Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Association between Sleep Disruption and Levels of Lipids in Caucasians with Type 2 Diabetes

Aim. To investigate the association between sleep quality and duration with lipid and glycaemic control in Caucasian subjects with type 2 diabetes. Methods. Sleep quality was assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) in 114 type 2 diabetes (T2DM) subjects. Comparisons were made between subjects with different sleep quality and sleep duration. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses were used to determine contributors to metabolic parameters. Results. Subjects with poor sleep quality (PQ; PSQI ≥ 6) had higher systolic blood pressure, glycated haemoglobin, urine albumin : creatinine ratio (UAC), total cholesterol (TC), and triglycerides (TG) (P < 0.05 for all) compared to those with good sleep quality (GQ; PSQI ≤ 5). Long sleep duration (LSD) subjects had higher TC and short sleep duration (SSD) subjects had higher TG compared to those with medium sleep duration. Sleep duration and PSQI score were independent predictors of TC and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL), contributing to 14.0% and 6.1% of the total variance, respectively. Conclusions. In this Caucasian T2DM population, PQ is associated with adverse cardiovascular risk markers, and long and short sleep disruptions have an independent negative impact on lipids. Sleep assessment should be included as part of a diabetes clinic review.
Non-Isothermal Crystallization of Poly(vinylidene Fluoride)/Multiwalled Carbon Nanotube Composites

Poly(vinylidene fluoride)/multiwalled carbon nanotube (PVDF/MWCNT) composites were prepared by the method of solution blending. The non-isothermal crystallization of PVDF and its composites was investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The results showed that the crystallization peaks shifted to lower temperature and the exothermic trace became wider when cooling rate increased for PVDF and its composites. The MWCNTs caused an increase in crystallization temperature and initial crystallization temperature. In addition, the Jeziorny and Mo methods were used to analyze the non-isothermal crystallization kinetics. The results showed that the crystallization rate rose with an increase in cooling rate, however, the MWCNTs decreased the crystallization rates of PVDF.
The patient‐at‐risk team: identifying and managing seriously ill ward patients

A ‘patient‐at‐risk team’, established to allow the early identification of seriously ill patients on hospital wards, made 69 assessments on 63 patients over 6 months. Predefined physiological criteria were not able to reliably predict which patients would be admitted to the intensive care unit. The incidence of cardiopulmonary resuscitation before intensive care admission was 3.6% for patients seen by the team and 30.4% for those not seen (p < 0.005). Of admissions seen by the team, 25% died on the intensive care unit compared with 45% of those not seen (not significant, p = 0.07). Among those not seen by the team, mortality was 40% for those who did not require resuscitation and 57% for those who did (not significant). Many critically ill ward patients had abnormal physiological values before intensive care unit admission. Identification of critically ill patients on the ward and early advice and active management are likely to prevent the need for cardiopulmonary resuscitation and to improve outcome.
Sequence, structure and functional diversity of PD-(D/E)XK phosphodiesterase superfamily

Proteins belonging to PD-(D/E)XK phosphodiesterases constitute a functionally diverse superfamily with representatives involved in replication, restriction, DNA repair and tRNA–intron splicing. Their malfunction in humans triggers severe diseases, such as Fanconi anemia and Xeroderma pigmentosum. To date there have been several attempts to identify and classify new PD-(D/E)KK phosphodiesterases using remote homology detection methods. Such efforts are complicated, because the superfamily exhibits extreme sequence and structural divergence. Using advanced homology detection methods supported with superfamily-wide domain architecture and horizontal gene transfer analyses, we provide a comprehensive reclassification of proteins containing a PD-(D/E)XK domain. The PD-(D/E)XK phosphodiesterases span over 21 900 proteins, which can be classified into 121 groups of various families. Eleven of them, including DUF4420, DUF3883, DUF4263, COG5482, COG1395, Tsp45I, HaeII, Eco47II, ScaI, HpaII and Replic_Relax, are newly assigned to the PD-(D/E)XK superfamily. Some groups of PD-(D/E)XK proteins are present in all domains of life, whereas others occur within small numbers of organisms. We observed multiple horizontal gene transfers even between human pathogenic bacteria or from Prokaryota to Eukaryota. Uncommon domain arrangements greatly elaborate the PD-(D/E)XK world. These include domain architectures suggesting regulatory roles in Eukaryotes, like stress sensing and cell-cycle regulation. Our results may inspire further experimental studies aimed at identification of exact biological functions, specific substrates and molecular mechanisms of reactions performed by these highly diverse proteins.
Better or just different? On the benefits of designing interactive systems in terms of critical parameters

Critical parameters are quantitative measures of performance that may be used to determine the overall ability of a design to serve its purpose. Although critical parameters figure in almost every field of design where there is a demand for progressive improvement, they do not appear to figure significantly in the design of interactive systems. As a result, systems are designed that are recognizably different from other systems but not necessarily better at doing the job intended. This paper discusses the role of critical parameters in design, and illustrates their lack of use in interactive system design by presenting a number of of examples drawn from the HCI literature. It identifies a consequent need for research to establish critical parameters for applications and to build models of the performance of designs against these parameters. Some ideas are presented on how critical parameters might be established for specific applications, and the paper concludes by summarising some of the benefits that might be gained from moving in this direction.
A high-speed 2-D topography simulator based on a pixel model

A high-speed two-dimensional (2-D) topography simulator which operates in X-Windows has been developed. This program, named TIGER (Topography Image GEneration Routine), uses a newly developed pixel model, in which regions of the same material are depicted by pixels with the same value (i.e. the same color) and material boundaries are regarded as color boundaries. New cross-sectional profiles are sequentially created by drawing basic geometrical figures on a cross-sectional profile of a former process step. No complex operations are required for boundary line definition, such as loop removal. Realistic cross sections of an LSI with three interconnection layers and an SST transistor with a complex structure were created by this simulator. The total simulation time is only one or two minutes for all the processing steps of an LSI.
Metabolic Modulator Perhexiline Corrects Energy Deficiency and Improves Exercise Capacity in Symptomatic Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy

Background— Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy patients exhibit myocardial energetic impairment, but a causative role for this energy deficiency in the pathophysiology of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy remains unproven. We hypothesized that the metabolic modulator perhexiline would ameliorate myocardial energy deficiency and thereby improve diastolic function and exercise capacity. Methods and Results— Forty-six consecutive patients with symptomatic exercise limitation (peak &OV0312;o2 <75% of predicted) caused by nonobstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (mean age, 55±0.26 years) were randomized to perhexiline 100 mg (n=24) or placebo (n=22). Myocardial ratio of phosphocreatine to adenosine triphosphate, an established marker of cardiac energetic status, as measured by 31P magnetic resonance spectroscopy, left ventricular diastolic filling (heart rate normalized time to peak filling) at rest and during exercise using radionuclide ventriculography, peak &OV0312;o2, symptoms, quality of life, and serum metabolites were assessed at baseline and study end (4.6±1.8 months). Perhexiline improved myocardial ratios of phosphocreatine to adenosine triphosphate (from 1.27±0.02 to 1.73±0.02 versus 1.29±0.01 to 1.23±0.01; P=0.003) and normalized the abnormal prolongation of heart rate normalized time to peak filling between rest and exercise (0.11±0.008 to −0.01±0.005 versus 0.15±0.007 to 0.11±0.008 second; P=0.03). These changes were accompanied by an improvement in primary end point (peak &OV0312;o2) (22.2±0.2 to 24.3±0.2 versus 23.6±0.3 to 22.3±0.2 mL · kg−1 · min−1; P=0.003) and New York Heart Association class (P<0.001) (all P values ANCOVA, perhexiline versus placebo). Conclusions— In symptomatic hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, perhexiline, a modulator of substrate metabolism, ameliorates cardiac energetic impairment, corrects diastolic dysfunction, and increases exercise capacity. This study supports the hypothesis that energy deficiency contributes to the pathophysiology and provides a rationale for further consideration of metabolic therapies in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Clinical Trial Registration— URL: http://www.clinicaltrials. gov. Unique identifier: NCT00500552.
Two Rare Disease-Associated Tyk2 Variants Are Catalytically Impaired but Signaling Competent

Tyk2 belongs to the Janus protein tyrosine kinase family and is involved in signaling of immunoregulatory cytokines (type I and III IFNs, IL-6, IL-10, and IL-12 families) via its interaction with shared receptor subunits. Depending on the receptor complex, Tyk2 is coactivated with either Jak1 or Jak2, but a detailed molecular characterization of the interplay between the two enzymes is missing. In human populations, the Tyk2 gene presents high levels of genetic diversity with >100 nonsynonymous variants being detected. In this study, we characterized two rare Tyk2 variants, I684S and P1104A, which have been associated with susceptibility to autoimmune disease. Specifically, we measured their in vitro catalytic activity and their ability to mediate Stat activation in fibroblasts and genotyped B cell lines. Both variants were found to be catalytically impaired but rescued signaling in response to IFN-α/β, IL-6, and IL-10. These data, coupled with functional study of an engineered Jak1 P1084A, support a model of nonhierarchical activation of Janus kinases in which one catalytically competent Jak is sufficient for signaling provided that its partner behaves as proper scaffold, even if inactive. Through the analysis of IFN-α and IFN-γ signaling in cells with different Jak1 P1084A levels, we also illustrate a context in which a hypomorphic Jak can hamper signaling in a cytokine-specific manner. Given the multitude of Tyk2-activating cytokines, the cell context–dependent requirement for Tyk2 and the catalytic defect of the two disease-associated variants studied in this paper, we predict that these alleles are functionally significant in complex immune disorders.
Pro Re Nata Medication for Psychoses: An Audit of Practice in Two Metropolitan Hospitals

Objective: To examine the use of pro re nata (PRN) (as needed) medication in hospitalized patients with psychotic disorders. Methods: Retrospective chart reviews were conducted at two large public psychiatry units situated in inner city general hospitals. Pro re nata medication prescription, administration and outcomes were examined during inpatient episodes of care for 184 consecutive admissions of patients diagnosed with a psychotic disorder. Patient demographics, diagnoses, and regularly prescribed medication were also recorded. All admissions were drawn from a threemonth period from December 1998–February 1999. Results: The most prevalent diagnoses were schizophrenia related disorders (n = 111) and mania (n = 34). Substance use disorders (n = 49) were the most common comorbid disorders. Pro re nata medication was administered during the acute phase of 82% of admissions. Drugs prescribed Pro re nata were mostly typical antipsychotics, benzodiazepines and/or anticholinergics. Coprescription of typical antipsychotics PRN with regularly scheduled atypical antipsychotics was common (64%). Pro re nata medications accounted for 31% of the total antipsychotic dose and 28% of the total anxiolytic dose administered during acute treatment. Higher daily doses of PRN medication were given to manic patients, males, younger patients and those with substance use disorders. Pro re nata prescriptions usually specified a maximum daily dose (87%) but rarely gave indications for use (6%). Administration records frequently lacked a specified reason for use (48%) or a notation of outcome (64%). Unit staff noted medication-related morbidity in 37% of patients receiving PRN medication, compared to 3% of patients receiving only regularly scheduled medication. Extrapyramidal symptoms (EPS) were most frequently associated with administration of PRN haloperidol (Relative Risk vs other PRN medications = 5.61, 95% CI = 2.36–13.73). Conclusions: Pro re nata medications comprised a significant part of the treatment which psychotic patients received. The common practice of coprescribing PRN typical antipsychotics with scheduled atypical antipsychotics is potentially problematical since administration of PRN medication is associated with significant medication related morbidity. Preferential use of benzodiazepines as PRN agents may minimize this morbidity and foster subsequent compliance with regularly prescribed antipsychotics.
Coping with Self-Threat and the Evaluation of Self-Related Traits: An fMRI Study

A positive view of oneself is important for a healthy lifestyle. Self-protection mechanisms such as suppressing negative self-related information help us to maintain a positive view of ourselves. This is of special relevance when, for instance, a negative test result threatens our positive self-view. To date, it is not clear which brain areas support self-protective mechanisms under self-threat. In the present functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study the participants (N = 46) received a (negative vs. positive) performance test feedback before entering the scanner. In the scanner, the participants were instructed to ascribe personality traits either to themselves or to a famous other. Our results showed that participants responded slower to negative self-related traits compared to positive self-related traits. High self-esteem individuals responded slower to negative traits compared to low self-esteem individuals following a self-threat. This indicates that high self-esteem individuals engage more in self-enhancing strategies after a threat by inhibiting negative self-related information more successfully than low self-esteem individuals. This behavioral pattern was mirrored in the fMRI data as dACC correlated positively with trait self-esteem. Generally, ACC activation was attenuated under threat when participants evaluated self-relevant traits and even more for negative self-related traits. We also found that activation in the ACC was negatively correlated with response times, indicating that greater activation of the ACC is linked to better access (faster response) to positive self-related traits and to impaired access (slower response) to negative self-related traits. These results confirm the ACC function as important in managing threatened self-worth but indicate differences in trait self-esteem levels. The fMRI analyses also revealed a decrease in activation within the left Hippocampus and the right thalamus under threat. This indicates that a down-regulation of activation in these regions might also serve as coping mechanism in dealing with self-threat.
Hepatitis C Virus NS3/4A Protease Inhibits Complement Activation by Cleaving Complement Component 4

Background It has been hypothesized that persistent hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is mediated in part by viral proteins that abrogate the host immune response, including the complement system, but the precise mechanisms are not well understood. We investigated whether HCV proteins are involved in the fragmentation of complement component 4 (C4), composed of subunits C4α, C4β, and C4γ, and the role of HCV proteins in complement activation. Methods Human C4 was incubated with HCV nonstructural (NS) 3/4A protease, core, or NS5. Samples were separated by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and then subjected to peptide sequencing. The activity of the classical complement pathway was examined using an erythrocyte hemolysis assay. The cleavage pattern of C4 in NS3/4A-expressing and HCV-infected cells, respectively, was also examined. Results HCV NS3/4A protease cleaved C4γ in a concentration-dependent manner, but viral core and NS5 did not. A specific inhibitor of NS3/4A protease reduced C4γ cleavage. NS3/4A protease–mediated cleavage of C4 inhibited classical pathway activation, which was abrogated by a NS3/4A protease inhibitor. In addition, co-transfection of cells with C4 and wild-type NS3/4A, but not a catalytic-site mutant of NS3/4A, produced cleaved C4γ fragments. Such C4 processing, with a concomitant reduction in levels of full-length C4γ, was also observed in HCV-infected cells expressing C4. Conclusions C4 is a novel cellular substrate of the HCV NS3/4A protease. Understanding disturbances in the complement system mediated by NS3/4A protease may provide new insights into the mechanisms underlying persistent HCV infection.
Legendrian contact homology in $P \times \mathbb{R}$

A rigorous foundation for the contact homology of Legendrian submanifolds in a contact manifold of the form P x R, where P is an exact symplectic manifold, is established. The class of such contact manifolds includes 1-jet spaces of smooth manifolds. As an application, contact homology is used to provide (smooth) isotopy invariants of submanifolds ofR" and, more generally, invariants of self transverse immersions into R n up to restricted regular homotopies. When n = 3, this application is the first step in extending and providing a contact geometric underpinning for the new knot invariants of Ng.
Wheelchair-specific fitness of inactive people with long-term spinal cord injury.

OBJECTIVES To describe wheelchair-specific anaerobic work capacity, isometric strength and peak aerobic work capacity of physically inactive people with long-term spinal cord injury using outcomes of tests that are feasible for use in rehabilitation centres, and to determine associations among these fitness components. DESIGN Cross-sectional study. PARTICIPANTS Manual wheelchair users with spinal cord injury for at least 10 years, who were inactive based on a norm score of a physical activity questionnaire (n = 29; 22 men; 20 with paraplegia; median age 53 years). METHODS Participants performed 3 exercise tests in their own wheelchair to determine: highest 5-s power output over 15-m overground sprinting (P5-15m); highest 3-s isometric push-force (Fiso); and peak power output (POpeak) and peak oxygen uptake (VO2peak) over a peak test. RESULTS Median (interquartile range) was in P5-15m 16.1 W (9.4-20.9); in Fiso 399 N (284-610); in POpeak 40.9 W (19.1-54.9); and in VO2peak 1.26 l/min (0.80-1.67). Correlations among outcomes of fitness components were weak (r = 0.50-0.67, p < 0.01), except for P5-15m with POpeak (r = 0.79, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION All fitness components measured in this sample were at relatively low levels, implying a specific need for interventions to improve wheelchair-specific fitness. The weak-to-moderate associations among components imply that separate tests should be used when monitoring wheelchair-specific fitness in rehabilitation centres.
Early Life Stress, Mood, and Anxiety Disorders

Early life stress has been shown to exert profound short- and long-term effects on human physiology both in the central nervous system and peripherally. Early life stress has demonstrated clear association with many psychiatric disorders including major depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, and bipolar disorder. The Diagnostic and Statistics Manuel of Mental Disorders (DSM) diagnostic categorical system has served as a necessary framework for clinical service, delivery, and research, however has not been completely matching the neurobiological research perspective. Early life stress presents a complex dynamic featuring a wide spectrum of physiologic alterations: from epigenetic alterations, inflammatory changes, to dysregulation of the hypothalamic pituitary axis and has further added to the challenge of identifying biomarkers associated with psychiatric disorders. The National Institute of Mental Health’s proposed Research Domain Criteria initiative incorporates a dimensional approach to assess discrete domains and constructs of behavioral function that are subserved by identifiable neural circuits. The current neurobiology of early life stress is reviewed in accordance with dimensional organization of Research Domain Criteria matrix and how the findings as a whole fit within the Research Domain Criteria frameworks.
Implant vs screw loading protocols in orthodontics.

OBJECTIVE This systematic review presents the loading protocols applied when using implants and/or screws in orthodontic treatments. MATERIALS AND METHODS Clinical trials which assessed the use of implants and/or screws for orthodontic anchorage and studies involving treatment on syndromic patients, surgery, other simultaneous treatments, or appliances (ie mini-plates) were considered. Electronic databases (Medline, Medline In-Process & Other Non-Indexed Citations, Lilacs, Pubmed, Embase, Web of Science, and All Evidence Based Medicine Reviews) were searched with the help of a senior Health Sciences librarian. Abstracts which appeared to fulfill the selection criteria were selected by consensus. The original articles were then retrieved and evaluated with a methodological checklist. References were also hand searched for possible missing articles. RESULTS Eleven articles fulfilled the selection criteria established. Five studies involved the use of implants while six involved the use of screws for orthodontic purposes. An individual methodological analysis for each article was made. CONCLUSIONS Loading protocols for implants involve a minimum waiting period of 2 months before applying orthodontic forces while loading protocols for screws involve immediate loading or a waiting period of 2 weeks to apply forces. Success rates for implants were on average higher than for screws.
Rate-dependent speech processing can be speech-specific: Evidence from the disappearance of words under changes in context speech rate

Function words in casual speech can be made to disappear by slowing the surrounding speech rate [1]. The current study explored the domain generality of this disappearing word effect, asking whether function words can be made to disappear by manipulating temporal properties of nonspeech context. Stimuli were short word sequences (e.g., minor or child) appended to precursors that were either speech, low-pass filtered speech, or tone sequences, presented at a spoken rate and a slowed rate. Across two experiments, only precursors heard as intelligible speech generated a speech-rate effect (i.e., reporting fewer function words in a slowed vs. normal-rate context), suggesting that rate-dependent speech processing can be domain-specific.