Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Dissociation of Hyperglycemia from Altered Vascular Contraction and Relaxation Mechanisms in Caveolin-1 Null Mice

Hyperglycemia and endothelial dysfunction are associated with hypertension, but the specific causality and genetic underpinning are unclear. Caveolin-1 (cav-1) is a plasmalemmal anchoring protein and modulator of vascular function and glucose homeostasis. Cav-1 gene variants are associated with reduced insulin sensitivity in hypertensive individuals, and cav-1−/− mice show endothelial dysfunction, hyperglycemia, and increased blood pressure (BP). On the other hand, insulin-sensitizing therapy with metformin may inadequately control hyperglycemia while affecting the vascular outcome in certain patients with diabetes. To test whether the pressor and vascular changes in cav-1 deficiency states are related to hyperglycemia and to assess the vascular mechanisms of metformin under these conditions, wild-type (WT) and cav-1−/− mice were treated with either placebo or metformin (400 mg/kg daily for 21 days). BP and fasting blood glucose were in cav-1−/− > WT and did not change with metformin. Phenylephrine (Phe)- and KCl-induced aortic contraction was in cav-1−/− < WT; endothelium removal, the nitric-oxide synthase (NOS) blocker l-NAME (Nω-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester), or soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC) inhibitor 1H-[1,2,4]oxadiazolo[4,3-a]quinoxalin-1-one (ODQ) enhanced Phe contraction, and metformin blunted this effect. Acetylcholine-induced relaxation was in cav-1−/− > WT, abolished by endothelium removal, l-NAME or ODQ, and reduced with metformin. Nitric oxide donor sodium nitroprusside was more potent in inducing relaxation in cav-1−/− than in WT, and metformin reversed this effect. Aortic eNOS, AMPK, and sGC were in cav-1−/− > WT, and metformin decreased total and phosphorylated eNOS and AMPK in cav-1−/−. Thus, metformin inhibits both vascular contraction and NO-cGMP-dependent relaxation but does not affect BP or blood glucose in cav-1−/− mice, suggesting dissociation of hyperglycemia from altered vascular function in cav-1-deficiency states.
Selection and demographic history shape the molecular evolution of the gamete compatibility protein bindin in Pisaster sea stars

Reproductive compatibility proteins have been shown to evolve rapidly under positive selection leading to reproductive isolation, despite the potential homogenizing effects of gene flow. This process has been implicated in both primary divergence among conspecific populations and reinforcement during secondary contact; however, these two selective regimes can be difficult to discriminate from each other. Here, we describe the gene that encodes the gamete compatibility protein bindin for three sea star species in the genus Pisaster. First, we compare the full-length bindin-coding sequence among all three species and analyze the evolutionary relationships between the repetitive domains of the variable second bindin exon. The comparison suggests that concerted evolution of repetitive domains has an effect on bindin divergence among species and bindin variation within species. Second, we characterize population variation in the second bindin exon of two species: We show that positive selection acts on bindin variation in Pisaster ochraceus but not in Pisaster brevispinus, which is consistent with higher polyspermy risk in P. ochraceus. Third, we show that there is no significant genetic differentiation among populations and no apparent effect of sympatry with congeners that would suggest selection based on reinforcement. Fourth, we combine bindin and cytochrome c oxidase 1 data in isolation-with-migration models to estimate gene flow parameter values and explore the historical demographic context of our positive selection results. Our findings suggest that positive selection on bindin divergence among P. ochraceus alleles can be accounted for in part by relatively recent northward population expansions that may be coupled with the potential homogenizing effects of concerted evolution.
Assessing The Concurrent Validity Of The SCF Risk Tolerance Question

The Survey of Consumer Finances (SCF) offers researchers one of the most popular sources of data for the study of financial risk tolerance. This paper reports findings from two studies that were designed to test the concurrent validity of the SCF financial risk tolerance assessment question. Comparisons between the commonly used one-item SCF assessment measure and a 13-item risk-tolerance assessment index were undertaken. Results of the concurrent validity analyses suggest that the SCF question does not represent the full spectrum of financial risk tolerance, but might reflect investment choice attitudes
Pathogenic Complement Activation in Collagen Antibody- Induced Arthritis in Mice Requires Amplification by the Alternative Pathway1

Immune complex-induced inflammation can be mediated by the classical pathway of complement. However, using mice genetically deficient in factor B or C4, we have shown that the collagen Ab-induced model of arthritis requires the alternative pathway of complement and is not dependent on the classical pathway. We now demonstrate that collagen Ab-induced arthritis is not altered in mice genetically deficient in either C1q or mannose-binding lectins A and C, or in both C1q and mannose-binding lectins. These in vivo results prove the ability of the alternative pathway to carry out pathologic complement activation in the combined absence of intact classical and lectin pathways. C3 activation was also examined in vitro by adherent collagen-anti-collagen immune complexes using sera from normal or complement-deficient mice. These results confirm the ability of the alternative pathway to mediate immune complex-induced C3 activation when C4 or C1q, or both C1q and mannose-binding lectins, are absent. However, when all three activation pathways of complement are intact, initiation by immune complexes occurs primarily by the classical pathway. These results indicate that the alternative pathway amplification loop, with its ability to greatly enhance C3 activation, is necessary to mediate inflammatory arthritis induced by adherent immune complexes.
Evaluation of Different Segmentation Techniques for Dialogue Turns

In dialogue systems, it is necessary to decode the user input into semantically meaningful units. These semantical units, usually Dialogue Acts (DA), are used by the system to produce the most appropriate response. The user turns can be segmented into utterances, which are meaningful segments from the dialogue viewpoint. In this case, a single DA is associated to each utterance. Many previous works have used DA assignation models on segmented dialogue corpora, but only a few have tried to perform the segmentation and assignation at the same time. The knowledge of the segmentation of turns into utterances is not common in dialogue corpora, and knowing the quality of the segmentations provided by the models that simultaneously perform segmentation and assignation would be interesting. In this work, we evaluate the accuracy of the segmentation offered by this type of model. The evaluation is done on a Spanish dialogue system on a railway information task. The results reveal that one of these techniques provides a high quality segmentation for this corpus.
Distributed fault detection for interconnected second-order systems with applications to power networks

Observers for distributed fault detection of interconnectedsecond-order linear time invariant systems is studied.Particularly, networked systems under consensus protocols areconsidered and it is proved that for these systems one canconstruct a bank of so-called unknown input observers, and usetheir output to detect and isolate possible faults in the network.The application of this family of fault detectors to power networksis presented.
Direct characterization of Blastocystis from faeces by PCR and evidence of zoonotic potential

In vitro propagation followed by PCR, and a PCR-based method capable of the direct detection of Blastocystis in faeces were utilized to detect Blastocystis from various hosts in Australia, including primates and their handlers from the Perth Zoo. In addition, Blastocystis isolates from dogs and humans living in a localized endemic community in Thailand were also characterized genetically. PCR-based detection directly from faeces was shown to be more sensitive compared with in vitro culture for the detection of Blastocystis. Moreover, phylogenetic analysis of Blastocystis isolates amplified utilizing in vitro techniques prior to PCR revealed that this method favoured the preferential amplification of Blastocystis subtype 5 over subtype 1. This study is the first to provide molecular-based evidence supporting the zoonotic potential of Blastocystis in dogs, possums and primates in a natural setting.
Family Socialization for Racism and Heterosexism: Experiences of Latinx Sexual Minority Adolescents and Young Adults

Experiences of racism and heterosexism are common among marginalized adolescents and young adults. Family socialization processes that aim to prepare young people for bias have been studied among racial–ethnic minority populations; however, they have not been investigated among sexual minority populations. This study examined the associations among preparation for bias related to ethnicity and sexual orientation, minority stressors (i.e., bias-based victimization and discrimination) attributed to ethnicity and sexual orientation, and well-being (i.e., depressive symptoms and self-esteem) in a sample of 236 Latinx adolescents and young adults (Mage = 19). All minority stressors were associated with poorer well-being. Preparation for bias related to ethnicity was not associated with well-being; however, preparation for bias related to sexual orientation was associated with lower self-esteem. Furthermore, preparation for bias related to sexual orientation moderated the association between bias-based victimization and depressive symptoms such that the association was only significant at high levels of preparation.
Planets of β Pictoris revisited

Observations have revealed a large variety of structures (global asymmetries, warps, belts, rings) and dynamical phenomena (“falling-evaporating bodies” or FEBs, the “ β Pic dust stream”) in the disk of β Pictoris, most of which may indicate the presence of one or more planets orbiting the star. Because planets of β Pic have not been detected by observations yet, we use dynamical simulations to find “numerical evidence” for a planetary system. We show that one planet at 12 AU with a mass of 2 to 5 $M_{\mathrm{J}}$ and an eccentricity $\la $0.1 can probably already account for three major features (main warp, two inner belts, FEBs) observed in the β Pic disk. The existence of at least two additional planets at about 25 AU and 45 AU from the star seems likely. We find rather strong upper limits of 0.6 $M_{\mathrm{J}}$ and 0.2 $M_{\mathrm{J}}$ on the masses of those planets. The same planets could, in principle, also account for the outer rings observed at 500-800 AU.
The Role of Eccentric Muscle Function and Training in Athletic Performance

vi Attestation of Authorship . ix Acknowledgements . x List of Co-Authored Publications. xi List of Figures . xiii List of Tables . xv List of Common Abbreviations . xvii Chapter 1: .
Differential effects of adrenergic antagonists (Carvedilol vs Metoprolol) on parasympathetic and sympathetic activity: a comparison of clinical results

Background Cardiovascular autonomic neuropathy (CAN) is recognized as a significant health risk, correlating with risk of heart disease, silent myocardial ischemia or sudden cardiac death. Beta-blockers are often prescribed to minimize risk. Objectives In this second of two articles, the effects on parasympathetic and sympathetic activity of the alpha/beta-adrenergic blocker, Carvedilol, are compared with those of the selective beta-adrenergic blocker, Metoprolol. Methods Retrospective, serial autonomic nervous system test data from 147 type 2 diabetes mellitus patients from eight ambulatory clinics were analyzed. Patients were grouped according to whether a beta-blocker was (1) introduced, (2) discontinued or (3) continued without adjustment. Group 3 served as the control. Results Introducing Carvedilol or Metoprolol decreased heart rate and blood pressure, and discontinuing them had the opposite effect. Parasympathetic activity increased with introducing Carvedilol. Sympathetic activity increased more after discontinuing Carvedilol, suggesting better sympathetic suppression. With ongoing treatment, resting parasympathetic activity decreased with Metoprolol but increased with Carvedilol. Conclusion Carvedilol has a more profound effect on sympathovagal balance than Metoprolol. While both suppress sympathetic activity, only Carvedilol increases parasympathetic activity. Increased parasympathetic activity may underlie the lower mortality risk with Carvedilol.
Long-Run Effects of Lottery Wealth on Psychological Well-Being

We surveyed a large sample of Swedish lottery players about their psychological well-being 5–22 years after a major lottery event and analysed the data following pre-registered procedures. Relative to matched controls, large-prize winners experience sustained increases in overall life satisfaction that persist for over a decade and show no evidence of dissipating over time. The estimated treatment effects on happiness and mental health are significantly smaller. Follow-up analyses of domain-specific aspects of life satisfaction implicate financial life satisfaction as an important mediator for the long-run increase in overall life satisfaction.
Nonadherence of Oral Antihyperglycemic Medication Will Increase Risk of End-Stage Renal Disease

AbstractPoor glycemic control is related to an increased risk of end-stage renal disease (ESRD). This study investigated the association between medication adherence and the risk of ESRD in patients with newly diagnosed diabetes mellitus.In this population-based cohort study, we used the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD) to identify 559,864 patients with newly diagnosed or treated diabetes mellitus who were ages from 20 to 85 years between 2001 and 2008. We identified 1695 patients with ESRD during the study period. The mean follow-up time of the patients with ESRD was 5.7 years. Time-dependent Cox proportional hazards regression was performed to estimate the hazard ratios for ESRD among the patients with newly diagnosed diabetes mellitus.After adjustment for various covariates, nonadherence to oral antihyperglycemic medication (OAM) was associated with a higher risk of ESRD compared with adherence to OAM (hazard ratio [HR], 1.11; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.01–1.23). The effects of nonadherence to OAM on the risk of ESRD were significant for patients without hypertension, without gout, without chronic kidney disease, undergoing OAM polytherapy, and undergoing metformin polytherapy (HR [95% CIs], 1.18 [1.00–1.39], 1.13 [1.02–1.26], 1.17 [1.03–1.33], 1.22 [1.08–1.38], and 1.13 [1.02–1.25], respectively). In conclusion, nonadherence to OAM therapy is associated with ESRD. Adherence to medication therapy can prevent the progressive loss of renal function and ESRD for patients with diabetes.
Asymmetric dimethylarginine, smoking, and risk of coronary heart disease in apparently healthy men: prospective analysis from the population-based Monitoring of Trends and Determinants in Cardiovascular Disease/Kooperative Gesundheitsforschung in der Region Augsburg study and experimental data.

BACKGROUND An increased plasma concentration of the endogenous nitric oxide synthase inhibitor asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) predicts adverse clinical outcome in patients with coronary heart disease. We investigated the association between plasma concentrations of ADMA and risk in initially healthy smoking and nonsmoking men. METHODS Participants for this nested case-control study came from the population-based Monitoring of Trends and Determinants in Cardiovascular Disease/Kooperative Gesundheitsforschung in der Region Augsburg study. ADMA was measured by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry in 88 men with incident coronary events (fatal and nonfatal myocardial infarction and sudden cardiac death) and 254 age-matched controls, with a median (interquartile range) follow-up of 6.2 (3.3-7.9) years. RESULTS After adjustment for potential confounders, the relative risk for a future coronary event was 2.00 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.27-3.16; P = 0.003] for smokers compared with nonsmokers and 1.35 (95% CI 0.78-2.33; P = 0.282) for the top vs the bottom tertile of the ADMA distribution. In cases and controls, lower ADMA plasma concentrations were observed in smokers. Analysis of ADMA-associated risk in smokers and nonsmokers separately revealed substantial differences: the adjusted relative risk for future coronary events (top vs bottom tertile of the ADMA distribution) was 0.48 (95% CI 0.16-1.46; P = 0.198) in smokers and 2.40 (95% CI 1.14-5.08; P = 0.021) in nonsmokers. Exposure of human endothelium-derived EAhy 926 cells to tobacco smoke enhanced expression of the ADMA metabolizing enzyme dimethylarginine dimethylaminohydrolase 2 and reduced ADMA concentration. CONCLUSIONS In apparently healthy men, increased ADMA predicts the risk for coronary events in nonsmokers, but not in smokers. This may be explained in part by an alteration of ADMA metabolism by tobacco smoke.
Barriers to implementing simulation in health care

The members of this panel were asked to provide their perspectives on the barriers to implementing simulation in health care, and how to remove them. Some common barriers are presented throughout the discussions, such as the variety of players in the health care field and their different priorities, as well as their lack of familiarity with the process and terminology of simulation. However, each discussant lends a slightly different perspective to the problem.
Self-perceived psychosomatic health in Swedish children, adolescents and young adults: an internet-based survey over time

Objectives The authors investigated self-perceived psychosomatic health in young people (10–24 years of age) in Sweden and analysed different samples during the years 2005 and 2007–2010 via a community website. Design Repeated cross-sectional surveys: (1) single question on a single day in 2005. (2) One specific question delivered on each of eight separate days in 2005. (3) The same eight questions delivered to smaller groups on the same day in 2007 and then again to randomly selected subjects in 2010. Setting Validated questionnaires launched on the internet by a recognised Swedish community site. Study participants were invited to answer questions about their health with full anonymity as they logged into their personal area. Participants 10–24-year-old children, adolescents and young adults. Primary and secondary outcome measures Self-reported psychosomatic health in terms of sex and age over time. Results A large number of responses were obtained (up to 140 000). The response rate for the single item on stress was 41%. A high percentage of young subjects responded that they felt stressed very often/often; the numbers were higher for women (47%) than for men (29%). Older teenaged women had more psychosomatic complaints than did men of similar ages; in contrast, among 10–12-year-old children, the percentage of psychosomatic complaints was similar for men and women. When comparing results obtained in 2010 with those obtained in 2007, young people of both sexes had a slightly better self-perceived health status in 2007. Conclusions During the period 2005–2010 a high percentage of young people, particularly females, 16–18 years of age, had psychosomatic complaints and considered themselves as being often or very often stressed. These complaints were more pronounced in the older age groups. When directing questions to a large community, internet-based surveys appear to be valuable tools.
Solving the Permutation Flow Shop Problem with Makespan Criterion using Grids

The optimization of scheduling problems is based on different criteria to optimize. One of the most important criteria is the minimization of completion time of the last task on the last machine called makespan. In this paper, we present a parallel algorithm for solving the permutation flow shop problem. Our algorithm is a basic parallel distributed algorithm deployed in a grid of computer (Grid’5000). The objective of this work is minimizing the total makespan of the tasks. Our algorithm uses the exact Branch and Bound method to find optimal solutions of the problem through the distribution of the tasks among the available processors. Computational results of our parallel algorithm using well known Taillard’s benchmarks, showed encouraging results. In particular, we succeeded to solve two new instances to optimality which had never been resolved before neither in sequential nor in parallel [29].
Workplace Incivility: When Students Bully Faculty

&NA; Previous articles in the Urologic Nursing “Workplace Incivility” series provide information on what nurses need to know about bullying in nursing and how using emotional intelligence can prevent and diffuse bullying behaviors. Evidence shows that bullying over a period of time causes harm to team members, organizations, and others, including patients. The Joint Commission (2008) issued a Sentinel Event Alert tying intimidation, incivility, and bullying to errors, increased costs of care, personnel turnover, poorer patient satisfaction, and preventable adverse events, including injury to patients and death. Civility is required to promote harmony, health, teamwork, and safety. Failure to address incivility and bullies in the workplace, including nursing academia, constitutes a failure to act and is no longer acceptable.
Clinicopathological profiles of progressive heart failure in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy

Aims Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is an important cause of heart failure-related disability over a wide range of ages. Profiles of severe progressive heart failure symptoms and death, or heart transplantation deserve more complete definition within large patient cohorts. Methods and results Clinical and morphological features of heart failure were assessed in 293 consecutive HCM patients over a median follow-up of 6 (inter-quartile range 2–11) years. Gross and histopathological features were analysed in 12 patients for whom the heart was available for inspection. Of the 293 patients, 50 (17%) developed severe progressive heart failure, including 18 who died or were transplanted. Three profiles of heart failure were identified predominantly associated with: (i) end-stage systolic dysfunction (ejection fraction <50%) (15; 30%); (ii) left ventricular (LV) outflow obstruction at rest (11; 22%); and (iii) non-obstructive with preserved systolic function (24; 48%). Overall, atrial fibrillation (AF) contributed to heart failure in 32 patients (64%) among the three profiles. Compared with other patients, those non-obstructive with preserved systolic function had earlier onset of heart failure symptoms mainly due to diastolic dysfunction, and the most accelerated progression to advanced heart failure and adverse outcome (P = 0.04). Thrombi were identified in the left atrial appendage of five gross heart specimens all belonging to patients with AF, including three of which were unrecognized clinically and had previously embolized. Extensive myocardial scarring with LV remodelling was evident in all end-stage patients; no or only focal scars were present in other patients. Conclusion Profiles of advanced heart failure in HCM are due to diverse pathophysiological mechanisms, including LV outflow obstruction and diastolic or global systolic ventricular dysfunction. Atrial fibrillation proved to be the most common disease variable associated with progressive heart failure. Recognition of the heterogeneous pathophysiology of heart failure in HCM is relevant, given the targeted management strategies necessary in this disease.