Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Endemic nephropathy: the case for chronic poisoning by aristolochia.

AIM To explore the hypothesis that chronic dietary poisoning by aristolochic acid could account for the unique geographical distribution, specific pattern of tubulointerstitial fibrosis, occurrence of chronic renal insufficiency, and an increased risk of developing upper urothelial cancer, all of which are associated with endemic nephropathy. METHODS This case-controlled epidemiologic study consisted of three groups of subjects residing in an endemic region of Croatia: (a) patients meeting WHO criteria for endemic nephropathy (n=28), (b) individuals who have been treated for renal insufficiency secondary to other forms of renal disease (n=30), and (c) apparently healthy residents of the endemic village (n= 30). A detailed questionnaire, designed to collect information on demographics, exposure to potentially toxic substances, diet, agricultural practices, and other factors potentially impacting endemic nephropathy was administered to the three study groups. The seeds of Aristolochia clematitis, obtained from plants growing in the endemic region, were extracted with ethanol and analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography for their aristolochic acid content. RESULTS The majority of subjects, including 90% of endemic nephropathy patients, recall that the plant Aristolochia clematitis (birthwort, vucja stopa in Croatian) was frequently found in local meadows and wheat fields between 20 and 30 years ago. At that time, endemic nephropathy patients encountered Aristolochia clematitis significantly more frequently than controls (P=0.035). Since then, all three study groups reported a significant increase in the use of herbicides (P<0.001) and reduction in the prevalence of Aristolochia clematitis (P<0.001). Chemical analysis established that the seeds of A. clematitis contain 0.65% aristolochic acid. It is likely that the harvesting process used by local farmers permitted the seeds of A. clematitis to mingle with the wheat grain. CONCLUSION Flour used to bake bread, a dietary staple in the endemic region of Croatia, is derived from wheat grain which, in the past, is likely to have been contaminated with seeds of A. clematitis during harvesting. This observation supports the hypothesis that aristolochic acid, a major constituent of the seeds, plays a central role in the development of endemic nephropathy.
Statistical characteristics, circulation regimes and unstable periodic orbits of a barotropic atmospheric model

The theory of chaotic dynamical systems gives many tools that can be used in climate studies. The widely used ones are the Lyapunov exponents, the Kolmogorov entropy and the attractor dimension characterizing global quantities of a system. Another potentially useful tool from dynamical system theory arises from the fact that the local analysis of a system probability distribution function (PDF) can be accomplished by using a procedure that involves an expansion in terms of unstable periodic orbits (UPOs). The system measure (or its statistical characteristics) is approximated as a weighted sum over the orbits. The weights are inversely proportional to the orbit instability characteristics so that the least unstable orbits make larger contributions to the PDF. Consequently, one can expect some relationship between the least unstable orbits and the local maxima of the system PDF. As a result, the most probable system trajectories (or ‘circulation regimes’ in some sense) may be explained in terms of orbits. For the special classes of chaotic dynamical systems, there is a strict theory guaranteeing the accuracy of this approach. However, a typical atmospheric model may not qualify for these theorems. In our study, we will try to apply the idea of UPO expansion to the simple atmospheric system based on the barotropic vorticity equation of the sphere. We will check how well orbits approximate the system attractor, its statistical characteristics and PDF. The connection of the most probable states of the system with the least unstable periodic orbits will also be analysed.
Transforming growth factor-β pathway activity in glioblastoma

Transforming growth factor (TGF)-β is a central molecule maintaining the malignant phenotype of glioblastoma. Anti-TGF-β strategies are currently being explored in early clinical trials. Yet, there is little contemporary data on the differential expression of TGF-β isoforms at the mRNA and protein level or TGF-β/Smad pathway activity in glioblastomas in vivo. Here we studied 64 newly diagnosed and 16 recurrent glioblastomas for the expression of TGF-β1-3, platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-B, and plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI)-1 mRNA by RT-PCR and for the levels of TGF-β1-3 protein, phosphorylated Smad2 (pSmad2), pSmad1/5/8 and PAI-1 by immunohistochemistry. Among the TGF-β isoforms, TGF-β1 mRNA was the most, whereas TGF-β3 mRNA was the least abundant. TGF-β1-3 mRNA expression was strongly correlated, as was the expression of TGF-β1-3 mRNA, and of the TGF-β1-3 target genes, PDGF-B and PAI-1. TGF-β2 and TGF-β3 protein levels correlated well, whereas the comparison of the other TGF-βisoforms did not. Positive correlation was also observed between TGF-β1 and pSmad1/5/8 and between pSmad2 and pSmad1/5/8. Survival analyses indicated that a group of patients with high expression levels of TGF-β2 mRNA or pSmad1/5/8 protein have inferior outcome. We thus provide potential biomarkers for patient stratification in clinical trials of anti-TGF-β therapies in glioblastoma.
A level set method for ductile fracture

We utilize the shape derivative of the classical Griffith's energy in a level set method for the simulation of dynamic ductile fracture. The level set is defined in the undeformed configuration of the object, and its evolution is designed to represent a transition from undamaged to failed material. No re-meshing is needed since the resulting topological changes are handled naturally by the level set method. We provide a new mechanism for the generation of fragments of material during the progression of the level set in the Griffith's energy minimization. Collisions between different material pieces are resolved with impulses derived from the material point method over a background Eulerian grid. This provides a stable means for colliding with embedded interfaces. Simulation of corotational elasticity is based on an implicit finite element discretization.
A BLOCK COORDINATE DESCENT METHOD FOR MULTI-CONVEX OPTIMIZATION WITH APPLICATIONS TO NONNEGATIVE TENSOR FACTORIZATION AND COMPLETION

This paper considers block multi-convex optimization, where the feasible set and objective function are generally non-convex but convex in each block of variables. We review some of its interesting examples and propose a generalized block coordinate descent method. Under certain conditions, we show that any limit point satisfies the Nash equilibrium conditions. Furthermore, we establish its global convergence and estimate its asymptotic convergence rate by assuming a property based on the Kurdyka-Lojasiewicz inequality. The proposed algorithms are adapted for factorizing nonnegative matrices and tensors, as well as completing them from their incomplete observations. The algorithms were tested on synthetic data, hyperspectral data, as well as image sets from the CBCL and ORL databases. Compared to the existing state-of-the-art algorithms, the proposed algorithms demonstrate superior performance in both speed and solution quality. The Matlab code is available for download from the authors’ homepages.
A Tale of Two Cultures: Building Community by Researching Community.

Upon beginning postgraduate research at the Faculty of Built Environment at UNSW, the authors were surprised to find themselves working in a librarylike environment, where a culture of silence prevailed. Assuming initially that this was just how postgraduate research was, they soon learned that the building also housed a second postgraduate lab with a different work environment featuring more interaction. This discovery prompted the authors to create an informal research community group, the Cohort Knowledge Share Group (CKSG), and to develop a ‘mini-thesis’ to explore the lab differences and to share the thesis creation process. Auto-ethnographic perspectives shaped the mini-thesis study, which utilized mixed methodology incorporating a questionnaire, individual reflections and interviews, focus group sessions and observation. The mini-thesis results illustrated that despite undertaking a common journey, the research student community’s diverse and multicultural nature created complex needs for facilities, community engagement and personal support. In addition, while undertaking the mini-thesis study, the authors discovered that the innovative CKSG model had changed the sense of community in the main postgraduate lab, as well as the broader research student journey. As this case study will show, the CKSG has therefore been a transformative experience in more ways than one.
Imposter phenomenon and counseling self-efficacy : the impact of imposter feelings

DISSERTATION: Imposter Phenomenon and Counseling Self-efficacy: The Impact of Imposter Feelings STUDENT: Jane C. Royse Roskowski DEGREE: Doctor of Philosophy COLLEGE: Teachers College DATE: December, 2010 PAGES: 220 Since the imposter phenomenon was first identified, much research has been conducted on its occurrence in different populations and its impact on functioning. This study investigated the influence of the imposter phenomenon on counseling selfefficacy among graduate level counseling and counseling psychology trainees. A structural equation model was developed and tested to determine the relationships between counseling experience, the imposter phenomenon, and counseling selfefficacy. The model indicated that the imposter phenomenon had a negative relationship with counseling self-efficacy. It also revealed the influence of prior experience, months in practicum, and number of counseling hours on counseling selfefficacy. Additionally, the lack of relationship between experience and the imposter phenomenon suggested that imposter feelings persist beyond the early levels of trainees’ development. The imposter phenomenon, however, moderated the relationships between two experience variables, months in practicum and number of counseling hours, and counseling self-efficacy. The results did not reveal a mediating effect of the imposter phenomenon on the relationship between experience and counseling self-efficacy. Supplementary analysis using a MIMIC model indicated no significant relationship between gender and imposter feelings. Strengths, limitations, directions for future research, and implications for practice and training counselors and counseling psychologists were presented.
Trends in hip and knee joint replacement: socioeconomic inequalities and projections of need

Objectives: To examine trends in primary and revision joint (hip and knee) replacement in England between 1991 and 2000. Methods: Analysis of hospital episodes statistics between 1 April 1991 and 30 March 2001 for total hip replacement (THR) and total knee replacement (TKR). Descriptive statistics and regression modelling were used to summarise patients’ demographic and clinical characteristics and to explore variations in joint surgery rates by age, sex, and deprivation. Results: Between 1991 and 2000, the incidence of primary THR increased by 18%, while the incidence of revision THR more than doubled. The incidence of primary TKR doubled, with revision TKR increasing by 300%. Over the 10 year period, the proportion of THR episodes that involved revision operations rose from 8% to 20%. Substantial variations in operation rates by socioeconomic status were seen, with the most deprived fifth of the population experiencing significantly lower rates. Projections estimate that primary THR numbers could rise by up to 22% by the year 2010, with primary TKR numbers rising by up to 63%. Conclusions: Provision of joint replacement surgery in English NHS hospitals has increased substantially over the past decade. Revision operations in particular have increased markedly. The growth in primary operations has mostly occurred among those aged 60 years and over; rates among young people have changed very little. There is a significant deprivation based gradient in rates. If current trends continue there would be almost 47 000 primary hip and 54 000 primary knee operations annually by 2010.
Factors associated with attrition, mortality, and loss to follow up after antiretroviral therapy initiation: data from an HIV cohort study in India

Background Studies from sub-Saharan Africa have shown high incidence of attrition due to mortality or loss to follow-up (LTFU) after initiating antiretroviral therapy (ART). India is the third largest country in the world in terms of HIV infected people, but predictors of attrition after ART initiation are not well known. Design We describe factors associated with attrition, mortality, and LTFU in 3,159 HIV infected patients who initiated ART between 1 January 2007 and 4 November 2011 in an HIV cohort study in India. The study included 6,852 person-years with a mean follow-up of 2.17 years. Results After 5 years of follow-up, the estimated cumulative incidence of attrition was 37.7%. There was no significant difference between attrition due to mortality and attrition due to LTFU. Having CD4 counts <100 cells/µl and being homeless [adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) 3.1, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.6–3.8] were associated with a higher risk of attrition, and female gender (aHR 0.64, 95% CI 0.6–0.8) was associated with a reduced risk of attrition. Living near a town (aHR 0.82, 95% CI 0.7–0.999) was associated with a reduced risk of mortality. Being single (aHR 1.6, 95% CI 1.2–2.3), illiteracy (aHR 1.3, 95% CI 1.1–1.6), and age <25 years (aHR 1.3, 95% CI 1–1.8) were associated with an increased risk of LTFU. Although the cumulative incidence of attrition in patients diagnosed with tuberculosis after ART initiation was 47.4%, patients who started anti-tuberculous treatment before ART had similar attrition to patients without tuberculosis (36 vs. 35.2%, P=0.19) after four years of follow-up. Conclusions In this cohort study, the attrition was similar to the one found in sub-Saharan Africa. Earlier initiation of ART, improving the diagnosis of tuberculosis before initiating ART, and giving more support to those patients at higher risk of attrition could potentially reduce the mortality and LTFU after ART initiation.
Chemotherapeutic implications of staging in Hodgkin's disease.

The chemotherapeutic implications of staging are the following. ( a ) As both radiotherapeutic and chemotherapeutic treatment programs become more aggressive, the decision as to what stage a patient resides in becomes more important since both programs may be mutually exclusive. ( b ) More complete approaches to staging are yielding previously unappreciated areas of disease involvement. More and more patients are exhibiting less and less localized disease. The implication may be that Hodgkin's disease, particularly in reference to splenic involvement and vascular invasion, may metastasize more often than previously appreciated. ( c ) Development and application of chemotherapy for Hodgkin's disease has now reached the point where it provides the therapy of choice for patients with Stage IIIB and IV disease and may be even more useful in patients with minimal amounts of widespread disease of the type uncovered by current staging techniques. ( d ) With our better understanding of the natural history of Hodgkin's disease and the availability of two alternative therapeutic approaches, we should now be able to approach itelligently the design and execution of clinical trials within given stages of disease, ( e ) The question as to whether removal of the spleen is useful in allowing delivery of more chemotherapeutic agents with less toxicity in the newly staged patient is unsettled and will require such a controlled clinicalt rial for the answer.
Rotor-Obstacle Aerodynamic Interaction in Hovering Flight: An Experimental Survey

Despite the presence of a fair number of numerical and experimental works on the rotor-obstacle interaction, a systematic study of the aerodynamic phenomena involved is lacking. In this paper a comprehensive experimental survey carried out at University of Glasgow is described, taking advantage of two different rotor rigs and several experimental techniques. Load measurements on the rotor were carried out in order to assess the rotor performance for different positions with respect to a cubic obstacle, thus simulating a set of possible hovering flight conditions around the obstacle. Laser Doppler Anemometry (LDA) measurements of the rotor inflow were used in order to investigate how the aerodynamic interaction affected the rotor performance. Eventually Stereoscopic Particle Image Velocimetry (SPIV) measurements in the region between the rotor and the obstacle were carried out in order to have a better insight of the interacting flow field.
EVIDENCE FOR LOW BLACK HOLE SPIN AND PHYSICALLY MOTIVATED ACCRETION MODELS FROM MILLIMETER-VLBI OBSERVATIONS OF SAGITTARIUS A*

Millimeter very long baseline interferometry (mm-VLBI) provides the novel capacity to probe the emission region of a handful of supermassive black holes on sub-horizon scales. For Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*), the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way, this provides access to the region in the immediate vicinity of the horizon. Broderick et al. have already shown that by leveraging spectral and polarization information as well as accretion theory, it is possible to extract accretion-model parameters (including black hole spin) from mm-VLBI experiments containing only a handful of telescopes. Here we repeat this analysis with the most recent mm-VLBI data, considering a class of aligned, radiatively inefficient accretion flow (RIAF) models. We find that the combined data set rules out symmetric models for Sgr A*'s flux distribution at the 3. 9σ level, strongly favoring length-to-width ratios of roughly 2.4:1. More importantly, we find that physically motivated accretion flow models provide a significantly better fit to the mm-VLBI observations than phenomenological models, at the 2. 9σ level. This implies that not only is mm-VLBI presently capable of distinguishing between potential physical models for Sgr A*'s emission, but further that it is sensitive to the strong gravitational lensing associated with the propagation of photons near the black hole. Based upon this analysis we find that the most probable magnitude, viewing angle, and position angle for the black hole spin are a = 0.0+0.64 + 0.86, , and east of north, where the errors quoted are the 1σ and 2σ uncertainties.
Management and treatment of iliopsoas abscess.

HYPOTHESIS Even with improved diagnostic modalities, the optimum management strategy for iliopsoas abscess (IPA) is not uniform, and a better understanding of treatment options is needed. DESIGN Retrospective case series. SETTING Academic center. PATIENTS Sixty-one consecutive patients diagnosed as having IPA at the Mount Sinai Medical Center, New York, New York, from August 1, 2000, to December 30, 2007. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Development and cause of IPA, the need for additional interventions, morbidity, and mortality. RESULTS The mean age of the patients was 53 years. Most patients were initially seen with pain (95% [58 of 61]), gastrointestinal tract complaints (43% [26 of 61]), and lower extremity pain (30% [18 of 61]). Primary and secondary abscesses occurred in 11% (7 of 61) and 89% (54 of 61), respectively. The most frequent underlying cause of secondary abscesses was inflammatory bowel disease. Broad-spectrum antibiotics were prescribed in all patients. Computed tomography was the most common diagnostic modality used. Abscesses were larger than 6 cm in 39% of patients (24 of 61), bilateral in 13% (8 of 61), and multiple in 25% (15 of 61). Nine patients were treated using antibiotics alone, with a success rate of 78% (7 of 9). Forty-eight patients initially underwent percutaneous drainage, which was successful in 40% (19 of 48). Among those with unresolved IPAs, 71% of patients ultimately required surgery, and the IPAs were typically associated with underlying gastrointestinal tract causes. Seven percent (4 of 61) of patients directly underwent exploratory surgery and drainage, and all of these interventions were successful. The overall mortality was 5% (3 of 61). CONCLUSIONS Iliopsoas abscess remains a therapeutic challenge. Gastrointestinal tract disease is the most common cause, with computed tomography as the diagnostic modality of choice. Percutaneous drainage remains the initial treatment modality but is rarely the sole therapy required. Patients with inflammatory bowel disease are likely to require ultimate operative management.
The dependence of differential rotation on temperature and rotation

We use Doppler imaging techniques to determine the dependence of starspot rotation rates on latitude in an homogeneous sample of young, rapidly-rotating solar analogues. A solar-like differential rotation law is used, where the rot ation depends on sin 2 (θ), where θ is the stellar latitude. By including this term in the image rec onstruction process, using starspots as tracers, we are able to determine the magnitude of the shear over more than one rotation cycle. We also consider results from matched filter starspot tracking techniques, where individual starspot rotation rates are determined. In addition we have re-analysed published results and present a new measurement for the K3 dwarf, Speedy Mic. A total of 10 stars of spectral type G2 - M2 are considered. We fi nd a trend towards decreasing surface differential rotation with decreasing effective temperature. The implied approach to solid body rotation with increasing relative co nvection zone depth implies that the dynamo mechanism operating in low-mass stars may be substantially different from that in the Sun.
Investigating the Patterns and Determinants of Life Satisfaction in Germany Following Reunification

This paper investigates the patterns and determinants of life satisfaction in Germany following reunification. We implement a new fixed-effect estimator for ordinal life satisfaction in the German Socio-Economic Panel and find negative effects on life satisfaction from being recently fired, losing a spouse through either death or separation, and time spent in hospital, while we find strong positive effects from income and marriage. Using a new causal decomposition technique, we find that East Germans experienced a continued improvement in life satisfaction to which increased household incomes contributed around 12 percent. Most of the improvement is explained by better average circumstances, such as greater political freedom. For West Germans, we find little change in average life satisfaction over this period.
On the Geometricity of Lattices Generated by Orbits of Subspaces Under Finite Classical Groups

Abstract Let F nq be the n-dimensional vector space over the finite field F q and let Gn be one of the classical groups of degree n over F q. Let M be any orbit of subspaces under Gn. Denote by L the set of subspaces which are intersections of subspaces in M and assume the intersection of the empty set of subspaces of F nq is F nq itself. By ordering L by ordinary or reverse inclusion, two lattices are obtained. This paper discusses when they form geometric lattices.