Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Pentraxin-3 and the Right Ventricle: The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis–Right Ventricle Study

Pentraxin-3 (PTX3) is a protein mediator of innate immunity that is elevated in the setting of left heart disease and pulmonary arterial hypertension. The relationship between PTX3 and right ventricular (RV) structure and function is not known. We included men and women with magnetic resonance imaging assessment of RV structure and function and measurement of PTX3 from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis, a study of individuals free of clinical cardiovascular disease. Multivariable linear regression estimated associations between PTX3 protein levels and RV measures after adjusting for demographic characteristics, anthropometrics, smoking status, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and corresponding left ventricular (LV) parameters. Instrumental variable analysis exploiting Mendelian randomization was attempted using two-stage least squares regression. The study sample included 1,779 participants with available PTX3 levels, RV measures, and all covariables. Mean PTX3 level was 2.1 ng/mL. Higher PTX3 was independently associated with greater RV mass and larger RV end-diastolic volume with and without adjustment for the corresponding LV parameters or C-reactive protein (all P < .05). There was no association between PTX3 and RV ejection fraction or stroke volume. Single-nucleotide polymorphisms were not associated with PTX3 protein levels or RV measures after accounting for race. Instrumental variable analysis could not be reliably performed. Higher PTX3 protein levels were associated with greater RV mass and larger RV end-diastolic volume. These associations were independent of common cardiovascular risk factors and LV morphologic changes. Inflammation is associated with differences in the pulmonary circulation-RV axis in adults without clinical cardiovascular disease.
Aldosterone receptor antagonists: current perspectives and therapies

Aldosterone is a downstream effector of angiotensin II in the renin–angiotensin–aldosterone system and binds to the mineralocorticoid receptor. The classical view of aldosterone primarily acting at the level of the kidneys to regulate plasma potassium and intravascular volume status is being supplemented by evidence of new “off-target” effects of aldosterone in other organ systems. The genomic effects of aldosterone are well known, but there is also evidence for non-genomic effects and these recently identified effects of aldosterone have required a revision in the traditional view of aldosterone’s role in human health and disease. The aim of this article is to review the biological action of aldosterone and the mineralocorticoid receptor leading to subsequent physiologic and pathophysiologic effects involving the vasculature, central nervous system, heart, and kidneys. Furthermore, we outline current evidence evaluating the use of mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists in the treatment of primary aldosteronism, primary hypertension, resistant hypertension, obstructive sleep apnea, heart failure, and chronic kidney disease.
Distinction of seropositive NMO spectrum disorder and MS brain lesion distribution

Objective: Neuromyelitis optica and its spectrum disorder (NMOSD) can present similarly to relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). Using a quantitative lesion mapping approach, this research aimed to identify differences in MRI brain lesion distribution between aquaporin-4 antibody–positive NMOSD and RRMS, and to test their diagnostic potential. Methods: Clinical brain MRI sequences for 44 patients with aquaporin-4 antibody–positive NMOSD and 50 patients with RRMS were examined for the distribution and morphology of brain lesions. T2 lesion maps were created for each subject allowing the quantitative comparison of the 2 conditions with lesion probability and voxel-wise analysis. Results: Sixty-three percent of patients with NMOSD had brain lesions and of these 27% were diagnostic of multiple sclerosis. Patients with RRMS were significantly more likely to have lesions adjacent to the body of the lateral ventricle than patients with NMOSD. Direct comparison of the probability distributions and the morphologic attributes of the lesions in each group identified criteria of “at least 1 lesion adjacent to the body of the lateral ventricle and in the inferior temporal lobe; or the presence of a subcortical U-fiber lesion; or a Dawson's finger-type lesion,” which could distinguish patients with multiple sclerosis from those with NMOSD with 92% sensitivity, 96% specificity, 98% positive predictive value, and 86% negative predictive value. Conclusion: Careful inspection of the distribution and morphology of MRI brain lesions can distinguish RRMS and NMOSD.
Urine Antigen Detection as an Aid to Diagnose Invasive Aspergillosis

Background Establishing rapid diagnoses of invasive aspergillosis (IA) is a priority tests that detect galactomannan and β-d-glucan are available, but are technically cumbersome and rely on invasive sampling (blood or bronchoalveolar lavage). Methods We optimized a lateral flow dipstick assay using the galactofuranose-specific monoclonal antibody (mAb476), which recognizes urine antigens after Aspergillus fumigatus pulmonary infection in animals. Urine samples were obtained from a cohort of 78 subjects undergoing evaluation for suspected invasive fungal infections, and stored frozen until testing. Urine was processed by centrifugation through desalting columns and exposed to dipsticks. Reviewers blinded to clinical diagnoses graded results. Western blots were performed on urine samples from 2 subjects to characterize mAb476-reactive antigens. Results Per-patient sensitivity and specificity for diagnosis of proven or probable IA in the overall cohort was 80% (95% confidence interval [CI], 61.4%-92.3%) and 92% (95% CI, 74%-99%), respectively. In the subgroup with cancer, sensitivity was 89.5% (95% CI, 66.7%-98.7%) and specificity was 90.9% (95% CI, 58.7%-99.8%); among all others, sensitivity and specificity were 63.6% (95% CI, 30.8%-89.1%) and 92.9% (95% CI, 66.1%-99.8%), respectively. Eliminating lung transplant recipients with airway disease increased sensitivity in the noncancer cohort (85.7% [95% CI, 42.1%-99.6%]). Semiquantitative urine assay results correlated with serum galactomannan indices. Western blots demonstrated mAb476-reactive antigens in urine from cases, ranging between 26 kDa and 35 kDa in size. Conclusions Urine testing using mAb476 may be used as an aid to diagnose IA in high-risk patients.
The pursuit of HR outsourcing in an emerging economy: The effects of HRM strategy on HR labour costs

The study examines the relationships among six types of HRM strategies with three categories of outsourcing HR activities to reduce HR labour costs. The data were gathered from a survey questionnaire of 232 manufacturing organizations of which 113 organizations engaged with HR outsourcing. We found that no organization outsourced transformational HR functions and that organizations that espouse cost efficiency, commitment, and conventional HRM strategies tend to outsource traditional HR functions, whereas quality conscious and commitment HRM strategies tend to outsource transactional HR functions. Transactional and traditional HR functions show a significant relationship with a reduction in HR labour costs. Copyright © 2016 ASAC. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Racial/ethnic and socioeconomic differences in short-term breast cancer survival among women in an integrated health system.

OBJECTIVES We examined the combined influence of race/ethnicity and neighborhood socioeconomic status (SES) on short-term survival among women with uniform access to health care and treatment. METHODS Using electronic medical records data from Kaiser Permanente Northern California linked to data from the California Cancer Registry, we included 6262 women newly diagnosed with invasive breast cancer. We analyzed survival using multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression with follow-up through 2010. RESULTS After consideration of tumor stage, subtype, comorbidity, and type of treatment received, non-Hispanic White women living in low-SES neighborhoods (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.28; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.07, 1.52) and African Americans regardless of neighborhood SES (high SES: HR = 1.44; 95% CI = 1.01, 2.07; low SES: HR = 1.88; 95% CI = 1.42, 2.50) had worse overall survival than did non-Hispanic White women living in high-SES neighborhoods. Results were similar for breast cancer-specific survival, except that African Americans and non-Hispanic Whites living in high-SES neighborhoods had similar survival. CONCLUSIONS Strategies to address the underlying factors that may influence treatment intensity and adherence, such as comorbidities and logistical barriers, should be targeted at low-SES non-Hispanic White and all African American patients.
Three-year outcomes of the surgery for trichiasis, antibiotics to prevent recurrence trial.

OBJECTIVE To determine whether treatment with oral azithromycin compared with topical tetracycline reduces the recurrence of trichiasis for up to 3 years following surgery for trichiasis. METHODS The Surgery for Trichiasis, Antibiotics to Prevent Recurrence (STAR) trial is a randomized, single-masked, clinical trial conducted in southern Ethiopia, a region where trachoma is hyperendemic. A total of 1452 patients who underwent trichiasis surgery were randomly assigned at a 2:1 ratio to either a single dose of oral azithromycin (1 g) or topical tetracycline (twice per day for 6 weeks) following surgery. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Recurrence of trichiasis within 3 years following surgery. RESULTS The rate of recurrence was 10% in the azithromycin group and 13% in the tetracycline group. The azithromycin group had a 22% reduction in recurrence of trichiasis 3 years after surgery compared with the tetracycline group (P = .13). Severity of entropion at baseline was the most significant predictor of recurrence of trichiasis at 3 years. CONCLUSION Trichiasis recurrence rates in the STAR trial remained low for up to 3 years following surgery. The protective effect of a single dose of azithromycin was less than at 1 year and, although not statistically significant, was still suggestive up to 3 years following trichiasis surgery. APPLICATION TO CLINICAL PRACTICE A single dose of azithromycin after surgery remains an integral component of the World Health Organization's strategy for the elimination of trachoma by the year 2020.
Effects of ovarian failure and X-chromosome deletion on body composition and insulin sensitivity in young women

Objective: Menopause is associated with increased visceral adiposity and reduced insulin sensitivity. It remains unclear whether these changes are due primarily to ovarian failure or aging. The aim of this study was to clarify the impact of ovarian failure on body composition and insulin sensitivity in young women. Design: In a cross-sectional study, we compared main outcome measures (body mass index, body composition by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry, and insulin sensitivity by Quantitative Insulin Sensitivity Check Index) in three groups: women with 46,XX premature ovarian failure (POF), women with premature ovarian failure associated with 45,X or Turner syndrome (TS), and normal control women (NC). Participants were enrolled in National Institutes of Health Clinical Center protocols between years 2000 and 2005. Results: Mean body mass index (±SD) was lower in women with POF (n = 398): 24.3 ± 5 kg/m2 versus 27.8 ± 7 for women with TS (n = 131) and 26.6 ± 4 for controls (n = 73) (both P < 0.001). Only 33% of women with POF were overweight or obese, compared with 56% of those with TS and 67% of NC women (P < 0.0001 for both). Despite less obesity, women with POF had lower insulin sensitivity (0.367 ± 0.03) compared with those with TS (0.378 ± 0.03, P = 0.003) and NC women (0.376 ± 0.03, P = 0.04). In groups selected for similar age and body mass index, women with POF (n = 89), women with TS (n = 48), and NC women (n = 40) had similar total body and trunk adiposity. After adjustment for age and truncal adiposity, women with POF had significantly lower insulin sensitivity than women with TS (P = 0.03) and NC women (P = 0.049). Conclusions: In contrast to observations in middle-aged postmenopausal women, ovarian failure in young women is not associated with increased total or central adiposity. In fact, women with TS were similar to NC women, whereas women with POF were leaner. The lower insulin sensitivity observed in women with POF deserves further investigation.
Serum vitamin D concentration and prostate cancer risk: a nested case-control study.

BACKGROUND Epidemiological studies have yielded inconsistent associations between vitamin D status and prostate cancer risk, and few studies have evaluated whether the associations vary by disease aggressiveness. We investigated the association between vitamin D status, as determined by serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] level, and risk of prostate cancer in a case-control study nested within the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian (PLCO) Cancer Screening Trial. METHODS The study included 749 case patients with incident prostate cancer who were diagnosed 1-8 years after blood draw and 781 control subjects who were frequency matched by age at cohort entry, time since initial screening, and calendar year of cohort entry. All study participants were selected from the trial screening arm (which includes annual standardized prostate cancer screening). Conditional logistic regression was used to estimate adjusted odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) by quintile of season-standardized serum 25(OH)D concentration. Statistical tests were two-sided. RESULTS No statistically significant trend in overall prostate cancer risk was observed with increasing season-standardized serum 25(OH)D level. However, serum 25(OH)D concentrations greater than the lowest quintile (Q1) were associated with increased risk of aggressive (Gleason sum > or = 7 or clinical stage III or IV) disease (in a model adjusting for matching factors, study center, and history of diabetes, ORs for Q2 vs Q1 = 1.20, 95% CI = 0.80 to 1.81, for Q3 vs Q1 =1.96, 95% CI = 1.34 to 2.87, for Q4 vs Q1 = 1.61, 95% CI = 1.09 to 2.38, and for Q5 vs Q1 = 1.37, 95% CI = 0.92 to 2.05; P(trend) = . 05). The rates of aggressive prostate cancer for increasing quintiles of serum 25(OH)D were 406, 479, 780, 633, and 544 per 100 000 person-years. In exploratory analyses, these associations with aggressive disease were consistent across subgroups defined by age, family history of prostate cancer, diabetes, body mass index, vigorous physical activity, calcium intake, study center, season of blood collection, and assay batch. CONCLUSION The findings of this large prospective study do not support the hypothesis that vitamin D is associated with decreased risk of prostate cancer; indeed, higher circulating 25(OH)D concentrations may be associated with increased risk of aggressive disease.
Learning in the Target Prevalence Effect

Rare or low prevalence targets are detected less well than counterparts that occur with higher probability. It stands to reason, though, that before such a deficit is apparent, information about a given target’s probability of occurrence must be apprehended. In this study, we investigated how much target experience is necessary for target probabilities to be fully acquired and established within mental task representations. A central finding was that different target probability values required approximately the same amount of target sampling to learn. This was true whether learning about target probabilities from a naive start-point (Experiment 1) or when recalibrating from one probability value to another (Experiment 2). We discuss these findings in relation to how mental task representations are modified when new task-relevant information is received and the attentional consequences of such changes.
Descriptive Analysis on Flouting and Hedging of Conversational Maxims in the “Post Grad” Movie

This research is focused on analyzing flouting and hedging of conversational maxim of utterances used by the main characters in “Post Grad” movie. Conversational maxims are the rules of cooperative principle categorized into four categories; Maxim of Quality, Maxim of Quantity, Maxim of Relevance, and Maxim of Manner . If these maxims are used in conversations, the conversations can go smoothly. However, people often break the maxims overtly (flouting maxim) and sometimes break the maxims secretly (hedging maxims) when they make a conversation. This research is conducted using descriptive qualitative method based on the theory known as Grice’s Maxims. The data are in form of utterances used by the characters in “Post Grad” movie. The data analysis reveals some finding covering the formulated research question. The maxims are flouted when the speaker breaks some conversational maxims when using the utterances in the form of rhetorical strategies, such as tautology, metaphor, hyperbole, irony, and rhetorical question. On the other hand, conversational maxims are also hedged when the information is not totally accurate or unclearly stated but seems informative, well-founded, and relevant.
LOGARITHMICALLY EFFICIENT ESTIMATION OF THE TAIL OF THE MULTIVARIATE NORMAL DISTRIBUTION

Simulation from the tail of the multivariate normal density has numerous applications in statistics and operations research. Unfortunately, there is no simple formula for the cumulative distribution function of the multivariate normal law, and simulation from its tail can frequently only be approximate. In this article we present an asymptotically efficient Monte Carlo estimator for quantities related to the tail of the multivariate normal distribution. The estimator leverages upon known asymptotic approximations. In addition, we generalize the notion of asymptotic efficiency of Monte Carlo estimators of rare-event probabilities to the sampling properties of Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithms. Regarding these new notions, we propose a simple and practical Markov chain sampler for the normal tail that is asymptotically optimal. We then give a numerical example from finance that illustrates the benefits of an asymptotically efficient Markov chain Monte Carlo sampler.
Potential for spatial displacement of Cook Inlet beluga whales by anthropogenic noise in critical habitat

Beluga whales Delphinapterus leucas in Cook Inlet, Alaska, USA, are a genetically distinct and geographically isolated population that remains year-round in the inlet (O’Corry-Crowe et al. 1997, Laidre et al. 2000, Rugh et al. 2000). Counts from aerial surveys indicate that the abundance of this population declined by nearly half, from 653 to 347 whales in the 4 yr between 1994 and 1998. The rapid decline was attributed to a substantial and unregulated subsistence hunt, and although subsistence hunts have been regulated since 1999, Cook Inlet belugas were designated as depleted in 2000 and listed as endangered in 2008. In 2011, 7800 km2 of marine waters were designated as critical habitat, composed of 2 areas: Area 1, 1909
Level set method for segmentation of infrared breast thermograms

Breast thermography is a physiological test that provides information based on the temperature changes in breast. It records the temperature distribution of a body using the infrared radiation emitted by the surface of that body. Precancerous tissue and the area around a cancerous tumor have higher temperature due to angiogenesis, and higher chemical and blood vessel activity than a normal breast; hence breast thermography has potential to detect early abnormal changes in breast tissues. It can detect the first sign of forming up cancer before mammography can detect. The thermal information can be shown in a pseudo colored image where each color represents a specific range of temperature. Various methods can be applied to extract hot regions for detecting suspected regions of interests in the breast infrared images and potentially suspicious tissues. Image segmentation techniques can play an important role to segment and extract these regions in the breast infrared images. Shape, size and borders of the hottest regions of the images can help to determine features which are used to detect abnormalities. In this paper, three image segmentation methods: k-means, fuzzy c-means and level set are discussed and compared. These three methods are tested for different cases such as fibrocystic, inflammatory cancer cases. The hottest regions of thermal breast images in all cases are extracted and compared to the original images. According to the results, level set method is a more accurate approach and has potential to extract almost exact shape of tumors.
The Mystery of the Mozart Effect: Failure to Replicate

The Mozart effect is the purported increase in spatial-reasoning performance immediately after exposure to a Mozart piano sonata. Several laboratories have been unable to confirm the existence of the effect despite two positive reports from the original laboratory. The authors of the original studies have provided a list of key procedural components to produce the effect. This experiment attempted to produce a Mozart effect by following those procedural instructions and replicating the procedure of one of the original positive reports. The experiment failed to produce either a statistically significant Mozart effect or an effect size suggesting practical significance. This general lack of effect is consistent with previous work by other investigators. We conclude that there is little evidence to support basing intellectual intervention programs on the existence of the Mozart effect.
Social networks, cooperative breeding, and the human milk microbiome

We present the first available data on the human milk microbiome (HMM) from small‐scale societies (hunter‐gatherers and horticulturalists in the Central African Republic [CAR]) and explore relationships among subsistence type and seasonality on HMM diversity and composition. Additionally, as humans are cooperative breeders and, throughout our evolutionary history and today, we rear offspring within social networks, we examine associations between the social environment and the HMM. Childrearing and breastfeeding exist in a biosocial nexus, which we hypothesize influences the HMM.
Does morphology play a role in L2 processing? Evidence from inflectional and derivational priming with Greek speakers of English

In the domain of bilingual/second language processing, the existence and exact role of linking representations in the organisation of the lexicon summarizes the questioning of a large body of psycholinguistic research over the last years. According to Bybee (1985; 1988), morphology is the factor that clusters the (monolingual) lexicon and this organisation transcends languages. Such an organisation would have deep implications for second language acquisition and would therefore be reflected in bilingual online processing. Indeed, recent psycholinguistic literature investigates L2 processing with various methodologies among which masked priming is a privileged technique. From studies examining the role of morphology on cognate and non-cognate processing, with protocols in which both languages of the bilingual are presented, under same-script (e.g. Spanish-Catalan, Sanchez-Casas & Garcia-Albea, 2005; Dunabeitia, Dimitropoulou, Morris & Diependaele, in press) or cross-script conditions (ex. Greek-French: Voga & Grainger, 2007; Voga 2005; Voga & Anastassiadis-Symeonidis 2012), research shows growing interest for L2 processing in advanced learners and bilinguals.