Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Differences in compensatory vessel enlargement, not intimal formation, account for restenosis after angioplasty in the hypercholesterolemic rabbit model.

BACKGROUND In de novo human atherosclerosis, compensatory vessel enlargement limits the effect of intimal plaque formation on lumen narrowing. We hypothesized that arterial remodeling may also play an important role in determining the chronic lumen size after angioplasty and tested this hypothesis using the hypercholesterolemic rabbit iliac artery angioplasty model. METHODS AND RESULTS Morphometric analysis of histological cross-sectional areas of vessels from animals killed immediately after angioplasty (acute group, n = 11) were compared with the same areas from animals killed 4 weeks after the procedure (chronic group, n = 37), when restenosis occurs in this model. The area circumscribed by the internal elastic lamina (IEL) increased by 20% from acute to 4 week follow-up after angioplasty (acute group, 2.36 +/- 0.45 mm2, chronic group, 2.84 +/- 0.89 mm2). Over the same time period, intimal area increased by 0.82 mm2. Despite this increase in intimal area, lumen area decreased by only 0.34 mm2 because of the compensatory enlargement of the IEL area. In the chronic group, polynomial regression analysis revealed a quadratic relation between intimal area and lumen area (R2 = .35, P < .001). A lumen area of 0.45 mm2 (the nadir of the quadratic relation) was used to divide the chronic group into two subgroups: restenotic (n = 21; lumen area, < 0.45 mm2) and nonrestenotic (n = 16; lumen area, > 0.45 mm2). By definition, there was a significant difference in lumen area between the two subgroups (0.15 +/- 0.15 mm2 for restenotic; 0.73 +/- 0.18 mm2 for nonrestenotic). Surprisingly, the intimal areas in the two subgroups were virtually identical (2.41 +/- 0.92 mm2 for restenotic, 2.49 +/- 0.69 mm2 for nonrestenotic, P = NS). The difference in the lumen area between restenotic and nonrestenotic vessels was a result of the significantly greater IEL area in the nonrestenotic subgroup (3.22 +/- 0.83 mm2 for nonrestenotic, 2.56 +/- 0.84 mm2 for restenotic, P < .05). In both restenotic and nonrestenotic vessels, the IEL area increased with increases in intimal area. In the restenotic arteries, the slope of this correlation was < 1, showing inadequate compensatory enlargement for the intimal plaque. In the nonrestenotic vessels, the slope was > 1, limiting the effect of intimal plaque on luminal narrowing. CONCLUSIONS These data indicate that the iliac artery in an atherosclerotic rabbit model compensates for intimal formation after angioplasty by vessel enlargement. Furthermore, the degree of vessel enlargement is more important than intimal area in determining the chronic lumen size.
Assessment of Irrigation Water Quality Sourced from River Galma in Zaria, Nigeria

This study aimed at assessing the quality of irrigation water sourced from River Galma to irrigate farmlands in Zaria, located between latitudes 11o 00’ to 11o 12’N and longitude 07 o 36’ to 07 o 45’E. Irrigation water samples from River Galma used to irrigate the fadama land were collected from five different points for three consecutive times at the very points where the farmers use the water to irrigate their farms and tested for the following selected metals: chromium (Cr), lead (Pb), nickel (Ni), and arsenic (As). X-ray Fluorescence (XRF) spectroscopy which is an analytical technique was used to determine the metal contents of water samples. Analysis of variance was used to compare the result at 0.01 significant level. The results show the concentration of Cr, Pb, Ni and As as; 0.09, 0.04, 0.04 and 0.03mg/l respectively. Although Cr has the highest mean value and is significantly differentiated at the five sampling locations over the basin, the mean value is below the permissible limit for irrigation water by Nigeria’s Federal Environmental Protection Agency concentration of the selected metals was found to be tolerable for irrigation purpose. The study thus recommended that the quality of irrigation water should be investigated from time to time to avoid build-up of heavy metal that may be detrimental to health of both human and animal in the long run. Keywords: Water quality, Irrigation, River Galma, Metal content, Zaria
Stroke-in-Evolution: Infarct-Inherent Mechanisms versus Systemic Causes

Background: It is uncertain whether deterioration after acute ischemic stroke is neurological and/or systemic (somatic) in origin. Methods: 442 consecutive patients admitted with first-ever ischemic stroke (FIS) were assessed by the Unified Neurological Stroke Scale (UNSS) at admission, on hospitalization days 1, 2 and 3 and before discharge. Results: Among 71/442 (16.1%) patients deteriorated during hospitalization, the worsening from stroke onset was early (≤72 h) in 67 (94.4%) of them. The majority (57/71, 80.3%) had CT-confirmed cerebral causes and 14/71 (19.7%) had systemic causes. The causes of late deterioration were exclusively systemic. In the logistic regression analysis the initial mean UNSS score was the only significant independent predictor of stroke deterioration (p < 0.0001). Conclusions: Early clinical deterioration in FIS patients results from infarct-inherent mechanisms while late stroke deterioration is due primarily to systemic factors. An initially severe neurological deficit might predict further decline.
An evidence-based definition of lifelong premature ejaculation: report of the International Society for Sexual Medicine (ISSM) ad hoc committee for the definition of premature ejaculation.

INTRODUCTION The medical literature contains several definitions of premature ejaculation (PE). The most commonly quoted definition, the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-Fourth Edition-Text Revision, and other definitions of PE are all authority based rather than evidence based, and have no support from controlled clinical and/or epidemiological studies. AIM The aim of this article is to develop a contemporary, evidence-based definition of PE. METHODS In August 2007, the International Society for Sexual Medicine (ISSM) appointed several international experts in PE to an Ad Hoc Committee for the Definition of Premature Ejaculation. The committee met in Amsterdam in October 2007 to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of current definitions of PE, to critique the evidence in support of the constructs of ejaculatory latency, ejaculatory control, sexual satisfaction, and personal/interpersonal distress, and to propose a new evidence-based definition of PE. RESULTS The committee unanimously agreed that the constructs that are necessary to define PE are rapidity of ejaculation, perceived self-efficacy and control, and negative personal consequences from PE. The committee proposed that lifelong PE be defined as ". a male sexual dysfunction characterized by ejaculation which always or nearly always occurs prior to or within about one minute of vaginal penetration, and the inability to delay ejaculation on all or nearly all vaginal penetrations, and negative personal consequences, such as distress, bother, frustration and/or the avoidance of sexual intimacy. " This definition is limited to men with lifelong PE who engage in vaginal intercourse. The panel concluded that there are insufficient published objective data to propose an evidence-based definition of acquired PE. CONCLUSION The ISSM definition of lifelong PE represents the first evidence-based definition of PE. This definition will hopefully lead to the development of new tools and Patient Reported Outcome measures for diagnosing and assessing the efficacy of treatment interventions and encourage ongoing research into the true prevalence of this disorder and the efficacy of new pharmacological and psychological treatments.
Diurnal cycle of precipitation in Estonia

The diurnal cycle of precipitation in Estonia during the warm period (from April to October) is analysed separately at continental and coastal stations. The results were obtained using hourly data from the automated gauges at 13 stations in 2003– 2013 as well as from the pluviographic records at 10 stations in 1991–2003. The diurnal cycle is approximated using the secondorder trigonometric polynomial. A clear diurnal cycle of precipitation with the maximum in the afternoon and evening (13–19 EET – East European Time), and the minimum at night and in the morning (22–11 EET) was revealed at the continental stations of Estonia. The daily amplitude was the highest in summer and much lower in spring and autumn. The highest monthly mean daily amplitudes up to 7 mm were observed in June and July. The diurnal cycle of precipitation was much weaker at the coastal stations without clear maxima and minima and with lower amplitudes. In autumn, the coastal stations showed clearer and bimodal maxima in the early morning and in the evening. The diurnal distribution of precipitation is quite stable, which is confirmed by the high similarity of the curves characterizing these two periods.
Speculative trace scheduling in VLIW processors

VLIW processors are statically scheduled processors and their performance depends on the quality of schedules generated by the compiler's scheduler. We propose a new scheduling scheme where the application is first divided into decision trees and then further split into traces. Traces are speculatively scheduled on the processor based on their probability of execution. We have developed a tool "SpliTree" to generate traces automatically. By using dynamic branch prediction for scheduling traces our scheme achieves approximately 1.4/spl times/ performance improvement over that using decision trees for Spec92 benchmarks simulated on TriMedia/spl trade/.
Evaluation of sensitivity and specificity of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for detecting antidesmoglein 1 and 3 in Thai patients with pemphigus vulgaris and foliaceus.

OBJECTIVE Pemphigus is an acquired autoimmune blistering skin diseases, of which pemphigus vulgaris (PV) and pemphigus foliaceus (PF) are two major subtypes. A novel commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) against Dsg1 and Dsg3 has been well established for diagnosis and prediction of disease activity in PF and PV. At present, the benefit of anti-Dsg 1 and anti-Dsg 3 IgG by ELISA in the diagnosis of pemphigus in Thai patients has never been reported. The objective of the present study is to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of ELISA for detecting antidesmoglein 1 and 3 in Thai patients with pemphigus. MATERIAL AND METHOD Retrospective review of anti-Dsg1 and anti-Dsg3 antibody ELISA test results from 48 serum samples collected from 27 patients with PV seven patients with PF and 14 controls. RESULTS The sensitivity of Dsg1 and Dsg3 ELISA for all patients with PV was 64% and 77.8% respectively. When subgrouped into only PV patients with new diagnosis, the sensitivity of Dsg 1 and Dsg 3 ELISA increased to 85.7% and 100%. In all PF patients, the sensitivity of anti-Dsg 1 ELISA was 71.4% and 100% for newly diagnosed PF cases. Anti-Dsg 3 was not detected in the PF group. The specificity of ELISA for anti-Dsg 1 and anti-Dsg 3 in both types of pemphigus was 85.7% and 92.3% respectively. CONCLUSIONS Dsg 1 and Dsg 3 ELISA is a simple, highly sensitive and specific test in Thai pemphigus patients with 100% sensitivity in the diagnosis of both new pemphigus vulgaris and foliaceus patients.
Resolution of chlamydial genital infection with antigen-specific T-lymphocyte lines

To determine cell-mediated immune mechanisms involved in the resolution of chlamydial genital infection of mice, we utilized an established murine model in which it has been demonstrated that resolution of infection occurs independently of the antibody response. Splenic T lymphocytes were obtained from mice that had previously been immunized with viable elementary bodies of the mouse pneumonitis agent (MoPn), a Chlamydia trachomatis biovar. Antigen-reactive T lymphocytes were maintained and expanded in vitro by frequent restimulation with UV light-inactivated MoPn in the presence of antigen-presenting cells and recombinant interleukin-2 (rIL-2). Flow cytometry indicated that this cell line was at least 92% positive for the pan-specific T-cell marker Thy1.2. Stimulation of the cells in the presence of syngeneic antigen-presenting cells plus MoPn antigen and in the absence of exogenous IL-2 induced the cells to produce IL-2 activity in culture supernatants. Following adoptive transfer, this T-lymphocyte line was effective in inducing resolution of an ongoing MoPn genital infection in congenitally athymic nude mice which otherwise maintain chronic unresolved infections. The line was less efficient in resolving the infection after longer periods in culture. An additional T-lymphocyte line was derived from the spleens of athymic mice that had received the first line and had resolved the infection. These T cells were also capable of inducing resolution of the infection. Lastly, this cell line was treated with specific antibody and complement to delete either CD4+ or CD8+ T lymphocytes in an attempt to enrich for T-cell subpopulations prior to transfer into infected athymic mice. The anti-CD4-treated line was essentially depleted of CD4 cells, while the anti-CD8-treated line was only partially enriched for CD4 cells, with a large proportion of CD8 cells still present. Nude mice that received either of the treated T-cell lines or the parental cell line were capable of resolving the infection, although the line with increased numbers of CD4 cells was more efficient than either the parental line or the CD8 line.
POET: Parameterized Optimizations for Empirical Tuning

The excessive complexity of both machine architectures and applications have made it difficult for compilers to statically model and predict application behavior. This observation motivates the recent interest in performance tuning using empirical techniques. We present a new embedded scripting language, POET (parameterized optimization for empirical tuning), for parameterizing complex code transformations so that they can be empirically tuned. The POET language aims to significantly improve the generality, flexibility, and efficiency of existing empirical tuning systems. We have used the language to parameterize and to empirically tune three loop optimizations - interchange, blocking, and unrolling - for two linear algebra kernels. We show experimentally that the time required to tune these optimizations using POET, which does not require any program analysis, is significantly shorter than that when using a full compiler-based source-code optimizer which performs sophisticated program analysis and optimizations.
Differential effect of CCL2 on constitutive neutrophil apoptosis between normal and asthmatic subjects

In this study, we investigated the effects of CCL2 on constitutive apoptosis of normal and asthmatic neutrophils. CCL2 blocked the constitutive apoptosis of normal neutrophils through CCR2. CCL2 also induced elevation of the cytosolic Ca2+ concentration but had no effect on normal neutrophil chemotaxis. Constitutive apoptosis, calcium influx, and cell migration of asthmatic neutrophils were not affected by CCL2 stimulation. Supernatant collected from CCL2‐treated normal neutrophils inhibited the constitutive apoptosis of normal neutrophils. Anti‐apoptotic signaling mediated by CCL2 was found to be associated with the PI3K/Akt/ERK/NF‐κB cascade in normal neutrophils. Both the cleavage of procaspase 3 and procaspase 9 and the decrease of in Mcl‐1 expression were delayed by CCL2 stimulation. Inhibition of NF‐κB blocked constitutive apoptosis of neutrophils from asthmatic patients via inhibition of the cleavage of procaspase 3 and procaspase 9, in contrast to normal neutrophils. NF‐κB was involved in CCL2‐induced anti‐apoptotic signaling in normal neutrophils, whereas NF‐κB functioned as a basal pro‐apoptotic factor in asthmatic neutrophils. A better understanding of the difference in the regulation of neutrophil apoptosis due to CCL2 between normal individuals and asthmatics will enable elucidation of the role of CC chemokine in neutrophils and a framework for understanding the pathogenesis of asthma. J. Cell. Physiol. 227: 2567–2577, 2012. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Health literacy skills of kidney transplant recipients.

CONTEXT Although low health literacy can affect patients' treatment decision making, comprehension of health information, and medication adherence, little is known about health literacy skills of kidney transplant recipients. OBJECTIVE To examine the relationship among kidney transplant recipients' health literacy levels, transplant knowledge, and graft function. DESIGN Cross-sectional study of 124 adult kidney transplant recipients. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Health literacy was assessed via the Short Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults (S-TOFHLA) and the Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Medicine-Transplantation (REALM-T). Data on recipients' transplant numeracy, knowledge needs, and demographics were collected via semistructured interviews. Multivariable linear regressions were used to assess the relationship between health literacy and graft function. RESULTS Most kidney recipients (91%) had adequate health literacy (S-TOFHLA); however, 81% were unfamiliar with at least 1 kidney transplant-related term (REALM-T). The 5 least familiar terms were sensitization (50%), urethra (45%), trough level (41%), blood urea nitrogen (32%), and toxicity (31%). Numeracy levels varied: 21% knew the likelihood of 1-year graft survival; 29% knew that half of kidney recipients have problems with the transplant in the first 6 months; 68% were aware of the risk of death within the first year after transplantation; and 86% knew the normal range for creatinine in kidney recipients. Patients with lower health literacy (REALM-T) had higher creatinine levels. CONCLUSIONS Transplant providers should intervene with better patient education materials to improve patients' health literacy, which may improve patients' medication adherence or transplant outcomes.
The status of Nepal’s mammals

The main objectives of the Nepal National Mammal Red Data Book (RDB) were to provide comprehensive and up-to-date accounts of 212 mammal species recorded in Nepal, assess their status applying the IUCN Guidelines at Regional Levels, identify threats and recommend the most practical measures for their conservation. It is hoped that the Mammal RDB will help Nepal achieve the Convention on Biological Diversity target of preventing the extinction of known threatened species and improving their conservation status. Of the 212 mammal species assessed, 49 species (23%) were listed as nationally threatened. These comprise nine (18%) Critically Endangered species, 26 (53%) Endangered species and 14 (29%) Vulnerable species. One species was considered regionally Extinct. A total of seven species (3%) were considered Near Threatened and 83 species (39%) were Data Deficient. Over sixty percent of Nepal’s ungulates are threatened and almost half of Nepal’s carnivores face extinction (45% threatened). Bats and small mammals are the least known groups with 60 species being Data Deficient. Habitat loss, degradation and fragmentation are the most significant threats. Other significant threats include illegal hunting, small and fragmented populations, reduction of prey base, human wildlife conflict and persecution, climate change, invasive species, disease and inadequate knowledge and research. Adequate measures to address these threats are described. It was also concluded that re-assessments of the status of certain mammal groups be carried out every five years and the setting up of a national online species database and mapping system would also greatly help in land-use planning and policies.
Compressed fisher linear discriminant analysis: classification of randomly projected data

We consider random projections in conjunction with classification, specifically the analysis of Fisher's Linear Discriminant (FLD) classifier in randomly projected data spaces. Unlike previous analyses of other classifiers in this setting, we avoid the unnatural effects that arise when one insists that all pairwise distances are approximately preserved under projection. We impose no sparsity or underlying low-dimensional structure constraints on the data; we instead take advantage of the class structure inherent in the problem. We obtain a reasonably tight upper bound on the estimated misclassification error on average over the random choice of the projection, which, in contrast to early distance preserving approaches, tightens in a natural way as the number of training examples increases. It follows that, for good generalisation of FLD, the required projection dimension grows logarithmically with the number of classes. We also show that the error contribution of a covariance misspecification is always no worse in the low-dimensional space than in the initial high-dimensional space. We contrast our findings to previous related work, and discuss our insights.
Caste-specific expression of genetic variation in the size of antibiotic-producing glands of leaf-cutting ants

Social insect castes represent some of the most spectacular examples of phenotypic plasticity, with each caste being associated with different environmental conditions during their life. Here we examine the level of genetic variation in different castes of two polyandrous species of Acromyrmex leaf-cutting ant for the antibiotic-producing metapleural gland, which has a major role in defence against parasites. Gland size increases allometrically. The small workers that play the main role in disease defence have relatively large glands compared with larger workers, while the glands of gynes are substantially larger than those of any workers, for their body size. The gland size of large workers varies significantly between patrilines in both Acromyrmex echinatior and Acromyrmex octospinosus. We also examined small workers and gynes in A. echinatior, again finding genetic variation in gland size in these castes. There were significant positive relationships between the gland sizes of patrilines in the different castes, indicating that the genetic mechanism underpinning the patriline variation has remained similar across phenotypes. The level of expressed genetic variation decreased from small workers to large workers to gynes. This is consistent with the hypothesis that there is individual selection on disease defence in founding queens and colony-level selection on disease defence in the worker castes.