Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Pyloric motor function during emptying of a liquid meal from the stomach in the conscious pig.

1. In six conscious pigs antral, pyloric and duodenal pressures were recorded with a 5.5 cm sleeve sensor and multiple perfused side holes. The manometric assembly was positioned by dual point transmucosal potential difference measurement. Gastric emptying was measured by drainage of the proximal duodenum through a Thomas cannula. Pressures were correlated with emptying of ingested radiolabelled 5% dextrose. Alteration of emptying was produced by infusion into the more distal duodenum of nutrient and non‐nutrient solutions of differing osmolalities. 2. Motor activity of the pylorus and antrum was stimulated by ingestion and modulated by intraduodenal infusion. Duodenal infusion of normal saline was associated with antro‐pyloric pressure waves and rapid emptying of the ingested liquid. Duodenal infusion of dextrose, fatty acid, amino acids and hyperosmolar saline was associated with stimulation of isolated pyloric pressure waves, suppression of antral pressure waves and slowing of gastric emptying. 3. The dose‐response relationship of these effects was investigated using varying rates of intraduodenal dextrose infusions. The emptying rate of the ingested liquid was inversely related to the rates of delivery of dextrose to the duodenum, directly related to the rate of antro‐pyloric pressure waves and inversely related to the rate of isolated pyloric pressure waves. 4. Clearly defined episodes of pulsatile flow produced slightly more than half of the total emptying that occurred. This pulsatile flow was intimately associated in time with antro‐pyloric pressure waves. Sequences of isolated pyloric pressure waves were associated with near cessation of emptying. When there were periods of absent pyloric antral pressure waves, flow rates intermediate between the rapid emptying of pulsatile flow during antro‐pyloric pressure waves and the near cessation of flow during isolated pyloric pressure waves occurred. 5. The findings suggest a major role for the pylorus in the control of emptying of liquids from the stomach, both as a component of an antro‐pyloric peristaltic pump and as a resistor to transpyloric flow during nutrient and hyperosmolar stimulation of duodenal receptors.
Photosensitivity to different light intensities in blind and sighted rodents

SUMMARY Photoperiod is an important cue regulating biological rhythms in mammals, including ‘blind’ subterranean and sighted fossorial rodent species. These species may respond differentially to changes in light quality according to their retinal complexity. The effects of increasing light intensity on daily rhythms of urine excretion and urinary output of 6-sulfatoxymelatonin levels were compared in ‘blind’ mole rats Spalax ehrenbergi and sighted social voles, Microtus socialis. Our results show that the threshold irradiance required to entrain rhythms of voles is three magnitudes greater than that for mole rats. The results suggest that mole rats have an operational photoreceptive pathway with a lower threshold irradiance than voles. Such a low threshold reflects the remarkable capability of this ‘blind’ species to utilize light signals even under challenging light conditions.
Rates of Change to a Positive Result in Subsequent Screening Mammography in Korean Women: A Retrospective Observational Study

Objectives: This retrospective cohort study aimed at calculating some parameters of changes in the findings of the subsequent screening mammography (SSM) in female Korean volunteers. Methods: The study included screenees aged 30 to 79 years who underwent SSM voluntarily after testing negative in the baseline screenings performed between January 2007 and December 2011. A change to a positive result was defined as category 4 or 5 by using the American College of Radiology Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System. The proportion of results that had changed to positive (CP, %) was calculated by dividing the number of cases with results that were positive in the SSM by the total number of study participants. The rate of results that had changed to positive (CR, cases per 100 000 screenee-months) was calculated by dividing the number of cases with results that were positive in the SSM by the total number of months of the follow-up period. Results: The overall CP and CR in all age groups (n=77 908) were 2.26% and 93.94 cases per 100 000 screenee-months, respectively. The median CP interval in the subjects who had positive SSM results was 30 to 36 months, while that in the age group of 30 to 39 years was shorter. Conclusions: Different screening intervals should be considered among women aged between 30 and 59 years. In addition, a strategy for a screening program should be developed for the age group of 30 to 39 years, in particular.
Maximizing the Divergence from a Hierarchical Model of Quantum States

We study many-party correlations quantified in terms of the Umegaki relative entropy (divergence) from a Gibbs family known as a hierarchical model. We derive these quantities from the maximum-entropy principle which was used earlier to define the closely related irreducible correlation. We point out the differences between quantum states and probability vectors which exist in hierarchical models, in the divergence from a hierarchical model and in local maximizers of this divergence. The differences are, respectively, missing factorization, discontinuity and reduction of uncertainty. We discuss global maximizers of the mutual information of separable qubit states.
Cellular location of heat-labile enterotoxin in Escherichia coli

We demonstrated that both the A and B subunits of heat-labile enterotoxin from Escherichia coli are located in the periplasm. The toxin was shown to form aggregates in Tris-EDTA buffers which are routinely used for isolating membranes. The aggregates pellet upon centrifugation, and this may explain why several previous investigators have concluded that enterotoxin is associated with membranes.
Antisense-mediated exon skipping: a therapeutic strategy for titin-based dilated cardiomyopathy

Frameshift mutations in the TTN gene encoding titin are a major cause for inherited forms of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), a heart disease characterized by ventricular dilatation, systolic dysfunction, and progressive heart failure. To date, there are no specific treatment options for DCM patients but heart transplantation. Here, we show the beneficial potential of reframing titin transcripts by antisense oligonucleotide (AON)‐mediated exon skipping in human and murine models of DCM carrying a previously identified autosomal‐dominant frameshift mutation in titin exon 326. Correction of TTN reading frame in patient‐specific cardiomyocytes derived from induced pluripotent stem cells rescued defective myofibril assembly and stability and normalized the sarcomeric protein expression. AON treatment in Ttn knock‐in mice improved sarcomere formation and contractile performance in homozygous embryos and prevented the development of the DCM phenotype in heterozygous animals. These results demonstrate that disruption of the titin reading frame due to a truncating DCM mutation can be restored by exon skipping in both patient cardiomyocytes in vitro and mouse heart in vivo, indicating RNA‐based strategies as a potential treatment option for DCM.
An aging Interventions Testing Program: study design and interim report

The National Institute on Aging's Interventions Testing Program (ITP) has developed a plan to evaluate agents that are considered plausible candidates for delaying rates of aging. Key features include: (i) use of genetically heterogeneous mice (a standardized four‐way cross), (ii) replication at three test sites (the Jackson Laboratory, TJL; University of Michigan, UM; and University of Texas, UT), (iii) sufficient statistical power to detect 10% changes in lifespan, (iv) tests for age‐dependent changes in T cell subsets and physical activity, and (v) an annual solicitation for collaborators who wish to suggest new interventions for evaluation. Mice in the first cohort were exposed to one of four agents: aspirin, nitroflurbiprofen (NFP), 4‐OH‐α‐phenyl‐N‐tert‐butyl nitrone (4‐OH‐PBN), or nordihydroguiaretic acid (NDGA). An interim analysis was conducted using survival data available on the date at which at least 50% of the male control mice had died at each test site. Survival of control males was significantly higher, at the interim time‐point, at UM than at UT or TJL; all three sites had similar survival of control females. Males in the NDGA group had significantly improved survival (P = 0.0004), with significant effects noted at TJL (P < 0.01) and UT (P < 0.04). None of the other agents altered survival, although there was a suggestion (P = 0.07) of a beneficial effect of aspirin in males. More data will be needed to determine if any of these compounds can extend maximal lifespan, but the current data show that NDGA reduces early life mortality risks in genetically heterogeneous mice at multiple test sites.
Hybrid InGaAsP-Si Evanescent Laser by Selective-Area Metal-Bonding Method

A 1.55-<formula formulatype="inline"><tex Notation="TeX">$\mu{\rm m}$</tex></formula> InGaAsP-Si hybrid laser operating at 10<formula formulatype="inline"><tex Notation="TeX">$^{\circ}{\rm C}$</tex></formula> under continuous-wave operation is fabricated using a selective-area metal-bonding method with AuGeNi/Au on InGaAsP gain structure as both cathode and bonding metal and AuSn on silicon-on-insulator (SOI) as bonding metal. The maximum single-facet output power is 9 mW. The slope efficiency of the hybrid laser is 0.04 W/A, four times that of the laser before bonding. A semi-insulating InP:Fe buried heterostructure laser is flip-chip bonded onto an SOI waveguide. The light generated in the active area is evanescently coupled into the silicon waveguide. The simplicity and flexibility of the fabrication process and high yield make the hybrid laser a promising light source.
An economic viewpoint on alternative strategies for identifying persons with hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer

Purpose There is uncertainty regarding the optimal strategy for identifying mutation carriers among those with hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC). Methods We used decision analysis to compare the cost-effectiveness of 4 strategies among those with newly diagnosed colon cancer: (1) clinical and family history followed by microsatellite instability testing and germline testing (Bethesda guidelines); (2) universal microsatellite instability testing; (3) germline testing of those who meet clinical and family history criteria; and (4) universal germline testing.Results The added cost per year of life saved (YLS) for each strategy was as follows: (1) $11,865/YLS, (2) $35,617/YLS, (3) $49,702/YLS, and (4) $267,548/YLS.Conclusions The Bethesda guidelines are the most cost-effectiveness approach to screen persons for HNPCC.
A General-Purpose Query-Centric Framework for Querying Big Graphs

Pioneered by Google's Pregel, many distributed systems have been developed for large-scale graph analytics. These systems employ a user-friendly "think like a vertex" programming model, and exhibit good scalability for tasks where the majority of graph vertices participate in computation. However, the design of these systems can seriously under-utilize the resources in a cluster for processing light-workload graph queries, where only a small fraction of vertices need to be accessed. In this work, we develop a new open-source system, called Quegel, for querying big graphs. Quegel treats queries as first-class citizens in its design: users only need to specify the Pregel-like algorithm for a generic query, and Quegel processes light-workload graph queries on demand, using a novel superstep-sharing execution model to effectively utilize the cluster resources. Quegel further provides a convenient interface for constructing graph indexes, which significantly improve query performance but are not supported by existing graph-parallel systems. Our experiments verified that Quegel is highly efficient in answering various types of graph queries and is up to orders of magnitude faster than existing systems.
Introducing structured dialogue with people with mental illness into the training of social work students.

This paper presents the findings from an innovative project in which people with mental illness were incorporated in the classroom setting of social work students in Israel. This project was based on a model that was defined as "Structured Dialogue. " Its objective was to create opportunities for students to relate to persons with mental illness in a less stigmatic and more hopeful way. One hundred and eighty five students participated in this evaluation that was conducted in fifteen social work classes. The findings indicate the potential of the Structured Dialogue model to eliminate the one-dimensional representation of people with mental illness and change preexisting stereotypes and stigma with which the students came to the meetings. Implications for training future mental health professionals are discussed.
Influence of cement type and thickness on polyfiber post adhesion

Introduction: To evaluate the effect of two different post space diameters and related resin cement film thicknesses on the bond strength of a polyfiber post. Materials and Methods: A total of 48 premolars were randomly divided into two according to the post space diameter: 1.1 mm and 1.5 mm. Then each group was divided into three sub-groups according to luting cement used: RelyX U100, Panavia F2.0/ED primer, Clearfil SA cement. Spirapost was then luted into the canal using luting cements. Two slices were obtained from each root specimen. Push-out tests were performed. Data was analyzed with Kruskal-Wallis and Connover post-hoc and Mann-Whitney U-test (P < 0.05). Results: Push-out bond strength was found to vary significantly according to type of adhesive system and post space diameter size (P < 0.05). The self-adhesive resin cement RelyX U100 had significantly higher bond strengths compared with the other adhesive system (P < 0.05). The self-etch adhesive system (Panavia F2.0) showed significantly lower bond strengths compared with the other systems (P < 0.05). There was a significant interaction between the luting systems and post space diameter (P < 0.05). Conclusion: The increases in post space diameter significantly reduced the bond strength of Spirapost to root dentine for both groups.
Research of segmented 8bit voltage-mode R-2R ladder DAC

Modeling for voltage-mode R-2R ladder digital to analog converter (DAC) is introduced in this paper. By analyzing the mismatch of resistors in ladder, the DNL and INL calculation expression are obtained. In order to achieve a higher accuracy, segmentation is used in DAC. Five different segmentation methods are compared and 3+5 segmentation structure is chosen to achieve best DNL and INL performance. For post calibration, a code-dependent current consumption expression is derived from the input impedance of R-2R ladder. A 3+5 segmented DAC based on this modeling is implemented in a standard 0. 18μm CMOS process. The post simulation results show that DNL and INL are bounded at 0.30 and 0.32LSB.
Prevalence of overconditioning in mature horses in southwest Virginia during the summer.

BACKGROUND The prevalence of obesity in horses in the eastern United States is not well documented. OBJECTIVE To determine body condition and risk factors for obesity in horses in Southwest Virginia during summer. ANIMALS A sample of 300 mature (4-20 years old), light breed horses (140 mares, 151 geldings, and 9 stallions) from the VMRCVM Equine Field Service practice equine database. The horses were from 114 farms and 138 owners. METHODS Horses were evaluated over a 60-day period in this cross-sectional, prospective study. A questionnaire was completed for each horse. Body condition score (BCS) was assigned using a scale of 1 (emaciated) to 9 (obese) by 2 independent scorers. Morphometric measurements included average neck circumference (ANC), girth, body length, and height at the withers. Horses were categorized based on BCS as underconditioned (BCS < 4), optimal condition (BCS 4-6), overconditioned (BCS 7), and obese condition (BCS 8-9). RESULTS Five horses (1.7%) were underconditioned, 142 horses (47.3%) were optimally conditioned, 97 horses (32.3%) were overconditioned, and 56 (18.7%) were obese. Estimated body weight (EBW) (r = 0.14, P = .015), body mass index (BMI) (r = 0.46, P < .001), and neck circumference to height ratio (NCHR) (r = 0.50, P = .001) increased with increasing BCS. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE The prevalence of overconditioned and obese horses in this population was higher than reported in previous studies and indicates that obesity might be an emerging problem in horses.
On the Modeling of Time Information for Automatic Genre Recognition Systems in Audio Signals

The creation of huge databases coming from both restoration of existing analogue archives and new content is demanding fast and more and more reliable tools for content analysis and description, to be used for searches, content queries and interactive access. In that context, musical genres are crucial descriptors since they have been widely used for years to organize music catalogues, libraries and shops. Despite their use musical genres remain poorly defined concepts which make of the automatic classification problem a non-trivial task. Most automatic genre classification models rely on the same pattern recognition architecture: extracting features from chunks of audio signal and classifying features independently. In this paper, we focus instead on the low-level temporal relationships between chunks when classifying audio signals in terms of genre; in other words, we investigate means to model short-term time structures from context information in music segments to consolidate classification consistency by reducing ambiguities. A detailed comparative analysis of five different time modelling schemes is provided and classification results are reported for a database of 1400 songs evenly distributed over 7 genres.
Microaneurysm Turnover at the Macula Predicts Risk of Development of Clinically Significant Macular Edema in Persons With Mild Nonproliferative Diabetic Retinopathy

OBJECTIVE To examine the relationship between microaneurysm (MA) turnover using automated analysis of fundus photographs (RetmarkerDR; Critical Health SA) and development of clinically significant macular edema (CSME) in nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR). RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS A prospective, monocenter, observational study was designed to follow eyes/patients with type 2 diabetes and NPDR (Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study levels 20 and 35) with no prior laser treatment for 2 years or until development of CSME. A total of 410 patients, one eye per patient, fulfilled the inclusion/exclusion criteria and were included in the study. Ophthalmologic examinations including best corrected visual acuity, fundus photography, and optical coherence tomography were performed at baseline, 6 months, and at the last study visit (24 months or before laser treatment). RESULTS A total of 348 eyes/patients performed the 24-month visit or developed CSME. Of these 348 eyes/patients, 26 developed CSME. HbA1c levels at baseline and MA turnover (i.e., the sum of the MA formation and disappearance rates) computed during the first 6 months of follow-up were found to be independently predictive factors for development of CSME. MA turnover was 11.2 ± 11.2 in the 26 eyes/patients that developed CSME and 5.0 ± 5.2 in the remaining 322 (P < 0.001). Higher MA turnover values correlated with earlier development of CSME. MA turnover predictive values for CSME development were, for the positive predictive value, 20% and for the negative predictive value, 96%. CONCLUSIONS MA turnover calculated with the RetmarkerDR predicts development of CSME in eyes with NPDR. Low MA turnover values identify well the eyes that are less likely to develop CSME in a 2-year period.
Droplet Routing in the Synthesis of Digital Microfluidic Biochips

Recent advances in microfluidics are expected to lead to sensor systems for high-throughput biochemical analysis. CAD tools are needed to handle increased design complexity for such systems. Analogous to classical VLSI synthesis, a top-down design automation approach can shorten the design cycle and reduce human effort. We focus here on the droplet routing problem, which is a key issue in biochip physical design automation. We develop the first systematic droplet routing method that can be integrated with biochip synthesis. The proposed approach minimizes the number of cells used for droplet routing, while satisfying constraints imposed by throughput considerations and fluidic properties. A real-life biochemical application is used to evaluate the proposed method
Avoidable mortality among child welfare recipients and intercountry adoptees: a national cohort study

Objective: To compare rates of avoidable mortality in adolescence in child welfare recipients and intercountry adoptees with the general population. Design: A register study of the entire national cohort of 989 871 Swedish residents born 1973–82 in the national census of 1990. Multivariate Cox analyses of proportional hazards were used to analyse avoidable deaths between 13 to 27 years of age during 1991–2000. Participants: 12 240 intercountry adoptees, 6437 foster children, 15 868 subjected to other forms of child welfare interventions, and the remaining 955 326 children in the cohort. Results: Intercountry adoptees had a high sex and age adjusted relative risk (RR) for suicide death only (RR 3.5; 95% CI 2.3 to 5.0) in comparison with the general population, while foster children and adolescents who had received other kinds of child welfare interventions had high sex and age adjusted RRs for suicide death; 4.3 (2.8 to 6.6) and 2.7 (1.9 to 3.9) respectively, as well as for other avoidable deaths; RRs 2.5 (1.6 to 3.7) and 2.8 (2.1 to 3.6). The RRs of avoidable deaths for foster children and other child welfare recipients decreased considerably when compared with youth brought up in homes with similar psychosocial characteristics as their original home. Conclusion: Children in substitute care in early childhood were at particular risk for suicide death in adolescence and young adulthood. Child welfare interventions were insufficient to prevent excess deaths in children at risk.
Linear Rheological Behavior of Bituminous Paving Materials

The linearity limits of various unmodified and modified bituminous binders, as well as asphalt mixtures incorporating these binders, have been investigated using a dynamic shear rheometer and a purpose-built, dynamic, direct tension-compression, servohy- draulic testing apparatus. Both continuously graded, as well as gap-graded, asphalt mixtures have been tested together with a fines/filler mortar ~mastic! Cylindrical specimens of these mixtures were subjected to sinusoidal loading at temperatures between 10 and 40°C, first, under stress sweep conditions and, second, under frequency sweep conditions. The results show that there are binder and bulk strain dependent linearity criteria for both binders and asphalt mixtures at high complex modulus values as well, as a high-temperature binder strain dependent linearity criterion for elastomeric modified binders. The linearity bulk strain criterion for the asphalt mixtures was found to be in the order of 100 microstrain with the binder strain criterion for the binders being at least 100 times greater at just over 10,000 microstrain and the polymer network binder strain criterion at 1,000,000 microstrain. In general, the linear viscoelastic rheological characteristics of the asphalt mixtures were similar with differences in the complex modulus and phase angle only being found at intermediate temperatures and frequencies and are attributed to the rheological characteristics of the binders. However, the extra stiffening effect of the aggregate skeleton did increase the elastic response of the asphalt mixtures relative to that of the binders, particularly at high temperatures and low frequencies.