Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Impact of Age, Race and Ethnicity on Dialysis Patient Survival and Kidney Transplantation Disparities

Background: Prior studies show that African-American and Hispanic dialysis patients have lower mortality risk than whites. Recent age-stratified analyses suggest this survival advantage may be limited to younger age groups, but did not concurrently compare Hispanic, African-American, and white patients, nor account for differences in nutritional and inflammatory status as potential confounders. Minorities experience inequities in kidney transplantation access, but it is unknown whether these racial/ethnic disparities differ across age groups. Methods: The associations between race/ethnicity with all-cause mortality and kidney transplantation were separately examined among 130,909 adult dialysis patients from a large national dialysis organization (entry period 2001-2006, follow-up through 2009) within 7 age categories using Cox proportional hazard models adjusted for case-mix and malnutrition and inflammatory surrogates. Results: African-Americans had similar mortality versus whites in younger age groups (18-40 years), but decreased mortality in older age groups (>40 years). In contrast, Hispanics had lower mortality versus whites across all ages. In sensitivity analyses using competing risk regression to account for differential kidney transplantation rates across racial/ethnic groups, the African-American survival advantage was limited to >60-years age categories. African-Americans and Hispanics were less likely to undergo kidney transplantation from all donor types versus whites across all ages, and these disparities were even more pronounced for living donor kidney transplantation (LDKT). Conclusions: Hispanic dialysis patients have greater survival versus whites across all ages; in African-Americans, this survival advantage is limited to patients >40 years of age. Minorities are less likely to undergo kidney transplantation, particularly LDKT, across all ages.
In Vitro Wear Testing of a CoCr-UHMWPE Finger Prosthesis with Hydroxyapatite Coated CoCr Stems

A finger prosthesis consisting of a Cobalt-chromium (CoCr) proximal component and an Ultra-high-molecular-weight-polyethylene (UHMWPE) medial component (both mounted on hydroxyapatite coated stems) was evaluated to 5,000,000 cycles in an in vitro finger simulator. One “test” prosthesis was cycled through flexion-extension (90°–30°) with a dynamic load of 10 N, whilst immersed in a lubricant of dilute bovine serum. Additionally, a static load of 100 N was applied for 45 s every 3000 cycles to simulate a static gripping force. A second “control” prosthesis was immersed in the same lubricant to account for absorption. Gravimetric and Sa (3D roughness) measurements were taken at 1,000,000 cycle intervals. Micrographs and Sa values revealed negligible change to the CoCr surfaces after 5,000,000 cycles. The UHMWPE also exhibited no distinctive Sa trend, however the micrographs indicate that polishing occurred. Both the CoCr and UHMWPE test components progressively decreased in weight. The CoCr control component did not change in weight, whilst the UHMWPE component gained weight through absorption. To account for the disparity between surface and gravimetric results, the hydroxyapatite coatings were examined. Micrographs of the test stems revealed that the hydroxyapatite coating was partially removed, whilst the micrographs of the control stems exhibited a uniform coating.
Ambulatory Computerized Physician Order Entry Implementation

As part of broader effort to identify success factors for implementing computerized physician order entry(CPOE), factors specific to the ambulatory setting were investigated in the field at Kaiser Permanente Northwest. A multidisciplinary team of five qualitative researchers spent seven months at four clinics conducting observations, interviews, and focus groups. The team analyzed the data using a combination of template and grounded theory approaches. The result is a description of fourteen themes, clustered into technology, organizational,personal, and environmental categories. While similar to inpatient study results in many respects,this outpatient CPO investigation generated subtly different themes.
Tradition over trend: Neighboring chimpanzee communities maintain differences in cultural behavior despite frequent immigration of adult females

The notion of animal culture has been well established mainly through research aiming at uncovering differences between populations. In chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus), cultural diversity has even been found in neighboring communities, where differences were observed despite frequent immigration of individuals. Female chimpanzees transfer at the onset of sexual maturity at an age, when the behavioral repertoire is fully formed. With immigrating females, behavioral variety enters the group. Little is known about the diversity and the longevity of cultural traits within a community. This study is building on previous findings of differences in hammer selection when nut cracking between neighboring communities despite similar ecological conditions. We now further investigated the diversity and maintenance of cultural traits within one chimpanzee community and were able to show high levels of uniformity in group‐specific behavior. Fidelity to the behavior pattern did not vary between dispersing females and philopatric males. Furthermore, group‐specific tool selection remained similar over a period of 25 years. Additionally, we present a study case on how one newly immigrant female progressively behaved more similar to her new group, suggesting that the high level of similarity in behavior is actively adopted by group members possibly even when originally expressing the behavior in another form. Taken together, our data support a cultural transmission process in adult chimpanzees, which leads to persisting cultural behavior of one community over time. Am. J. Primatol. 76:649–657, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Influence of vertical loads on lateral behaviour of monopiles in sand

Abstract The monopiles are always subjected to both vertical loads and lateral loads. However, the designs for the piles under the vertical loads and the lateral loads are carried out separately in practice because the interaction between those two loads is still unclear. A series of model tests are carried out to investigate the influence of the vertical loads on the lateral responses of the monopile in sandy soil. The results show that the presence of the vertical load improves the lateral behaviour of the monopile. The influence of the vertical load on p–y curve around the monopile is also investigated to look for a useful suggestion for the design of monopile. In order to calculate the lateral responses of the monopile based on traditional design method, several equations are proposed to evaluate the degree of improvements.
Associating resting-state connectivity with trait impulsivity

Abstract Psychometric research has identified stable traits that predict inter-individual differences in appetitive motivation and approach behavior. Behavioral Inhibition System/Behavioral Activation System (BIS/BAS) scales have been developed to quantitatively assess these traits. However, neural mechanisms corresponding to the proposed constructs reflected in BIS/BAS are still poorly defined. The ventral striatum (VS) and orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) are implicated in subserving reward-related functions that are also associated with the BAS. In this study, we examined whether functional connectivity between these regions predicts components of these scales. We employed resting-state functional connectivity and BIS/BAS scores assessed by a personality questionnaire. Participants completed a resting state run and the Behavioral Inhibition and Activation Systems (BIS/BAS) Questionnaire. Using resting-state BOLD, we assessed correlations between two basal ganglia ROIs (caudate and putamen) and bilateral OFC ROIs, establishing single subject connectivity summary scores. Summary scores were correlated with components of BIS/BAS scores. Results demonstrate a novel correlation between BAS-fun seeking and resting-state connectivity between middle OFC and putamen, implying that spontaneous synchrony between reward-processing regions may play a role in defining personality characteristics related to impulsivity.
Plant-Associated Symbiotic Burkholderia Species Lack Hallmark Strategies Required in Mammalian Pathogenesis

Burkholderia is a diverse and dynamic genus, containing pathogenic species as well as species that form complex interactions with plants. Pathogenic strains, such as B. pseudomallei and B. mallei, can cause serious disease in mammals, while other Burkholderia strains are opportunistic pathogens, infecting humans or animals with a compromised immune system. Although some of the opportunistic Burkholderia pathogens are known to promote plant growth and even fix nitrogen, the risk of infection to infants, the elderly, and people who are immunocompromised has not only resulted in a restriction on their use, but has also limited the application of non-pathogenic, symbiotic species, several of which nodulate legume roots or have positive effects on plant growth. However, recent phylogenetic analyses have demonstrated that Burkholderia species separate into distinct lineages, suggesting the possibility for safe use of certain symbiotic species in agricultural contexts. A number of environmental strains that promote plant growth or degrade xenobiotics are also included in the symbiotic lineage. Many of these species have the potential to enhance agriculture in areas where fertilizers are not readily available and may serve in the future as inocula for crops growing in soils impacted by climate change. Here we address the pathogenic potential of several of the symbiotic Burkholderia strains using bioinformatics and functional tests. A series of infection experiments using Caenorhabditis elegans and HeLa cells, as well as genomic characterization of pathogenic loci, show that the risk of opportunistic infection by symbiotic strains such as B. tuberum is extremely low.
Pulsed Electromagnetic Fields Improve Bone Microstructure and Strength in Ovariectomized Rats through a Wnt/Lrp5/β-Catenin Signaling-Associated Mechanism

Growing evidence has demonstrated that pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF), as an alternative noninvasive method, could promote remarkable in vivo and in vitro osteogenesis. However, the exact mechanism of PEMF on osteopenia/osteoporosis is still poorly understood, which further limits the extensive clinical application of PEMF. In the present study, the efficiency of PEMF on osteoporotic bone microarchitecture and bone quality together with its associated signaling pathway mechanisms was systematically investigated in ovariectomized (OVX) rats. Thirty rats were equally assigned to the Control, OVX and OVX+PEMF groups. The OVX+PEMF group was subjected to daily 8-hour PEMF exposure with 15 Hz, 2.4 mT (peak value). After 10 weeks, the OVX+PEMF group exhibited significantly improved bone mass and bone architecture, evidenced by increased BMD, Tb.N, Tb.Th and BV/TV, and suppressed Tb.Sp and SMI levels in the MicroCT analysis. Three-point bending test suggests that PEMF attenuated the biomechanical strength deterioration of the OVX rat femora, evidenced by increased maximum load and elastic modulus. RT-PCR analysis demonstrated that PEMF exposure significantly promoted the overall gene expressions of Wnt1, LRP5 and β-catenin in the canonical Wnt signaling, but did not exhibit obvious impact on either RANKL or RANK gene expressions. Together, our present findings highlight that PEMF attenuated OVX-induced deterioration of bone microarchitecture and strength in rats by promoting the activation of Wnt/LRP5/β-catenin signaling rather than by inhibiting RANKL-RANK signaling. This study enriches our basic knowledge to the osteogenetic activity of PEMF, and may lead to more efficient and scientific clinical application of PEMF in inhibiting osteopenia/osteoporosis.
Waders in winter: long-term changes of migratory bird assemblages facing climate change

Effects of climate change on species occupying distinct areas during their life cycle are still unclear. Moreover, although effects of climate change have widely been studied at the species level, less is known about community responses. Here, we test whether and how the composition of wader (Charadrii) assemblages, breeding in high latitude and wintering from Europe to Africa, is affected by climate change over 33 years. We calculated the temporal trend in the community temperature index (CTI), which measures the balance between cold and hot dwellers present in species assemblages. We found a steep increase in the CTI, which reflects a profound change in assemblage composition in response to recent climate change. This study provides, to our knowledge, the first evidence of a strong community response of migratory species to climate change in their wintering areas.
The HOPS complex mediates autophagosome–lysosome fusion through interaction with syntaxin 17

Autophagosome–lysosome fusion requires the autophagosomal SNARE syntaxin 17. Syntaxin 17 interacts with the HOPS-tethering complex. HOPS is required for syntaxin 17–dependent autophagosome–lysosome fusion, besides its function in endolysosomal fusion.
Farletuzumab for NSCLC: exploiting a well-known metabolic pathway for a new therapeutic strategy

Introduction: The therapeutic options for NSCLC are limited barring targeted drugs, such as EGFR tyrosine-kinase inhibitors and anaplastic lymphoma kinase inhibitors, for patients bearing oncogenic mutations. Platinum-based chemotherapy remains the best strategy for most patients. New targeted drugs, including mAbs and small molecules, are currently under clinical investigation for treating NSCLC patients. Areas covered: The authors of this article focus on farletuzumab, a mAb targeting folate receptor, which has been studied in ovarian cancer and various other malignancies. In this review, the authors review its potential as therapy for NSCLC, because of the biological rationale provided by the expression of folate receptor α in most of lung adenocarcinoma. The authors provide details of farletuzumab’s mechanism of action and discuss the results from completed Phase I and Phase II clinical trials. They also highlight ongoing trials. Expert opinion: There are an increasing number of treatment options for NSCLC and it is hoped that farletuzumab could be added to them. That being said, further evidence for its use with NSCLC patients is still needed. It could have a synergic effect with pemetrexed, because these two drugs have a similar target, namely the folate pathway. This combined action could provide an improved efficacy, although there are some concerns about increased toxicity. However, the authors do note that the combination of farletuzumab with other cytotoxic drugs has not been shown to increase toxicity alone.
Values and Social Capital as Predictors of Attitudes Towards Innovation

This study examines the relationship of values and social capital with attitudes towards innovations. The respondents (N = 1238) were asked to fill in a questionnaire, which included the Schwartz value survey SVS-57, a selfassessment scale of innovative personality traits [Lebedeva, Tatarko, 2009], and a method of assessing social capital [Tatarko, 2011]. The results of the correlation analysis revealed a positive correlation between values of Openness to Change and a positive attitude to innovation. It was also found that the components of social capital (trust, tolerance, perceived social capital) positively correlated with attitudes to innovation. The empirical model obtained by means of a structural equation modeling generally confirmed the hypothesis of the study and demonstrated the positive impact of the values of Openness to Change and social capital on attitudes towards innovations in Russia
Impact of tannin as sustainable compatibilizer for wood-polypropylene composites

Wood Plastic Composites (WPCs) are well-known products which combine the high mechanical properties of wood with the high hydrophobicity and formability of polypropylene (PP). They are largely used for decking, cladding and flooring for outdoor constructions but they still present some drawbacks due to the limited chemical affinity of the two materials. In this paper, the addition of mimosa (Acacia mearnsii) tannin as compatibilizer was tested and these composites were characterized via SEM, TGA, DSC, DMA, mechanical testing, water absorption and contact angle. The tannin-containing WPC presented lower interspaces between PP and lignocellulosic matrix, higher hydrophobicity and comparable mechanical performances. These results were due to the high compatibilization effect of the tannin, which allow getting similar results with 15% less lignocellulosic material. The lower crystallinity observed for PP in tannin-containing composites allowed a better contact between the wooden fractions. Although good physical compatibilization was obtained no evidences of chemical bonding were observed by FT-IR. The enhanced interphase contact and the higher hydrophobicity registered for the tannin-containing WPCs suggest that this natural, easily available extract can be a cheap and green additive to enhance the service-life for outdoor applications. POLYM. COMPOS. , 2017. © 2017 Society of Plastics Engineers
Bayesian network scores based text localization in scene images

Text localization in scene images is an essential and interesting task to analyze the image contents. In this work, a Bayesian network scores using K2 algorithm in conjunction with the geometric features based effective text localization method with the help of maximally stable extremal regions (MSERs). First, all MSER-based extracted candidate characters are directly compared with an existing text localization method to find text regions. Second, adjacent extracted MSER-based candidate characters are not encompassed into text regions due to strict edges constraint. Therefore, extracted candidate character regions are incorporated into text regions using selection rules. Third, K2 algorithm-based Bayesian networks scores are learned for the complimentary candidate character regions. Bayesian logistic regression classifier is built on the Bayesian network scores by computing the posterior probability of complimentary candidate character region corresponding to non-character candidates. The higher posterior probability of complimentary Candidate character regions are further grouped into words or sentences. Bayesian networks scores based text localization system, named as BayesText, is evaluated on ICDAR 2013 Robust Reading Competition (Challenge 2 Task 2.1: Text Localization) database. Experimental results have established significant competitive performance with the state-of-the-art text detection systems.
Stromal Down-Regulation of Macrophage CD4/CCR5 Expression and NF-κB Activation Mediates HIV-1 Non-Permissiveness in Intestinal Macrophages

Tissue macrophages are derived exclusively from blood monocytes, which as monocyte-derived macrophages support HIV-1 replication. However, among human tissue macrophages only intestinal macrophages are non-permissive to HIV-1, suggesting that the unique microenvironment in human intestinal mucosa renders lamina propria macrophages non-permissive to HIV-1. We investigated this hypothesis using blood monocytes and intestinal extracellular matrix (stroma)-conditioned media (S-CM) to model the exposure of newly recruited monocytes and resident macrophages to lamina propria stroma, where the cells take up residence in the intestinal mucosa. Exposure of monocytes to S-CM blocked up-regulation of CD4 and CCR5 expression during monocyte differentiation into macrophages and inhibited productive HIV-1 infection in differentiated macrophages. Importantly, exposure of monocyte-derived macrophages simultaneously to S-CM and HIV-1 also inhibited viral replication, and sorted CD4+ intestinal macrophages, a proportion of which expressed CCR5+, did not support HIV-1 replication, indicating that the non-permissiveness to HIV-1 was not due to reduced receptor expression alone. Consistent with this conclusion, S-CM also potently inhibited replication of HIV-1 pseudotyped with vesicular stomatitis virus glycoprotein, which provides CD4/CCR5-independent entry. Neutralization of TGF-β in S-CM and recombinant TGF-β studies showed that stromal TGF-β inhibited macrophage nuclear translocation of NF-κB and HIV-1 replication. Thus, the profound inability of intestinal macrophages to support productive HIV-1 infection is likely the consequence of microenvironmental down-regulation of macrophage HIV-1 receptor/coreceptor expression and NF-κB activation.
Modeling of Plasma Expansion during Pulsed Electron Beam Ablation of Graphite

Pulsed electron beam ablation (PEBA) has proven to be a promising and powerful technique for the growth of high quality thin films. Pulsed electron beam film deposition consists of many physical processes including target material heating, target ablation, plasma plume expansion, and film growth on a substrate. Plasma plume expansion into a vacuum or an ambient gas is a fundamental issue in PEBA as the quality of thin films deposited onto the substrate depends on the composition, energy and density of particles ejected from the target. In the present study, gas-dynamics equations are solved to investigate plasma expansion induced by interaction of a nanosecond electron beam pulse (~100 ns) with a graphite target in an argon atmosphere at reduced pressure. The spatio-temporal profiles of the temperature, pressure, velocity, and density of the plasma plume are numerically simulated for a beam efficiency of 0.6 and accelerating voltage of 15 kV. The preliminary results show a rich variety of behaviors. The model is validated by comparing some of the obtained simulation results with experimental data available in the literature.
Effects of APOE rs429358, rs7412 and GSTM1/GSTT1 Polymorphism on Plasma and Erythrocyte Antioxidant Parameters and Cognition in Old Chinese Adults

Apolipoprotein E (APOE) and oxidative damage were correlated with the risk of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Glutathione S-transferase (GST) polymorphism was proved to be associated with body antioxidant capacity and involved in the oxidative damage related chronic diseases. To explore the combined effects of APOE rs429358, rs7412 and GSTM1/T1 polymorphism on antioxidant parameters and cognition in old Chinese adults, a community-based cross-sectional study was carried out in 477 Chinese adults aged from 55 to 75. Information on demography and lifestyle of the participants was collected with a questionnaire. Cognitive function was measured by using a Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) test. Fasting venous blood samples were collected for APOE rs429358, rs7412 and GSTM1/T1 genotyping, and parameter measurement. No association of APOE rs7412, rs429358 and GSTM1/T1 polymorphisms with cognition was detected in the old Chinese adults. APOE rs429358, rs7412 polymorphism was mainly associated with plasma α-tocopherol, low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and plasma total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) levels (p < 0.05). Interaction of APOE rs429358 and GSTT1 genotype on the plasma triglyceride (TG) level and erythrocyte catalase (CAT) and GST enzyme activities were detected (p < 0.05). The subjects with APOE rs429358 T/C + C/C and GSTT1− genotype were found to have the highest plasma TG level, erythrocyte CAT enzyme activity, and the lowest GST enzyme activity compared to subjects with other genotypes (p < 0.05). Lowest erythrocyte CAT enzyme activity and highest glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) enzyme activity were detected in the subjects with APOE rs7412 T/C + T/T and GSTM1+ genotype as compared with subjects with other genotypes. The levels of plasma and erythrocyte antioxidant parameters were APOE genotype associated. GSTM1 or GSTT1 genotype modified the influence of APOE rs7412, rs429358 polymorphism on antioxidant parameters.