PAS) positive] around the epithelial nests, keratinous microcysts and ⁄ or cell ‘balls’ with or without peripheral nuclear palisading, catagen-like apoptotic bodies, and eosinophilic and clear cytoplasmic changes. A myxoid stroma containing CD34+ Figure 1. A, Basaloid cell proliferation invading the deep dermis and inducing a desmoplastic response. The tumour is separated from the surrounding dermis by a thick capsule (arrow). The inset reveals perineural invasion observed at the deep edges of the neoplasm. B, The tumour shows foci of necrosis, numerous mitotic figures, and trichilemmal-type keratinous cysts (arrows, suggesting pilar differentiation). Tumour cells reveal primitive features (inset). C, Primitive tumour cells reveal vesicular nuclei with prominent nucleoli and scant cytoplasms. Trichilemmal-type keratinous cysts, foci of necrosis, and catagen-like apoptotic bodies (arrow) are noted in this field.
Maximizing stability of recommendation algorithms: A collective inference approach

This paper focuses on stability of recommendation algorithms, which measures the consistency of recommender system predictions. Stability is a desired property of recommender systems and has important implications on users' trust and acceptance of recommendations. Prior research has reported that some popular recommendation algorithms suffer from high degree of instability. In this study we propose a novel meta-algorithm that can be used in conjunction with different traditional recommendation techniques to improve their stability. Our experimental results on real-world movie rating data demonstrate that the proposed approach can achieve substantially higher stability as compared to the original recommendation algorithms, while, perhaps as importantly, providing additional improvements in predictive accuracy as well.
ANTI-VEGF TREATMENT IN NEOVASCULAR AGE–RELATED MACULAR DEGENERATION: A Treat-and-Extend Protocol Over 2 Years

Purpose: To evaluate 2-year visual acuity outcome of a treat-and-extend protocol of anti–vascular endothelial growth factor treatment in age-related macular degeneration. Methods: In this prospective cohort study, 120 age-related macular degeneration patients with choroidal neovascularization received 3 initial monthly ranibizumab or bevacizumab injections; monthly injections were continued until there was no choroidal neovascularization activity (subretinal/intraretinal fluid, loss of >5 letters, or persistent/recurrent retinal hemorrhage). When there was no choroidal neovascularization activity, the interval to the next visit/injection was extended by 2 weeks to a maximum of 12 weeks. In the presence of choroidal neovascularization activity, this interval was shortened by 2 weeks. Main outcome measures included the percentage losing <15 letters and the mean visual acuity change after 12 months and 24 months. Results: Mean baseline visual acuity was 51.2 ± 12.1 Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study scores. Mean visual acuity change from baseline was +9.5 ± 10.9 and +8.0 ± 12.9 letters after 12 months and 24 months, respectively, with, on average, 8.6 ± 1.1 visits/injections in the first year and 5.6 ± 2.0 in the second year. After 12 months and 24 months, 97.5% and 95.0% of patients, respectively, lost <15 letters. Conclusion: The “inject-and-extend” protocol—with fewer injections and visits—delivered outcomes comparable to those of the pivotal clinical trials of monthly ranibizumab.
Effect of alkaline treatment on mechanical properties of woven ramie reinforced thermoset composite

Ramie fibres are one of the strongest bast fibres with valuable potential as reinforcement in a composite. In this study, the laminated composite of ramie reinforced plain woven was prepared through hand lay-up process. Prior to moulding, the ramie reinforced woven fabric was treated by soaking the fabric in 5% NaOH solution for 1 hour at room temperature. The effects of alkaline treatment on ramie reinforced woven epoxy resin and ramie reinforced woven unsaturated polyester (UPE) resin were investigated in terms of tensile, flexural, and impact properties. Five samples of both treated ramie (TR) composite and untreated ramie (UR) composite were tested and the results were averaged for comparison with one another. Based on the results obtained, the effects of 5% (w/w) concentration of alkaline solution treatment for 1 hour at room temperature are insignificant to the tensile, flexural, and impact properties. The result of UR and TR composite was compared to the composite for pure epoxy resin and UPE resin. Based on the finding, the data obtained shown no improvement in tensile properties. However, in the case of the flexural properties are enhanced except flexural modulus of the TR-epoxy composite. Impact strength only gets better when reinforcing with the untreated ramie. On overall, the TR ramie have an admirable mechanical when reinforced with the epoxy resin than UPE resin
The IPP effect in Afrikaans: a corpus analysis

Compared to well-resourced languages such as English and Dutch, NLP tools for linguistic analysis in Afrikaans are still not abundant. In order to facilitate corpus-based linguistic research for Afrikaans, we are creating a treebank based on the Taalkommissie corpus. We adapted a tokenizer and a shallow parser, while using a TnT tagger to do part-of-speech annotation. A first linguistic phenomenon we are investigating is the occurrence of infinitivus pro participio (IPP) in Afrikaans. IPP refers to constructions with a perfect auxiliary, in which an infinitive appears instead of the expected past participle. The phenomenon has been studied extensively in Dutch and German, but studies on Afrikaans IPP triggers are sparse. In contrast to the former two languages, it is often mentioned in the literature that in Afrikaans, IPP occurs optionally. We want to check this statement doing a corpus analysis.
Morphological and Functional Outcome after Brilliant Blue G-Assisted Macular Hole Surgery

Purpose of the Study: To investigate the outcome of brilliant blue G (BBG)-assisted internal limiting membrane peeling in macular hole surgery after a follow-up of 6 months. Procedures: In this retrospective study 20 eyes have been treated with BBG-assisted macular hole surgery. After a follow-up of 6 months, the functional and anatomical outcomes have been analyzed. Results: The mean preoperative best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was 0.7 logMAR units (mean ± SD 0.66 ± 0.27). After 3 months, the mean BCVA increased not significantly to 0.4 (0.54 ± 0.30), but a significant improvement to 0.2 logMAR units (0.28 ± 0.23) could be detected after 6 months compared to baseline (p < 0.01). Primary macular hole closure after a single surgery was found in 17 of 20 eyes. Conclusion and Message: BBG exhibits sufficient staining qualities and safety profile leading to a significant functional improvement after successful macular hole surgery.