Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Paradoxical Association of Lipoprotein Measures With Incident Atrial Fibrillation

Background—Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol is a strong risk factor for atherosclerosis but has an inverse association with atrial fibrillation (AF). We aimed to provide insight into the paradoxical association of LDL cholesterol with AF by evaluating the relationship of various lipoprotein measures and incident AF. Methods and Results—We prospectively evaluated lipoprotein measures among 23 738 healthy middle-aged and older women (median follow-up 16.4 years; N=795 incident AF events). Baseline LDL cholesterol was directly measured, lipoprotein particle concentrations and size were measured by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and apolipoproteins were measured by immunoassay. Cox regression models were adjusted for age, AF risk factors, inflammatory, and dysglycemic biomarkers. After multivariable adjustment, inverse associations with AF were observed (hazard ratio, 95% confidence interval for top versus bottom quintile, P value) for LDL cholesterol (0.72, 0.56–0.92, P=0.009), the total number of LDL particles (0.77, 0.60–0.99, P=0.045), and very-low-density lipoprotein particles (0.78, 0.61–0.99, P=0.04), which was driven by the number of cholesterol-poor small LDL (0.78, 0.61–1.00, P=0.05) and small very-low-density lipoprotein particles (0.78, 0.62–0.99, P=0.04). By contrast, the larger cholesterol-rich LDL particles and all high-density lipoprotein measures were not associated with AF in multivariable models. Adjustment for inflammatory and dysglycemic biomarkers had minimal impact on these associations. Conclusions—In this prospective study, the inverse association between LDL cholesterol and AF extended to several other atherogenic lipoproteins, and these associations are unlikely to be mediated by direct cholesterol effects. Clinical Trial Registration—ClinicalTrials.gov; Unique Identifier: NCT00000479.
Fair Adaptive Bandwidth and Subchannel Allocation in the WiMAX Uplink

In some modern communication systems, as it is the case of WiMAX, it has been decided to implement Demand Assignment Multiple Access (DAMA) solutions. End-users request transmission opportunities before accessing the system, which provides an efficient way to share system resources. In this paper, we briefly review the PHY and MAC layers of an OFDMA-based WiMAX system, and we propose to use a Network Utility Maximization (NUM) framework to formulate the DAMA strategy foreseen in the uplink of IEEE 802.16. Utility functions are chosen to achieve fair solutions attaining different degrees of fairness and to further support the QoS requirements of the services in the system. Moreover, since the standard allocates resources in a terminal basis but each terminal may support several services, we develop a new decomposition technique, the coupled-decompositions method, that obtains the optimal service flow allocation with a small number of iterations (the improvement is significant when compared to other known solutions). Furthermore, since the PHY layer in mobile WiMAX has the means to adapt the transport capacities of the links between the Base Station (BS) and the Subscriber Stations (SSs), the proposed PHY-MAC cross-layer design uses this extra degree of freedom in order to enhance the network utility.
Puerarin Attenuated Early Diabetic Kidney Injury through Down-Regulation of Matrix Metalloproteinase 9 in Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetic Rats

Radix puerariae, a traditional Chinese herbal medication, has been used successfully to treat patients with early stage of diabetic nephropathy. However, the underlined mechanism of this renal protective effect has not been determined. In the current study, we investigated the effects and the mechanism of puerarin in Streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. We treated STZ-rats with either puerarin or losartan, an angiotensin II receptor blocker, as compared to those treated with vehicle. We found that both puerarin and losartan attenuated kidney hypertrophy, mesangial expansion, proteinuria, and podocyte foot process effacement in STZ rats. In addition, both puerarin and losartan increased expression of podocyte slit diaphragm proteins such as nephrin and podocin. Interestingly, we found that puerarin treatment induced a more pronounced suppression of oxidative stress production and S-nitrosylation of proteins in the diabetic kidneys as compared to losartan treatment. Furthermore, we found that matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), which is known to be activated by oxidative stress and S-nitrosylation of proteins, was also suppressed more extensively by puerarin than losartan. In conclusion, these data provide for the first time the potential mechanism to support the use of puerarin in the treatment of early diabetic nephropathy.
Pilot Study of Oral Silibinin, a Putative Chemopreventive Agent, in Colorectal Cancer Patients: Silibinin Levels in Plasma, Colorectum, and Liver and Their Pharmacodynamic Consequences

Silibinin, a flavonolignan from milk thistle, has intestinal cancer chemopreventive efficacy in rodents. It is a strong antioxidant and modulates the insulin-like growth factor (IGF) system by increasing circulating levels of IGF-binding protein 3 (IGFBP-3) and decreasing levels of IGF-I. Here, the hypothesis was tested that administration of oral silibinin generates agent levels in human blood and colorectal and hepatic tissues consistent with pharmacologic activity. Patients with confirmed colorectal adenocarcinoma received silibinin formulated with phosphatidylcholine (silipide) at dosages of 360, 720, or 1,440 mg silibinin daily for 7 days. Blood and biopsy samples of normal and malignant colorectum or liver were obtained before dosing, and blood and colorectal or hepatic tissues were collected at resection surgery after the final silipide dose. Levels of silibinin were quantified by high-pressure liquid chromatography-UV, and plasma metabolites were identified by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Blood levels of IGFBP-3, IGF-I, and the oxidative DNA damage pyrimidopurinone adduct of deoxyguanosine (M1dG) were determined. Repeated administration of silipide was safe and achieved levels of silibinin of 0.3 to 4 μmol/L in the plasma, 0.3 to 2.5 nmol/g tissue in the liver, and 20 to 141 nmol/g tissue in colorectal tissue. Silibinin monoglucuronide, silibinin diglucuronide, silibinin monosulfate, and silibinin glucuronide sulfate were identified in the plasma. Intervention with silipide did not affect circulating levels of IGFBP-3, IGF-I, or M1dG. The high silibinin levels achieved in the human colorectal mucosa after consumption of safe silibinin doses support its further exploration as a potential human colorectal cancer chemopreventive agent.
Differential effects of single versus repeated alcohol withdrawal on the expression of endocannabinoid system-related genes in the rat amygdala.

BACKGROUND Endogenous cannabinoids such as anandamide and 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG) exert important regulatory influences on neuronal signaling, participate in short- and long-term forms of neuroplasticity, and modulate stress responses and affective behavior in part through the modulation of neurotransmission in the amygdala. Alcohol consumption alters brain endocannabinoid levels, and alcohol dependence is associated with dysregulated amygdalar function, stress responsivity, and affective control. METHODS The consequence of long-term alcohol consumption on the expression of genes related to endocannabinoid signaling was investigated using quantitative RT-PCR analyses of amygdala tissue. Two groups of ethanol (EtOH)-exposed rats were generated by maintenance on an EtOH liquid diet (10%): the first group received continuous access to EtOH for 15 days, whereas the second group was given intermittent access to the EtOH diet (5 d/wk for 3 weeks). Control subjects were maintained on an isocaloric EtOH-free liquid diet. To provide an initial profile of acute withdrawal, amygdala tissue was harvested following either 6 or 24 hours of EtOH withdrawal. RESULTS Acute EtOH withdrawal was associated with significant changes in mRNA expression for various components of the endogenous cannabinoid system in the amygdala. Specifically, reductions in mRNA expression for the primary clearance routes for anandamide and 2-AG (fatty acid amide hydrolase [FAAH] and monoacylglycerol lipase [MAGL], respectively) were evident, as were reductions in mRNA expression for CB(1) , CB(2) , and GPR55 receptors. Although similar alterations in FAAH mRNA were evident following either continuous or intermittent EtOH exposure, alterations in MAGL and cannabinoid receptor-related mRNA (e.g., CB(1) , CB(2) , GPR55) were more pronounced following intermittent exposure. In general, greater withdrawal-associated deficits in mRNA expression were evident following 24 versus 6 hours of withdrawal. No significant changes in mRNA expression for enzymes involved in 2-AG biosynthesis (e.g., diacylglicerol lipase-α/β) were found in any condition. CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest that EtOH dependence and withdrawal are associated with dysregulated endocannabinoid signaling in the amygdala. These alterations may contribute to withdrawal-related dysregulation of amygdalar neurotransmission.
Changes in the Essential Oil Composition in the Needles of Scots Pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) Under Anthropogenic Stress

Unfavorable anthropogenic factors, such as air pollution, lead to biochemical responses in trees. Changes in the amounts of secondary metabolites may be early indicators of invisible injuries. The aim of this study was to evaluate composition of the essential oils in the needles of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) growing in the areas affected by pollutant emissions of main factories in Lithuania: a nitrogen fertilizer factory (NFF), a cement factory (CF), and an oil refinery (OR). Totally, 14 pine stands were examined along transects from the factories (July 2005). Volatile components of the needles were extracted and analyzed by GC and GC/MS. Over 70 components of the essential oils were identified in current-year and 1-year-old needles. Along the CF transect for current-year needles, the percentage of diterpenes was decreasing with the increasing pH of the pine bark (r = -0.582; p < 0.05) or with the increasing concentration of SO2 (r = -0.573; p < 0.05); for 1-year-old needles, the percentage of diterpenes was decreasing with the increasing pH of the bark (r = -0.534; p < 0.05). Along the OR transect, in both the current-year and 1-year-old needles, the percentage of diterpenes was decreasing with the increasing SO2 (respectively, r = -0.773; p < 0.01; r = -0.486; p < 0.05); an opposite relation was true for sesquiterpenes (respectively, r = -0.751; p < 0.01; r = 0.785; p < 0.01). The view was different along the NFF transect. For current-year needles, the percentage of monoterpenes was decreasing with the increasing NH3 (r = -0.669; p < 0.01); while the percentage of sesquiterpenes or oxysesquiterpenes was increasing with the increasing NH3 (respectively, r = 0.540; p < 0.05 and r = 0.688; p < 0.01). For each transect, cluster analysis of the percentages of components of essential oils in the needles allowed us to distinguish the most contrasting stands according to the concentration of air pollutants. Current-year needles were more effective as indicators of the effects of pollution than 1-year-old needles in the case of the NFF and the OR transects, and both-aged needles were equally valuable in the case of the CF transect. The changes detected in the proportions of components of the essential oils in the needles of the trees affected by the industrial emissions may play a significant role in modifying the susceptibility of the pine stands to the biotic factors, and also may alter emissions of terpenes from the stands to the atmosphere.
Low-Latency Reweighted Belief Propagation Decoding for LDPC Codes

In this paper we propose a novel message passing algorithm which exploits the existence of short cycles to obtain performance gains by reweighting the factor graph. The proposed decoding algorithm is called variable factor appearance probability belief propagation (VFAP-BP) algorithm and is suitable for wireless communications applications with low-latency and short blocks. Simulation results show that the VFAP-BP algorithm outperforms the standard BP algorithm, and requires a significantly smaller number of iterations when decoding either general or commercial LDPC codes.
Improvement in glottic visualisation by using the C-MAC PM video laryngoscope as a first-line device for out-of-hospital emergency tracheal intubation: An observational study

BACKGROUND Out-of-hospital tracheal intubation is associated with life-threatening complications. To date, no study has compared direct and video laryngoscopic views simultaneously in the same patients in an out-of-hospital setting. OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to determine the effect of C-MAC PM video laryngoscope on laryngeal view, compared with direct laryngoscopy, and to estimate possible consequences for patient safety. DESIGN An observational, single-centre study. SETTING Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) ‘CHRISTOPH 22’, Ulm, Germany. PATIENTS Two-hundrend and twenty-eight emergency patients undergoing airway management out of hospital. INTERVENTIONS Laryngoscopy and tracheal intubation using C-MAC PM video laryngoscope. For all intubations, the HEMS physician used CMAC PM as the first-line device and performed an initial direct laryngoscopy followed by a video laryngoscopy, without changing the laryngoscope blade. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES The difference in laryngeal view was recorded as well as the number of intubation attempts along with the success rate and difficulties in airway management. Improvement in glottic visualisation from Cormack and Lehane grade III/IV to I/II was rated as being clinically relevant. RESULTS During a 20-month study period, a total of 228 out-of-hospital emergency patients requiring tracheal intubation were included. The overall success rate in securing the airway was 100%. For 226 patients (99.1%), tracheal intubation was successful with two or fewer attempts. For comparison of direct and indirect laryngoscopic views, five patients were excluded because of the use of an indirect laryngoscope blade. Of 223 patients, 120 had a glottic view rated as Cormack and Lehane grade II to IV with direct laryngoscopy; in these patients, visualisation of the glottis was significantly improved with the C-MAC PM video laryngoscope (P < 0.001). In 56 patients (25.1%), improvement of glottic visualisation was clinically relevant (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION Use of the C-MAC PM video laryngoscope is associated with improved visualisation of the glottis according to the Cormack and Lehane grading system and an excellent success rate for out-of-hospital tracheal intubation. These results suggest that the use of C-MAC PM as a first-line device for tracheal intubation by out-of-hospital emergency medical services is a safe procedure.
Pathogenic Mechanisms of Alzheimer's Disease Analyzed in the APP23 Transgenic Mouse Model

Abstract: APP23 transgenic mice overexpress human APP with the Swedish double mutation. The mice start to develop amyloid plaque pathology at about six months of age, followed somewhat later by vascular amyloid deposits. Plaques are mostly of the compact type and increase exponentially during aging. Female mice show a slightly more rapid Ab plaque deposition than do male animals. Associated with the amyloid are inflammatory reactions, neuritic and synaptic degeneration as well as tau hyperphosphorylation. Older mice have a reduced cholinergic fiber length and a reduced neuron number in the hippocampal CA1 region. Crossbreeding with transgenic mice expressing human presenilin 1 carrying Alzheimer's disease‐linked mutations lead to an enhancement of the pathology. The APP23 line is a suitable model to analyze the contribution of APP, Ab, and amyloid to the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease.
Hypoxanthine as a Measurement of Hypoxia

Extract: The hypoxanthine concentration in plasma was found to be a sensitive parameter of hypoxia of the fetus and the newborn infant.The plasma level of hypoxanthine in the umbilical cord in 29 newborn infants with normal delivery varied between 0 and 11.0 μmol/liter with a mean of 5.8 μmol/liter, SD 3.0 μmol/liter.Compared with this reference group the hypoxanthine concentration in plasma of the umbilical cord in 10 newborn infants with clinical signs of intrauterine hypoxia during labor was found to be significantly higher, with a range of 11.0—61.5 μnmol/liter, with a mean of 25.0 mu;umol/liter, SD 18.0 μmol/liter.The plasma level of hypoxanthine in two premature babies developing an idiopatic respiratory distress syndrome was monitored. The metabolite was found to be considerably increased, in one of them more than 24 hr after a period of hypoxia necessitating artificial ventilation.The hypoxanthine level in plasma of umbilical arterial blood was followed about 2 hr postpartum in three newborn infants with clinical signs of intrauterine hypoxia. The decrease of the plasma concentration of the metabolite seemed to be with a constant velocity, as it was about 10 μmol/liter/hr in these cases.A new method was used for the determination of hypoxanthine in plasma, based on the principle that PO2 decreased when hypoxanthine is oxidized to uric acid.Speculation: These preliminary results indicate that the hypoxanthine concentration in plasma is a sensitive parameter of hypoxia. It is expected that this metabolite will express the degree of hypoxia quantitatively and regardless of the etiology of the hypoxia. The excretion of hypoxanthine and other purine metabolites in urine might also have diagnostic value.
Signaling to the Nucleus by an L-type Calcium Channel-Calmodulin Complex Through the MAP Kinase Pathway

Increases in the intracellular concentration of calcium ([Ca2+]i) activate various signaling pathways that lead to the expression of genes that are essential for dendritic development, neuronal survival, and synaptic plasticity. The mode of Ca2+ entry into a neuron plays a key role in determining which signaling pathways are activated and thus specifies the cellular response to Ca2+. Ca2+ influx through L-type voltage-activated channels (LTCs) is particularly effective at activating transcription factors such as CREB and MEF-2. We developed a functional knock-in technique to investigate the features of LTCs that specifically couple them to the signaling pathways that regulate gene expression. We found that an isoleucine-glutamine (“IQ”) motif in the carboxyl terminus of the LTC that binds Ca2+-calmodulin (CaM) is critical for conveying the Ca2+ signal to the nucleus. Ca2+-CaM binding to the LTC was necessary for activation of the Ras/mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway, which conveys local Ca2+ signals from the mouth of the LTC to the nucleus. CaM functions as a local Ca2+ sensor at the mouth of the LTC that activates the MAPK pathway and leads to the stimulation of genes that are essential for neuronal survival and plasticity.
A comparison and analysis of genetic algorithm and particle swarm optimization using neural network models for high efficiency solar cell fabrication processes

In this paper, statistical experimental design is used to characterize the surface texturing and emitter diffusion formation processes for high-performance silicon solar cells. The output characteristics considered are reflectance, sheet resistance, diffusion depth, and cell efficiency. The influence of each parameters affected to efficiency is investigated through the main effect and interaction analysis. Sequential neural network process models are constructed to characterize the entire 3-step process. In the sequential scheme, each work cell sub-process is modeled individually, and each sub-process model is linked to previous sub-process outputs and subsequent sub-process inputs. These neural network models are used for process optimization using both genetic algorithms and particle swarm optimization to maximize cell efficiency. The optimized efficiency found via particle swarm optimization showed better performance than optimized efficiency found via genetic algorithms.
Grouping and Short-Term Memory: Different Means and Patterns of Grouping

Two experiments, concerned with the improving effects of grouping on auditory short-term memory, are described. In the first, temporal grouping was found to improve recall considerably, but non-temporal grouping had a much smaller effect. Temporal grouping reduced the order errors more than other errors; it also changed the pattern of the order errors. Further, it altered the shape of the serial position curve of all errors. In the second experiment, irregular patterns of temporal grouping were found to be inferior to a regular pattern. The results are discussed in terms of the time available for processing previous items during the presentation of a sequence, and the form that this processing may take.
Linear Degrees of Freedom of Full-Duplex Cellular Networks with Reconfigurable Antennas

We derive the linear degrees of freedom (DoF) of a cellular network without channel state information at the transmit sides in which the base station operates in a full-duplex mode, and the base station and users are equipped with reconfigurable antennas which can switch among their preset modes. To derive an inner- bound, we propose an achievable scheme to align interferences from uplink users to downlink users via preset mode switching of reconfigurable antennas. The key concept of our scheme is to align the interfering signals of uplink transmission at the downlink users, through the identical preset mode pattern over the multiple of downlink transmissions and silences of the base station. We also develop an outer- bound on the linear sum DoF of the cellular network, which matches up with the inner-bound.
Stability of feature selection algorithms and its influence on prediction accuracy in biomedical datasets

Feature selection techniques become significant part of many bioinformatics and biomedical applications. Choosing the important features is essential for biomarker discovery, provide better understanding of the data and potentially improve prediction performance. However, as the number of samples in dataset is small, the feature selection tends to be unstable. In this paper, the stability of five popular feature selection techniques is compared and analyzed when original dataset is perturbed by adding, removing or simply resampling the original observations. Next, the feature selection techniques are used as filter prior to AdaBoost classifier and their influence on classification accuracy and Mathews correlation coefficient is compared.
Development of particle standards for testing explosive detection systems: characterization of the adhesion forces between composition 4 particles and polyethylene

A method has been developed to study the adhesion of particles on a surface and the gas velocity needed to overcome the adhesion and dislodge the particle from the surface. Experiments have been performed to determine the minimum detachment velocity for particles deposited on a surface by gravitational settling and by finger print transfer. Particles of Arizona road dust and SiO2 were deposited on smooth, and frosted glass for the study. In addition, composition-4 particles transferred via finger print onto polyethylene films were also studied. Results indicate that gas velocities in the 1 - 100 m/s range were needed to detach particles in the 10 - 300 micrometers range from these surfaces. Generally, the larger the particle size, the lower is the detachment velocity. Particles transferred via finger print were found to adhere to surfaces more tightly than similar particles deposited by gravitational settling, and surface roughness tend to decrease the detachment velocity.