Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Speed of Intracranial Clot Lysis With Intravenous Tissue Plasminogen Activator Therapy: Sonographic Classification and Short-Term Improvement

Background—Arterial recanalization precedes clinical improvement or may lead to hemorrhage or reperfusion injury. Speed of clot lysis was not previously measured in human stroke. Methods and Results—Transcranial Doppler (TCD) and the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) were used to monitor consecutive patients receiving intravenous tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), before tPA bolus and at 24 hours. Patients with complete or partial recanalization of the middle cerebral or basilar artery on TCD were studied. Recanalization was classified a priori as sudden (abrupt appearance of a normal or stenotic low-resistance signal), stepwise (flow improvement over 1 to 29 minutes), or slow (≥30 minutes). Recanalization was documented in 43 tPA-treated patients (age 68±17 years; NIHSS score 16.8±6, median 15 points). tPA bolus was given at a mean of 135±61 minutes after symptom onset. Recanalization began at a median of 17 minutes and was completed at 35 minutes after tPA bolus, with mean duration of recanalization of 23±16 minutes. Recanalization was sudden in 5, stepwise in 23, and slow in 15 patients. Faster recanalization predicted better short-term improvement (P =0.03). At 24 hours, 80%, 30%, and 13% of patients in these respective recanalization groups had NIHSS scores of 0 to 3. Symptomatic hemorrhage occurred in only 1 patient, who had stepwise recanalization 5.5 hours after stroke onset. Slow or partial recanalization with dampened flow signal was found in 53% of patients with total NIHSS scores >10 points at 24 hours (P =0.01). Complete recanalization (n=25) occurred faster (median 10 minutes) than partial recanalization (n=18; median 30 minutes;P =0.0001). Conclusions—Rapid arterial recanalization is associated with better short-term improvement, mostly likely because of faster and more complete clot breakup with low resistance of the distal circulatory bed. Slow (≥30 minutes) flow improvement and dampened flow signal are less favorable prognostic signs. These findings may be evaluated to assist with selection of patients for additional pharmacological or interventional treatment.
Identification and expression profiling of 10 novel spermatid expressed CYPT genes

To identify candidate genes for poor sperm morphology, we have screened for genes expressed during spermiogenesis. We identified 10 new members of the cysteine‐rich perinuclear theca (CYPT) family showing that this family contains at least 15 members, which also includes the casein kinase II target genes. Based on similarity the CYPT sequences could be divided into two groups, Cypt1–10 and the novel members Cypt12–15. The 5′‐end of the CYPT family is highly similar to exon1A and part of the first intron of Zfy2. Seven CYPT genes mapped to the X chromosome; six contained an intron and one was intron‐less. One CYPT gene mapped to chromosome 3 and one mapped to chromosome 9 which were both intron‐less. The upstream region of the CYPT family and Zfy2 genes is conserved. For some the conservation extended over a large region, however, only about 150 nucleotides is conserved among all CYPT members and Zfy2. Nevertheless, the short conserved promoter leads to essentially identical expression profiles for the CYPT family members and Zfy2, which was clearly different from the profile of Zfy1. Expression of the CYPT family and Zfy2 preceded the expression of other spermatid‐specific genes such as the transition proteins and the protamines. In situ hybridization revealed a low expression in pachytene spermatocytes from stages IX–X followed by a strong upregulation in spermatids from stage VI with maximum expression in spermatids in stages VII–VIII. The CYPT family may function in the remodeling of the spermatid nucleus before condensation of the DNA. Mol. Reprod. Dev. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Uncertainty in Predicting CCN Activity of Aged and Primary Aerosols

Understanding particle CCN activity in diverse atmospheres is crucial when evaluating aerosol indirect effects. Here aerosols measured at three sites in China were categorized as different types for attributing uncertainties in CCN prediction in terms of a comprehensive data set including size‐resolved CCN activity, size‐resolved hygroscopic growth factor, and chemical composition. We show that CCN activity for aged aerosols is unexpectedly underestimated ~22% at a supersaturation (S) of 0.2% when using κ‐Kohler theory with an assumption of an internal mixture with measured bulk composition that has typically resulted in an overestimate of the CCN activity in previous studies. We conclude that the underestimation stems from neglect of the effect of aging/coating on particle hygroscopicity, which is not considered properly in most current models. This effect enhanced the hygroscopicity parameter (κ) by between ~11% (polluted conditions) and 30% (clean days), as indicated in diurnal cycles of κ based on measurements by different instruments. In the urban Beijing atmosphere heavily influenced by fresh emissions, the CCN activity was overestimated by 45% at S = 0.2%, likely because of inaccurate assumptions of particle mixing state and because of variability of chemical composition over the particle size range. For both fresh and aged aerosols, CCN prediction exhibits very limited sensitivity to κSOA, implying a critical role of other factors like mixing of aerosol components within and between particles in regulating CCN activity. Our findings could help improving CCN parameterization in climate models.
VPAC1 and VPAC2 receptor activation on GABA release from hippocampal nerve terminals involve several different signalling pathways

Vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) is an important modulator of hippocampal synaptic transmission that influences both GABAergic synaptic transmission and glutamatergic cell excitability through activation of VPAC1 and VPAC2 receptors. Presynaptic enhancement of GABA release contributes to VIP modulation of hippocampal synaptic transmission.
Vertical distribution of aerosol strong acid and sulfate in the atmosphere

Vertical profiles are reported for sulfate, for strong acid-to-sulfate molar ratios, and for related species. Data were obtained in the northeastern United States by airborne filter-pack sampling at multiple altitudes with some concurrent ground measurements and by impactor measurements on the ground and aloft, using semiquantitative FTIR spectroscopic analyses. Filter-pack and impactor approaches were compared during one experimental period. Vertical profile data demonstrate that acid-to-sulfate ratios in ambient aerosols usually increase with altitude (Z) in the lower troposphere, occasionally remain constant with Z, and almost never decrease with Z. The sum of nitrate and nitric acid decreases with Z, but the fraction as nitric acid increases with Z, consistent with the aerosol acidity data. Urban effects on the acid-to-sulfate ratios in aerosols are demonstrated. The results strongly suggest that reequilibration of the aerosol nitric acid-ammonia system must be occurring rapidly and that strong acids (in aerosols and gases) may be available for long-distance transport in the lower troposphere.
How catastrophic was the end-Triassic mass extinction?

A review of marine and terrestrial animal and plant fossils fails to reveal convincing evidence of a global catastrophe at the Triassic-Jurassic boundary, although this time marked the final disappearance of ceratite ammonites and conodonts, together with the extinction of most calcareous demosponges; important groups of bivalves and brachiopods went extinct. Because of facies problems, however, there is no stratigraphic section that reveals a clear-cut disappearance over a short distance. Other marine animal groups except perhaps the radiolarians fail to reveal a notable extinction of global extent immediately across the boundary. On the other hand, there was a substantially higher extinction rate among marine animals in the Rhaetian as compared with the previous stage. On the land, the record is equivocal. Dramatic changes across the T-J boundary have been claimed for plants in particular areas, such as eastern North America and East Greenland, but only gradual change has been recognized elsewhere. Similarly, claims of a T-J boundary vertebrate mass extinction have not been supported by others. For the Rhaetian as a whole, however, the turnover rate of reptiles was high. Although much remains to be learned, it seems evident that the fossil record of the latest Triassic is more consistent with a gradual scenario extended over time than a ‘geologically instantaneous’ impact catastrophe.
Reserve Bank of St . Louis Working Paper Series Stochastic Capital Depreciation and the Comovement of Hours and Productivity

An unresolved question concerning stochastic depreciation shocks is whether they have to be unrealistically large to have any useful role in a dynamic general equilibrium model economy, as Ambler and Paquet (1994) first suggested. We first consider implied depreciation rates from sectoral data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis. These depreciation rates vary across time solely due to compositional changes within each sector. Hence, they tend to understate the range of fluctuation that would hold if the economic shelf life of capital varied endogenously as in Cooley, Greenwood and Yorukoglu (1997). We find, however, that if depreciation rates follow a Markov switching process, a low variance of the depreciation rate can generate the low correlation between hours worked and productivity in a simple model economy. White noise and autoregressive depreciation shocks, in contrast, require a counterfactually large variance in the depreciation rate to reduce the hours-productivity correlation. We also illustrate the level effects implied by nonlinear decision rules in simulations of dynamic general equilibrium models that include Markov switching parameters. Linear decision rules, in contrast, imply certainty equivalence and ignore the aversion that agents have to the skewed shock distributions that characterize Markov switching.
Measurement properties of the Villalta scale to define and classify the severity of the post‐thrombotic syndrome

Summary. The post‐thrombotic syndrome (PTS) is a frequent and important complication of deep venous thrombosis (DVT). The diagnosis of PTS is based primarily on the presence of typical symptoms and clinical signs. In the 1990s, a clinical scale known as the Villalta scale was proposed as a measure that could be used to diagnose and classify the severity of PTS. The objective of the present paper was to review the published evidence on the measurement properties of the Villalta scale. Results of the review demonstrate that the Villalta scale is a reliable and valid measure of PTS in patients with previous, objectively confirmed DVT. The scale is acceptable to research subjects and research personnel, and shows responsiveness to clinical change in PTS. Aspects of the Villalta scale that merit further evaluation include test–retest reliability, more detailed assessment of ulcer severity and assessment of responsiveness across the full range of PTS severity. Research aimed at improving the measurement of PTS will also help to improve the overall validity of findings generated by clinical studies of PTS.
Mining metrics to predict component failures

What is it that makes software fail? In an empirical study of the post-release defect history of five Microsoft software systems, we found that failure-prone software entities are statistically correlated with code complexity measures. However, there is no single set of complexity metrics that could act as a universally best defect predictor. Using principal component analysis on the code metrics, we built regression models that accurately predict the likelihood of post-release defects for new entities. The approach can easily be generalized to arbitrary projects; in particular, predictors obtained from one project can also be significant for new, similar projects.
Quality of Early Maternal–Child Relationship and Risk of Adolescent Obesity

Objectives: The goal of this study was to determine whether obesity in adolescence is related to the quality of the early maternal–child relationship. Methods: We analyzed data from 977 of 1364 participants in the Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development. Child attachment security and maternal sensitivity were assessed by observing mother–child interaction at 15, 24, and 36 months of age. A maternal–child relationship quality score was constructed as the number of times across the 3 ages that the child was either insecurely attached or experienced low maternal sensitivity. Adolescent obesity was defined as a measured BMI ≥95th percentile at age 15 years. Results: Poor-quality maternal–child relationships (score: ≥3) were experienced by 24.7% of children compared with 22.0% who, at all 3 ages, were neither insecurely attached nor exposed to low maternal sensitivity (score: 0). The prevalence of adolescent obesity was 26.1%, 15.5%, 12.1%, and 13.0% for those with risk scores of ≥3, 2, 1, and 0, respectively. After adjustment for gender and birth weight, the odds (95% confidence interval) of adolescent obesity was 2.45 (1.49–4.04) times higher in those with the poorest quality early maternal–child relationships (score: ≥3) compared with those with the highest quality (score: 0). Low maternal sensitivity was more strongly associated with obesity than insecure attachment. Conclusions: Poor quality of the early maternal–child relationship was associated with a higher prevalence of adolescent obesity. Interventions aimed at improving the quality of maternal–child interactions should consider assessing effects on children’s weight and examining potential mechanisms involving stress response and emotion regulation.
Considerations for Development of Surrogate Endpoints for Antifracture Efficacy of New Treatments in Osteoporosis: A Perspective

Because of the broad availability of efficacious osteoporosis therapies, conduct of placebo‐controlled trials in subjects at high risk for fracture is becoming increasing difficult. Alternative trial designs include placebo‐controlled trials in patients at low risk for fracture or active comparator studies, both of which would require enormous sample sizes and associated financial resources. Another more attractive alternative is to develop and validate surrogate endpoints for fracture. In this perspective, we review the concept of surrogate endpoints as it has been developed in other fields of medicine and discuss how it could be applied in clinical trials of osteoporosis. We outline a stepwise approach and possible study designs to qualify a biomarker as a surrogate endpoint in osteoporosis and review the existing data for several potential surrogate endpoints to assess their success in meeting the proposed criteria. Finally, we suggest a research agenda needed to advance the development of biomarkers as surrogate endpoints for fracture in osteoporosis trials. To ensure optimal development and best use of biomarkers to accelerate drug development, continuous dialog among the health professionals, industry, and regulators is of paramount importance.
Porosity-permeability relationships in interlayered limestone-dolostone reservoirs

Porosity and permeability data from five carbonate platform successions of different settings, ages, and burial depths are examined to identify overall similarities and differences in the reservoir quality of interlayered limestones and dolostones. Each succession consists mainly of limestone and dolostone, with subordinate proportions of intermediate, partly dolomitized compositions. In the three deeply buried platforms, the key features are that limestones have much lower average porosity than associated dolostones, and that limestones and dolostones show little difference in average permeability-for-given-porosity. In contrast, the shallowly buried platforms show little difference in average porosity between limestones and dolostones and also display higher average permeability-for-given-porosity in dolostones than limestones. These data suggest the following general guidelines for depositional and diagenetic controls on reservoir architecture in carbonates consisting of interlayered limestone and dolostone. (1) Reservoir compartmentalization by the formation of tight limestone barriers is largely a burial diagenetic process involving calcite cementation locally produced by chemical compaction. (2) Both the pattern of early dolomitization and the distribution of clay minerals (because they influence the localization of chemical compaction) are key factors that determine the distribution of tight limestone barriers separating flow units. Thus, the pattern of eventual burial compartmentalization follows a template that is hardwired into the stratigraphic architecture by depositional mineralogy and early diagenesis. (3) After burial (2–3 km; 1.2–1.8 mi), dolostones should not be expected to have higher permeability-for-given- porosity than associated limestones. These rules assume dolomitization to occur early relative to chemical compaction, which will commonly be the case because of combined hydrologic and mass-balance constraints. Dolomitization and concentration of clay appear linked to cycle and sequence architecture in the present examples and thus may have a useful degree of predictability, at least in terms of statistical parameters, such as net/gross and probability of flow-unit thickness distribution.
Ablative allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation in adults 60 years of age and older.

PURPOSE To evaluate outcomes of ablative allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) in older patients with hematologic malignancies. PATIENTS AND METHODS We treated 52 patients from 1979 to 2002 with a median age of 62.8 years (range, 60.1 to 67.8 years) using ablative preparative regimens followed by allogeneic HCT from sibling donors. Diagnoses included myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS; n = 35), chronic myeloid leukemia (CML; n = 8), acute myeloid leukemia (AML; n = 6), and other (n = 3). Conditioning regimens included cyclophosphamide (CY) and busulfan (BU) (67%), total-body irradiation and CY (21%), BU-fludarabine (10%), and CY (2%). RESULTS Eighteen (35%) of 52 patients are alive at a median of 4.6 years (range, 0.8 to 9.1 years) after transplantation. Median overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival were 300 and 218 days, respectively. Three-year OS and relapse rates are estimated to be 34% and 24%, respectively. Nonrelapse mortality (NRM) rates at 100 days and 3 years are estimated to be 27% and 43%, respectively. Grade 3 to 4 acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) occurred in 20% of patients, and chronic extensive GVHD was described in 53% of patients. Fourteen (40%) of 35 patients with MDS are alive at a median of 2.8 years (range, 0.8 to 8.2 years). Four of six patients with CML in chronic or accelerated phase are alive at a median of 6.9 years (range, 4.1 to 9.1 years) after transplantation. None of the patients with AML, CML in blast crisis, or other diagnoses have survived. Patients who underwent transplantation after 1993 had improved survival. CONCLUSION These data suggest that allogeneic HCT is feasible in selected patients > or = 60 years of age, although novel methods to reduce NRM while maintaining efficacy are needed.
Is There Room for Growth? Debt, Growth Opportunities and the Deregulation of U.S. Electric Utilities

We investigate the impact of growth opportunities on the financing decisions of investor-owned electric utilities in the U.S. when the electricity sector was deregulated. We find that the relationship between leverage and growth opportunities can be positive or negative, depending on the nature of the growth opportunity. Despite these opposing effects on leverage ratios, we find that electric utilities are issuing new debt in response to the same growth opportunities. Our results highlight that financing choice is not a simple one-period decision but a dynamic occurrence and that conventional leverage regressions cannot fully capture this dynamic response.
A Comparison of Covariance Forecasts from High-Frequency , Daily and Option Data

The relative merits of forecasting volatility using high-frequency, daily and option data have received much attention. The objective of this paper is to extend this research to the covariance matrix. Forecasts are compared for covariance matrices composed of 17 stocks over 4 horizons, 1-, 30-, 90and 180-days. Since it is not possible to invert equity option prices to obtain a covariance estimate, a market model assumption is made and forecasts are made based on implied betas and variances. Consequently, these are denoted option-factor-implied forecasts. An additional 6 models are included in the comparisons which can be categrorised into multivariate GARCH models, models estimated directly on the realised covariances (RC) and historical averages. Multiple forecast evaluation criteria are used to obtain a more complete understanding of each model’s performance. These include a statistical loss function, optimlaity tests based on Mincer-Zarnowitz regressions and an economic loss function. On balance, it is very difficult to identify a single model as superior. The option-factor-implied forecasts appear to perform poorly under the statistical loss function whilst they are one of the more informative according to the R from Mincer-Zarnowitz regressions. A persistent positive bias appears to be the source of the conflicting results. However, a simple historical average computed from high-frequency data performs well under all evaluation criteria, bringing into question the benefits of dynamic models in forecasting covariance matrices. EFM Classification Codes: 330, 370, 410
A Performance Study of Di usive vs . Remapped Load-BalancingSchemes

For a large class of irregular grid applications, the computational structure of the problem changes in an incremental fashion from one phase of the computation to another. Eventually, as the graph evolves, it becomes necessary to correct the partition in accordance with the structural changes in the computation. Two diierent types of schemes to accomplish this task have been developed recently. In one scheme, the graph is partitioned from scratch and then the resulting partition is remapped intelligently to the original partition. The second type of scheme uses a multi-level diiusion repartitioner. In this paper, we conduct a comparison study on repartitioning via intelligent remapping versus repartitioning by diiusion. We show that multilevel diiusion algorithms generally produce signiicantly lower data migration overhead for adap-tive graphs in which low magnitude localized or non-localized imbalances occur and for graphs in which high magnitude imbalances occurs globally throughout the domains than partitioning from scratch and remapping the resulting partition. We show that for the class of problems in which high magnitude imbalances occur in localized areas of the graph, partitioning from scratch and remapping the resulting partition will result in higher quality partitions than diffusion schemes, while obtaining data migration overheads which are comparable to those obtained by dif-fusive schemes. Finally, we show that the run times of the various schemes are all similar.