Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Periodontitis and incident type 2 diabetes: a prospective cohort study

OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to investigate periodontitis as a risk factor for incident type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in a group of men aged 58-72 years. METHODS One thousand three hundred and thirty-one dentate, diabetes-free men in Northern Ireland underwent a detailed periodontal examination during 2001-2003. Follow-up was by bi-annual questionnaire and for those reporting diabetes their general medical practitioner was contacted to validate diabetes type, treatment and diagnosis date. Cox's proportional hazard models were used to estimate the effect of periodontitis on incident diabetes. Multivariable analysis included adjustment for various known confounders. RESULTS The mean age of the men was 63.7 (SD 3.0) years. There were 80 cases (6.0%) of incident T2DM. Follow-up was for a median period of 7.8 years (IQR 6.7-8.3). After adjusting for confounding variables, the hazard ratio (HR) for incident T2DM in men with moderate/severe periodontitis versus those with no/mild periodontitis was 1.69 (95% CI 1.06-2.69), p = 0.03. CONCLUSION There was evidence in this homogenous group of dentate men, that those with moderate to severe periodontitis had a significantly increased risk of incident T2DM.
The Design and Performance of an Adaptive CORBA Load Balancing Service

CORBA is increasingly popular as distributed object computing middleware for systems with stringent quality of service (QoS) requirements, including scalability and dependability. One way to improve the scalability and dependability of CORBA-based applications is to balance system processing load among multiple server hosts. Load balancing can help improve system scalability by ensuring that client application requests are distributed and processed equitably across a group of servers. Likewise, it can help improve system dependability by adapting dynamically to system configuration changes that arise from hardware or software failures. This paper presents four contributions to research on CORBA-based load balancing. First, we describe deficiencies with common load-balancing techniques, such as introducing unnecessary overhead or not adapting dynamically to changing load conditions. Second, we present a novel adaptive load balancing service that can be implemented efficiently using standard CORBA features. Third, we describe the key design challenges we faced when adding this load balancing service to our CORBA ORB (TAO) and outline how we resolved the challenges by applying patterns. Finally, we present the results of benchmark experiments that evaluate the pros and cons of different load balancing strategies empirically by measuring the overhead of each strategy and showing how well each strategy balances system load.
SIMULATION OF BUBBLE BREAKUP DYNAMICS IN HOMOGENEOUS TURBULENCE

This article presents numerical simulation results for the deformation and breakup of bubbles in homogeneous turbulence under zero gravity conditions. The lattice Boltzmann method was used in the simulations. Homogeneous turbulence was generated by a random stirring force that acted on the fluid in a three-dimensional periodic box. The grid size was sufficiently small that the smallest scales of motion could be simulated for the underlying bubble-free flow. The minimum Weber number for bubble breakup was found to be about 3. Bubble breakup was stochastic, and the average time needed for breakup was much larger for small Weber numbers than for larger Weber numbers. For small Weber numbers, breakup was preceded by a long period of oscillatory behavior during which the largest linear dimension of the bubble gradually increased. For all Weber numbers, breakup was preceded by a sudden increase in the largest linear dimension of the bubble. When the Weber number exceeded the minimum value, the average surface area increased by as much as 80%.
Enumeration and Decidable Properties of Automatic Sequences

We show that various aspects of k-automatic sequences -- such as having an unbordered factor of length n -- are both decidable and effectively enumerable. As a consequence it follows that many related sequences are either k-automatic or k-regular. These include many sequences previously studied in the literature, such as the recurrence function, the appearance function, and the repetitivity index. We also give a new characterization of the class of k-regular sequences. Many results extend to other sequences defined in terms of Pisot numeration systems.
p300/CBP-associated Factor Histone Acetyltransferase Processing of a Peptide Substrate

p300/CBP-associated factor (PCAF) is a histone acetyltransferase that plays an important role in the remodeling of chromatin and the regulation of gene expression. It has been shown to catalyze preferentially acetylation of the ε-amino group of lysine 14 in histone H3. In this study, the kinetic mechanism of PCAF was evaluated with a 20-amino acid peptide substrate derived from the amino terminus of histone H3 (H3-20) and recombinant bacterially expressed PCAF catalytic domain (PCAFcat). The enzymologic behavior of full-length PCAF and PCAFcat were shown to be similar. PCAF-catalyzed acetylation of the substrate H3-20 was shown to be specific for Lys-14, analogous to its behavior with the full-length histone H3 protein. Two-substrate kinetic analysis displayed an intersecting line pattern, consistent with a ternary complex mechanism for PCAF. The dead-end inhibitor analog desulfo-CoA was competitiveversus acetyl-CoA and noncompetitive versusH3-20. The dead-end analog inhibitor H3-20 K14A was competitiveversus H3-20 and uncompetitive versusacetyl-CoA. The potent bisubstrate analog inhibitor H3-CoA-20 was competitive versus acetyl-CoA and noncompetitiveversus H3-20. Taken together, these inhibition patterns support an ordered BiBi kinetic mechanism for PCAF in which acetyl-CoA binding precedes H3-20 binding. Viscosity experiments suggest that diffusional release of product is not rate-determining for PCAF catalysis. These results provide a mechanistic framework for understanding the detailed catalytic behavior of an important subset of the histone acetyltransferases and have significant implications for molecular regulation of and inhibitor design for these enzymes.
Reduction of Power Losses in Distribution Systems

— Losses reduction initiatives in distribution systems have been activated due to the increasing cost of supplying electricity, the shortage in fuel with ever-increasing cost to produce more power, and the global warming concerns. These initiatives have been introduced to the utilities in shape of incentives and penalties. Recently, the electricity distribution companies in Oman have been incentivized to reduce the distribution technical and non-technical losses with an equal annual reduction rate for 6 years. In this paper, different techniques for losses reduction in Mazoon Electricity Company (MZEC) are addressed. In this company, high numbers of substation and feeders were found to be non-compliant with the Distribution System Security Standard (DSSS). Therefore, 33 projects have been suggested to bring non-complying 29 substations and 28 feeders to meet the planed criteria and to comply with the DSSS. The largest part of MZEC’s network (South Batinah region) was modeled by ETAP software package. The model has been extended to implement the proposed projects and to examine their effects on losses reduction. Simulation results have shown that the implementation of these projects leads to a significant improvement in voltage profile, and reduction in the active and the reactive power losses. Finally, the economical analysis has revealed that the implementation of the proposed projects in MZEC leads to an annual saving of about US$ 5 million.
Antihypertensive effect of amlodipine and lack of interference with cyclosporine metabolism in renal transplant recipients.

The catabolism of various calcium channel blockers through cytochrome P-450 is heterogeneous and may be modified by concomitant use of cyclosporin A. In an open study we investigated the antihypertensive effect and clinical tolerance of the dihydropyridine amlodipine and its effects on cyclosporine kinetics in stable hypertensive renal transplant recipients not taking corticosteroids. Ten adult hypertensive patients grafted for 21.4 +/- 8.9 months and well stabilized with normal renal function were included in the study. Renal artery stenosis was ruled out by normal Doppler echography. After 2 weeks of placebo, amlodipine was started at a daily dose of 5 mg. The dose was then adjusted to 10 mg if necessary. Blood and urine chemistries and whole-blood cyclosporine trough levels were measured weekly. Cyclosporine kinetics were determined on a hourly basis before amlodipine administration and after 4 weeks of treatment. Normal blood pressure was obtained with the use of 5 mg/d amlodipine in 7 patients and 10 mg/d in 3, diastolic blood pressure decreasing from 98.7 +/- 3.8 to 81.3 +/- 9.1 mm Hg (P = .0007). Heart rate slightly increased by 10% (P < .02). The drug was well tolerated, and only minor ankle edema was found in 3 patients. Cyclosporine doses were not modified and cyclosporine levels remained unchanged throughout the study. Cyclosporine kinetic parameters were not significantly different at the beginning and end of the study. Bioequivalence was demonstrated indicating that cyclosporine biotransformation was not altered by the concomitant administration of amlodipine. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Approaches to Robust and Web Retrieval

We describe our participation in the TREC 2003 Robust and Web tracks. For the Robust track, we experimented with the impact of stemming and feedback on the worst scoring topics. Our main finding is the effectiveness of stemming on poorly performing topics, which sheds new light on the role of morphological normalization in information retrieval. For both the home/named page finding and topic distillation tasks of the Web track, we experimented with different document representations and retrieval models. Our main finding is effectiveness of the anchor text index for both tasks, suggesting that compact document representations are a fruitful strategy for scaling-up retrieval systems.
Protein Kinase A–Dependent Biophysical Phenotype for V227F-KCNJ2 Mutation in Catecholaminergic Polymorphic Ventricular Tachycardia

Background—KCNJ2 encodes Kir2.1, a pore-forming subunit of the cardiac inward rectifier current, IK1. KCNJ2 mutations are associated with Andersen-Tawil syndrome and catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia. The aim of this study was to characterize the biophysical and cellular phenotype of a KCNJ2 missense mutation, V227F, found in a patient with catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia. Methods and Results—Kir2.1-wild-type (WT) and V227F channels were expressed individually and together in Cos-1 cells to measure IK1 by voltage clamp. Unlike typical Andersen-Tawil syndrome–associated KCNJ2 mutations, which show dominant negative loss of function, Kir2.1WT+V227F coexpression yielded IK1 indistinguishable from Kir2.1-WT under basal conditions. To simulate catecholamine activity, a protein kinase A (PKA)-stimulating cocktail composed of forskolin and 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine was used to increase PKA activity. This PKA-simulated catecholaminergic stimulation caused marked reduction of outward IK1 compared with Kir2.1-WT. PKA-induced reduction in IK1 was eliminated by mutating the phosphorylation site at serine 425 (S425N). Conclusions—Heteromeric Kir2.1-V227F and WT channels showed an unusual latent loss of function biophysical phenotype that depended on PKA-dependent Kir2.1 phosphorylation. This biophysical phenotype, distinct from typical Andersen-Tawil syndrome mutations, suggests a specific mechanism for PKA-dependent IK1 dysfunction for this KCNJ2 mutation, which correlates with adrenergic conditions underlying the clinical arrhythmia.
On p-normal forms of nonlinear systems

Using the differential-geometric control theory, we present in this note a necessary and sufficient condition under which an affine system is locally feedback equivalent to, via a change of coordinates and restricted smooth state feedback, a generalized normal form called p-normal form, which includes Brunovsky canonical form and feedback linearizable systems in a lower-triangular form as its special cases. We also give an algorithm for computing the appropriate coordinate transformations and feedback control laws.
Characterization of Dry Conditions across the U.S.-Affiliated Pacific Islands during Near-Neutral ENSO Phases

The U.S.-Affiliated Pacific Islands (USAPIs), located in the tropical western Pacific, are very susceptible to severe drought. Dry season (December–May) rainfall anomalies have different relationships to ENSO for USAPIs north and south of 7°N. South of 7°N, rainfall exhibits a canonical negative correlation with the Oceanic Niño Index (ONI) (i.e., dry conditions during warm periods). To the north, the dry season falls into either “canonical” or “noncanonical” (positively correlated with ONI) regimes. Noncanonical years pose an important forecasting challenge as severe droughts have occurred during cool ONI conditions (referred to here as “cool dry” cases). Composite analysis of the two regimes shows that for noncanonical cool dry years, anticyclonic circulation anomalies over the tropical western North Pacific (TWNP), with a band of anomalous dry conditions extending from the central Pacific toward Micronesia, result in unexpected droughts. In contrast, canonical “cool wet” events show cyclonic TWNP circulation and increased rainfall over the northern USAPIs. Maximum SST anomalies are located near the date line during noncanonical years, and farther east during canonical years. While both regimes show negative rainfall and TWNP anticyclonic circulation anomalies before the onset of the December–May dry season, during the dry season these anomalies persist during noncanonical events but rapidly reverse sign during canonical events. SST anomalies in the noncanonical regime extend eastward from the central Pacific rather than intensify in place over the eastern Pacific in the canonical regime. Differences in the evolution of circulation, precipitation, and SST anomalies suggest distinct physical mechanisms governing the two ENSO regimes, with possible ramifications for seasonal forecasts.
The Safety and Pharmacokinetics of Carprofen, Flunixin and Phenylbutazone in the Cape Vulture (Gyps coprotheres) following Oral Exposure

The following study evaluates the overt toxic potential of carprofen (CRP), flunixin (FXN) and phenylbutazone (PBZ) in Old world vultures in relation to historic toxicity data for diclofenac and ketoprofen, with the Cape vulture (Gyps coprotheres) being the indicator species. The toxic potential of a single oral dose of CRP (11.5 mg/kg), FXN (1 mg/kg),PBZ (1.7 mg/kg) or water was evaluated by means of a four-way parallel study (n = 2), as means of ascertaining if these drugs were as toxic as diclofenac in the vulture. No unscheduled deaths or pathological lesions were noted following exposure. Clinical signs of lethargy and depression were, however, noted in one CRP, two FXN and one PBZ treated birds. Mild reversible inhibition of UA excretion was evident in all three groups, although UA remained within the population reference interval in contrast to the effects previously described for diclofenac and ketoprofen. All treatment groups had a drug concentration responsive increase in alanine transferase activity. CRP, FXN and PBZ were characterised by a maximum plasma concentration (Cmax) of 1051.8 ± 620.7 ng/ml, 335.9 ± 36.3 ng/ml and 11150 ± 2474.9 ng/ml at 4 ± 4.3, 0.45 ± 0.02 and 5.3 ± 5.2 hours (Tmax) respectively and a half-life of elimination of 13.3 ±5, 1.8±1 and 18.7 ±11.4 hours respectively. While we could not demonstrate a lethal effect of the tested substances, the presence of toxic clinical signs, clinical pathological changes and/or long half-lives of elimination suggests that all three drugs have a potential for toxicity in a larger population or on repeat administration. In conclusion while the studied substances were not as overtly toxic as diclofenac, they are of safety concern.
Geology, lithogeochemistry, and significance of porphyry intrusions associated with gold mineralization within the Timmins–Porcupine gold camp, Canada

The Timmins–Porcupine gold camp, Abitibi greenstone belt, is host >60 Moz of Au with many gold deposits spatially associated with porphyry intrusions and the Porcupine–Destor deformation zone (PDDZ). Porphyry intrusions form three suites. The Timmins porphyry suite (TIS) consists of high-Al tonalite–trondjhemite–granodiorite (TTG) with calc–alkalic affinities and high La/Yb ratios and formed during ∼2690 Ma D1-related crustal thickening and hydrous partial melting of mafic crust where garnet and hornblende were stable in the residue. The Carr Township porphyry intrusive suite (CIS) and the granodiorite intrusive suite (GIS) also have high-Al TTG, calc-alkalic affinities, but were generated 10–15 million years after the TIS; the CIS were generated at shallower depths (during postorogenic extension? ) with no garnet in the crustal residue, whereas the GIS formed during D2 thrust-related crustal thickening and partial melting where garnet was stable in the residue. Gold mineralization is preferentially associated with the TIS, and to a lesser extent the GIS, proximal to the PDDZ. Intrusions near mineralization have abundant sericite, carbonate, and sulphide alteration. These intrusions exhibit low Na2O and Sr, and high Al2O3/Na2O, K2O, K2O/Na2O, Rb, and Cs, (i.e., potassic alteration); sulfide- and carbonate-altered porphyries have high (CaO + MgO + Fe2O3)/Al2O3 and LOI values. Although porphyries are not genetically related to gold mineralization, they are spatially related and are interpreted to reflect the emplacement of intrusions and subsequent Au-bearing fluids along the same crustal structures. The intrusive rocks also served as structural traps, where gold mineralization precipitated in dilatant structures along the margins of intrusions during regional (D3? ) deformation.
Human Chorionic Gonadotropin β Induces Migration and Invasion via Activating ERK1/2 and MMP-2 in Human Prostate Cancer DU145 Cells

We previously demonstrated that human chorionic gonadotropin β (hCGβ) induced migration and invasion in human prostate cancer cells. However, the involved molecular mechanisms are unclear. Here, we established a stable prostate cancer cell line overexpressing hCGβ and tested hCGβ-triggered signaling pathways causing cell migration and invasion. ELISA showed that the hCGβ amount secreted into medium increased with culture time after the hCGβ-transfected cells were incubated for 3, 6, 9, 12 and 24 h. More, hCGβ standards promoted MAPK (ERK1/2) phosphorylation and increased MMP-2 expression and activity in both dose- and time-dependent manners in hCGβ non-transfected cells. In addition, hCGβ promoted ERK1/2 phosphorylation and increased MMP-2 expression and activity significantly in hCGβ transfected DU145 cells. Whereas ERK1/2 blocker PD98059 (25 µM) significantly downregulated phosphorylated ERK1/2 and MMP-2. Particularly, hCGβ promoted cell migration and invasion, yet the PD98059 diminished the hCGβ-induced cell motility under those conditions. These results indicated that hCGβ induced cell motility via promoting ERK1/2 phosphorylation and MMP-2 upregulation in human prostate cancer DU145 cells.
Role of Spike Timing in the Forelimb Somatosensory Cortex of the Rat

The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that the significance of spike timing in somatosensory processing is not a specific feature of the whisker cortex but a more general characteristic of the primary somatosensory cortex. We recorded ensembles of neurons using microwire arrays implanted in the deep layers of the forelimb region of the rat primary somatosensory cortex in response to step stimuli delivered to the cutaneous surface of the contralateral body. We used a recently developed peristimulus time histogram (PSTH)-based classification method to investigate the temporal precision of the code by evaluating how changing the bin size (from 40 to 1 msec) would affect the ability of the ensemble responses to discriminate stimulus location on a single-trial basis. The information related to the discrimination was redundantly distributed within the ensembles, and the ability to discriminate stimulus location increased when decreasing the bin size, reaching a maximum at 4 msec. In our experiment, at 4 msec bin size the first spike per neuron after the stimulus conveyed almost as much information as the entire responses, so the temporal precision of the code was preserved in the first spikes. Subsequent spikes were less frequent but conveyed more information per spike. Finally, not only the trials correctly classified but also the trials incorrectly classified conveyed information about stimulus location with a similar temporal precision. We conclude that the role of spike timing in cortical somatosensory processing is not an exclusive feature of the highly specialized rat trigeminal system, but a more general property of the rat primary somatosensory cortex.
Epithelial neutrophil-activating peptide-78 recruits neutrophils into pleural effusion

The aim of this study was to investigate the presence of epithelial neutrophil-activating peptide (ENA)-78 in pleural effusions, as well as the chemoattractant activity of pleural ENA-78 on neutrophils. Pleural effusion and serum samples were collected from 75 patients who presented to the respiratory institute (19 with malignant pleural effusion, 21 with tuberculous pleural effusion, 18 with infectious pleural effusion and 17 with transudative pleural effusion). The concentrations of ENA-78, myeloperoxidase and neutrophil elastase were determined, and the chemoattractant activity of ENA-78 for neutrophils both in vitro and in vivo was also observed. The concentrations of ENA-78, myeloperoxidase and neutrophil elastase in infectious pleural effusion were significantly higher than those in malignant, tuberculous and transudative groups, respectively (all p<0.01). Infectious pleural fluid was chemotactic for neutrophils in vitro and anti-ENA-78 antibody could partly inhibit these chemotactic effects. Intrapleural administration of ENA-78 produced a marked progressive influx of neutrophils into pleural space. Compared with noninfectious pleural effusion, ENA-78 appeared to be increased in infectious pleural effusion. Our data suggested that ENA-78 was able to induce neutrophil infiltration into pleural space and might be responsible for pleural neutrophil degranulation.
PREVALÊNCIA DE ANTICORPOS ANTI-NEOSPORA CANINUM EM OVINOS DO MUNICÍPIO DE MONTE NEGRO, RO, AMAZÔNIA OCIDENTAL BRASILEIRA

ANTI-NEOSPORA CANINUM ANTIBODIES PREVALENCE IN SHEEP FROM MONTE NEGRO COUNTY, RO, BRAZILIAN WESTERN AMAZON. This study evaluated 141 serums of sheep from 15 farms of Monte Negro county, RO, Brazilian Western Amazon by means of Indirect Fluorescent Antibody Test (IFAT, = 50) for detection of antibodies against Neospora caninum. A total of 41 (29.0%) seropositive sheep were detected from 10 (60.0%) farms. There was not association between the serological results and the variables studied. The prevalence of anti-N. caninum antibodies in sheep is higher than other regions in Brazil and the world.