Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Sonographic evaluation of renal parameters in individuals with essential hypertension and correlation with normotensives

Background: Hypertension can secondarily involve the kidneys, and renal sonographic parameters can be used to indirectly assess renal function or status. Ultrasound is an inexpensive and safe modality for evaluating the kidneys. The purpose of this study was to sonographically assess renal parameters in patients with essential hypertension to determine the parameters that may indicate increased risk of renal damage. Materials and Methods: One hundred and fifty individuals (96 females and 54 males) with essential hypertension attending consultant outpatient clinic in University of Benin Teaching Hospital were evaluated. An equal number of nonhypertensive volunteers comprising of 80 females and 70 males were studied as controls. For individuals and controls, the renal length, width, anteroposterior diameters, renal parenchymal volume, cortical thickness, and echogenicity were assessed. Serum creatinine was also obtained. Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS version 17.0) was used in data analysis. Results: The mean renal parenchymal volume and cortical thickness were 99.1 ± 25.8 cm3 and 1.0 ± 0.2 cm on the right and 113.8 ± 35.8 cm3 and 1.0 ± 0.2 cm on the left for the hypertensive individuals. The values for the normotensives were 100.5 ± 19.8 cm3 and 1.2 ± 0.2 cm on the right and 118.7 ± 27.4 cm3 and 1.3 ± 0.2 cm on the left. The difference in cortical thickness between the two groups was statistically significant. No significant difference was noted between renal parenchymal volume of the right and left kidneys in the individuals and controls. The variation in cortical echogenicity between the hypertensives and controls was statistically significant; 74.0% and 75.3% of hypertensives and 28.0% and 26.0% of normotensives had increased cortical echogenicity on the right and left kidneys, respectively. The serum creatinine value was significantly higher in the hypertensive group. Conclusion: Cortical echogenicity grading was significantly higher among hypertensives than normotensives while renal parenchymal volume and cortical thickness were lower among hypertensives. In the hypertensives and normotensives, renal parenchymal volume, cortical thickness, and renal length were higher in males compared to the females and in the left kidney compared to the right. Hypertension seems to have more effect in the renal cortex than the medulla.
On the Association between Perceived Overqualification and Adaptive Behavior

Purpose – The purpose of this research was to offer an autonomous motivation perspective to explore the relationship between perceived overqualification and adaptive work behavior and examine job autonomy as a factor that may moderate the association.Design/methodology/approach – The hypotheses were tested in two culturally, demographically, and functionally diverse samples: Sample 1 was based on North American community college employees (N = 215); sample 2 was based on full-time workers, employed in a Chinese state-owned enterprise specializing in shipping (N = 148). Findings – In Study 1, perceived overqualification was negatively related to self-rated adaptive behavior. A follow-up Study 2 extended these findings by demonstrating that perceived overqualification was negatively related to supervisor-rated adaptive work behavior when job autonomy was low, rather than high.Implications – The results of this research offer an autonomous motivation perspective to explain why perceived overqualification relates to adaptive behavior and suggests a job design approach to encourage adaptive behaviors of people who feel overqualified – a sizable segment of the current workforce.Originality/value – This is one of the first studies to explore adaptive behavior of workers who feel overqualified – an outcome that has not been examined in this domain. Our findings further point out what can be done to encourage adaptive behaviors among overqualified employees.
Changes in emotions and personal goals in primiparous pregnant women during group intervention for fear of childbirth

Abstract The changes in emotions, subjective fear of childbirth, and personal goals were examined during a group intervention to treat fear of childbirth (FOC). The objective was to gain a more detailed understanding of the changes occurring during the group intervention of FOC. The changes in emotions, subjective FOC, and personal goals were studied in primiparous pregnant women with severe FOC participating in a group intervention (n = 105). The group intervention contained six sessions during pregnancy and one after childbirth. At every session, the participants filled in a questionnaire regarding their experiences of current positive and negative emotions and the subjective FOC. The participants also set and reported their personal goals in their preparation for childbirth and parenthood. The negative emotions decreased from the beginning of the intervention. The change became significant after the fourth session. The amount of positive emotions increased but became statistically significant only after the delivery. The subjective FOC decreased significantly from the beginning of the intervention. Personal goals shifted from being mainly self-related to being mostly related to parenthood. The group intervention decreased FOC and promoted changes in emotions and personal goals that foster emotional preparedness for childbirth. It seems that the decrease in FOC was made possible through gaining a better capacity to regulate emotions, especially negative emotions. As negative emotions and fear decreased, personal goals simultaneously changed in the direction known to be adaptive for the new life situation as a parent of a newborn.
Transcranial Color-coded Sonography (TCCS): A Helpful Tool In Clinical Neurology

自从1982年Aaslid首次应用以来,经颅多普勒超声已成为临床工作中评估颅内血流动力学状况的一种常规手段,并在实验工作中用于功能多普勒超声检查领域的研究. 进入90年代后,这一技术得到进一步发展,B型超声与脉冲多普勒超声的结合使得颅脑组织结构的可视化超声观察成为可能,这就是经颅彩色编码超声检查(TCCS)技术. 文章旨在从临床医生的立场对TCCS技术的应用现状进行回顾总结. 在对检查方法和正常值进行描述后,重点讨论急性缺血性脑梗死发病后短时间内的急诊诊断,结合临床资料和CT检查结果对卒中进行快速鉴别诊断(症状出现3 h内)有助于对tPA溶栓治疗的正确决策. 还讨论了TCCS在各种适应证中进行常规床旁随访检查的重要性,以及患者的友好性和效价比. 最后,文章对颅内结构多维超声研究领域的未来发展前景进行了展望.
Codon usage of highly expressed genes affects proteome-wide translation efficiency

Significance Highly expressed genes are encoded by codons that correspond to abundant tRNAs, a phenomenon thought to ensure high expression levels. An alternative interpretation is that highly expressed genes are codon-biased to support efficient translation of the rest of the proteome. Until recently, it was impossible to examine these alternatives, since statistical analyses provided correlations but not causal mechanistic explanations. Massive genome engineering now allows recoding genes and examining effects on cellular physiology and protein translation. We engineered the Escherichia coli genome by changing the codon bias of highly expressed genes. The perturbation affected the translation of other genes, depending on their codon demand, suggesting that codon bias of highly expressed genes ensures translation integrity of the rest of the proteome. Although the genetic code is redundant, synonymous codons for the same amino acid are not used with equal frequencies in genomes, a phenomenon termed “codon usage bias. ” Previous studies have demonstrated that synonymous changes in a coding sequence can exert significant cis effects on the gene’s expression level. However, whether the codon composition of a gene can also affect the translation efficiency of other genes has not been thoroughly explored. To study how codon usage bias influences the cellular economy of translation, we massively converted abundant codons to their rare synonymous counterpart in several highly expressed genes in Escherichia coli. This perturbation reduces both the cellular fitness and the translation efficiency of genes that have high initiation rates and are naturally enriched with the manipulated codon, in agreement with theoretical predictions. Interestingly, we could alleviate the observed phenotypes by increasing the supply of the tRNA for the highly demanded codon, thus demonstrating that the codon usage of highly expressed genes was selected in evolution to maintain the efficiency of global protein translation.
The value of hierarchies and simple models in atmospheric 1 research

22 Models – both simple and complex – have enabled our understanding of the atmosphere. In this 23 review, we highlight the complementary relationship between simple and complex models in ad24 dressing key questions in atmospheric science. The systematic representation of models in steps, 25 or hierarchies, link our understanding from idealized systems through to the state-of-the-art models, 26 and ultimately our atmosphere. Three interconnected principles characterize model hierarchies of 27 the atmosphere. Dynamical hierarchies allow us to isolate and explore the importance of temporal 28 and spatial scales on the governing equations. Process hierarchies allow for the segregation and 29 systematic integration of important atmospheric processes. Finally, the hierarchies of scale allow 30 for the systematic exploration of dynamical and physical processes via physical domain choices and 31 numerical resolution. 32 We center our discussion on the circulation of the atmosphere as well as its interaction with 33 clouds and convection, focusing on areas where simple models have had a significant impact. Our 34 confidence in climate model projections of the future is embedded in our efforts to ground the climate 35 predictions in fundamental physical understanding. This understanding is, in part, possible due to 36 the hierarchies of idealized models that afford the simplicity required for understanding complex 37 systems. 38
Relationship between serum chemerin levels and insulin resistance index and cardio–respiratory function in non–active obese and lean men

White adipose tissue in addition to playing a major metabolic role is an active endocrine organ and generates a number of signaling peptides with various biochemical functions called Adipokines.1 Adipokines play important Autocrine/Paracrine roles in regulating the differentiation and metabolism of fat cells and local inflammatory responses.2 Adipokines also plays important roles in regulating systemic lipid and glucose metabolism through endocrine/systemic administration in the brain, liver and muscles. Secretion and/or serum level of some Adipokines are strongly influenced by the degree of adipocytes (fat). 3 Identifying and describing new adipocytes will increase our knowledge of the function of endocrine white fat tissue and help provide new molecular targets for developing therapeutic strategies for obesity and depended diseases.
Cognitive Vulnerabilities for Depression and Anxiety in Childhood: Specificity of Anxiety Sensitivity and Rumination

Background: Childhood anxiety and depression frequently co-occur. Exploring specificity in cognitive processes for anxiety and depression in childhood can provide insight into cognitive vulnerabilities contributing to the development of anxiety and depressive disorders and inform targeted psychological interventions. Anxiety sensitivity and rumination are robust cognitive vulnerabilities for anxiety and depression, respectively. However, despite conceptual similarities, they are rarely considered together within a single study. Aims: The current study explored specific and shared associations between anxiety sensitivity subscales and rumination and anxiety and depressive symptoms in unselected children. Method: Multiple regression analyses explored to what extent specific self-reported anxiety sensitivity subscales (physical, social and mental concerns) and rumination predicted anxiety and depressive symptoms in 147 unselected children, aged 7–11 years. Results: Physical and social concern subscales of anxiety sensitivity were specifically associated with anxiety, whilst rumination was specifically associated with depressive symptoms. The mental concerns subscale of anxiety sensitivity was independently associated with both anxiety and depressive symptoms. These associations were only partially mediated by rumination. Conclusions: Anxiety and depression in young people are characterized by specific and shared cognitions. Evidence for shared and specific associations between the cognitive vulnerabilities of anxiety sensitivity and rumination, and anxiety and depression highlight the utility of transdiagnostic research and confirm that cognitive therapies may benefit from targeting cognitive concerns relating specifically to the patient's presenting symptoms.
Urinary pH in calcium oxalate stone formers: does it matter?

O pH urinario e um importante fator determinante para a formacao de calculos renais. A supersaturacao do fosfato de calcio aumenta rapidamente a medida que o pH urinario aumenta acima de 6. A prevalencia de calculos de fosfato de calcio aumentou recentemente, e as condicoes urinarias que favorecem a formacao destas pedras sao a combinacao de hipercalciuria e hipocitraturia em urina alcalina. Alguns pacientes podem ter acidose tubular renal distal (ATRd) completa ou incompleta caracterizada por acidose hipercloremica (a ATR [. ]
An Editor's opinion of the recent committee opinion of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine that the luteal phase deficiency as a clinical entity causing infertility has not been proven.

PURPOSE To present an opposing view to the recent conclusions reached by the Practice Committee of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine and a recent review of the role of progesterone in subfertility by Sonntag and Ludwig that there is no evidence to support using progesterone in the luteal phase as exclusive therapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS A large quasi randomized study not mentioned by either review is presented. RESULTS In this study published in 1989 when women with luteal phase deficiencies and subfertil- ity were evaluated for follicular maturation, the majority seemed to form mature follicles. This majority group found far better with pregnancy outcome by taking exclusive progesterone in the luteal phase than follicle maturing drugs. A recent prospective series confirmed its beneficial effect. CONCLUSIONS Physicians should not empirically treat with follicle maturing drugs but should use progesterone in the luteal phase, preferably in those women who seemingly create a mature follicle.
Prognostic and diagnostic significance of mid-regional pro-atrial natriuretic peptide in acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and acute heart failure: data from the ACE 2 Study

Abstract Purpose: To compare the diagnostic and prognostic value of mid-regional pro-ANP (MR-proANP) and N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) in patients with acute dyspnea. Methods: MR-proANP and NT-proBNP were measured with commercial immunoassays at hospital admission (n = 313), on day 2 (n = 234), and before discharge (n = 91) and compared for diagnosing acute heart failure (HF; n = 143) and to predict mortality among patients with acute HF and acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD; n = 84) separately. Results: The correlation coefficient between MR-proANP and NT-proBNP was 0.89 (p < 0.001) and the receiver-operating area under the curve (AUC) was 0.85 (95% CI 0.81–0.89) for MR-proANP and 0.86 (0.82–0.90) for NT-proBNP to diagnose acute HF. During a median follow-up of 816 days, mortality rates were 46% in acute HF patients and 42% in AECOPD patients. After adjustment for other risk variables by multivariate Cox regression analysis, MR-proANP and NT-proBNP concentrations were associated with mortality in patients with acute HF, but only MR-proANP were associated with mortality among patients with AECOPD: hazard ratio (lnMR-proANP) 1.98 (95% CI 1.17–3.34). Conclusion: MR-proANP and NT-proBNP concentrations provide similar diagnostic and prognostic information in patients with acute HF. In contrast to NT-proBNP, MR-proANP measurements also provided independent prognostic information in AECOPD patients.
Prevalence of Developmental Dyslexia in Spanish University Students

A recent concern in the field of dyslexia studies is the lack of awareness and attention to university students suffering from this condition. If this problem is serious in countries where the relative opacity of the writing system allows for an early detection and, therefore, effective interventions, it is most critical in countries where transparent spelling makes such detection difficult, except in the most severe cases. In Spain, the diagnosis of dyslexia is rare among university-level adults. The present study pursues three aims: (a) to put forward a screening instrument for the detection of university students at risk of dyslexia, (b) to determine the ratio of university students that could be at risk of dyslexia by means of two different procedures, and (c) to create awareness for a disorder that causes hitherto unrecognized difficulties for an important subgroup of the college population. Six hundred and eighty-six university students in four different fields of study within the general area of Social Sciences from a public University in Madrid completed a Spanish-adapted version of a protocol including stress assignment, spelling words and nonwords, and timed phonological working memory of reading and writing task. Results showed that between 1.6% and 6.4% of this population could be at risk of suffering dyslexia. Such risk is not evenly distributed across the four fields of study. As for gender, the first criterion used yields 1.8 males at risk for every female, but the second criterion has as many males as females at risk. Women were significantly better than men in word spelling. Spelling was best predicted by the timed phonological working memory task of reading and writing.
HLA and MuSK‐positive myasthenia gravis: A systemic review and meta‐analysis

Myasthenia gravis (MG) represents a spectrum of clinical subtypes with differences in disease mechanisms and treatment response. MG with muscle‐specific tyrosine kinase (MuSK) antibodies accounts for 1%‐10% of all MG patients. We conducted a meta‐analysis to evaluate the association between HLA genes and MuSK‐MG susceptibility.
Attack graph — Based vulnerability assessment of rank property in RPL-6LOWPAN in IoT

A significant segment of the Internet of Things (IoT) is the resource constrained Low Power and Lossy Networks (LLNs). The communication protocol used in LLNs is 6LOWPAN (IPv6 over Low-power Wireless Personal Area Network) which makes use of RPL (IPv6 Routing Protocol over Low power and Lossy network) as its routing protocol. In recent times, several security breaches in IoT networks occurred by targeting routers to instigate various DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attacks. Hence, routing security has become an important problem in securing the IoT environment. Though RPL meets all the routing requirements of LLNs, it is important to perform a holistic security assessment of RPL as it is susceptible to many security attacks. An important attribute of RPL is its rank property. The rank property defines the placement of sensor nodes in the RPL DODAG (Destination Oriented Directed Acyclic Graphs) based on an Objective Function. Examples of Objective Functions include Expected Transmission Count, Packet Delivery Rate etc. Rank property assists in routing path optimization, reducing control overhead and maintaining a loop free topology through rank based data path validation. In this paper, we investigate the vulnerabilities of the rank property of RPL by constructing an Attack Graph. For the construction of the Attack Graph we analyzed all the possible threats associated with rank property. Through our investigation we found that violation of protocols related to rank property results in several RPL attacks causing topological sub-optimization, topological isolation, resource consumption and traffic disruption. Routing security essentially comprises mechanisms to ensure correct implementation of the routing protocol. In this paper, we also present some observations which can be used to devise mechanisms to prevent the exploitation of the vulnerabilities of the rank property.
Adult Immigrants' Media Usage and Its Function in Host Language Training Opportunities: A Path Analysis.

Media promotes to what extent immigrants learn the host language and cultural values. Consequently, the overall aim of this paper is to identify predictors among adult immigrants in language training and its effect on host language training. The participants (n=186)— many of them refugees—were recruited purposefully for the study from one learning centre. In the first part of the analysis, an OLS-regression estimated the effect of age and education on media usage. In the second part of the analysis, the path model was estimated to test if media usage mediated the effect of age and education on host language training. The study confirms previous findings that there is a generation gap between immigrants. The study finds a negative effect of higher education on immigrants’ media usage. Furthermore, the study confirms that age and education impacts media usage, and in turn media usage impacts immigrants’ host language training.
Moral fitness for peace operations

Moral Fitness refers to an attitude of alertness and responsibility on a moral level. In light of the fall of Srebrenica, we show that moral fitness is an important attitude in military-operations-other-than-war to deal with moral dilemmas. These operations and the dilemmas that follow differ fundamentally in their dominating elements from war-fighting operations due to our so-called risk society. We conceive of moral fitness in reference to ethics in the present day and past (Aristotelian) context, and discuss the analogy with physical fitness to show its capacity to be trained. In the end we focus on responsibility and accountability as the two pillars of moral fitness in the light of the cases in Srebrenica and Rwanda.
Does the Circular Economy Grow the Pie? The Case of Rebound Effects From Smartphone Reuse

The environmental benefits of the circular economy (CE) are often taken for granted. There are, however, reasons to believe that rebound effects may counteract such benefits by increasing overall consumption or ‘growing the pie’. In this study, we focus on two main rebound mechanisms: (1) imperfect substitution between ‘re-circulated’ (recycled, reused, etc.) and new products and (2) re-spending due to economic savings. We use the case study of smartphone reuse in the US to quantify, for the first time, rebound effects from reuse. Using a combination of life cycle assessment, sales statistics, consumer surveying, consumer demand modelling, and environmentally-extended input-output analysis, we quantify the magnitude of this rebound effect for life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions. We find a rebound effect of 29% on average, with a range of 27% to 46% for specific smartphone models. Moreover, when exploring how rebound might play out in other regions and under different consumer behaviour patterns, we find that rebound effects could be higher than 100% (backfire effect). In other words, we estimate that about one third, and potentially the entirety, of emission savings resulting from smartphone reuse could be lost due to the rebound effect. Our results thus suggest that there are grounds to challenge the premise that CE strategies, and reuse in particular, always reduce environmental burdens.