Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Increased Cardiovascular and Renal Disease but not Reduced Life Expectancy Among Diabetic Participants in the General Northern Greek Population

We compared life expectancy and causes of death based on death certificates of 269 diabetic participants (group A) and 5659 nondiabetic participants (group B) who died from January 1, 1991 to December 31, 2010, in 3 small towns of Northern Greece. Age at death was significantly (P = .011) higher in group A (77.2 ± 8.7 years) than in group B (75.7 ± 18.9 years). Males with diabetes lived longer with a mean difference of 4.7 (2.8-6.6) years (P < .001), whereas females without diabetes lived longer, with a mean difference of 2.3 (1.1-5.6) years (P = .004). Diabetic participants died more frequently of myocardial infarction (P = .001), chronic renal failure (P < .001), followed by pneumonia (P = .010) and hyperosmolar non-ketotic coma (P < .001). Nondiabetic participants died more frequently of lung cancer (P < .001), old age (P < .001), and car accidents (P = .004). In conclusion, the cardiovascular and renal disease burden among diabetic participants did not reduce life expectancy, especially in men.
Follow-Up Study Of The Effects Of A Supplemental Early Reading Intervention On The Reading Skills Of Urban At-Risk Primary Learners

This study represents the third year of a three-year investigation of the effects of kindergarten literacy intervention on the reading risk of urban learners. The 41 available second-grade participants included African Americans (44%), European Americans (14%), and English language learners (ELLs) (22%). All of the participants were from low socioeconomic backgrounds and qualified for free or reduced lunch. The three groups consisted of 13 students who had received one year of supplementary early literacy intervention, 14 students who had received two years of supplementary early literacy intervention, and 14 comparison students who did not receive supplementary intervention. During Year 3 none of the three groups received supplemental instruction. This year was devoted to follow-up assessments of the students’ reading performance one to two years following intervention. All participants were progressively monitored on oral reading fluency and comprehension as measured by the DIBELS. Additionally, the three groups were compared preand posttest on the Woodcock Johnson-III and the CTOPP. Thus, the purpose of this year of follow-up was to determine the relative secondgrade reading status of students relative to the amount of treatment they received. A secondary interest was to assess the relative performance of some especially high-risk subgroups such as ELLs and African American males.
The Total Variation on Hypergraphs - Learning on Hypergraphs Revisited

Hypergraphs allow one to encode higher-order relationships in data and are thus a very flexible modeling tool. Current learning methods are either based on approximations of the hypergraphs via graphs or on tensor methods which are only applicable under special conditions. In this paper, we present a new learning framework on hypergraphs which fully uses the hypergraph structure. The key element is a family of regularization functionals based on the total variation on hypergraphs.
Chronic Matrix Metalloproteinase Inhibition Following Myocardial Infarction in Mice: Differential Effects on Short and Long-Term Survival

Left ventricular (LV) remodeling occurs after myocardial infarction (MI), and the matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) contribute to adverse LV remodeling after MI. Short-term pharmacological MMP inhibition (MMPi; days to weeks) in animal models of MI have demonstrated a reduction in adverse LV remodeling. However, the long-term effects (months) of MMPi on survival and LV remodeling after MI have not been examined. MI was induced in adult mice (n = 131) and, at 3 days post-MI, assigned to MMPi [MI-MMPi: (s)-2-(4-bromo-biphenyl-4-sulfonylamino)-3-methyl-butyric acid (PD200126), 7.5 mg/day/p.o. , n = 64] or untreated (MI-only, n = 67). Unoperated mice (n = 16) served as controls. The median survival in the MI-only group was 5 days, whereas median survival was significantly greater in the MI-MMPi group at 38 days (p < 0.05). However, with prolonged MMPi (>120 days), a significant divergence in the survival curves occurred in which significantly greater mortality was observed with prolonged MMPi (p < 0.05). LV echocardiography at 6 months revealed LV dilation in the MI-only and MI-MMPi groups (154 ± 14 and 219 ± 24 μl) compared with control (67 ± 4 μl, p < 0.05), with a greater degree of dilation in the MI-MMPi group (p < 0.05). MMPi conferred a beneficial effect on survival early post-MI, but prolonged MMPi (>3 months) was associated with higher mortality and adverse LV remodeling. These unique results suggest that an optimal temporal window exists with respect to pharmacological interruption of MMP activity in the post-MI period.
Exact frequency-domain reconstruction for thermoacoustic tomography. I. Planar geometry

We report an exact and fast Fourier-domain reconstruction algorithm for thermoacoustic tomography in a planar configuration assuming thermal confinement and constant acoustic speed. The effects of the finite size of the detector and the finite length of the excitation pulse are explicitly included in the reconstruction algorithm. The algorithm is numerically and experimentally verified. We also demonstrate that the blurring caused by the finite size of the detector surface is the primary limiting factor on the resolution and that it can be compensated for by deconvolution.
Expression of calcium-binding protein S100A2 in breast lesions

A suppression subtraction cDNA library representing mRNAs expressed at a higher level in a benign breast tumour-derived cell line relative to the malignant MCF-7A cell line contained cDNAs corresponding to mRNAs for plasminogen activator inhibitor I, annexin VIII and the EF-hand protein S100A2. S100A2 protein has previously been shown to be expressed in normal human breast epithelium, but not in human breast carcinoma cell lines. Using a PCR-based assay and in situ hybridization on histological sections of human breast specimens, the mRNA for S100A2 was shown to be present in all benign breast lesions examined as well as in normal epithelium. S100A2 mRNA was detectable in 37% of specimens of carcinoma in situ, but in less than 15% of carcinoma specimens. The results suggest that the loss of S100A2 is associated with the development of malignant cells and is not associated with early tumour development. © 2000 Cancer Research Campaign http://www.bjcancer. com
Multi-domain real-time planning in dynamic environments

This paper presents a real-time planning framework for multi-character navigation that enables the use of multiple heterogeneous problem domains of differing complexities for navigation in large, complex, dynamic virtual environments. The original navigation problem is decomposed into a set of smaller problems that are distributed across planning tasks working in these different domains. An anytime dynamic planner is used to efficiently compute and repair plans for each of these tasks, while using plans in one domain to focus and accelerate searches in more complex domains. We demonstrate the benefits of our framework by solving many challenging multi-agent scenarios in complex dynamic environments requiring space-time precision and explicit coordination between interacting agents, by accounting for dynamic information at all stages of the decision-making process.
Variations in Connectivity in the Sensorimotor and Default-Mode Networks During the First Nocturnal Sleep Cycle

The function of sleep in humans has been investigated using simultaneous electroencephalography (EEG) and functional magnetic resonance imaging recordings to provide accurate sleep scores with spatial precision. Recent studies have demonstrated that spontaneous brain oscillations and functional connectivity dissociate during nonrapid eye movement (NREM) sleep; this leads to spontaneous cognitive processes, such as memory consolidation and emotional modulation. However, variations in network connectivity across the sleep stages or between sleep/wake transitions require further elucidation. We observed changes in the connectivity of the sensorimotor and default-mode networks (DMN) mediated by midnight sleep among 18 healthy participants. The results indicated that (1) functional connectivity in both networks showed increasing dissociation as NREM sleep deepened, whereas hyperconnectivity occurred during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep; and (2) compared with connectivity before sleep, the DMN presented a comparable connectivity pattern immediately after awakening, whereas the connectivity of the sensorimotor network remained disrupted. These findings showed that connectivity patterns dissociate and reconnect coherently in both cortical networks during NREM and REM sleep, respectively. After the person awakened, the DMN connectivity was re-established before the sensorimotor reconnection. These dynamic sleep-related dissociations and reconnections between sleep/wake conditions might provide the key to understanding cognitive modulations in sleep. If so, connectivity changes might serve as an alternative indicator beyond the EEG signature to unveil the spontaneous processes that occur during sleep.
Algorithmic Stability and Sanity-Check Bounds for Leave-One-Out Cross-Validation

In this article we prove sanity-check bounds for the error of the leave-oneout cross-validation estimate of the generalization error: that is, bounds showing that the worst-case error of this estimate is not much worse than that of the training error estimate. The name sanity check refers to the fact that although we often expect the leave-one-out estimate to perform considerably better than the training error estimate, we are here only seeking assurance that its performance will not be considerably worse. Perhaps surprisingly, such assurance has been given only for limited cases in the prior literature on cross-validation. Any nontrivial bound on the error of leave-one-out must rely on some notion of algorithmic stability. Previous bounds relied on the rather strong notion of hypothesis stability, whose application was primarily limited to nearest-neighbor and other local algorithms. Here we introduce the new and weaker notion of error stability and apply it to obtain sanity-check bounds for leave-one-out for other classes of learning algorithms, including training error minimization procedures and Bayesian algorithms. We also provide lower bounds demonstrating the necessity of some form of error stability for proving bounds on the error of the leave-one-out estimate, and the fact that for training error minimization algorithms, in the worst case such bounds must still depend on the Vapnik-Chervonenkis dimension of the hypothesis class.
Pentoxifylline improves short-term survival in severe acute alcoholic hepatitis: a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

BACKGROUND & AIMS An earlier pilot study from our liver unit suggested benefit from treatment with pentoxifylline (PTX), an inhibitor of tumor necrosis factor (TNF), in severe acute alcoholic hepatitis. The aim of the present study was to evaluate this treatment in a larger cohort of patients. METHODS One hundred one patients with severe alcoholic hepatitis (Maddrey discriminant factor > or = 32) entered a 4-week double-blind randomized trial of PTX (400 mg orally 3 times daily) vs. placebo. Primary endpoints of the study were the effect of PTX on (1) short-term survival and (2) progression to hepatorenal syndrome. On randomization, there were no differences in demographic and clinical characteristics or laboratory values (including TNF) between the 2 groups. RESULTS Twelve (24.5%) of the 49 patients who received PTX and 24 (46.1%) of the 52 patients who received placebo died during the index hospitalization (P = 0.037; relative risk, 0.59; 95% confidence interval, 0.35-0.97). Hepatorenal syndrome was the cause of death in 6 (50%) and 22 (91.7%) patients (P = 0.009; relative risk, 0.29; 95% confidence interval, 0.13-0.65). Three variables (age, creatinine level on randomization, and treatment with PTX) were independently associated with survival. TNF values on randomization were not predictive of survival; however, during the study period they increased markedly in nonsurvivors compared with survivors in both groups. CONCLUSIONS Treatment with PTX improves short-term survival in patients with severe alcoholic hepatitis. The benefit appears to be related to a significant decrease in the risk of developing hepatorenal syndrome. Increasing TNF levels during the hospital course are associated with an increase in mortality rate.
ANALISIS PERILAKU PENERIMAAN WAJIBPAJAK TERHADAP PENGGUNAAN E-FILLING(Kajian Empiris di Wilayah Kota Semarang)

This research is replicated from Dody dan Zulaikha research (2007) and has modified by researcher. This research aims to examines DeLone and McLean’s Information System Success Model in e-filling system. The variables which are used in this research consist of system quality, information quality, use, user satisfaction, individual impact, and organizational impact. This research is the empirical research that uses random sampling technique in the data collection. Data which are used are primary data by using questionnaire. The subjects under investigation were taxpayer that used e-filling in Semarang. Data analysis uses Structural Equation Model (SEM) with program AMOS 16.0. Result of this research indicate that all of hypothesis that have been proposed are accepted. Hypothesis 1 showed information quality significantly positive influence the user satisfaction. Hypothesis 2 showed system quality significantly positive influence the user satisfaction. Hypothesis 3 showed information quality significantly positive influence the use. Hypothesis 4 showed system quality significantly positive influence the use. Hypothesis 5 showed user satisfaction significantly positive influence the use. Hypothesis 6 showed use significantly positive influence the user satisfaction. Hypothesis 7 showed use significantly positive influence the individual impact. Hypothesis 8 showed user satisfaction significantly positive influence the individual impact. Hypothesis 9 showed individual impact significantly positive influence the organizational impact.
Effect of Tea Theaflavins and Catechins on Microvascular Function

Beneficial effects of flavonoid-rich black and green tea on macrocirculation have been well established. Theaflavins are unique to black tea as they are formed from catechins during the enzymatic oxidation of tea leaves. The study was performed to gain more insight into the effects of theaflavins on microcirculation and to compare effects with another important flavonoid class, the green tea derived catechins, which have been reported to improve vascular function. Twenty-four healthy subjects were included in a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomised, cross-over study. On six different days, subjects received capsules with a single dose of catechins (500 mg), four varying doses of theaflavins (100 to 500 mg) or placebo. Microcirculation was assessed after each treatment by Pulse Amplitude Tonometry (EndoPAT) at baseline and 2, 4 and 6 h after test product intake. The EndoPAT reactive hyperemia response was improved by 500 mg catechins (reactive hyperemia index (RHI): 0.2; p = 0.04) and by 500 mg theaflavins (RHI: 0.19; p = 0.06) compared to placebo. Also, 300 mg theaflavins increased the RHI (0.28; p = 0.02), but no effects were observed at lower doses. The study suggests moderate effects of single doses of catechins and theaflavins on peripheral microcirculation.
Price Stability in Open Economies

This paper studies the theoretical conditions under which price stability is the optimal policy in a two-country open-economy model with imperfect competition and price stickiness. Special conditions on the levels of country-specific distortionary taxation and the intratemporal and intertemporal elasticities of substitution need to be satisfied. These restrictions apply to both cooperative and non-cooperative settings. Importantly, we show that cooperative and non-cooperative solutions do not coincide despite market completeness and producer currency pricing. We study the conditions under which quadratic approximations of single countries' welfare can be correctly evaluated by relying only on log-linear approximations of the equilibrium conditions. Copyright 2003, Wiley-Blackwell.
Life history of the most complete fossil primate skeleton: exploring growth models for Darwinius

Darwinius is an adapoid primate from the Eocene of Germany, and its only known specimen represents the most complete fossil primate ever found. Its describers hypothesized a close relationship to Anthropoidea, and using a Saimiri model estimated its age at death. This study reconstructs the ancestral permanent dental eruption sequences for basal Euprimates, Haplorhini, Anthropoidea, and stem and crown Strepsirrhini. The results show that the ancestral sequences for the basal euprimate, haplorhine and stem strepsirrhine are identical, and similar to that of Darwinius. However, Darwinius differs from anthropoids by exhibiting early development of the lower third molars relative to the lower third and fourth premolars. The eruption of the lower second premolar marks the point of interruption of the sequence in Darwinius. The anthropoid Saimiri as a model is therefore problematic because it exhibits a delayed eruption of P2. Here, an alternative strepsirrhine model based on Eulemur and Varecia is presented. Our proposed model shows an older age at death than previously suggested (1.05–1.14 years), while the range for adult weight is entirely below the range proposed previously. This alternative model is more consistent with hypotheses supporting a stronger relationship between adapoids and strepsirrhines.
Validation of an instrument to measure the impact of coronary disease on patient's daily life.

AIM To evaluate the psychometric Instrument to Measure the Impact of Coronary Disease on Patient's Everyday Life (IDCV) when applied on patients with coronary disease being followed at an outpatient clinic. METHODS One hundred and fifty-three patients with coronary disease were registered. Patients were analysed in terms of acceptability, ceiling and floor effect, reliability (using Cronbach's alpha coefficient) and convergent construct validity (by means of Spearman correlation) between the domains of IDCV and of 'Medical Outcomes Trust Short-form Health Survey (SF-36)' and 'MacNew Heart Disease Health-related Quality of Life Questionnaire'. RESULTS Evidence was found for high acceptability of IDCV. No evidence was found for ceiling and floor effects regarding the total score of IDCV; however, ceiling and floor effects were found from the adjustment to the disease domain. Evidence was found for reliability of the instrument as a whole and for its domains (Cronbach's α ranged between 0·70-0·85). Similar domains on the IDCV, MacNew and SF-36 were correlated: Physical impact - symptoms on the IDCV with the physical function domain on MacNew (r = -0·64) and with most domains on the SF-36 related to the physical dimension; Social impact and emotional impact on the IDCV with emotional function (r = -0·53) and social function (r = -0·55) on the MacNew and mental health on SF-36 (r = -0·55). However, smaller correlations of moderate/high magnitude were found between different constructs entre: Social and emotional impact on the IDCV with physical function on the MacNew (r = -0·56) and with the following domains: Functional capacity (r = -0·50), general health (r = -0·52) and vitality (r = -0·50) on SF-36. CONCLUSION The IDCV is an instrument with evidence regarding reliability and convergent validity also for the population of patients with coronary disease. Further studies to validate its factor structure could offer contributions for understanding the psychometric performance of the IDCV among patients with coronary disease.
Post-merger IT integration : A PRINCE 2 project

Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) are frequent in nowadays economy. The importance of IT in the M&A process is growing. The IT becomes a key enabler for most business processes in many sectors and becomes an integral part of daily business operations. Project management in post-merger IT integration is needed for successful M&A, as the role of IT in the business grows. Successful post-merger IT integration not only helps to the whole M&A process, but also creates value through the established synergies. On the other hand, failed mergers not only cost money to the merging parties, but also can bring bad reputation. Research seeks to find a project management method that will help the IT post-merger IT integration. This paper reviews the current literature that covers the topic of post-merger IT integration. It reviews the main issues in integration processes, critical factors for success and risks for failure of the M&A, and designs a PRINCE2 methodology project for managing the post-merger IT integration.
Molecular insight into the biology and clinical course of hairy cell leukemia utilizing immunoglobulin gene analysis

The B cell receptor (BCR) is the functional distinguishing unit that defines any B cell. Immunoglobulin gene (IG) status is preserved in the neoplastic B cell clone and can provide an indicator of the maturation stage reached by the B cell prior to transformation. In hairy cell leukemia (HCL), several pieces of data from IG analysis provide clear hints regarding the cell of origin and the ongoing selective interactions of the tumor BCR with environmental stimuli. HCLs have variable levels of IG somatic mutations, and continue somatic mutations at low levels as well as IG class switching after transformation. More recent data also show the occurrence of selective events in the light chain of the BCR, suggesting a dominant role for IG status in the pathogenesis of HCL. Moreover, it has recently emerged that an unmutated status of the HCL IG can be associated with failure to respond to cladribine, genetic abnormalities indicative of poor outcome, and aggressive disease. These observations suggest that IG analysis may have biological and prognostic relevance in HCL and merits further characterization.
The Recovery and First Analysis of an Early Holocene Human Skeleton from Kennewick, Washington

Abstract The nearly-complete, well-preserved skeleton of a Paleoamerican male was found by chance near Kennewick, Washington, in 1996. Although analysis was quickly suspended by the U.S. government, initial osteological, archaeological, and geological studies provide a glimpse into the age and life of this individual. A radiocarbon age of 8410 ± 60 B.P., stratigraphic position in a widely-dated alluvial terrace, and an early-Cascade style projectile point healed into the pelvis date the find to the late Early Holocene. Initial osteological analysis describes the man as middle-aged, standing 173.1 ± 3.6 cm tall and weighing approximately 70-75 kg. Healthy as a child, he later suffered repeatedly from injuries to his skull, left arm, chest, and hip, in addition to minor osteoarthritis and periodontal disease. His physical features, teeth, and skeletal measurements show him to be an outlier relative to modern human populations, but place him closer to Pacific Islanders and Ainu than to Late Prehistoric Amerinds or any other modern group. Despite his uniqueness relative to modern peoples, he is not significantly different from other Paleoamerican males in most characteristics.