Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Metabolic Abnormalities Characteristic of Dysmetabolic Syndrome Predict the Development of Transplant Coronary Artery Disease: A Prospective Study

BackgroundThis study examines the hypothesis that metabolic abnormalities of dysmetabolic syndrome are risk factors for transplant coronary artery disease (TxCAD). Methods and ResultsSixty-six patients without overt diabetes, 2 to 4 years after surgery, underwent intracoronary ultrasound (ICUS), measurement of plasma glucose and insulin after oral glucose (75 g), and fasting lipid and lipoproteins. TxCAD incidence by angiography or autopsy was prospectively determined during subsequent follow-up (8 years). Coronary artery intimal thickness (IT) and subsequent outcomes were compared in patients stratified as having “high” versus “low” plasma glucose (>8.9 mmol/L) and insulin (>760 pmol/L) 2 hours after glucose challenge; and “abnormal” versus “normal” fasting lipid and lipoprotein concentrations as defined by the National Cholesterol Education Program. Patients with high glucose or insulin concentrations had greater IT: 0.38±0.05 versus 0.22±0.02 mm, P ≤0.05, and 0.39±0.05 versus 0.20±0.02 mm, P ≤0.01, respectively. Freedom from TxCAD was 56±11% versus 81±6% (P <0.01) in patients with high versus low glucose and 57±10% versus 82±7% (P <0.05) in patients with high versus low insulin. Actuarial survival was 60±12% versus 92±5% (P <0.005) in patients with high versus low glucose and 72±9% versus 88±6% (P <0.05) in patients with high versus low insulin. Triglycerides and VLDL were higher and HDL was lower in patients with IT >0.3 mm than with IT ≤0.3 mm. TxCAD incidence was higher in patients with high plasma TG and VLDL and low HDL. ConclusionsThese data suggest that insulin resistance plays a role in TxCAD.
Expanding Paraphrase Lexicons by Exploiting Lexical Variants

This study tackles the problem of paraphrase acquisition: achieving high coverage as well as accuracy. Our method first induces paraphrase patterns from given seed paraphrases, exploiting the generality of paraphrases exhibited by pairs of lexical variants, e.g., “amendment” and “amending,” in a fully empirical way. It then searches monolingual corpora for new paraphrases that match the patterns. This can extract paraphrases comprising words that are completely different from those of the given seeds. In experiments, our method expanded seed sets by factors of 42 to 206, gaining 84% to 208% more coverage than a previous method that generalizes only identical word forms. Human evaluation through a paraphrase substitution test demonstrated that the newly acquired paraphrases retained reasonable quality, given substantially high-quality seeds.
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

The prevalence of cardiovascular disease is high not only worldwide but also in South Africa. Indeed, 17% of all deaths in South Africa in 2000 were caused by cardiovascular disease (Bradshaw et al., 2003). Moreover, in South Africa, cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in those over the age of 45 years (Gaziano; 2008). Importantly, hypertension remains one of the major risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Hence, improvement in therapeutic approaches to hypertension should be sought. In this regard a better understanding of the mechanisms of hypertension is required. One of the potential causes of hypertension is endothelial dysfunction, which is associated with a decreased production of nitric oxide (NO). Although a number of studies have assessed potential mechanisms responsible for the reduced NO production, questions still remain unanswered. Possible mechanistic factors include increased reactive oxygen species (ROS), increased concentrations of homocysteine, or a decrease in arginine concentrations, and hence reduced NO production.
On the Algebraic Structure of Linear Trellises

Trellises are crucial graphical representations of codes. While conventional trellises are well understood, the general theory of (tail-biting) trellises is still under development. Iterative decoding concretely motivates such theory. In this paper we first develop a new algebraic framework for a systematic analysis of linear trellises which enables us to address open foundational questions. In particular, we present a useful and powerful characterization of linear trellis isomorphy. We also obtain a new proof of the Factorization Theorem of Koetter/Vardy and point out unnoticed problems for the group case. Next, we apply our work to: describe all the elementary trellis factorizations of linear trellises and consequently to determine all the minimal linear trellises for a given code; prove that nonmergeable one-to-one linear trellises are strikingly determined by the edge-label sequences of certain closed paths; prove self-duality theorems for minimal linear trellises; analyze quasi-cyclic linear trellises and consequently extend results on reduced linear trellises to nonreduced ones. To achieve this, we also provide new insight into mergeability and path connectivity properties of linear trellises. Our classification results are important for iterative decoding as we show that minimal linear trellises can yield different pseudocodewords even if they have the same graph structure.
Contagious apoptosis facilitated by the HIV-1 envelope: fusion-induced cell-to-cell transmission of a lethal signal

Cells expressing the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) envelope glycoprotein complex (Env) can fuse with CD4+ cells. When the apoptotic pathway is initiated in Env+ cells (`donor cells'), co-culture with a healthy CD4+ fusion partner (`acceptor cells') results in apoptosis of the syncytium and thus is `contagious'. The cell-to-cell transmission of the lethal signal was only observed when the nuclei from donor cells exhibited pre-apoptotic chromatin condensation (PACC), correlating with comet assay-detectable DNA strand breaks, which precede caspase activation, as well as the loss of the mitochondrial transmembrane potential. Transmission of the lethal signal resulted into mitochondrial alterations, and caspase-dependent nuclear pyknosis with chromatinolysis affecting both the donor and the acceptor nuclei. In the presence of caspase inhibitors, all nuclei of the syncytium formed by fusion of the pre-apoptotic and the healthy cell manifested PACC, exhibited DNA lesions and lost transcriptional activity. Transmission of the lethal signal did not require donor cells to contain a nucleus or mitochondrial DNA, yet was inhibited when two mitochondrion-stabilizing proteins, Bcl-2 or vMIA, were overexpressed. Contagious apoptosis could be induced in primary human T cells, as well as in vivo, in T cells exposed to dying Env-expressing cells. Altogether, these data point to a novel mechanism through which HIV-1 can induce bystander killing.
Chaos-Coded Modulations Over Rician and Rayleigh Flat Fading Channels

In this brief, we analyze a kind of chaos-coded modulations over both Rician and Rayleigh frequency non-selective uncorrelated fading in the presence of additive white Gaussian noise. We provide bounds both for the case when perfect channel-state information (CSI) is available at the decoder and when there is no CSI. We show that the bounds proposed can be tight enough to give reason of the behavior of these systems in a flat fading channel. We compare the results with a related trellis-coded modulation and show that the degradation in performance can be at least as low as with conventional coded modulation systems.
Access to Long-Term Debt and Effects on Firms' Performance: Lessons from Ecuador

This paper documents the maturity structure of firms` debt in Ecuador and discusses how it has been affected by government intervention in credit markets and by financial liberalization. Using firm-level panel data, we then investigate the determinants of access to long-term debt. Finally, we provide evidence on the impact of the maturity structure of debt on firms` performance, in particular on productivity and capital accumulation.
Embryonic estrogen receptors: do they have a physiological function?

In normal estrogen target tissues, estrogen action is mediated through a specific nuclear transcription factor, the estrogen receptor (ER). The site of estrogen action in the developing organism is therefore determined by cells that contain ER and other necessary tissue and gene-specific components for estrogen-mediated transcription. Immunocytochemical methods were used to determine the cellular localization and tissue distribution of ERs in reproductive tracts of mouse fetuses. Nuclear staining for ER was observed in reproductive tracts at fetal days 13 to 15. ERs were present in the precursors of both male and female reproductive tracts at these early developmental stages, which may be attributable to their similar embryonic origins. However, as the tissues undergo sexual differentiation at later fetal and early neonatal ages, ER increases in the female reproductive tracts as compared with the male. ER was detected by immunoblotting on fetal day 10 (before sexual differentiation) in extracts of whole mouse embryos. To determine whether ER and progesterone receptor genes are expressed earlier in development, we examined RNA from preimplantation mouse embryos using reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction techniques. ER mRNA was found in oocytes and fertilized eggs. Message concentration declined at the 2-cell stage and reached its lowest level at the 5- to 8-cell stage. ER mRNA was not detectable at the morula stage but reappeared at the blastocyst stage. Progesterone receptor mRNA was not detectable until the blastocyst stage. The embryonic expression of ER and progesterone receptor genes in the blastocyst suggests a possible functional requirement for estrogen and progesterone receptors in preimplantation embryos. ImagesFigure 2. AFigure 2. BFigure 2. CFigure 3.Figure 4.
Violent video games DO promote aggression

In this chapter, we provide a brief review of the research investigating the connection between playing violent video games and aggression, summarizing key approaches and findings from survey research and experimental methodology. We trace through some of the main features of the debate surrounding the topic, present the grounds on which we arrive at our own interpretive position, and make some suggestions for future research. We find that effects are often contingent on (or made stronger or weaker by) features of games themselves and how they are played as well as differences that different users bring to the gaming experience. On balance, we make a case for the interpretation that playing violent video games does, indeed, contribute a small but meaningful influence on aggression.
Mathematics lesson study around the world: theoretical and methodological issues

Ball, D. , Thames, M. , & Phelps, G. (2008). Content knowledge for teaching: What makes it special? Journal of Teacher education, 59(5), 389–407. Brousseau, G. (1997). Theory of didactical situation in mathematics. In N. Balacheff, M. Cooper, R. Sutherland, and V. Warfield. Dordrecht: Kluwer. Kuzniak, A. , & Richard, P. R. (2014). Spaces for mathematical work: Viewpoints and perspectives. Revista Latianamericana de Investigacion en Matematica Educativa, 17(4.1), 7–40. Shulman, L. S. , (1987), Knowledge and teaching: Foundations of new reform,Harvard Education Review, 57(1), 1–21.
A Parallel Graph Coloring Heuristic

The problem of computing good graph colorings arises in many diverse applications, such as in the estimation of sparse Jacobians and in the development of efficient, parallel iterative methods for solving sparse linear systems. This paper presents an asynchronous graph coloring heuristic well suited to distributed memory parallel computers. Experimental results obtained on an Intel iPSC/860 are presented, which demonstrate that, for graphs arising from finite element applications, the heuristic exhibits scalable performance and generates colorings usually within three or four colors of the best-known linear time sequential heuristics. For bounded degree graphs, it is shown that the expected running time of the heuristic under the P-RAM computation model is bounded by $EO(\log (n)/\log \log (n))$. This bound is an improvement over the previously known best upper bound for the expected running time of a random heuristic for the graph coloring problem.
Can computers learn from humans to see better?: inferring scene semantics from viewers' eye movements

This paper describes an attempt to bridge the semantic gap between computer vision and scene understanding employing eye movements. Even as computer vision algorithms can efficiently detect scene objects, discovering semantic relationships between these objects is as essential for scene understanding. Humans understand complex scenes by rapidly moving their eyes (saccades) to selectively focus on salient entities (fixations). For 110 social scenes, we compared verbal descriptions provided by observers against eye movements recorded during a free-viewing task. Data analysis confirms (i) a strong correlation between task-explicit linguistic descriptions and task-implicit eye movements, both of which are influenced by underlying scene semantics and (ii) the ability of eye movements in the form of fixations and saccades to indicate salient entities and entity relationships mentioned in scene descriptions. We demonstrate how eye movements are useful for inferring the meaning of social (everyday scenes depicting human activities) and affective (emotion-evoking content like expressive faces, nudes) scenes. While saliency has always been studied through the prism of fixations, we show that saccades are particularly useful for (i) distinguishing mild and high-intensity facial expressions and (ii) discovering interactive actions between scene entities.
Detecting potential respiratory pathogens in the mouths of older people in hospital

SIR—Hospital acquired pneumonia (HAP) is the third most common health care associated infection, and complicates 1.27% of UK hospital admissions [1]. The incidence is higher in groups such as the elderly, post-operative patients and those on specialist units such as liver, burns or haematology [1]. The incidence of HAP appears to increase with age [2], and the mortality in older people is thought to be between 12.2–55% depending on the group studied [3, 4]. The bacteria which cause hospital acquired pneumonia (HAP) such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Staphylococcus aureus are thought to reside in the oropharynx before being aspirated into the lungs causing pneumonia [5, 6]. These bacteria are more commonly found in the mouths of sick or institutionalised persons than healthy people [7–11] but are not considered part of the normal oral flora. Randomised controlled trials employing rigorous oral hygiene interventions have significantly reduced the incidence of HAP in both nursing home residents [12] and ventilated persons undergoing cardiothoracic surgery [13], but these studies have not identified exactly why oral hygiene may be beneficial. It has been hypothesised that heavy dental plaque load, prior antibiotics or illness may allow these ‘foreign’ bacteria to become part of the oral bacterial community. Currently the relationship between plaque, oral bacteria and HAP is unclear. The next step is to investigate whether prior oral bacterial colonisation with hospital pneumonia pathogens is associated with subsequent HAP. However, the most sensitive oral sampling site for gram-negative bacilli and S. aureus need to be verified before this research can be undertaken. In particular clarification is needed regarding the utility of dental or denture plaque as a site for identifying these bacteria. The aims of this study were to identify the optimal sampling method for identifying gram negative bacilli and S. aureus in the mouth which could cause HAP, and to explore the extent to which visible dental plaque and the number of days on antibiotics contributed to the emergence of these bacteria.
Root coverage using a coronally advanced flap with or without acellular dermal matrix: a meta-analysis

Purpose Gingival recession is a major esthetic concern and may lead to root sensitivity during periodontal treatment. Coronally advanced flaps (CAFs) with and without acellular dermal matrix (ADM) are widely used in root coverage procedures. The aim of this study was to analyze the efficacy of CAF in combination with ADM in the treatment of gingival recession. Methods PubMed, The Cochrane Library, and Embase were used to identify relevant articles. The articles were screened, data were extracted, and the quality of the studies was assessed by three reviewers with expertise in clinical practice, trials, statistics, and biomedical editing. The clinical endpoints of interest included changes in recession, probing depth (PD), clinical attachment level (CAL), and keratinized tissue (KT). Results Ten randomized controlled trials were identified, including six studies that compared CAFs with ADM and CAFs using connective tissue grafting (CTG) and four studies that compared CAFs with or without ADM. No statistically significant differences were found between the use of ADM and CTG, whereas statistically significant differences were found between groups in which ADM and CAF were combined and groups that underwent CAF alone with regard to recession coverage, CAL, and KT. The combination of CAF with an ADM allograft achieved more favorable recession coverage and recovery of CAL and KT than CAF alone. Conclusions The results from the ADM and CTG groups suggest that both procedures may be equally effective in clinical practice. Given the limitations of this study, further investigation is needed to clarify the effectiveness of ADM and CAF in clinical practice.
Comparative Transcriptomic Analysis of Developing Cotton Cotyledons and Embryo Axis

Background As a by product of higher value cotton fibre, cotton seed has been increasingly recognised to have excellent potential as a source of additional food, feed, biofuel stock and even a renewable platform for the production of many diverse biological molecules for agriculture and industrial enterprises. The large size difference between cotyledon and embryo axis that make up a cotton seed results in the under-representation of embryo axis gene transcript levels in whole seed embryo samples. Therefore, the determination of gene transcript levels in the cotyledons and embryo axes separately should lead to a better understanding of metabolism in these two developmentally diverse tissues. Results A comparative study of transcriptome changes between cotton developing cotyledon and embryo axis has been carried out. 17,384 unigenes (20.74% of all the unigenes) were differentially expressed in the two adjacent embryo tissues, and among them, 7,727 unigenes (44.45%) were down-regulated and 9,657 unigenes (55.55%) were up-regulated in cotyledon. Conclusions Our study has provided a comprehensive dataset that documents the dynamics of the transcriptome at the mid-maturity of cotton seed development and in discrete seed tissues, including embryo axis and cotyledon tissues. The results showed that cotton seed is subject to many transcriptome variations in these two tissue types and the differential gene expression between cotton embryo axis and cotyledon uncovered in our study should provide an important starting point for understanding how gene activity is coordinated during seed development to make a seed. Further, the identification of genes involved in rapid metabolite accumulation stage of seed development will extend our understanding of the complex molecular and cellular events in these developmental processes and provide a foundation for future studies on the metabolism, embryo differentiation of cotton and other dicot oilseed crops.
Increased temporal and prefrontal activity in response to semantic associations in schizophrenia.

CONTEXT Loosening of associations has long been considered a core feature of schizophrenia, but its neural correlate remains poorly understood. OBJECTIVE To test the hypothesis that, in comparison with healthy control subjects, patients with schizophrenia show increased neural activity within inferior prefrontal and temporal cortices in response to directly and indirectly semantically related (relative to unrelated) words. DESIGN A functional neuroimaging study using a semantic priming paradigm. SETTING Lindemann Mental Health Center, Boston, Mass. PARTICIPANTS Seventeen right-handed medicated outpatients with chronic schizophrenia and 15 healthy volunteers, matched for age and parental socioeconomic status. INTERVENTIONS Functional magnetic resonance imaging as participants viewed directly related, indirectly related, and unrelated word pairs and performed a lexical decision task. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging measures of blood oxygenation level-dependent activity (1) within a priori temporal and prefrontal anatomic regions of interest and (2) at all voxels across the cortex. RESULTS Patients and controls showed no behavioral differences in priming but opposite patterns of hemodynamic modulation in response to directly related (relative to unrelated) word pairs primarily within inferior prefrontal cortices, and to indirectly related (relative to unrelated) word pairs primarily within temporal cortices. Whereas controls showed the expected decreases in activity in response to semantic relationships (hemodynamic response suppression), patients showed inappropriate increases in response to semantic relationships (hemodynamic response enhancement) in many of the same regions. Moreover, hemodynamic response enhancement within the temporal fusiform cortices to indirectly related (relative to unrelated) word pairs predicted positive thought disorder. CONCLUSION Medicated patients with chronic schizophrenia, particularly those with positive thought disorder, show inappropriate increases in activity within inferior prefrontal and temporal cortices in response to semantic associations.
Escitalopram Decreases Cross-Regional Functional Connectivity within the Default-Mode Network

The default-mode network (DMN), which comprises medial frontal, temporal and parietal regions, is part of the brain’s intrinsic organization. The serotonergic (5-HT) neurotransmitter system projects to DMN regions from midbrain efferents, and manipulation of this system could thus reveal insights into the neurobiological mechanisms of DMN functioning. Here, we investigate intrinsic functional connectivity of the DMN as a function of activity of the serotonergic system, through the administration of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) escitalopram. We quantified DMN functional connectivity using an approach based on dual-regression. Specifically, we decomposed group data of a subset of the functional time series using spatial independent component analysis, and projected the group spatial modes to the same and an independent resting state time series of individual participants. We found no effects of escitalopram on global functional connectivity of the DMN at the map-level; that is, escitalopram did not alter the global functional architecture of the DMN. However, we found that escitalopram decreased DMN regional pairwise connectivity, which included anterior and posterior cingulate cortex, hippocampal complex and lateral parietal regions. Further, regional DMN connectivity covaried with alertness ratings across participants. Our findings show that escitalopram altered intrinsic regional DMN connectivity, which suggests that the serotonergic system plays an important role in DMN connectivity and its contribution to cognition. Pharmacological challenge designs may be a useful addition to resting-state functional MRI to investigate intrinsic brain functional organization.