Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Kidney function and cardiovascular disease in the hypertensive population: the ERIC-HTA study

Background and objectives Epidemiological data on the incidence and prevalence of cardiovascular disease in chronic renal failure are scant The objective of the present study is to assess the relationship between renal function, measured by the estimated glomerular filtration rate, and the presence of early or established cardiovascular disease, in a population of hypertensives from primary care. Patients and methods Cross-sectional, multicentre study carried out in primary care centres all over Spain. Hypertensive subjects, older than 55 years, were included. In all of them a structured interview including cardiovascular risk factors or disease was performed. Blood pressure was measured following a standard procedure, and serum biochemistry and an electrocardiogram were obtained. Renal function was estimated using the abbreviated MDRD (Modification of Diet in Renal Disease Study Group) equation. For each glomerular filtration rate stratum the odds ratio and 95% confidence interval (CI) of left ventricular hypertrophy or cardiovascular disease were calculated, adjusted by confounding variables. Results A total of 13 687 patients (mean age 68.1 years, women 55.4%, diabetics 30.6%, body mass index 28.6 kg/m2) were included. Of these, 26.4% had established cardiovascular diseases and 20.3% electrocardiographic left ventricular hypertrophy. The average serum creatinine was 1.01 mg/dl, creatinine clearance 70.0 ml/min, and glomerular filtration rate 74.0 ml/min per 1.73 m2. Thirty-three patients (0.24%) had glomerular filtration rate < 5 ml/min per 1.73 m2; 89 (0.65%) from 15 to 29; 3745 (27.36%) from 30 to 59; 7798 (56.97%) from 60 to 89; and 2019 (14.75%) higher than 89 ml/min per 1.73 m2. In a multiple regression analysis, after adjusting by age, sex, body mass index, diabetes, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and smoking, a lower glomerular filtration rate was associated with a higher prevalence of left ventricular hypertrophy. Likewise, a reduction in the glomerular filtration rate was also associated with a higher prevalence of cardiovascular disease. Conclusions In hypertensive patients from primary care, the prevalence of cardiovascular disease is inversely proportional to the level of renal function. Estimated glomerular filtration is easy to determine and complements evaluation of the hypertensive patient.
Accessing one‐to‐one correspondence: Still another paper about conservation

When given experience designed to highlight the fact that the specific cardinal values of sets in one-to-one correspondence are the same (or different), three- and four-year-old children pass the standard number conservation tasks of equivalence and non-equivalence. The initial training involved set sizes of three and four items; the conservation transfer trials involved set sizes of eight and 10 items. Even where success was defined as being able to give a correct judgement and explanation on at least one task in the small-set range and one task in the large-set range, children did well. In Expt 1, 75 and 88 per cent of the three- and four-year-olds, respectively, met this criterion. In Expt 2 (run by an experimenter who was naive to the hypotheses and results of Expt 1) 58 and 75 per cent of the respective age groups met the same criterion. It is concluded that the children must have accessed an available, albeit implicit, ability to use one-to-one correspondence. Otherwise they could not have passed the large set-size tasks which are beyond the range they count accurately. The paper ends with a defence of Rozin's (1976) accessing account of cognitive development.
Consciousness and Attention: On Sufficiency and Necessity

Recent research has slowly corroded a belief that selective attention and consciousness are so tightly entangled that they cannot be individually examined. In this review, we summarize psychophysical and neurophysiological evidence for a dissociation between top-down attention and consciousness. The evidence includes recent findings that show subjects can attend to perceptually invisible objects. More contentious is the finding that subjects can become conscious of an isolated object, or the gist of the scene in the near absence of top-down attention; we critically re-examine the possibility of “complete” absence of top-down attention. We also cover the recent flurry of studies that utilized independent manipulation of attention and consciousness. These studies have shown paradoxical effects of attention, including examples where top-down attention and consciousness have opposing effects, leading us to strengthen and revise our previous views. Neuroimaging studies with EEG, MEG, and fMRI are uncovering the distinct neuronal correlates of selective attention and consciousness in dissociative paradigms. These findings point to a functional dissociation: attention as analyzer and consciousness as synthesizer. Separating the effects of selective visual attention from those of visual consciousness is of paramount importance to untangle the neural substrates of consciousness from those for attention.
“We Are in the Room to Serve Our Clients”

This study uses computer-mediated discourse analysis to investigate use of the first-person plural pronoun “we” in e-mail supervision of 23 graduate-level counselors-in-training who are completing internships. Extending prior research on pronouns and relationship and identity construction, expert–novice discourse, professional identity socialization, and cybersupervision, our analysis highlights two prominent uses of “we” that differ by professional role: Interns primarily use exclusive we to refer to themselves and others (exclusive of e-mail supervisors) as they depict themselves interacting with others at their internship sites; supervisors overwhelmingly use professional we, meaning “you (the intern) and I, as part of the counseling profession” and thereby “invite” interns into the professional community of practice. These different uses reflect, reinforce, and bridge the gap in knowledge, experience, and professional identity between interns and supervisors. Findings contribute to understanding how professional identities and relationships are linguistically cultivated online. They also have potential practice implications for supervisors.
On the automation of fixing software bugs

Software Testing can take up to half of the resources of the development of new software. Although there has been a lot of work on automating the testing phase, fixing a bug after its presence has been discovered is still a duty of the programmers. Techniques to help the software developers for locating bugs exist though, and they take name of Automated Debugging. However, to our best knowledge, there has been only little attempt in the past to completely automate the actual changing of the software for fixing the bugs. Therefore, in this paper we propose an evolutionary approach to automate the task of fixing bugs. The basic idea is to evolve the programs (e.g., by using Genetic Programming) with a fitness function that is based on how many unit tests they are able to pass. If a formal specification of the buggy software is given, more sophisticated fitness functions can be designed. Moreover, by using the formal specification as an oracle, we can generate as many unit tests as we want. Hence, a co-evolution between programs and unit tests might take place to give even better results. It is important to know that, to fix the bugs in a program with this novel approach, a user needs only to provide either a formal specification or a set of unit tests. No other information is required.
Segregation of Motion Structure from Random Visual Noise

A potential source of information about spatial layout, surface slant, and self-motion is provided by transformations of the optic flow field. Theoretical analyses have demonstrated that such flow fields can be decomposed into translation, rotation, expansion, and deformation components. The objective in this study was to investigate the effectiveness of these motions as visual primitives for preattentive scene segregation. The stimuli consisted of two-frame patterns containing 998 dots. A variable number of these dots (5 to 50) were defined as target dots, representing a specific motion structure, with the residual dots defined as a noise field. The observers' task was to identify the location and type of motion structure. On the basis of the number of target dots needed to detect and correctly identify the target structure, it was determined that translation was the most easily detected structure, followed by rotation, expansion, and compression. Deformation was found to have a detection threshold as high as compression. The results are related to other studies of these motion components.
Understanding change in teachers’ ways of being through collaborative action research: a cultural–historical activity theory analysis

Despite major efforts to change teachers’ practice through professional development activities, much remains as it always was. Our claim is that this rarely happens because significant change in how one teaches can only come about as a result of some realization about oneself as a teacher, and the resulting changes in identity. In recent years we have been studying the ways in which participation in collaborative action research (CAR) can result in changes in teachers’ ways of being. In this paper we report on a study of teachers engaged in CAR to improve their implementation of digital photography in their teaching. The whole group (n = 28) completed one cycle of action research as part of the evaluation of the program using empowerment evaluation methods. A subset (n = 5) chose to continue doing CAR. We used ethnographic methods including participant observation, interviews, and document analysis. In this paper we use cultural–historical activity theory to understand why our data suggest that there was little change in the teachers’ identity by the end of the first cycle of action research, while those who participated in both the initial action research and the CAR group had a change in their identities.
Teaching Mexican American experiences through film : Private issues and public problems

This article focuses on the use of feature films as a pedagogical tool in sociology classes. Sociological and cinematic representations are used to contribute to an understanding of the Mexican American experience. An interpretive procedure, or hermeneutics, is used as a methodology that provides an encounter between the student's experience, film, and social science texts. As well, the Millsian relation between personal problems and social issues are developed within the context of the material. The cinematic construction of reality is analyzed as the effect of the constraints of the Hollywood production system, and the operation of ideology, including representations of ethnicity and gender
Reduced Basal Autophagy and Impaired Mitochondrial Dynamics Due to Loss of Parkinson's Disease-Associated Protein DJ-1

Background Mitochondrial dysfunction and degradation takes a central role in current paradigms of neurodegeneration in Parkinson's disease (PD). Loss of DJ-1 function is a rare cause of familial PD. Although a critical role of DJ-1 in oxidative stress response and mitochondrial function has been recognized, the effects on mitochondrial dynamics and downstream consequences remain to be determined. Methodology/Principal Findings Using DJ-1 loss of function cellular models from knockout (KO) mice and human carriers of the E64D mutation in the DJ-1 gene we define a novel role of DJ-1 in the integrity of both cellular organelles, mitochondria and lysosomes. We show that loss of DJ-1 caused impaired mitochondrial respiration, increased intramitochondrial reactive oxygen species, reduced mitochondrial membrane potential and characteristic alterations of mitochondrial shape as shown by quantitative morphology. Importantly, ultrastructural imaging and subsequent detailed lysosomal activity analyses revealed reduced basal autophagic degradation and the accumulation of defective mitochondria in DJ-1 KO cells, that was linked with decreased levels of phospho-activated ERK2. Conclusions/Significance We show that loss of DJ-1 leads to impaired autophagy and accumulation of dysfunctional mitochondria that under physiological conditions would be compensated via lysosomal clearance. Our study provides evidence for a critical role of DJ-1 in mitochondrial homeostasis by connecting basal autophagy and mitochondrial integrity in Parkinson's disease.
Accuracy and Confidence of Visual Short-Term Memory Do Not Go Hand-In-Hand: Behavioral and Neural Dissociations

Currently influential models of working memory posit that memory content is highly accessible to conscious inspection. These models predict that metacognition of memory performance should go hand-in-hand with the accuracy of the underlying memory representation. To test this view, we investigated how visual information presented during the maintenance period affects VSTM accuracy and confidence. We used a delayed cue–target orientation discrimination task in which participants were asked to hold in memory a grating, and during the maintenance period a second memory cue could be presented. VSTM accuracy of the first memory cue was impaired when the orientation of the second memory cue was sufficiently different. However, participants' response confidence was reduced whenever the second memory cue was presented; thus VSTM accuracy and confidence were dissociated. In a second experiment, we applied transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) over the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) to investigate the causal role of this region in VSTM metacognition. Relative to the sham condition, anodal tDCS induced a general reduction in confidence ratings but did not affect VSTM accuracy. Overall, these results indicate that our metacognition of memory performance is influenced by factors other than the accuracy of the underlying memory representation.
Effect of partially correlated data on clustering in wireless sensor networks

In wireless sensor networks, clustering allows the aggregation of sensor data. It is well known that leveraging the correlation between different samples of the observed data will lead to better utilization of energy reserve. However, no previous work has analyzed the effect of non-ideal data aggregation in multi-hop sensor networks. In this paper, we propose a novel analytical framework to study how partially correlated data affect the performance of clustering algorithms. We analyze the behavior of multi-hop routing and, by combining random geometry techniques and rate distortion theory, predict the total energy consumption and network lifetime. We show that when a moderate amount of correlation is available, the optimal probabilities that lead to minimum energy consumption are far from optimality in terms of network lifetime. In addition, we study the sensitivity of the total energy consumption and network lifetime to the amount of correlation and compression distortion constraint.
Challenges for Transparency

Transparency is often deemed critical to enable effective real-world deployment of intelligent systems. Yet the motivations for and benefits of different types of transparency can vary significantly depending on context, and objective measurement criteria are difficult to identify. We provide a brief survey, suggesting challenges and related concerns. We highlight and review settings where transparency may cause harm, discussing connections across privacy, multi-agent game theory, economics, fairness and trust.
Nuclear 11.3 μm PAH emission in local active galactic nuclei

We present Gran Telescopio CANARIAS CanariCam 8.7 μm imaging and 7.5–13 μm spectroscopy of six local systems known to host an active galactic nucleus (AGN) and have nuclear star formation. Our main goal is to investigate whether the molecules responsible for the 11.3 μm polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) feature are destroyed in the close vicinity of an AGN. We detect 11.3 μm PAH feature emission in the nuclear regions of the galaxies as well as extended PAH emission over a few hundred parsecs. The equivalent width (EW) of the feature shows a minimum at the nucleus but increases with increasing radial distances, reaching typical star-forming values a few hundred parsecs away from the nucleus. The reduced nuclear EWs are interpreted as due to increased dilution from the AGN continuum rather than destruction of the PAH molecules. We conclude that at least those molecules responsible for the 11.3 μm PAH feature survive in the nuclear environments as close as 10 pc from the AGN and for Seyfert-like AGN luminosities. We propose that material in the dusty tori, nuclear gas discs, and/or host galaxies of AGN is likely to provide the column densities necessary to protect the PAH molecules from the AGN radiation field.
Screening for stress-resistance mutations in the mouse

Longevity is correlated with stress resistance in many animal models. However, previous efforts through the boosting of the antioxidant defense system did not extend life span, suggesting that longevity related stress resistance is mediated by other uncharacterized pathways. We have developed a high-throughput platform for screening and rapid identification of novel genetic mutants in the mouse that are stress resistant. Selection for resistance to stressors occurs in mutagenized mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells, which are carefully treated so as to maintain pluripotency for mouse production. Initial characterization of these mutant ES cells revealed mutations in Pigl, Tiam1, and Rffl, among others. These genes are implicated in glycosylphosphatidylinositol biosynthesis, NADPH oxidase function, and inflammation. These mutants: (1) are resistant to two different oxidative stressors, paraquat and the omission of 2-mercaptoethanol, (2) have reduced levels of endogenous reactive oxygen species (ROS), (3) are capable of generating live mice, and (4) transmit the stress resistance phenotype to the mice. This strategy offers an efficient way to select for new mutants expressing a stress resistance phenotype, to rapidly identify the causative genes, and to develop mice for in vivo studies.
Bioethanol Production by Carbohydrate-Enriched Biomass of Arthrospira (Spirulina) platensis

In the present study the potential of bioethanol production using carbohydrate-enriched biomass of the cyanobacterium Arthrospira platensis was studied. For the saccharification of the carbohydrate-enriched biomass, four acids (H2SO4, HNO3, HCl and H3PO4) were investigated. Each acid were used at four concentrations, 2.5 N, 1 N, 0.5 N and 0.25 N, and for each acid concentration the saccharification was conducted under four temperatures (40 °C, 60 °C, 80 °C and 100 °C). Higher acid concentrations gave in general higher reducing sugars (RS) yields (%, gRS/gTotal sugars) with higher rates, while the increase in temperature lead to higher rates at lower acid concentration. The hydrolysates then were used as substrate for ethanolic fermentation by a salt stress-adapted Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain. The bioethanol yield (%, gEtOH/gBiomass) was significantly affected by the acid concentration used for the saccharification of the carbohydrates. The highest bioethanol yields of 16.32% ± 0.90% (gEtOH/gBiomass) and 16.27% ± 0.97% (gEtOH/gBiomass) were obtained in hydrolysates produced with HNO3 0.5 N and H2SO4 0.5 N, respectively.
State, Governmentality and Education--the Nordic Experience.

Abstract In our article, we first interrogate the prevailing monolithic concept of the State, and introduce the concept of ‘governmentality’ originated by Michel Foucault. We then explore how governmentality has historically been linked with education, and specifically with the evolution of ‘civilizing the rabble’, inculcating deference, and more recently with the development of the Scandinavian ‘Caring State’. Finally, we explore the changing tasks of education in a society increasingly characterized by risks and uncertainty, and explore the nature of the social contracts which could correspond to the new conditions.
Systematic Mutagenesis of the Escherichia coli Genome

ABSTRACT A high-throughput method has been developed for the systematic mutagenesis of the Escherichia coli genome. The system is based on in vitro transposition of a modified Tn5 element, the Sce-poson, into linear fragments of each open reading frame. The transposon introduces both positive (kanamycin resistance) and negative (I-SceI recognition site) selectable markers for isolation of mutants and subsequent allele replacement, respectively. Reaction products are then introduced into the genome by homologous recombination via the λRed proteins. The method has yielded insertion alleles for 1976 genes during a first pass through the genome including, unexpectedly, a number of known and putative essential genes. Sce-poson insertions can be easily replaced by markerless mutations by using the I-SceI homing endonuclease to select against retention of the transposon as demonstrated by the substitution of amber and/or in-frame deletions in six different genes. This allows a Sce-poson-containing gene to be specifically targeted for either designed or random modifications, as well as permitting the stepwise engineering of strains with multiple mutations. The promiscuous nature of Tn5 transposition also enables a targeted gene to be dissected by using randomly inserted Sce-posons as shown by a lacZ allelic series. Finally, assessment of the insertion sites by an iterative weighted matrix algorithm reveals that these hyperactive Tn5 complexes generally recognize a highly degenerate asymmetric motif on one end of the target site helping to explain the randomness of Tn5 transposition.
An adaptive hash-based multilayer scheduler for L7-filter on a highly threaded hierarchical multi-core server

Ubiquitous multi-core-based web servers and edge routers are increasingly popular in deploying computationally intensive Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) programs. Previous work has shown the benefits of connection locality-based scheduling on multi-core servers to improve L7-filter performance. However, we show that highly threaded hierarchical multi-core processors, such as the Sun Niagara 2 processor, accumulate imbalanced workload at each resource layer. This workload imbalance potentially offsets the benefits from connection locality. In addition, connection-locality-based load balance fails to work when network traffic is unevenly distributed. In this paper, we propose an adaptive hash-based multilayer scheduler for a highly threaded hierarchical Sun Niagara 2 server. Our scheduler maintains connection locality and adaptively adjusts the scheduling to balance the real time workload. The original Highest Random Weight (HRW) hash guarantees the connection locality but only balances the workload over the number of different connections. We enhance the original single layer HRW into a hierarchical "hash tree" scheduler to balance the connection workload in accordance with the hierarchical processor architecture. We then optimize our multilayer scheduler to adaptively adjust scheduling decisions based on service time at each level, further improving the system load balance. Our scheduler is shown to increase the system throughput by 59.2% compared to the previously proposed connection locality optimization.