Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Haematological determinants of cardiac involvement in adults with sickle cell disease.

AIMS Cardiac involvement is common in sickle cell disease (SCD). Studies are needed to establish haematological determinants of this involvement and prognostic markers. The aim of the study was to identify haematological factors associated with cardiac involvement in SCD and their impact on prognosis. METHODS AND RESULTS This longitudinal observational study was performed on 1780 SCD patients with SS or S-β(0)-thalassemia referred to our centre. Six hundred fifty-six met our inclusion criteria (availability of a blood-workup and echocardiogram obtained <1 year apart, no heart valve surgery and no current pregnancy). Median age was 31 (interquartile range, 25-40) years, and median haemoglobin (Hb) was 87 (80-95)g/L. Left ventricular (LV) dilation, left atrial dilation, cardiac index (CI) >4 L/min/m(2), LV ejection fraction <55%, and tricuspid regurgitant velocity (TRV) ≥2.5 m/s were found in 35, 78, 23, 8.5, and 17% of patients, respectively. Compared with other patients, those in the fourth quartiles (Q4) of LV end-diastolic dimension index (LVEDDind) and left atrial dimension index (LADind) and those with high CI had significantly lower Hb, % foetal Hb (HbF), and red blood cell (RBC) counts; and significantly higher lactate dehydrogenase, bilirubin, and %dense RBCs. Independent haematologic determinants of Q4 LVEDDind and LADind were low RBC count and %HbF; high %dense RBCs were associated with LADind. Low %HbF and RBC count were associated with high CI. High %dense RBCs or no α-thalassemia gene deletion was associated with greater severity of anaemia and cardiac dilation and with higher CI. During the median follow-up of 48 (32-59) months, 50 (7.6%) patients died. Tricuspid regurgitant velocity ≥ 2.5 m/s was a predictor of mortality. The risk of death increased four-fold when left ventricular ejection fraction <55% was present also (P = 0.0001). CONCLUSION Cardiac dilation and CI elevation in patients with SCD are associated with haematologic variables reflecting haemolysis, RBC rigidity, and blood viscosity. Tricuspid regurgitant velocity ≥ 2.5 and LV dysfunction (even mild) predict mortality.
Cramer-Rao Bound for Blind Channel Estimators in Redundant Block Transmission Systems

In this paper, we derive the Cramer-Rao bound (CRB) for blind channel estimation in redundant block transmission systems, a lower bound for the mean squared error of any blind channel estimators. The derived CRB is valid for any full-rank linear redundant precoder, including both zero-padded (ZP) and cyclic-prefixed (CP) precoders. A simple form of CRBs for multiple complex parameters is also derived and presented which facilitates the CRB derivation of the problem of interest. A comparison is made between the derived CRBs and performances of existing subspace-based blind channel estimators for both CP and ZP systems. Numerical results show that there is still some room for performance improvement of blind channel estimators.
APP modulates KCC2 expression and function in hippocampal GABAergic inhibition

Amyloid precursor protein (APP) is enriched at the synapse, but its synaptic function is still poorly understood. We previously showed that GABAergic short-term plasticity is impaired in App knock-out (App-/-) animals, but the precise mechanism by which APP regulates GABAergic synaptic transmission has remained elusive. Using electrophysiological, biochemical, moleculobiological, and pharmacological analysis, here we show that APP can physically interact with KCC2, a neuron-specific K+-Cl- cotransporter that is essential for Cl- homeostasis and fast GABAergic inhibition. APP deficiency results in significant reductions in both total and membrane KCC2 levels, leading to a depolarizing shift in the GABA reversal potential (EGABA). Simultaneous measurement of presynaptic action potentials and inhibitory postsynaptic currents (IPSCs) in hippocampal neurons reveals impaired unitary IPSC amplitudes attributable to a reduction in α1 subunit levels of GABAAR. Importantly, restoration of normal KCC2 expression and function in App-/- mice rescues EGABA, GABAAR α1 levels and GABAAR mediated phasic inhibition. We show that APP functions to limit tyrosine-phosphorylation and ubiquitination and thus subsequent degradation of KCC2, providing a mechanism by which APP influences KCC2 abundance. Together, these experiments elucidate a novel molecular pathway in which APP regulates, via protein-protein interaction with KCC2, GABAAR mediated inhibition in the hippocampus. DOI: http://dx.doi. org/10.7554/eLife.20142. 001
Please Scroll down for Article Journal of Peasant Studies Engendering the Political Economy of Agrarian Change Engendering the Political Economy of Agrarian Change

This article may be used for research, teaching and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction, redistribution , reselling , loan or sub-licensing, systematic supply or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden. The publisher does not give any warranty express or implied or make any representation that the contents will be complete or accurate or up to date. The accuracy of any instructions, formulae and drug doses should be independently verified with primary sources. The publisher shall not be liable for any loss, actions, claims, proceedings, demand or costs or damages whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with or arising out of the use of this material. Over the past thirty odd years, the analysis of agrarian social relations, institutions, and movements has benefited from the insights offered by feminist scholars whose intellectual project has been to bring into the political economy of agrarian change the pervasiveness of gender relations and their interconnections with broader processes of social change. The implications of this rethinking are potentially radical. Gender analysis has interrogated some of the dominant orthodoxies in agrarian studies: in conceptualising households and their connections to broader economic and political structures; in deepening the analysis of rural markets as social and political constructions with highly unequalising tendencies; and in better understanding both the role and the limitations of different institutional arrangements (involving states, markets, and 'communities') for the management of local resources. However, the complexities of this research have been sanitised and distorted by neoclassical economists and powerful development organisations that speak the same language, as well as by some advocates keen to get their messages heard as they push for policy change, or alternatively ignored and sidelined by some of the political economists of agrarian change. In this paper I attempt to show some of the key contributions of feminist scholarship to agrarian studies, the extent to which these have been taken up by mainstream debates – whether neoclassical or political economy – and where there is scope for more empirical and theoretical work. Introduction Over the past thirty odd years, the analysis of agrarian social relations, institutions, and movements has benefited from the insights offered by feminist scholars whose intellectual project has been to bring into the political economy of agrarian change the pervasiveness of gender relations and their interconnections with broader processes of social change. The implications of this …
The large-scale quasar-Lyman α forest cross-correlation from BOSS

We measure the large-scale cross-correlation of quasars with the Lyα forest absorption in redshift space, using ∼ 60000 quasar spectra from Data Release 9 (DR9) of the Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (BOSS). The cross-correlation is detected over a wide range of scales, up to comoving separations r of 80 h{sup −1}Mpc. For r > 15 h{sup −1}Mpc, we show that the cross-correlation is well fitted by the linear theory prediction for the mean overdensity around a quasar host halo in the standard ΛCDM model, with the redshift distortions indicative of gravitational evolution detected at high confidence. Using previous determinations of the Lyα forest bias factor obtained from the Lyα autocorrelation, we infer the quasar bias factor to be b{sub q} = 3.64{sup +0.13}{sub −0.15} at a mean redshift z = 2.38, in agreement with previous measurements from the quasar auto-correlation. We also obtain a new estimate of the Lyα forest redshift distortion factor, β{sub F} = 1.1±0.15, slightly larger than but consistent with the previous measurement from the Lyα forest autocorrelation. The simple linear model we use fails at separations r < 15h{sup −1}Mpc, and we show that this may reasonably be due to the enhanced ionization due to radiationmore » from the quasars. We also provide the expected correction that the mass overdensity around the quasar implies for measurements of the ionizing radiation background from the line-of-sight proximity effect. « less
Accelerated volume rendering and tomographic reconstruction using texture mapping hardware

Volume rendering and reconstruction centers around solving two related integral equations: a volume rendering integral (a generalized Radon transform) and a filtered back projection integral (the inverse Radon transform). Both of these equations are of the same mathematical form and can be dimensionally decomposed and approximated using Riemann sums over a series of resampled images. When viewed as a form of texture mapping and frame buffer accumulation, enormous hardware enabled performance acceleration is possible.
Do explicit warnings eliminate the hypothetical bias in elicitation procedures? Evidence from field auctions for sportscards

The goal of environmental policy is to protect the well-being of humans and the ecosystems vital to human existence. Because benefit-cost analyses are now required at the federal level, and increasingly at the state level, much attention has been paid to the development of practical, credible approaches for estimating the benefits and costs of environmental programs. Although policy makers have a good handle on measuring the explicit costs associated with increased environmental protection, at present several disparate approaches are utilized to measure economic values of environmental goods and services. Arguably the most contentious of these approaches is the Contingent Valuation Method (CVM), which allows the researcher to measure the total value of the commodity in question (see Peter A. Diamond and Jerry A. Hausman's [1994] critical review). Chief amongst these concems is whether hypothetical bias is inherent in CVM responses. Some recently published studies provide evidence that suggests important differences exist between responses from real and hypothetical valuation questions.1 Recognizing this shortcoming, researchers have adopted both ex ante and ex post techniques to overcome hypothetical bias. Although these attempts have not been completely successful in dealing with hypothetical bias, Ronald G. Cummings and Laura 0. Taylor (1999) present evidence from laboratory experiments that indicates hypothetical bias can be overcome by an appropriate ex ante design they refer to as a "cheap talk" scheme.2 The underlying premise behind Cummings and Taylor's design is that by making hypothetical bias an integral part of the contingent value questionnaire, the researcher can induce truthtelling. Their cheap talk experiments validated this conjecture, as hypothetical bias was effectively eliminated in open referenda for three public goods. The goal of this study is to take the cheap talk design to a well-functioning marketplace and auction off sportscards. Besides providing a field validity test, I also explore the generality of Cummings and Taylor's findings by examining whether experience with the good in question affects hypothetical bias through inclusion of both card dealers and nondealers in the field auctions. The theory of value formation suggests that experienced bidders may not be easily swayed by the cheap talk design as they have a well-structured preference ordering for the good in question and should therefore rely on few, if any, external signals when formulating their value.
Poly A- Transcripts Expressed in HeLa Cells

Background Transcripts expressed in eukaryotes are classified as poly A+ transcripts or poly A- transcripts based on the presence or absence of the 3′ poly A tail. Most transcripts identified so far are poly A+ transcripts, whereas the poly A- transcripts remain largely unknown. Methodology/Principal Findings We developed the TRD (Total RNA Detection) system for transcript identification. The system detects the transcripts through the following steps: 1) depleting the abundant ribosomal and small-size transcripts; 2) synthesizing cDNA without regard to the status of the 3′ poly A tail; 3) applying the 454 sequencing technology for massive 3′ EST collection from the cDNA; and 4) determining the genome origins of the detected transcripts by mapping the sequences to the human genome reference sequences. Using this system, we characterized the cytoplasmic transcripts from HeLa cells. Of the 13,467 distinct 3′ ESTs analyzed, 24% are poly A-, 36% are poly A+, and 40% are bimorphic with poly A+ features but without the 3′ poly A tail. Most of the poly A- 3′ ESTs do not match known transcript sequences; they have a similar distribution pattern in the genome as the poly A+ and bimorphic 3′ ESTs, and their mapped intergenic regions are evolutionarily conserved. Experiments confirmed the authenticity of the detected poly A- transcripts. Conclusion/Significance Our study provides the first large-scale sequence evidence for the presence of poly A- transcripts in eukaryotes. The abundance of the poly A- transcripts highlights the need for comprehensive identification of these transcripts for decoding the transcriptome, annotating the genome and studying biological relevance of the poly A- transcripts.
Temperature control in thermal microactuators with applications to in-situ nanomechanical testing

Thermal microactuators are used in many micro/nano-technologies. To circumvent undesired heating of the end effector, heat sink beams are co-fabricated with the thermal actuator and connected to the substrate. This paper reports a combined experimental and modeling study on the effect of such heat sink beams. Temperature distribution is measured and simulated using Raman scattering and multiphysics finite element method, respectively. Our results show that heat sink beams are effective in controlling the temperature of the thermal actuator. Insights on how to achieve both low temperature and large actuator displacement for in-situ mechanical testing of nanoscale specimens are provided.
Vibration Signal Analysis of High Voltage Circuit Breakers System Based on Hybrid Model of Power Spectrum Estimation

This paper discusses several methods of power spectrum estimation, respectively using the indirect method and Welch method to estimate power spectrum distribution through the acquisition of vibration signals of circuit breakers, and use the AR hybrid model to estimate different orders of power spectrum estimation. Under different length of data, the or- der selection method can be determined. Power spectrum estimation method is a power spectrum calculation method of vibration or random signal. It is an important link in the signal analysis, which can be used to detect the periodic component and the percentage of the sig- nal (1). And it is the great significance for the diagnosis of mechanical failure. Using a given set of sample data to esti- mate the power spectral density of a stationary random sig- nal is called power spectrum estimation. Power spectral den- sity is the discrete time Fourier transform of the random sig- nal autocorrelation sequence, it is used to characterize the statistical properties of random signals. The power spectrum of random signal reflects its frequency components and the relative strength of each component, it can reveal the signal rhythm from the frequency domain, and it is the important characteristic of random signals. Found in the study, statistical properties of CB vibration signal under different working conditions, the results show that when the circuit breaker is in normal working condition or state change is very small, the action of mechanical vibra- tion signal can be approximated at a stationary random pro- cess, which is consistent with the AR hybrid model assump- tion is usually described by. Therefore, the AR hybrid mod- el power spectrum estimation can achieve the desired effect of vibration signal.
Dimensions of Risk in Mobile Applications: A User Study

Mobile platforms, such as Android, warn users about the permissions an app requests and trust that the user will make the correct decision about whether or not to install the app. Unfortunately many users either ignore the warning or fail to understand the permissions and the risks they imply. As a step toward developing an indicator of risk that decomposes risk into several categories, or dimensions, we conducted two studies designed to assess the dimensions of risk deemed most important by experts and novices. In Study 1, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 19 security experts, who also performed a card sorting task in which they categorized permissions. The experts identified three major risk dimensions in the interviews (personal information privacy, monetary risk, and device availability/stability), and a forth dimension (data integrity) in the card sorting task. In Study 2, 350 typical Android users, recruited via Amazon Mechanical Turk, filled out a questionnaire in which they (a) answered questions concerning their mobile device usage, (b) rated how often they considered each of several types of information when installing apps, (c) indicated what they considered to be the biggest risk associated with installing an app on their mobile device, and (d) rated their concerns with regard to specific risk types and about apps having access to specific types of information. In general, the typical users' concerns were similar to those of the security experts. The results of the studies suggest that risk information should be organized into several risk types that can be better understood by users and that a mid-level risk summary should incorporate the dimensions of personal information privacy, monetary risk, device availability/stability risk and data integrity risk.
Key Points Educational Aims

In clinical practice, the level of arterial oxygenation can be measured either directly by blood gas sampling to measure partial pressure (PaO 2) and percentage saturation (SaO 2) or indirectly by pulse oximetry (SpO 2). ● ● This review addresses the strengths and weaknesses of each of these tests and gives advice on their clinical use. ● ● The haemoglobin–oxygen dissociation curve describing the relationship between oxygen partial pressure and saturation can be modelled mathematically and routinely obtained clinical data support the accuracy of a historical equation used to describe this relationship. To understand how oxygen is delivered to the tissues. ● ● To understand the relationships between oxygen saturation, partial pressure, content and tissue delivery. ● ● The clinical relevance of the haemoglobin–oxygen dissociation curve will be reviewed and we will show how a mathematical model of the curve, derived in the 1960s from limited laboratory data, accurately describes the relationship between oxygen saturation and partial pressure in a large number of routinely obtained clinical samples. ● ● To understand the role of pulse oximetry in clinical practice. ● ● To understand the differences between arterial, capillary and venous blood gas samples and the role of their measurement in clinical practice.
Towards Learning Semantics of Spontaneous Dialog Utterances in a Hybrid Framework

In contrast to text processing, spontaneous language contains many discontinuities caused by unusual order, false starts, repairs, repetitions, pauses, etc. Data-driven connectionist learning methods and their inherent fault tolerance can consider this form of \sequential noise". We describe a new hybrid approach for a at semantic interpretation of sentences in spontaneous dialogs using symbolic methods for communication and simple known mappings as well as connectionist methods for unknown mappings. We describe the semantic performance of our hybrid approach using real{world spontaneous dialog utterances including discontinuity errors. Furthermore, we demonstrate that this integration of connectionist and symbolic methods can deal with spontaneous discontinuities which other more traditional strictly rule-based parsers typically cannot.
T-helper 17 cells are associated with pathology in human schistosomiasis.

BACKGROUND Schistosome infections are often clinically silent, but some individuals develop severe pathological reactions. In several disease processes, T-helper 17 (Th17) cells have been linked to tissue injuries, while regulatory T cells (Tregs) are thought to downmodulate inflammatory reactions. We assessed whether bladder pathology in human Schistosoma haematobium infection is related to the balance of Th17 cells and Tregs. We used a murine model of Schistosoma mansoni infection to further investigate whether the peripheral profiles reflected ongoing events in tissues. METHODS We characterized T-helper cell subsets in the peripheral blood of children residing in a S. haematobium-endemic area and in the peripheral blood, spleen, and hepatic granulomas of S. mansoni-infected high-pathology CBA mice and low-pathology C57BL/6 mice. RESULTS S. haematobium-infected children with bladder pathology had a significantly higher percentage of Th17 cells than those without pathology. Moreover, the Th17/Treg ratios were significantly higher in infected children with pathology, compared with infected children without pathology. Percentages of interleukin 17-producing cells were significantly higher in spleen and granulomas of CBA mice, compared with C57BL/6 mice. This difference was also reflected in the peripheral blood. CONCLUSIONS This is the first study to indicate that Th17 cells may be involved in the pathogenesis of human schistosomiasis.
A Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification Assay for Rapid Detection of Cyprinid Herpesvirus 2 in Gibel Carp (Carassius auratus gibelio)

A rapid and sensitive loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay for Cyprinid herpesvirus 2 (CyHV-2) detection in gibel carp was developed. Following cloning and sequencing of the putative DNA helicase gene of CyHV-2 isolate from China, a set of four specific primers was designed based on the sequence. The MgCl2 concentration and the reaction temperature were optimized to 6 mM, 64°C, respectively. LAMP products were detected by visual inspection of a color change due to addition of SYBR Green I stain. The specificity and sensitivity of the LAMP assay were determined. No cross-reaction was observed with other fish DNA viruses including eel herpesvirus, koi herpesvirus, and Chinese giant salamander iridovirus. The LAMP assay was found to be equally sensitive as nested PCR. A comparative evaluation of 10 fish samples using LAMP and nested PCR assays showed an overall correlation in positive and negative results for CyHV-2. These results indicate that the LAMP assay is simple, sensitive, and specific and has a great potential use for CyHV-2 detection in the laboratory and field.