Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Case-Control Study of Platelet Glycoprotein Receptor Ib and IIb/IIIa Expression in Patients with Acute and Chronic Cerebrovascular Disease

Background Animal models have been instrumental in defining thrombus formation, including the role of platelet surface glycoprotein (GP) receptors, in acute ischemic stroke (AIS). However, the involvement of GP receptors in human ischemic stroke pathophysiology and their utility as biomarkers for ischemic stroke risk and severity requires elucidation. Aims To determine whether platelet GPIb and GPIIb/IIIa receptors are differentially expressed in patients with AIS and chronic cerebrovascular disease (CCD) compared with healthy volunteers (HV) and to identify predictors of GPIb and GPIIb/IIIa expression. Methods This was a case—control study of 116 patients with AIS or transient ischemic attack (TIA), 117 patients with CCD, and 104 HV who were enrolled at our University hospital from 2010 to 2013. Blood sampling was performed once in the CCD and HV groups, and at several time points in patients with AIS or TIA. Linear regression and analysis of variance were used to analyze correlations between platelet GPIb and GPIIb/IIIa receptor numbers and demographic and clinical parameters. Results GPIb and GPIIb/IIIa receptor numbers did not significantly differ between the AIS, CCD, and HV groups. GPIb receptor expression level correlated significantly with the magnitude of GPIIb/IIIa receptor expression and the neutrophil count. In contrast, GPIIb/IIIa receptor numbers were not associated with peripheral immune-cell sub-population counts. C-reactive protein was an independent predictor of GPIIb/IIIa (not GPIb) receptor numbers. Conclusions Platelet GPIb and GPIIb/IIIa receptor numbers did not distinguish between patient or control groups in this study, negating their potential use as a biomarker for predicting stroke risk.
An upper bound on delay for the VirtualClock service discipline

Proves that a connection composed of virtual-clock servers provides an upper bound on delay for leaky bucket constrained sessions, i.e., sessions conforming to a token bucket filter. This upper bound on delay is calculated, and it is the same upper bound on delay given by PGPS. The authors also prove that leaky bucket constrained sessions are the only type of sessions for which an upper bound on delay can be provided by servers with an upper bound on link capacity. >
Enabling run-time memory data transfer optimizations at the system level with automated extraction of embedded software metadata information

The information about the run-time behavior of software applications is crucial for enabling system level optimizations for embedded systems. This embedded Software Metadata information is especially important today, because several complex multi-threaded applications are mapped on the memory of a single embedded system. Each thread is triggered at run-time by different input events that can not be predicted at design-time. New methods and tools are needed to automatically profile and analyze the dynamic data access behavior of simultaneously executing threads in order to enable memory data transfer optimizations. In this paper, we propose such a method and tool which extract the necessary Software Metadata information to enable these data transfer optimizations at the system level. We assess the effectiveness of our approach with the results for five real-life software applications using seven real-life run-time input traces.
Trigeminocardiac reflex during temporary clipping in aneurismal surgery: first description.

use would make Fenoldopam an ideal agent for inducing hypotension during BTO. Unlike SNP, Fenoldopam increases glomerular filtration rate, renal blood flow, renal excretion of sodium, and urine output because of its selective DA-1 agonistic action. Therefore, Fenoldopam may be superior to SNP for patients with compromised renal function. Fenoldopam does not cause rebound hypertension, after discontinuation of intravenous infusion; however, it does increase heart rate by a baroreflex during infusion, as seen in SNP. Fenoldopam has minimal drug interactions with other antihypertensives and has no toxic metabolites. We found that a maximum dose of 1.6mcg/kg/min was required to reach the target MAP over 14 minutes. The variations in MAP, with recordings above the therapeutic target, with maximum dose, highlight the limitations of inducing hypotension with Fenoldopam.
Introduction to the Special Section: More Than Measurement Error: Discovering Meaning Behind Informant Discrepancies in Clinical Assessments of Children and Adolescents

Discrepancies often arise among multiple informants' reports of child and adolescent psychopathology and related constructs (e.g., parenting, family relationship quality and functioning, parental monitoring). Recently, studies using various designs (laboratory, longitudinal, randomized controlled trial, meta-analysis) have revealed that discrepancies among informants' reports (a) yield important information regarding where children express behaviors (time course, features of the context[s] of behavioral expression) and about the informants who observe their expression, (b) demonstrate stability over time in both community and clinic settings, (c) predict poor child and adolescent outcomes in ways that the individual informants' reports do not, and (d) can be used to identify meaningful treatment outcomes patterns within randomized controlled trials. Using existing data sources, the articles in this special section expand upon this emerging body of research. In particular, the articles illustrate how clinical science and practice can use informant discrepancies to increase understanding of the causes and consequences of, as well as treatments for, child and adolescent psychopathology.
Multiobjective robustness for portfolio optimization in volatile environments

Multiobjective methods are ideal for evolving a set of portfolio optimisation solutions that span a range from high-return/high-risk to low-return/low-risk, and an investor can choose her preferred point on the risk-return frontier. However, there are no guarantees that a low-risk solution will remain low-risk . if the environment changes, the relative positions of previously identified solutions may alter. A low-risk solution may become high-risk and vice versa. The robustness of a Multiobjective Genetic Programming (MOGP) algorithm such as SPEA2 is vitally important in the context of the real-world problem of portfolio optimisation. We explore robustness in this context, providing new definitions and a statistical measure to quantify the robustness of solutions. A new robustness measure is incorporated into a MOGP fitness function to bias evolution towards more robust solutions. This new system ("R-SPEA2") is compared against the original SPEA2 and we present our results.
Determination of the optimum pilot density for an OFDM system over empirical channels

In orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) systems, in order to overcome distortion caused by multipath fading, channel estimation is performed. Pilot symbol assisted channel estimation is effectual way to obtain channel state information. However, use of pilot symbols, leads overhead and the number of pilot symbols should be kept as minimum as possible. In this study, in order to evaluate the optimum pilot density, channel state information is obtained by using two dimensional (2-D) pilot based channel estimation. The analytical and simulated optimum pilot intervals in frequency and time direction are determined in terms of mean squared error (MSE). Then these intervals related to channel's coherence time (Tc) and bandwidth (Bc) at 0.9 correlation coefficient. It is seen from the results that by using approximately 2.4 pilot symbols per Bc,0.9, and per Tc,0.9 the optimum pilot interval can be calculated easily.
Venice: Reliable virtual data center embedding in clouds

Cloud computing has become a cost-effective model for deploying online services in recent years. To improve the Quality-of-Service (QoS) of the provisioned services, recently a number of proposals have advocated to provision both guaranteed server and network resources in the form of Virtual Data Centers (VDCs). However, existing VDC scheduling algorithms have not fully considered the reliability aspect of the allocations in terms of (1) hardware failure characteristics on which the service is hosted, and (2) the impact of individual failures on service availability, given the dependencies among the virtual components. To address this limitation, in this paper we present a technique for computing VDC availability that considers heterogeneous hardware failure rates and dependencies among virtual components. We then propose Venice, an availability-aware VDC embedding framework for achieving high VDC availability and low operational costs. Experiments show Venice can significantly improve VDC availability while achieving higher income compared to availability-oblivious solutions.
Distributed Learning of Gaussian Graphical Models via Marginal Likelihoods

We consider distributed estimation of the inverse covariance matrix, also called the concentration matrix, in Gaussian graphical models. Traditional centralized estimation often requires iterative and expensive global inference and is therefore difficult in large distributed networks. In this paper, we propose a general framework for distributed estimation based on a maximum marginal likelihood (MML) approach. Each node independently computes a local estimate by maximizing a marginal likelihood defined with respect to data collected from its local neighborhood. Due to the non-convexity of the MML problem, we derive and consider solving a convex relaxation. The local estimates are then combined into a global estimate without the need for iterative message-passing between neighborhoods. We prove that this relaxed MML estimator is asymptotically consistent. Through numerical experiments on several synthetic and real-world data sets, we demonstrate that the two-hop version of the proposed estimator is significantly better than the one-hop version, and nearly closes the gap to the centralized maximum likelihood estimator in many situations.
Ideology and armed conflict

A growing wave of scholarship suggests that ideology has demonstrable effects on various forms of armed conflict. But ideology remains a relative theoretical newcomer in conflict research, and scholars lack developed microfoundations for analyzing ideologies and their effects. Typically, existing research has primarily presented ideology as either an instrumental tool for conflict actors or a source of sincere political and normative commitments. But neither approach captures the diverse ways in which contemporary social science theorizes the causal connection between ideas and action, and both struggle to reconcile the apparently strong effects of ideology on conflict at the collective level with the relative rarity of ‘true believers’ at the individual level. This article addresses such problems by providing key microfoundations for conceptualizing ideologies, analyzing ideological change, and explaining ideologies’ influence over conflict behavior. I emphasize that ideology overlaps with other drivers of conflict such as strategic interests and group identities, show how ideologies can affect conflict behavior through four distinct mechanisms – commitment, adoption, conformity, and instrumentalization – and clarify the role of both conflict pressures and pre-existing ideological conditions in ideological change. These microfoundational claims integrate existing empirical findings and offer a foundation for building deeper explanations and middle-range theories of ideology’s role in armed conflict.
Blood Pressure–Independent Attenuation of Cardiac Hypertrophy by AT1R-AS Gene Therapy

Our studies have established that a single intracardiac administration of the retroviral vector containing angiotensin II type I receptor antisense gene causes prolonged antihypertensive actions in the spontaneously hypertensive rat. These results suggest that antisense gene therapy is a conceptually valid strategy for the control of hypertension at the genetic level. To evaluate whether attenuation of the pathophysiological aspects of hypertension are dependent on the blood pressure lowering actions of antisense gene therapy, we chose the renin transgenic rat as a hypertensive animal model and cardiac hypertrophy as the hypertension-associated pathophysiology. A single intracardiac administration of the retroviral vector containing angiotensin II type I receptor antisense in the neonatal rat resulted in long-term expression of the antisense transgene in various cardiovascular-relevant tissues, including the heart. This expression was associated with a significant attenuation of cardiac hypertrophy despite its failure to normalize high blood pressure. Developmental studies indicated that cardiac hypertrophy was evident as early as 16 days of age in viral vector–treated control transgenic rats, despite these animals exhibiting normal blood pressure. These observations demonstrate that, in the renin-transgenic rat, the onset of cardiac hypertrophy occurs during development and is prevented without normalization of high blood pressure. Collectively, these results provide further proof of the concept and indicate that antisense gene therapy could successfully target the local tissues’ renin-angiotensin system to produce beneficial cardiovascular outcomes.
The facial profile in advanced hypodontia: a mixed longitudinal study of 141 children.

Growth changes in the facial profile of 59 boys and 82 girls with congenital absence of four or more permanent teeth excluding the third molars were recorded in a mixed longitudinal study from the age of 8 to 18 years. The mean number of missing teeth was 5.9 in boys and 6.1 in girls. Significantly more upper teeth were absent in both sexes. Skeletal and soft tissue changes were described by 27 angular measurements. Sex differences were rare and were assumed to be accidental. Slight growth changes were found in about two-thirds of the measurements, especially those related to the position and shape of the mandible. The sample studied showed similar growth patterns to the Ann Arbor (Riolo et al., 1974) and Nymegen (Prahl-Andersen et al., 1979) longitudinal studies, with differences only of magnitude. The maxilla was more retrognathic and the sagittal jaw relationship angle was smaller in the hypodontia children. The upper and lower incisors were more upright but this did not affect lip position or facial aesthetics. Part of the incisor retrusion was probably a consequence of orthodontic treatment.
Independent Adipogenic and Contractile Properties of Fibroblasts in Graves’ Orbitopathy: An In Vitro Model for the Evaluation of Treatments

Graves’ orbitopathy (GO) is a disfiguring and sometimes blinding disease, characterised by inflammation and swelling of orbital tissues, with fibrosis and adipogenesis being predominant features. Little is known about the disease aetiology and the molecular mechanisms driving the phenotypic changes in orbital fibroblasts are unknown. Using fibroblasts isolated from the orbital fat of undiseased individuals or GO patients, we have established a novel in vitro model to evaluate the dual profile of GO cells in a three-dimensional collagen matrix; this pseudo-physiological 3D environment allows measurement of their contractile and adipogenic properties. GO cells contracted collagen matrices more efficiently than control cells following serum or TGFβ1 stimulation, and showed a slightly increased ability to proliferate in the 3D matrix, in accordance with a fibro-proliferative phenotype. GO cells, unlike controls, also spontaneously differentiated into adipocytes in 3D cultures - confirming an intrinsic adipogenic profile. However, both control and GO cells underwent adipogenesis when cultured under pathological pressure levels. We further demonstrate that a Thy-1-low population of GO cells underlies the adipogenic - but not the contractile - phenotype and, using inhibitors, confirm that the contractile and adipogenic phenotypes are regulated by separate pathways. In view of the current lack of suitable treatment for GO, we propose that this new model testing the duality of the GO phenotype could be useful as a preclinical evaluation for the efficacy of potential treatments.
Pathology of the Cutaneous Vasculitides: A Comprehensive Review

Vasculitis has historically been poorly defined and the histological and clinical manifestations are protean, further complicating the diagnostic process. The definitive diagnosis is made by evidence of histologic effacement of a vessel with associated transumural inflammatory infiltrate of that vessel. Vasculitis can be a primary process or secondary to disseminated intravascular coagulation, ulceration, arthropod assault, and/or suppurative infiltrates (for example pyoderma gangrenosum). Vasculitis must further be distinguished from vasculopathies, particularly livedoid vasculopathy and connective tissue diseases (namely scleroderma and systemic lupus erythematosus) in which the primary process is vascular fibrin thrombi of the upper dermal vessels. A necrotizing vasculitis resulting secondary to the thrombotic process can occur, blurring the lines between true vasculitis and vasculopathy. Very few vasculitic processes have pathognomonic histological findings. Often times the dermatopathologist and clinician must work in concert and combine clinical, histological, and laboratory data to determine what the primary process is. As previously stated, histological evidence of inflammatory infiltrate within the vessel wall must be seen in order to diagnose vasculitis. Associated findings include fibrinoid necrosis, endothelial swelling, and endothelial cell apoptosis (Carlson, et al., 2005). Other secondary changes including extravasation of red blood cells, necrosis, ulceration, and neovascularization suggest that there has been vascular damage (Carlson et al., 2005). Associated changes can also be seen in the sweat glands and include basal cell degeneration, necrosis, and basal cell hyperplasia (Akosa & Lampert, 1991). Changes in the adjacent tissue can aid the dermatopathologist in determining what the underlying etiology causing the vasculitis could be. Extravascular granulomas characterized by degenerating collagen bundles surrounded by eosinophils and flame figures (“red” granulomas) are seen in Churg Strauss Syndrome while extravascular granulomas characterized by degenerating collagen bundles surrounded by basophilic debris (“blue” granulomas) are seen in Wegener’s granulomatosis and rheumatoid vasculitis (Carlson, 2010). Dermal lamellar fibrosis can be seen in erythema elevatum diutinum and granulomas faciale (Carlson et al., 2005). Direct immunofluorescence adds another important diagnostic piece of information. Absence of immune complex deposition (pauci-immune vasculitis) is seen in Wegener’s granulomatosis, microscopic polyangiitis, and Churg Strauss syndrome (Carlson, 2010).
Sleep duration and age-related changes in brain structure and cognitive performance.

STUDY OBJECTIVES To investigate the contribution of sleep duration and quality to age-related changes in brain structure and cognitive performance in relatively healthy older adults. DESIGN Community-based longitudinal brain and cognitive aging study using a convenience sample. SETTING Participants were studied in a research laboratory. PARTICIPANTS Relatively healthy adults aged 55 y and older at study commencement. INTERVENTIONS N/A. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS Participants underwent magnetic resonance imaging and neuropsychological assessment every 2 y. Subjective assessments of sleep duration and quality and blood samples were obtained. Each hour of reduced sleep duration at baseline augmented the annual expansion rate of the ventricles by 0.59% (P = 0.007) and the annual decline rate in global cognitive performance by 0.67% (P = 0.050) in the subsequent 2 y after controlling for the effects of age, sex, education, and body mass index. In contrast, global sleep quality at baseline did not modulate either brain or cognitive aging. High-sensitivity C-reactive protein, a marker of systemic inflammation, showed no correlation with baseline sleep duration, brain structure, or cognitive performance. CONCLUSIONS In healthy older adults, short sleep duration is associated with greater age-related brain atrophy and cognitive decline. These associations are not associated with elevated inflammatory responses among short sleepers. CITATION Lo JC, Loh KK, Zheng H, Sim SK, Chee MW. Sleep duration and age-related changes in brain structure and cognitive performance.
Fischer-Burmeister-Based Method for Calculating Equilibrium Points of Droop-Regulated Microgrids

This paper gives theoretical foundation to a procedure for modeling in a simply way the behavior of a droop-regulated islanded microgrid when, due to reserve scheduling considerations, the power reserves might be exhausted. The main problem observed for computing the operating point of those microgrids is that the droop formulation that is to be entered in the computation depends on the knowledge of the final result, which indeed means that the solution by means of Newton-Raphson-like methods is hindered. The proposed procedure reduces the complexity by formulating the problem as a complementarity problem. A discussion is offered then on the specific problem of droop formulation: two states are possible (with and without power limit reached), with the particularity that the power must be considered constant only when the power limit is reached, whereas the frequency can freely vary in both states, searching for an equilibrium in the load share among all the generation units endowed with droop regulation. Further, the problem is simplified by resorting to the use of Fischer-Burmeister NCP-functions (NCP for nonlinear complementarity problem), which substitutes the piecewise-defined droop function by an only scalar function (Fischer-Burmeister function) that makes the problem tractable to be solved by Newton-Raphson-like methods. The paper concludes with an exposition of numerical simulations in which the consequences of considering the power exhaustion on stability and operating points are demonstrated.
Stem cell therapy for Parkinson's disease

Transplantation of human fetal dopamine (DA) neurons to patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) has given proof of the principle that new neurons can survive for at least a decade, and then functionally integrate and provide significant symptomatic relief. Unfortunately, the ethical, technical, and practical limitations of using fetal DA neurons as the source for cell transplantation in PD, in combination with the development of unwanted grafting-related side effects, have put a halt to the spread of this treatment into clinical practice. Hopefully, recent advances in the fields of stem cell biology and adult neurogenesis research will lead totamen in new exciting ways to better understand and control the biological parameters necessary for achieving safe and successful neuronal replacement in PD patients.