Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Serum Proenkephalin A Levels and Mortality After Long-Term Follow-Up in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (ZODIAC-32)

Background Two previous studies concluded that proenkephalin A (PENK-A) had predictive capabilities for stroke severity, recurrent myocardial infarction, heart failure and mortality in patients with stroke and myocardial infarction. Objectives This study aimed to investigate the value of PENK-A as a biomarker for predicting mortality in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Methods Patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus were included from the prospective observational ZODIAC (Zwolle Outpatient Diabetes project Integrating Available Care) study. The present analysis incorporated two ZODIAC cohorts (1998 and 2001). Since blood was drawn for 1204 out of 1688 patients (71%), and information on relevant confounders was missing in 47 patients, the final sample comprised 1157 patients. Cox proportional hazard models were used for evaluating the relationship between PENK-A and (cardiovascular) mortality. Risk prediction capabilities were assessed with Harrell’s C statistics and the integrated discrimination improvement (IDI). Results After a follow-up period of 14 years, 525 (45%) out of 1157 patients had died, of which 224 (43%) were attributable to cardiovascular factors. Higher Log PENK-A levels were not independently associated with increased (cardiovascular) mortality. Patients with PENK-A values in the highest tertile had a 49% (95%CI 1%-121%) higher risk of cardiovascular mortality compared to patients in the reference category (lowest tertile). C-values were not different after removing PENK-A from the Cox models and there were no significant differences in IDI values. Conclusions The associations between PENK-A and mortality were strongly attenuated after accounting for all traditional risk factors. Furthermore, PENK-A did not seem to have additional value beyond conventional risk factors when predicting all-cause and cardiovascular mortality.
Lectin Pathway of Complement Activation Is Associated with Vulnerability of Atherosclerotic Plaques

Inflammatory mechanisms may be involved in atherosclerotic plaque rupture. By using a novel histology-based method to quantify plaque instability here, we assess whether lectin pathway (LP) of complement activation, a major inflammation arm, could represent an index of plaque instability. Plaques from 42 consecutive patients undergoing carotid endarterectomy were stained with hematoxylin-eosin and the lipid core, cholesterol clefts, hemorrhagic content, thickness of tunica media, and intima, including or not infiltration of cellular debris and cholesterol, were determined. The presence of ficolin-1, -2, and -3 and mannose-binding lectin (MBL), LP initiators, was assessed in the plaques by immunofluorescence and in plasma by ELISA. LP activation was assessed in plasma by functional in vitro assays. Patients presenting low stenosis (≤75%) had higher hemorrhagic content than those with high stenosis (>75%), indicating increased erosion. Increased hemorrhagic content and tunica media thickness, as well as decreased lipid core and infiltrated content were associated with vulnerable plaques and therefore used to establish a plaque vulnerability score that allowed to classify patients according to plaque vulnerability. Ficolins and MBL were found both in plaques’ necrotic core and tunica media. Patients with vulnerable plaques showed decreased plasma levels and intraplaque deposition of ficolin-2. Symptomatic patients experiencing a transient ischemic attack had lower plasma levels of ficolin-1. We show that the LP initiators are present within the plaques and their circulating levels change in atherosclerotic patients. In particular, we show that decreased ficolin-2 levels are associated with rupture-prone vulnerable plaques, indicating its potential use as marker for cardiovascular risk assessment in atherosclerotic patients.
A longitudinal investigation of information processing and cognitive organization in clinical depression: stability of schematic interconnectedness.

This study longitudinally investigated information processing and cognitive organization in clinical depression. The main hypothesis was that individuals whose depression had remitted would show a significant cognitive shift on information processing (e.g., deactivation of negative processing) but not on cognitive organizational tasks, Forty-five individuals with clinical depression completed 2 information processing and 2 cognitive organizational tasks at initial assessment. At 6-month follow-up, the sample (23 remitted, 22 stable depressed) was readministered the tasks. As expected, information processing shifted significantly in individuals who had improved symptomatically, whereas negative cognitive organizational indices remained stable. The implications of these results are discussed as they pertain to the cognitive vulnerability, maintenance, treatment, and recurrence of depression. Directions for future research are suggested.
Conceptual Metaphors: Ontology-based Representation and Corpora Driven Mapping Principles

The goal of this paper is to integrate the Conceptual Mapping Model with an ontology-based knowledge representation (i.e. Suggested Upper Merged Ontology (SUMO)) in order to demonstrate that conceptual metaphor analysis can be restricted and eventually, automated. In particular, we will propose a corpora-based operational definition for Mapping Principles, which are explanations of why a conventional conceptual metaphor has a particular source-target domain pairing. This paper will examine 2000 random examples of 'economy' (jingji) in Mandarin Chinese and postulate Mapping Principles based frequency and delimited with SUMO.
Decision Making under Ambiguity and Objective Risk in Higher Age – A Review on Cognitive and Emotional Contributions

The ability of decision making plays a highly relevant role in our survival, but is adversely affected during the process of aging. The present review aims to provide a better understanding of age-related differences in decision making and the role of cognitive and emotional factors in this context. We reviewed the literature about age-effects on decision-making performance, focusing on decision making under ambiguous and objective risk. In decisions under ambiguous risks, as measured by the Iowa Gambling Task, decisions are based on the experiences with consequences. In this case, many articles have attributed age-related impairments in decision making to changes in emotional and somatic reward- and punishment processing. In decisions under objective risks, as measured for example by the Game of Dice Task, decisions can be based on explicit information about risks and consequences. In this case, age-related changes have been attributed mainly to a cognitive decline, particularly impaired executive functions. However, recent findings challenge these conclusions. The present review summarizes neuropsychological and neurophysiological findings of age-related differences in decision making under ambiguous and objective risk. In this context, the relevance of learning, but also of cognitive and emotional contributors – responsible for age-related differences in decision making – are additionally pointed out.
Letter representations in writing: an fMRI adaptation approach

Behavioral and neuropsychological research in reading and spelling has provided evidence for the role of the following types of orthographic representations in letter writing: letter shapes, letter case, and abstract letter identities. We report on the results of an fMRI investigation designed to identify the neural substrates of these different representational types. Using an fMRI adaptation paradigm we examined the neural distribution of inhibition and release from inhibition in a letter-writing task in which, on every trial, participants produced three repetitions of the same letter and a fourth letter that was either identical to (no-change trial) or different from the previous three (change trial). Change trials involved a change in the shape, case, and/or identity of the letter. After delineating the general letter writing network by identifying areas that exhibited significant neural adaptation effects on no-change trials, we used deconvolution analysis to examine this network for effects of release from inhibition on change trials. In this way we identified regions specifically associated with the representation of letter shape (in the left SFS and SFG/pre-CG) and letter identity [in the left fusiform gyrus (FG)] or both [right cerebellum, left post-central gyrus (post-CG), and left middle frontal gyrus (MFG)]. No regions were associated with the representation of letter case. This study showcases an investigational approach that allows for the differentiation of the neurotopography of the representational types that are key to our ability to produce written language.
ANALYSIS OF A NONREVERSIBLE MARKOV CHAIN SAMPLER

We analyze the convergence to stationarity of a simple nonreversible Markov chain that serves as a model for several nonreversible Markov chain sampling methods that are used in practice. Our theoretical and numerical results show that nonreversibility can indeed lead to improvements over the diffusive behavior of simple Markov chain sampling schemes. The analysis uses both probabilistic techniques and an explicit diagonalization. 1. Introduction. Markov chain sampling methods are commonly used in statistics [33, 32], computer science [31], statistical mechanics [3] and quantum field theory [34, 23]. In all these fields, distributions are encountered that are difficult to sample from directly, but for which a Markov chain that converges to the distribution can easily be constructed. For many such methods (e.g., the Metropolis algorithm [25, 13], and the Gibbs sampler [17, 16] with a random scan) the Markov chain constructed is reversible. Some of these methods explore the distribution by means of a diffusive random walk. We use the term “diffusive” for processes like the ordinary random walk on a d-dimensional lattice which require time of order T 2 to travel distance T. Some other common methods, such as the Gibbs sampler with a systematic scan, use a Markov chain that is not reversible, but have diffusive behavior resembling that of a related reversible chain [30]. Some Markov chain methods attempt to avoid the inefficiencies of such diffusive exploration. The Hybrid Monte Carlo method [15] uses an elaborate Metropolis proposal that can make large changes to the state. In a variant of this method due to Horowitz [21], a similar effect is produced using a Markov chain that is carefully designed to be nonreversible. (See [34, 23, 27] for reviews of these methods.) The overrelaxation method [1] also employs a nonreversible Markov chain as a way of suppressing diffusive behavior, as discussed in [29]. In this paper, we analyze a nonreversible Markov chain that does a onedimensional walk, as an abstraction of these practical sampling methods, particularly that of Horowitz [21]. Gustafson [19] has also recently tried using adaptations of Horowitz’s method. We find that the nonreversible walk does indeed converge more rapidly than the usual simple random walk. We ana
A Th17- and Th2-skewed cytokine profile in cystic fibrosis lungs represents a potential risk factor for Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection.

RATIONALE Cystic fibrosis (CF) is characterized by progressive pulmonary inflammation that is infection-triggered. Pseudomonas aeruginosa represents a risk factor for deterioration of lung function and reduced life expectancy. OBJECTIVES To assess T-cell cytokine/chemokine production in clinically stable children with CF and evaluate the association between T-cell subtypes and susceptibility for infection with P. aeruginosa. METHODS T-cell cytokine/chemokine profiles were measured in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) from children with CF (n = 57; 6.1 ± 5.9 yr) and non-CF control subjects (n = 18; 5.9 ± 4.3 yr). Memory responses to Aspergillus fumigatus and P. aeruginosa were monitored. High-resolution computed tomography-based Helbich score was assessed. In a prospective observational trial the association between BALF cytokine/chemokine profiles and subsequent infection with P. aeruginosa was studied. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS Th1- (INF-γ), Th2- (IL-5, IL-13), Th17- (IL-17A), and Th17-related cytokines (IL-1β, IL-6) were significantly up-regulated in airways of patients with CF. IL-17A, IL-13, and IL-5 were significantly higher in BALF of symptomatic as compared with clinically asymptomatic patients with CF. IL-17A and IL-5 correlated with the percentage of neutrophils in BALF (r = 0.41, P < 0.05 and r = 0.46, P < 0.05, respectively). Th17- (IL-17A, IL-6, IL-1β, IL-8) and Th2-associated cytokines and chemokines (IL-5, IL-13, TARC/CCL17), but not IFN-γ levels, significantly correlated with high-resolution computed tomography changes (Helbich score; P < 0.05). P. aeruginosa- and A. fumigatus-specific T cells from patients with CF displayed significantly higher IL-5 and IL-17A mRNA expression. IL-17A and TARC/CCL17 were significantly augmented in patients that developed P. aeruginosa infection within 24 months. CONCLUSIONS We propose a role for Th17 and Th2 T cells in chronic inflammation in lungs of patients with CF. High concentrations of these cytokines/chemokines in CF airways precede infection with P. aeruginosa.
Evidence of Reperfusion Injury, Exacerbated by Thrombolytic Therapy, in Human Focal Brain Ischemia Using a Novel Imaging Marker of Early Blood–Brain Barrier Disruption

Loss of integrity of the blood–brain barrier (BBB) resulting from ischemia and reperfusion is a hypothesized precursor to hemorrhagic transformation (HT) and worse clinical outcome than would be expected from the beneficial effects of reperfusion. We used a novel magnetic resonance imaging marker to characterize early BBB disruption in acute focal brain ischemia and tested associations with reperfusion, HT, and poor outcome (modified Rankin score >2). The BBB disruption was evident as delayed gadolinium enhancement of cerebrospinal fluid space on fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) images and, for convenience, has been termed hyperintense acute reperfusion marker (HARM). HARM was found in 47 of 144 (33%) ischemic stroke patients. Reperfusion was found to be the strongest independent predictor of early BBB disruption (P=0.018) in multivariate analysis. HARM was associated with HT and worse clinical outcome (after adjustment for initial severity). It was also associated with more severe strokes at onset and greater age. Because the timing of the disruption was early enough (median estimate 3.8 hours from onset) to make it relevant to acute thrombolytic therapy, early BBB disruption as defined by HARM may be a promising target for adjunctive therapy to reduce the complications associated with thrombolytic therapy, broaden the therapeutic window, and improve clinical outcome.
Study of high quality spinel zinc gallate nanowires grown using CVD and ALD techniques

High quality single crystalline zinc gallate (ZnGa2O4) nanowires (NWs) were grown using a combination of chemical vapor deposition and atomic layer deposition techniques. Morphological, structural and optical investigations revealed the formation of Ga2O3–ZnO core–shell NWs and their conversion into ZnGa2O4 NWs after annealing via a solid state reaction. This material conversion was systematically confirmed for single NWs by various measurement techniques including scanning and transmission electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy and voltage-dependent cathodoluminescence. Moreover, a model system based on the obtained results has been provided explaining the formation mechanism of the ZnGa2O4 NWs.
Selection and Combustion of Ni-Hyperaccumulators for the Phytomining Process

Ni recovery from serpentine soils by phytomining has proved feasible. Phytomining involves the crop of hyperaccumulating plants with high Ni contents and the valorization of Ni by pyro or hydrometallurgical process. In order to evaluate the Ni content of different plants, we analyzed the organs of 14 hyperaccumulators from three genera: Alyssum, Leptoplax and Bornmuellera. The highest concentration was recorded in the leaves of Leptoplax (34.3 ± 0.7 mg g−1 DM). Additionally, we investigated biomass combustion which is the first step of the process we designed to obtain a nickel salt. We showed that temperature and duration were important parameters to ensure a good quality of ashes. At the bench scale, the best conditions were 550°C and 3 h. In this way, we obtained ashes in which Ni could reach 20 wt%. Biomass ashes can be considered as a bio-ore for recovering metal value.
Pro‐inflammatory and pro‐oxidant properties of the HIV protein Tat in a microglial cell line: attenuation by 17β‐estradiol

Microglia are activated in humans following infection with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and brain inflammation is thought to be involved in neuronal injury and dysfunction during HIV infection. Numerous studies indicate a role for the HIV regulatory protein Tat in HIV‐related inflammatory and neurodegenerative processes, although the specific effects of Tat on microglial activation, and the signal transduction mechanisms thereof, have not been elucidated. In the present study, we document the effects of Tat on microglial activation and characterize the signal transduction pathways responsible for Tat's pro‐inflammatory effects. Application of Tat to N9 microglial cells increased multiple parameters of microglial activation, including superoxide production, phagocytosis, nitric oxide release and TNFα release. Tat also caused activation of both p42/p44 mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) and NFκB pathways. Inhibitor studies revealed that Tat‐induced NFκB activation was responsible for increased nitrite release, while MAPK activation mediated superoxide release, TNFα release, and phagocytosis. Lastly, pre‐treatment of microglial cells with physiological concentrations of 17β‐estradiol suppressed Tat‐mediated microglial activation by interfering with Tat‐induced MAPK activation. Together, these data elucidate specific components of the microglial response to Tat and suggest that Tat could contribute to the neuropathology associated with HIV infection through microglial promulgation of oxidative stress.
Adaptive Selective Sidelobe Canceller Beamformer With Applications to Interference Mitigation in Radio Astronomy

Achieving better imaging of weak sources in the presence of strong interfering sources is a major challenge in various fields of signal processing, such as radio astronomy, SAR imaging, SONAR and wideband signal processing. We present a new algorithm for parameter estimation that can be implemented when a moving array is used. This adaptive beamformer can be employed in a variety of applications, such as radio astronomy with synthetic aperture arrays, SAR imaging, DOA estimation in towed array SONAR and wideband DOA estimation. Analytic performance analysis is provided together with simulations and tests on a new radio astronomy array. All these indicate a significant improvement compared to currently used filterbank techniques such as the MVDR, when strong interference is present, either inside or outside the field of view of the array. The latter case is especially important when directional antennas are used.
Combining early coagulation and inflammatory status improves prediction of mortality in burned and nonburned trauma patients.

BACKGROUND After injury, there is a synergistic response between inflammation and coagulation systems. We hypothesized that combining markers of these processes and standard clinical indices would improve early prediction of in- hospital mortality in burned and nonburned trauma patients. METHODS Patients admitted to the surgical or burn intensive care unit within 24 hours of injury with an anticipated stay >or=3 days were enrolled during a one year period. Upon admission, blood was drawn for thromboelastography, plasma-based clotting assays, and cytokine levels. Clinical indices and multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) scores were recorded. Candidate variables evaluated included age, percentage third degree burns, inhalation injury, percentage total body surface area burns, interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor alpha, interleukin-8, prothrombin time, partial thromboplastin time (PTT), maximal amplitude reflective of clot strength, group (burn or nonburn) and admission MODS. Multiple logistic regression with stepwise selection and likelihood ratio test was performed to identify predictors for mortality. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was constructed to assess the diagnostic performance of identified predictors. Validation of the model with an additional cohort was performed. RESULTS For model development, we enrolled 25 burned and 33 nonburned trauma patients (20 blunt and 13 penetrating injuries). Fifteen deaths occurred. Multiple logistic regression analysis identified six independent risk factors for death: age, percentage third degree burns, inhalation injury, tumor necrosis factor alpha level, maximal amplitude, and MODS score with an area under ROC curve of 0.961 (95% confidence interval: 0.891, 1.000, p < 0.05). The area under the ROC curve for the validation cohort (n = 66) was 0.936 (95% confidence interval: 0.875, 0.997, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION Our model improves prediction of in-hospital mortality in comparison to previous methods for burn and nonburn trauma patients. Furthermore, our model is equally applicable to all patients regardless of type of traumatic injury (nonburn or burn). This improvement is because of the inclusion of patient's early coagulation and inflammatory status in addition to standard clinical indices. These data provide a baseline within which to measure incremental improvements in care.
A generalized Apagodu-Zeilberger algorithm

The Apagodu-Zeilberger algorithm can be used for computing annihilating operators for definite sums over hypergeometric terms, or for definite integrals over hyperexponential functions. In this paper, we propose a generalization of this algorithm which is applicable to arbitrary Δ-finite functions. In analogy to the hypergeometric case, we introduce the notion of proper Δ-finite functions. We show that the algorithm always succeeds for these functions, and we give a tight a priori bound for the order of the output operator.
Health-Relevant Leadership Behaviour: A Comparison of Leadership Constructs

There is empirical evidence that leadership behaviour is related to employee well-being. Most studies have analysed the relation between individual leadership constructs and indicators of employee well-being. There has been no systematic comparison of different leadership constructs with respect to their impact on different indicators of employee well-being within the same sample. The aim of our study was therefore to compare different leadership constructs with respect to their relation with indicators of positive and negative employee well-being. The sample consists of 1,045 health care workers. We conducted relative weight analyses and hierarchical regression analyses in order to identify the best leadership predictor for employee well-being. Our analyses reveal that leader-member exchange best predicts most of the well-being indicators and that the other leadership constructs fail to add substantial additional variance. Our findings advance the understanding of how leaders can enhance employee well-being and provide implications for research and practice.