Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of Telmisartan and Ramipril on Atrial Fibrillation Recurrence and Severity in Hypertensive Patients With Metabolic Syndrome and Recurrent Symptomatic Paroxysmal and Persistent Atrial Fibrillation

This study evaluated the effect of telmisartan, ramipril, and amlodipine on atrial fibrillation (AF) recurrence and severity in hypertensive patients with metabolic syndrome. A total of 391 hypertensive outpatients with metabolic syndrome, in sinus rhythm but with at least 2 episodes of AF in the previous 6 months were randomized to telmisartan, ramipril, or amlodipine for 1 year. At the first AF, ventricular rate (VR) and plasma cardiac troponin I (TnI) were evaluated. P-wave dispersion (PWD) and procollagen type I carboxy-terminal peptide (PIP) were evaluated before and after 12 months of treatment. Systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) were similarly and significantly reduced by all treatments (P < .001). In all, 49% of patients treated with amlodipine had a recurrence of AF as did 25.5% of patients with ramipril and 12.9% of patients with telmisartan (P < .01 vs amlodipine and P < .05 vs ramipril). Ventricular rate and TnI at the first AF recurrence were significantly lower with telmisartan and ramipril than with amlodipine. P-wave dispersion was reduced by ramipril (−5.1 ms, P < .05) and even more by telmisartan (−11 ms, P < .01). Telmisartan and ramipril induced a similar PIP reduction (−52.8 and −49.8 µg/L, respectively, P < .01). These findings suggested that in these patients telmisartan was more effective than ramipril in reducing AF recurrence and severity as well as in improving PWD, despite a similar BP reduction and a similar improvement in cardiac fibrosis. This could be related to a specific effect of telmisartan on atrial electric remodeling.
The Crust and the beta-Skeleton: Combinatorial Curve Reconstruction

Abstract We construct a graph on a planar point set, which captures its shape in the following sense: if a smooth curve is sampled densely enough, the graph on the samples is a polygonalization of the curve, with no extraneous edges. The required sampling density varies with the local feature size on the curve, so that areas of less detail can be sampled less densely. We give two different graphs that, in this sense, reconstruct smooth curves: a simple new construction which we call the crust , and the β-skeleton, using a specific value of β.
Parallel Maximum Sum Algorithms on Interconnection Networks

We develop parallel algorithms for both one-dimensional and two-dimensional versions of the maximum sum problem (or max sum for short) on several interconnection networks. These algorithms are all based on a simple scheme that uses pre x sums. To this end, we rst show how to compute pre x sums of N elements on a hypercube, a star, and a pancake interconnection network of size p (where p N) in optimal time of O( p + log p). For the problem of maximum subsequence sum, the 1-D version of the max sum problem, we nd an algorithm that computes the maximum sum of N elements on the aforementioned networks of size p, all with a running time of O( p + log p), which is optimal in view of the trivial ( p + log p) lower bound. When p = O( N logN ), our algorithm computes the max sum in O(logN) time, resulting in an optimal cost of O(N). This result also matches the performance of two previous algorithms that are designed to run on PRAM. Our 1-D max sum algorithm can be used to solve the problem of maximum subarray, the 2-D version of the general max sum problem. In particular, on the three interconnection networks mentioned above, our parallel algorithm nds the maximum subarray of an N N array in time O(logN) with O( N 3 logN ) processors, once again, matching the performance of a previous PRAM algorithm. Note that the cost of the algorithm is O(N), the same asymptotic time as the currently best known sequential algorithm.
Valence band circular dichroism in non-magnetic Ag/Ru(0001) at normal emission

For the non-magnetic system of Ag films on Ru(0001), we have measured the circular dichroism of photoelectrons emitted along the surface normal, the geometry typically used in photoemission electron microscopy. Photoemission spectra were acquired from micrometer-sized regions having uniformly thick Ag films on a single, atomically flat Ru terrace. For a single Ag layer, we find a circular dichroism that exceeds 6% at the d-derived band region around 4.5 eV binding energy. The dichroism decreases as the Ag film thickness increases to three atomic layers. We discuss the origin of the circular dichroism in terms of the symmetry lowering that can occur even in normal emission.
Hedonic and Eudaimonic Job-Related Well-Being: Enjoyment of Job and Fulfillment of Job Purpose

The concept of job-related well-being is developed based on theories of the self and the life course, and well-being and meaning of work literatures. Job-related well-being is the contribution of the job to well-being through enjoyment of the job by the individual (hedonic job-related well-being) and fulfillment of the purposes of the job for the individual (eudaimonic job-related well-being). Although it is an individual attitude, extant conceptualizations of job satisfaction are limited within the boundaries of the workplace, essentially leaving out meaning of jobs, and therefore represent a partial conceptualization of hedonic job-related well-being. Fulfillment of job purpose comprises six facets: self-expression, development and growth, role in society, financial subsistence and thriving, impact on family as self-defined, and impact on life construction. Implications of job-related well-being for research related to general well-being, life satisfaction, job satisfaction, engagement, presenteeism, retention, and performance behaviors, as well as implications for practice, are discussed.
NONHUMAN PRIMATES

hybrid BAM system in which POTRA1–5 interacts with the DUF domain of TamB (TP0325). Although Tp lacks lipopolysaccharide, its genome encodes a nearly complete LPS transporter apparatus. The LptD ortholog (TP0515) contains a large unstructured C-terminal domain, which models LptE-like inside the b-barrel. Tp encodes four 8-stranded b-barrels, each containing positively charged extracellular loops that could contribute to pathogenesis. Surprisingly, Tp encodes five FadL orthologs, all of which display features (i.e., hatch domain and NPA motifs) that are characteristic of Gram-negative FadLs. Three (TP0548, TP0859 and TP0865) have a-helical extensions that could interact with periplasmic components. The Tp genome encodes Mac and RND efflux pumps that presumably achieve combinatorial diversity via co-expression of four paralogous OMFs. Lastly, we confirmed the bipartite membrane topology of Tprs using SAXS to solve solution structures for MOSPN domains of TprK and MOSP. Conclusions The Tp Nichols OMPeome provides a structural framework to (i) elucidate Tp’s enigmatic parasitic strategies, (ii) identify targets of natural immunity, and (iii) interrogate candidate vaccinogens.
Optimal Solutions to a Real-World Integrated Airline Scheduling Problem

We study an integrated airline scheduling problem for a regional carrier. It integrates three stages of the planning process (i.e., fleet assignment, aircraft routing, and crew pairing) that are typically solved in sequence. Aircraft maintenance is also taken into account. The objective function aims at minimizing a weighted sum of the number of aircraft routes, the number of crew pairings, and the waiting times of crews between consecutive flights. In addition, it aims at maximizing the robustness of the solution by also minimizing the number of times that crews need to change aircraft. We present two mixed integer linear programming models for the integrated problem. The first formulation, called the path-path model, can be considered as the “natural model” in which both the crew pairings and the aircraft routes are represented by path-based variables. The other formulation, called the arc-path model, is a novel model in which the aircraft routes are represented by arc-based variables and the crew pairi.
Dynamic Regulation of Sodium/Calcium Exchange Function in Human Heart Failure

Background—Sarcolemmal Na/Ca exchange (NCX) regulates cardiac Ca and contractility. NCX function during the cardiac cycle is determined by intracellular [Ca] and [Na] ([Ca]i, and [Na]i) and membrane potential (Em), which all change in human heart failure (HF). Therefore, changes in NCX function may contribute to abnormal Ca regulation in human HF. Methods and Results—We assessed the cellular bases of differences in NCX function in ventricular myocytes from failing (F) and nonfailing (NF) human hearts. Allosteric activation of NCX by [Ca]i was comparable in F and NF myocytes (K1/2=150±31 nmol/L, n=7). The steady-state relation between [Ca]i and NCX current (INCX) was used to infer the local submembrane [Ca]i ([Ca]sm) that is sensed by NCX dynamically during the action potential (AP) and Ca transient (37°C). This involved “tail”INCX measurement during abrupt repolarization of APs and Ca transients, where peak inward INCX indicates [Ca]sm. This allows inference of the direction of Ca transport by the NCX during the AP. In NF myocytes, NCX extrudes Ca for most of the AP. Three factors shift the direction of NCX-mediated Ca transport (to favor more Ca influx) in F versus NF myocytes, as follows: (1) reduced [Ca]sm, (2) prolonged AP duration, and (3) elevated [Na]i. Conclusions—These results show that Ca entry through NCX may limit systolic dysfunction due to reduced sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca stores in HF but could contribute to slow decay of the [Ca]i transient and to diastolic dysfunction.
Decreased Activation Rate of Insulin-Stimulated Glucose Transport in Adipocytes From Obese Subjects

Recent studies from our laboratory have shown that the rate at which insulin activates glucose disposal in vivo is much slower in obese subjects compared with lean controls. To determine if this was caused by an abnormality in activation of insulin-stimulated glucose transport at the cellular level, we measured the rate at which insulin stimulated glucose transport in human adipocytes from obese volunteers. Basal rates of 3-O-methylglucose transport in the absence of insulin were lower (0.20 ± 0.04 vs. 0.40 ± 0.11 pmol · 10−5 cells · 10 s−1 P <.25) in adipocytes from obese subjects (n = 10) than in lean control subjects (n = 5), but this did not achieve statistical significance. Maximal insulin-stimulated (4300 pM insulin) glucose transport rates were significantly decreased in obesity (2.81 ± 0.81 vs. 1.15 ± 0.20 pmol · 10−5 cells · 10 S−1 P < .005). It took longer for adipocytes from obese subjects to achieve half-maximal activation of insulin-stimulated glucose transport than those from lean subjects (15 ± 2 vs. 9.4 ± 1.2 min, P< .05). The slower overall rates of activation of maximal insulin-stimulated glucose transport observed in adipocytes from obese subjects mirror the slower rates of stimulation of glucose disposal in vivo, which suggests that the in vivo findings are caused by a cellular abnormality in insulin action at a step beyond the binding of insulin to its receptor. The decreased maximal rates of glucose uptake plus the slower rates of activation demonstrated in these studies combine to form an even greater degree of insulin resistance than might be expected from static measurements alone.
Krüppel-like factor 9 (KLF9) prevents colorectal cancer through inhibition of interferon-related signaling.

UNLABELLED Expression of the transcription factor Krüppel-like factor 9 (KLF9) is frequently reduced in colorectal cancers, although a tumor suppressive role has not been established. To determine if KLF9 suppresses intestinal adenoma formation, we generated mice of distinct Klf9 genotypes in the background of the Apc (Min/+) mouse and compared their adenoma burdens at 16 weeks of age. While small intestine adenoma burden remained unchanged among Klf9 genotypes, male and female Apc(Min/+)/Klf9(-/-) and Apc(Min/+)/Klf9(+/-) mice exhibited significantly more colon adenomas than their Apc(Min/+)/Klf9(+/+) counterparts. Microarray analysis showed significant increases in the expression of interferon-induced genes in the colon mucosa of female Apc (Min/+)/Klf9(+/-) and Apc(Min/+)/Klf9(-/-) compared to Apc(Min/+)/Klf9(+/+) mice, prior to overt adenoma occurrence. Gene upregulation was confirmed by qPCR of colon mucosa and by siRNA knockdown of KLF9 in human HT29 colorectal cancer cells. Increases in expression of these genes were further augmented by supplementation with Interferon β1. Circulating levels of the cytokine, interferon-stimulated gene 15 (ISG15) were increased in Apc(Min/+)/Klf9(+/-) and Apc(Min/+)/Klf9(-/-) mice relative to Apc(Min/+)/Klf9(+/+). Additionally, colon mucosal levels of ISG15 were increased in Apc(Min/+)/Klf9(+/-) mice. Chromatin immunoprecipitation demonstrated KLF9 recruitment to the ISG15 promoter. Lastly, treatment with ISG15 suppressed apoptosis in HT29 cells, in the presence and absence of 5-fluorouracil (5FU). Results show KLF9 to be a haploinsufficient suppressor of colon tumorigenesis in Apc(Min/+) mice in part, by repression of ISG15 and the latter's antiapoptotic function. SUMMARY Krüppel-like factor 9 (KLF9) is a haploinsufficient tumor suppressor in the ApcMin/+ mouse colon by suppressing expression of ISG15, an apoptosis-inhibiting cytokine.
Encoding Cortical Surface by Spherical Harmonics

There is a lack of a unified statistical modeling framework for cerebral shape asymmetry analysis in the literature. Most previous approaches start with flipping the 3D magnetic resonance images (MRI). The anatomical correspondence across the hemispheres is then established by registering the original image to the flipped image. A difference of an anatomical index between these two images is used as a measure of cerebral asymmetry. We present a radically different asymmetry analysis that utilizes a novel weighted spherical harmonic representation of cortical surfaces. The weighted spherical harmonic representation is a surface smoothing technique given explicitly as a weighted linear combination of spherical harmonics. This new representation is used to parameterize cortical surfaces, establish the hemispheric correspondence, and normalize cortical surfaces in a unified mathematical framework. The methodology has been applied in characterizing the cortical asymmetry of a group of autistic subjects.
[Clinical research for rehabilitation training combined with modified shu-acupuncture for joint dysfunction after meniscal suture surgery].

OBJECTIVE To compare the effects on joint dysfunction after meniscal suture surgery between rehabilitation training combined with modified shu-acupuncture and simple rehabilitation training. METHODS Seventy-one patients with meniscal suture surgery were randomized into an observation group (n=36) and a control group (n=35). Patients in the observation group received modified shu-acupuncture combined with rehabilitation training. Acupuncture for 8 weeks were at Zutonggu (BL 65), Shugu (BL 66), Neiting (ST 44), Xiangu (ST 43), Xiaxi (GB 43), Zulinqi (GB 41), Dadu (SP 2), Taibai (SP 3), Xingjian (LR 2), and Taichong (LR 3), once a day for continuous 6 days with 1 day for rest. Patients in the control group received simple rehabilitation training for continuous 8 weeks. The training included quadriceps femoris, range of knee joint motion and motion and limb walking on the affected side. The effect score for meniscus injury after treatment from Japanese Orthopaedics Association (JOA) and visual analogue scale (VAS) score were recorded before and after treatment. The effects were compared in the two groups. RESULTS After treatment, the VAS and JOA scores were improved in the two groups (all P<0.05), with better results in the observation group (both P<0.05). The effective rate was 91.7% (33/36) in the observation group, which was better than 80.0% (28/35) in the control group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION Rehabilitation training combined with shu-acupuncture achieve better effect than simple rehabilitation training for joint dysfunction after meniscal suture surgery.
Detection of New Delhi Metallo-β-Lactamase (Encoded by bla NDM-1) in Acinetobacter schindleri during Routine Surveillance

ABSTRACT A carbapenem-resistant Alcaligenes faecalis strain was isolated from a surveillance swab of a service member injured in Afghanistan. The isolate was positive for bla NDM by real-time PCR. Species identification was reevaluated on three identification systems but was inconclusive. Genome sequencing indicated that the closest relative was Acinetobacter schindleri and that bla NDM-1 was carried on a plasmid that shared >99% identity with one identified in an Acinetobacter lwoffii isolate. The isolate also carried a novel chromosomally encoded class D oxacillinase.
Family Influences on the Career Life Cycle

This chapter examines the myriad ways in which one’s family and personal life can impact an individual’s career. A review of some of the key research literature reveals that career choice is influenced by an individual’s values, attitudes, and expectations concerning how work should be balanced with the rest of life. Individuals are also susceptible to influence from their families of origin with regard to occupational choice and prioritizing work over family, or vice versa. Career opportunities, in the form of prospects for advancement within an organization or more generally in one’s chosen field, are impacted by family commitments and the use of flexible working practices designed to assist employees balance their work and home responsibilities. The desire for a balanced lifestyle between work and family also affects decisions to change jobs or accept a geographical transfer, and can help to shape employees’ intentions to depart an organization or an entire career. The chapter will conclude by identifying some of the major implications of employees’ determination to combine career with a meaningful life outside of work, for both organizations and individuals.
An Efficient Algorithm for Local Distance Metric Learning

Learning application-specific distance metrics from labeled data is critical for both statistical classification and information retrieval. Most of the earlier work in this area has focused on finding metrics that simultaneously optimize compactness and separability in a global sense. Specifically, such distance metrics attempt to keep all of the data points in each class close together while ensuring that data points from different classes are separated. However, particularly when classes exhibit multimodal data distributions, these goals conflict and thus cannot be simultaneously satisfied. This paper proposes a Local Distance Metric (LDM) that aims to optimize local compactness and local separability. We present an efficient algorithm that employs eigenvector analysis, and bound optimization to learn the LDM from training data in a probabilistic framework. We demonstrate that LDM achieves significant improvements in both classification and retrieval accuracy compared to global distance learning and kernel-based KNN.
Software-as-a-Service Model: Elaborating Client-Side Adoption Factors

Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) is emerging as a viable outsourcing option for clients interested in paying for the right to access a standardized set of business software functions through the network. SaaS model largely replaced the Application Service Providers (ASPs) model, by creating an architecture that provides no mechanisms for customizing the software on the vendor side; all customization is done on the client side through standardized interfaces. The fact that vendors are not making any client-specific investments makes this outsourcing model quite intriguing. In this paper we investigate client's side determinants the SaaS model adoption. We draw on economic, strategic management, and Information Systems theories to develop a theoretical framework. By integrating diverse literature streams, we are able to develop a more elaborate view of uncertainty arguing that some types uncertainty increase the propensity to adopt SaaS, while other types do not. Finally, we argue that the maturity of the client's internal enterprise IT architecture plays an important role in SaaS adoption decisions.
Human tumour cathepsin B. Comparison with normal liver cathepsin B.

Cathepsin B was purified from normal human liver and several human tumour tissues and partially characterized. Three forms of cathepsin B, with molecular masses of 25 kDa, 26 kDa (the two appearing as a doublet) and 30 kDa, were detected in SDS/polyacrylamide gels. The 25-26 kDa doublet was associated with the fractions from tumours and normal liver containing the highest cathepsin B activity. Cathepsin B from both sources showed similar pH optima. Both normal liver and tumour cathepsin B exhibited similar kinetics against selected synthetic substrates. At neutral pH and 24 degrees C, cathepsin B from both normal liver and tumour exhibited a lower Km and a higher kcat. /Km than at pH 6.0. Their inhibitory profiles against synthetic inhibitors were also similar. Immunological studies with a monospecific antibody against the mature double-chain form of human liver cathepsin B and an antibody against a cathepsin B-derived synthetic peptide established the immunological similarity of liver and tumour enzymes. The N-terminal sequences of the 25 kDa and 26 kDa forms were identical with that of the heavy chain of the mature double-chain form of human cathepsin B, whereas the N-terminal sequence of the 30 kDa species was identical with that of the single-chain form of human cathepsin B. Treatment of the double-chain form of cathepsin B from normal liver and tumours with the endoglycosidase peptide-N4-(N-acetyl-beta-glucosaminyl)asparagine amidase converted the 26 kDa form into 25 kDa in SDS/polyacrylamide gels, suggesting that cathepsin B may exist as both glycosylated and unglycosylated forms. Our results, in contrast with those reported earlier for mouse cathepsin B, indicate that human liver and tumour cathepsin B are similar.
Face processing improvements in prosopagnosia: successes and failures over the last 50 years

Clinicians and researchers have widely believed that face processing cannot be improved in prosopagnosia. Though more than a dozen reported studies have attempted to enhance face processing in prosopagnosics over the last 50 years, evidence for effective treatment approaches has only begun to emerge. Here, we review the current literature on spontaneous recovery in acquired prosopagnosia (AP), as well as treatment attempts in acquired and developmental prosopagnosia (DP), differentiating between compensatory and remedial approaches. We find that for AP, rather than remedial methods, strategic compensatory training such as verbalizing distinctive facial features has shown to be the most effective approach (despite limited evidence of generalization). In children with DP, compensatory training has also shown some effectiveness. In adults with DP, two recent larger-scale studies, one using remedial training and another administering oxytocin, have demonstrated group-level improvements and evidence of generalization. These results suggest that DPs, perhaps because of their more intact face processing infrastructure, may benefit more from treatments targeting face processing than APs.