Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Two Kir2.1 channel populations with different sensitivities to Mg2+ and polyamine block: a model for the cardiac strong inward rectifier K+ channel

The strong inward rectification of the whole cell Kir2.1 current, which is very similar to the cardiac inward rectifier K+ current (IK1), is caused by voltage‐dependent blockade of outward currents by the intracellular polyamines spermine and spermidine. We recently showed that macroscopic Kir2.1 currents obtained from inside‐out patches in the presence of various concentrations of cytoplasmic polyamines are well explained by the sum of the currents through two populations of channels that show differing susceptibilities to polyamine blockade. The outward currents obtained with 5–10 μm cytoplasmic spermine showed current–voltage relationships similar to those of IK1 and were considered to flow mostly through a small population of channels exhibiting lower spermine sensitivity. Here we used inside‐out patches to examine the blockade of macroscopic Kir2.1 currents by cytoplasmic Mg2+ in the absence and presence of cytoplasmic spermine. Outward currents were blocked by 0.6 and 1.1 mm Mg2+ in a concentration‐dependent manner, but a small fraction (∼0.1) of the macroscopic conductance was resistant to Mg2+ at those concentrations, suggesting there are two populations of Kir2.1 channels with different sensitivities to Mg2+. Furthermore, at those concentrations, Mg2+ blocked inward currents by inducing a shallow blocked state that differed from the deeper state causing the inward rectification. In the presence of 1.1 mm Mg2++ 5 μm spermine, Mg2+ blocked a substantial current component during depolarizing pulses and generated transient outward components, which is consistent with findings from earlier whole‐cell experiments. In the steady state, Mg2+ blocked the currents at voltages around and negative to the reversal potential and induced sustained outward components. The steady‐state and time‐dependent current amplitudes and the fractional blockades caused by spermine and Mg2+ could be quantitatively explained by a model in which Mg2+ competes with spermine to block the high‐affinity channel and induces three conductance states. The present results suggest that the outward IK1 flows through two populations of channels with different sensitivities to cytoplasmic blockers.
Alternative Processor Within Threshold: Flexible Scheduling on Heterogeneous Systems

Computing systems have become increasingly heterogeneous contributing to higher performance and power efficiency. However, this is at the cost of increasing the overall complexity of designing such systems. One key challenge in the design of heterogeneous systems is the efficient scheduling of computational load. To address this challenge, this paper thoroughly analyzes state of the art scheduling policies and proposes a new dynamic scheduling heuristic: Alternative Processor within Threshold (APT). This heuristic uses a flexibility factor to attain efficient usage of the available hardware resources, taking advantage of the degree of heterogeneity of the system. In a GPU-CPU-FPGA system, tested on workloads with and without data dependencies, this approach improved overall execution time by 16% and 18% when compared to the second best heuristic.
Increasing the generalisability of improvement research with an improvement replication programme

If a quality improvement is found effective in one setting, would the same effects be found elsewhere? Could the same change be implemented in another setting? These are just two of the ‘generalisation questions’ which decision-makers face in considering whether to act on reported improvement. In this paper, some of the issues are considered and a programme of research for testing improvements in different settings is proposed to build theory and practical guidance about implementation and results in different settings.
Hierarchical Structure and Cross-Cultural Measurement Invariance of the Norwegian Version of the Personality Inventory for DSM–5

ABSTRACT The Personality Inventory for DSM–5 (PID–5) was created to aid a trait-based diagnostic system for personality disorders (PDs) in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed. [DSM–5]; American Psychiatric Association, 2013a). In this study, we aimed to evaluate the Norwegian version of the PID–5 by examining its score reliability, hierarchical structure, congruency with international findings, and cross-cultural measurement invariance with a matched U.S. sample. For this purpose, 503 university students (76% females) were administered the PID–5. The Norwegian PID–5 showed good score reliability and structural validity from 1 to 5 factors. The 5-factor structure was generally congruent with international findings, and support for measurement invariance across the Norwegian and a matched U.S. sample was found. Conclusively, the results indicate that scores on the Norwegian PID–5 have sound psychometric properties, which are substantially comparable with the original U.S. version, supporting its use in a Norwegian population.
Plasma Concentrations of Soluble Endoglin versus Standard Evaluation in Patients with Suspected Preeclampsia

Background The purpose of this study was to compare plasma soluble endoglin (sEng) levels with standard clinical evaluation or plasma levels of other angiogenic proteins [soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase 1 (sFlt1) and placental growth factor (PlGF)] in predicting short-term adverse maternal and perinatal outcomes in women with suspected preeclampsia presenting prior to 34 weeks. Methods and Findings Data from all women presenting at <34 weeks for evaluation of preeclampsia with singleton pregnancies (July 2009−October 2010) were included in this analysis and sEng levels were measured at presentation. Data was analyzed for 170 triage encounters and presented as median {25−75th centile}. Thirty-three percent of patients (56 of 170) experienced an adverse outcome. sEng levels (ng/ml) were significantly elevated in patients who subsequently experienced adverse outcomes compared to those who did not (32.3 {18.1, 55.8} vs 4.8 {3.2, 8.6}, p<0.0001). At a 10% false positive rate, sEng had higher detection rates of adverse outcomes than the combination of highest systolic blood pressure, proteinuria and abnormal laboratory tests (80.4 {70.0, 90.8} vs 63.8 {51.4, 76.2}, respectively). Subjects in the highest quartile of sEng were more likely to deliver early compared to those in the lowest quartile (HR: 14.96 95% CI: 8.73−25.62, p<0.0001). Natural log transformed sEng correlated positively with log sFlt1 levels (r = 0.87) and inversely with log PlGF levels (r = −0.79) (p<0.0001 for both). Plasma sEng had comparable area under the curve for prediction of adverse outcomes as measurement of sFlt1/PlGF ratio (0.88 {0.81, 0.95} for sEng versus 0.89 {0.83, 0.95} for sFlt1/PlGF ratio, p = 0.74). Conclusions In women with suspected preeclampsia presenting prior to 34 weeks of gestation, sEng performs better than standard clinical evaluation in detecting adverse maternal and fetal outcomes occurring within two weeks of presentation. Soluble endoglin was strongly correlated with sFlt1 and PlGF levels, suggesting common pathogenic pathways leading to preeclampsia.
Why Do Species Co-Occur? A Test of Alternative Hypotheses Describing Abiotic Differences in Sympatry versus Allopatry Using Spadefoot Toads

Areas of co-occurrence between two species (sympatry) are often thought to arise in regions where abiotic conditions are conducive to both species and are therefore intermediate between regions where either species occurs alone (allopatry). Depending on historical factors or interactions between species, however, sympatry might not differ from allopatry, or, alternatively, sympatry might actually be more extreme in abiotic conditions relative to allopatry. Here, we evaluate these three hypothesized patterns for how sympatry compares to allopatry in abiotic conditions. We use two species of congeneric spadefoot toads, Spea multiplicata and S. bombifrons, as our study system. To test these hypotheses, we created ecological niche models (specifically using Maxent) for both species to create a map of the joint probability of occurrence of both species. Using the results of these models, we identified three types of locations: two where either species was predicted to occur alone (i.e., allopatry for S. multiplicata and allopatry for S. bombifrons) and one where both species were predicted to co-occur (i.e., sympatry). We then compared the abiotic environment between these three location types and found that sympatry was significantly hotter and drier than the allopatric regions. Thus, sympatry was not intermediate between the alternative allopatric sites. Instead, sympatry occurred at one extreme of the conditions occupied by both species. We hypothesize that biotic interactions in these extreme environments facilitate co-occurrence. Specifically, hybridization between S. bombifrons females and S. multiplicata males may facilitate co-occurrence by decreasing development time of tadpoles. Additionally, the presence of alternative food resources in more extreme conditions may preclude competitive exclusion of one species by the other. This work has implications for predicting how interacting species will respond to climate change, because species interactions may facilitate survival in extreme habitats.
Some nutrients and anti-nutrients components of Pterygota macrocarpa seed flour.

The potential of Pterygota macrocarpa to serve as a raw material source for industrial applications, domestic consumption, and animal feedstock formulation to reduce the overburden of few seed was assessed by this study. Two seed forms; whole and dehulled seeds, were analyzed for proximate composition, minerals contents, and anti-nutrient properties. Extracted seed-oils were characterized. The results indicate that the seed is a potential source of oil suitable for industrial applications while the mineral components are in favor of its application in feedstock. The seed is a good source of phosphorous, potassium, and zinc. The keep value of the seed is good because of the low moisture content which will ease its preservation. However, domestic application of the seed is limited by low protein content as well as high content values for phytate (approximately 7%) and tannins (1.6 – 2.4%). The study of amino contents, lipid profile, and fatty acid content and development of appropriate processing to reduce the anti-nutrient properties may further reveal the potential domestic application of the seed.
Removal of emerging contaminants from municipal wastewater using a compartmentalized anaerobic baffled reactor: Effect of organic loading rate

This study deals with the occurrence and removal efficiency of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) as selected persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in municipal wastewater via a compartmentalized anaerobic baffled reactor (ABR). The treatment processes and removal efficiencies using ABR were assessed with application of three hydraulic retention times (8, 16 and 24 hrs). The detected concentration values for PAHs in raw wastewater were varied from 345 to 1960.1 with an average value of 1003.5 μg/l. While those for PCBs were 2.3 to 18.7 with an average value of 8.7 μg/l. The removal efficiencies for PAHs achieved 52, 81 and 86%, whereas for PCBs they recorded 41, 67 and 77% at HRT of 8, 16 and 24 hrs, respectively. POPs contributor to surface water bodies in Egypt and better reduction efficiencies are achievable, the present study highlights the possibility of utilizing ABR for restoring water quality for reuse or safely discharging on the streams.
Comparison of peptides bound to spleen and thymus class II

In the past we and others have suggested that positive selection of developing thymocytes may depend upon interaction between the alpha beta receptors on these cells and major histocompatibility complex (MHC) proteins bound to peptides found uniquely in the selecting tissue, thymus cortical epithelium. To test this hypothesis, peptides were isolated from MHC class II proteins of spleen, thymus cortical plus medullary epithelium, or thymus cortical epithelium alone. The results showed that the major peptides bound to class II on thymus cortical epithelium were also associated with spleen class II. Some peptides could only be detected in isolates from spleen, probably because of differences in the distribution or uptake of the donor proteins between spleen and thymus. Thus, although we found some tissue- specific distribution of self-peptides, our data suggest that there are no fundamental differences among these tissues in the occupancy of class II MHC by self-peptides. These results limit hypotheses which depend on a specialized mechanism of peptide generation and/or MHC class II loading to account for the positive selection of T cells on thymic cortical epithelium.
Postmodernism for healthcare workers in 13 easy steps.

Despite a growing literature on postmodernism in nursing and other healthcare disciplines, it continues to be dogged by mistrust, misunderstanding and outright hostility. Presenting the philosophy of postmodernism is a particularly difficult task, and most attempts fall into one of two traps: either the writer is a well-read and committed postmodernist in which case the writing tends to make too many assumptions about the background knowledge of the reader; or else the writer has only a passing knowledge of 'popular' postmodernism, in which case the writing often falls back on over-simplistic concepts which do not do justice to the issues and which are often completely misconceived. The problem is further compounded by the difficulty of writing about one discourse (I am using the word in its postmodern sense-all such 'jargon' is explained in the paper) from within a different and potentially hostile one. For the postmodernists, rational debate with their modernist colleagues is all but impossible, since (as we shall see) the logic and language of the dominant discourse of modernism rules out and refuses to acknowledge that of postmodernism (and vice versa). Postmodern texts therefore rely less on rational argument than on persuasive narrative and a deliberate subversion of many of the usual practices of writing. This introduction to postmodernism for healthcare workers attempts to straddle the two discourses in both its form and its content, and offers a mixture of argument, example and speculation.
Transient Neonatal Hypothyroidism Alters Plasma and Testicular Sex Steroid Concentration in Puberal Rats

The stimulatory and inhibitory effects on testicular steroidogenesis of transient neonatal hypothyroidism from day 1 postpartum through different postnatal developmental events on testis at puberal age (60 days old) were studied in vivo. Hypothyroidism was induced in neonates by feeding the lactating mother or directly with 0.05% methimazole (MMI) through drinking water from the day of parturition to 10, 15, 30, 40 and 60 days, and were killed at day 60 postpartum. Plasma and testicular interstitial fluid (TIF) progesterone, testosterone, dihydrotestosterone (DHT) and estradiol concentrations were assessed. Testis weight and volume significantly increased in rats subjected to 10 and 15 days of hypothyroidism, decreased in rats subjected to 30, 40 and 60 days of hypothyroidism. A consistent increase in Leydig cell number was seen in puberal rats subjected to transient neonatal hypothyroidism but decreased in 60 days hypothyroid rats. Peritubular myoid cell number was consistently decreased in all experimental rats. Leydig cell diameter decreased consistently in all experimental groups. Persistent hypothyroidism (60 days hypothyroid) consistently decreased both plasma and TIF sex steroids. In transient hypothyroid rats, progesterone concentration decreased in both plasma and TIF. Transient hypothyroidism from birth to day 10 postnatal age maintained normal titre of plasma testosterone, whereas a significant increase in TIF testosterone concentration was evident when compared with controls. All other groups of rats subjected to transient neonatal hypothyroidism had consistently low titres of plasma and TIF testosterone. Plasma DHT concentrations in rats subjected to transient neonatal hypothyroidism remained unaltered. However, TIF DHT increased in 10 days hypothyroids, decreased in 30 and 40 days hypothyroid rats and remained unaltered in 15 days hypothyroids. Transient hypothyroidism registered normal titres of plasma estradiol in all groups except in 30 days hypothyroids, which registered an increase, while a consistent increase in TIF estradiol concentration was observed. The present study indicates that transient neonatal hypothyroidism, when restricted up to 10 days of postnatal life, at puberal age Stimulates testosterone, DHT and estradiol secretion and when extended beyond 10 days of postnatal life shifts towards estradiol secretion.
RSSA-Patient Perception of Radiologists’ Roles in Medical Care in Saudi Arabia

Background: Published literature has shown that the nature of the duties of radiologists and the roles they play in the course of patients’ medical care is usually not as clear to patients as the roles of clinicians. Even the nature of the qualifications radiologists have is often ambiguous. Are they physicians? Technicians? or are they nurses who received additional training? The extent of this misunderstanding differs from country to country, and the first step in correcting any misconceptions is to understand its extent. The purpose of this study is to explore the gap in patients’ understanding and perceptions of the roles of radiologists in their clinical care in Saudi Arabia. Methods: This is a survey-based Cross-sectional study. It consists of 12 questions divided into 4 categories that assess patients’ perceptions about the nature of the work of radiologists, the role of the radiologists in their management plan, the type of duties radiologists play, and the nature of interaction between physicians and radiologists. Result: Thirty-eight percent of participants believed that radiologists are not true doctors, 70% disagreed that radiologists can prescribe medications to their patients, and 37% disagreed that radiologists can treat some cancers and internal bleeding. Participants with higher education were more oriented about the roles of radiologists in their management plans. Finally, 45% of participants reported that they do not have enough information about radiologists’s roles in their management plans. Conclusion: Patients’ perception of the role of radiologists is incomplete and inaccurate. Bet- ter communication between radiologists and patients and patient education campaigns can improve these inaccuracies.
Chondroitin Sulfate for Osteoarthritis – Is There a Risk for Cancer: an Analysis of Osteoarthritis Initiative Data

The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between chondroitin sulfate (CS) use and incidence of self-reported cancer during 6-year follow up in the publicly available Osteoarthritis Initiative (OAI) cohort participants. Materials and Methods: The current study included analysis of 6-year longitudinal data obtained from the OAI progression (n= 1390) and incidence (n = 3284) subcohorts that are publicly available at https://nda.nih. gov/oai/. The inclusion criteria for OAI were the following: age between 45 and 79 years for both subcohorts, symptomatic tibiofemoral knee osteoarthritis (OA) for the progression subcohort, and the presence of established or putative risk factors for incident knee OA for the incidence subcohort. The OAI participants were recruited and enrolled between February 2004 and May 2006 at four recruitment centres in the United States. This study received ethical approval from each recruitment centre. All participants provided written informed consent. To reduce the risk of bias, only participants who did not take CS at baseline were included in the analysis (a “new-user” design). Results: 570 (18%) new users of CS and 2597 (82%) CS non-users were compared. In the CS user group, 294 (51.6%) participants received CS for more than one year, 291 (33.5%) for more than 2 years, 123 (21.6%) for more than 3 years, and 60 (10.5%) for more than 4 years. None of the participants received CS for more than 5 years. CS users and non-users were of the same age, had similar male/female ratio, and similar body mass index. In the non-user group, there were more African-American participants and there were more current smokers. 160 (6.2%) and 37 (6.5%) cases of incident self-reported cancer in the non-users and user groups were identified. There was no association between the use of CS and incident self-reported cancer in the non-adjusted analyses. The adjustments for age, race and smoking status did not change the results. Conclusion: The results of the current study did not show an association between CS use and self-reported cancers. Considering the complex function of CS in the development and progression of malignant tumors, there is a need for further epidemiological studies evaluating CS effects on specific types of cancers and in different genetic backgrounds.
Hierarchical conditional dependency graphs as a unifying design representation in the CODESIS high-level synthesis system

In high-level hardware synthesis (HLS), there is a gap in the quality of the synthesized results between data-flow and control-flow dominated behavioral descriptions. Heuristics destined for the former usually perform poorly on the latter. To close this gap, the CODESIS interactive HLS tool relies on a unifying intermediate design representation and adapted heuristics that are able to accommodate both types of designs, as well as designs of a mixed data-flow and control-flow nature. Preliminary experimental results in mutual exclusiveness detection and in efficiently scheduling conditional behaviors, are encouraging and prompt for more extensive experimentation.
Error Exponents for Neyman-Pearson Detection of Markov Chains in Noise

A numerical method for computing the error exponent for Neyman-Pearson detection of two-state Markov chains in noise is presented, for both time-invariant and fading channels. We give numerical studies showing the behaviour of the error exponent as the transition parameters of the Markov chain and the signal-to-noise ratio are varied. Comparisons between the high SNR asymptotics for the time-invariant and fading situations will also be made.