Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of Right Ventricular Versus Biventricular Pacing on Electrical Remodeling in the Normal Heart

Background—Biventricular (BIV) pacing can improve cardiac function in heart failure by altering the mechanical and electric substrates. We investigated the effect of BIV versus right ventricular (RV) pacing on the normal heart. Methods and Results—Male New Zealand White rabbits (n=33) were divided into 3 groups: sham-operated (control), RV pacing, and BIV pacing groups. Four weeks after surgery, the native QT (P=0.004) interval was significantly shorter in the BIV group compared with the RV or sham-operated groups. Also, compared with rabbits in the RV group, rabbits in the BIV group had shorter RV effective refractory period at all cycle lengths and shorter LV paced QT interval during the drive train of stimuli and close to refractoriness (P<0.001 for all comparisons). Protein expression of the KVLQT1 was significantly increased in the BIV group compared with the RV and control groups, whereas protein expression of SCN5A and connexin43 was significantly decreased in the RV compared with the other study groups. Erg protein expression was significantly increased in both pacing groups compared with the controls. Conclusions—In this rabbit model, we demonstrate a direct effect of BIV but not RV pacing on shortening the native QT interval as well as the paced QT interval during burst pacing and close to the ventricular effective refractory period. These findings underscore the fact that the effect of BIV pacing is partially mediated through direct electric remodeling and may have implications as to the effect of BIV pacing on arrhythmia incidence and burden.
Intranodal Hybrid Benign Nerve Sheath Tumor

Spindle cell lesions within lymph nodes generally raise concern for metastasis. We report the 1st intranodal hybrid schwannoma/perineurioma arising in an inguinal lymph node in a 13-year-old boy. Presentation comprised a painless, slowly enlarging mass in a patient with no clinical features of neurofibromatosis.
On testing of interconnect open defects in combinational logic circuits with stems of large fanout

We consider the problem of testing of interconnect open defects in combinational circuits with large fanout nodes. We propose a gate level fault model for interconnect opens. The number of interconnect open faults using the proposed model can be very large, being exponential in the fanout size. We describe methods to effectively consider the very large numbers of open faults. These methods include techniques for implicit consideration of open faults, and the use of information about fanout branches driving each primary output to reduce the list of faults. We present experimental results to demonstrate that fault simulation and test generation for the modeled open faults can be carried out efficiently using these techniques.
Evaluating the utility of content delivery networks

Content Delivery Networks (CDNs) balance costs and quality in services related to content delivery. This has urged many Web entrepreneurs to make contracts with CDNs. In the literature, a wide range of techniques has been developed, implemented and standardized for improving the performance of CDNs. The ultimate goal of all the approaches is to improve the utility of CDN surrogate servers. In this paper we define a metric which measures the utility of CDN surrogate servers, called CDN utility. This metric captures the traffic activity in a CDN, expressing the usefulness of surrogate servers in terms of data circulation in the network. Through an extensive simulation testbed, we identify the parameters that affect the CDN utility in such infrastructures. We evaluate the utility of surrogate servers under various parameters and provide insightful comments.
Efficient Genomewide Selection of PCA‐Correlated tSNPs for Genotype Imputation

The linkage disequilibrium structure of the human genome allows identification of small sets of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (tSNPs) that efficiently represent dense sets of markers. This structure can be translated into linear algebraic terms as evidenced by the well documented principal components analysis (PCA)‐based methods. Here we apply, for the first time, PCA‐based methodology for efficient genomewide tSNP selection; and explore the linear algebraic structure of the human genome. Our algorithm divides the genome into contiguous nonoverlapping windows of high linear structure. Coupling this novel window definition with a PCA‐based tSNP selection method, we analyze 2.5 million SNPs from the HapMap phase 2 dataset. We show that 10–25% of these SNPs suffice to predict the remaining genotypes with over 95% accuracy. A comparison with other popular methods in the ENCODE regions indicates significant genotyping savings. We evaluate the portability of genome‐wide tSNPs across a diverse set of populations (HapMap phase 3 dataset). Interestingly, African populations are good reference populations for the rest of the world. Finally, we demonstrate the applicability of our approach in a real genome‐wide disease association study. The chosen tSNP panels can be used toward genotype imputation using either a simple regression‐based algorithm or more sophisticated genotype imputation methods.
Association of 17 q 21-q 24 Gain in Ovarian Clear Cell Adenocarcinomas with Poor Prognosis and Identification of PPM 1 D and APPBP 2 as Likely Amplification Targets 1

Purpose: Although tumor stage is considered a prognostic feature for ovarian clear cell adenocarcinomas (OCCAs), it is not likely to fully account for the clinical and biological variability characteristic of the disease. The aim of this study was to investigate aberrations of DNA copy number in OCCA tumors and identify genetic markers that would increase our understanding of the pathogenesis of OCCA and assist in more accurately predicting the outcome for an individual patient with this disease. Experimental Design: We determined copy number aberrations among 20 primary OCCA tumors by means of comparative genomic hybridization and investigated their relationship to clinicopathological data. We also measured expression levels of candidate target genes within critical regions by quantitative real-time reverse transcriptionPCRs and compared those data with copy number status and patient outcomes. Results: We identified several nonrandom chromosomal aberrations among the 20 primary OCCA tumors examined. Among them, gain of DNA at 17q21-q24 showed significantly negative correlation with disease-free and overall survival (P 0.0012 and 0.0039, respectively, log-rank test). This correlation held even for patients with stage I tumors. Among 15 candidate genes within the 17q21-q24 region, we found significantly elevated expression of PPM1D and APPBP2, and their heightened expression correlated negatively with disease-free survival (P 0.0090, log-rank test adjusted for multiple comparisons). Conclusions: Information gained from our relatively large panel of OCCA tumors suggested that 17q21-q24 gain and consequent overexpression of two potential targets, PPM1D and APPBP2, are associated with malignant phenotypes of this tumor and may be useful predictors for prognosis.
DNA vaccines

The premise that DNA coding for antigens produces proteins to stimulate the immune system when inoculated directly into muscle tissues, has the immense attractions of simplicity, versatility and economy. When other vaccination approaches are experiencing practical problems, meeting such challenges as AIDS and malaria, considerable attention has focused on DNA vaccines with entire conferences and a flood of commercial companies devoted to exploring the possibilities. A number of clinical trials for both infectious diseases and cancer have already commenced, even though a number of major issues have to be resolved.
Understanding the Environmental Elements in Religious Student Organizations through Sharon Parks' Mentoring Community Theory.

Students are coming to colleges and universities for spiritual fulfillment and have turned to religious student organizations (i.e. Campus Crusade for Christ, Newman Centers, Muslim Student Association, Hillel, etc.) to attain guidance and support. To better understand the spiritual environment religious student organizations have in place, many researchers have used the spiritual development theories of Sharon Parks. Parks theorized that “mentoring communities” need seven environmental elements in order to offer students the greatest chance for spiritual development. The purpose of this study was to gain a better understanding of Parks‟ environmental elements adopted by religious student organizations to help support spiritual development. The research questions focused on students‟ perceptions of their religious student organization community and determined if a relationship exists between Parks mentoring community‟s theory and the members‟ spirituality. Using a quantitative research design, two surveys, the Spiritual Well-Being Scale and a self developed questionnaire, were administered to a hundred and seven students in a variety of religious student organizations at three institutions to gain a better understanding of the Parks‟ environmental elements within the religious student organization. Specifically, descriptive statistics, analysis of variance, and correlation analysis of the variables were used in this study to address/answer the research questions. The findings revealed that the three religious groups studied (non-Christian, nonDenominational Christian, and Denominational Christian) had similar spiritual wellbeing scores, resulting from the Spiritual Well-Being Scale. The findings also revealed that high involvement in those religious student organizations did not mean a high spiritual well-being score and that Parks‟ theory of a mentoring community was UNDERSTANDING THE ENVIRONMENTAL ELEMENTS OF RELIGIOUS 4 significant for Christian groups but not as helpful for non-Christian religious student organizations. The research concludes with suggestions for future research, especially for non-Christian religious student organizations. UNDERSTANDING THE ENVIRONMENTAL ELEMENTS OF RELIGIOUS 5
In vivo and in vitro studies on the differential role of luteinizing hormone and follicle-stimulating hormone in regulating follicular function in the bonnet monkey (Macaca radiata) using specific gonadotropin antibodies.

Although a distinct need for FSH in the regulation of follicular maturation in the primate is well recognized, it is not clear how FSH controls the functionality of different cellular compartments of the follicle. It is also not evident whether there is a requirement for LH in follicular maturation in the primate. In the first part of the present study, female bonnet monkeys were administered a well-characterized ovine (o) LH antiserum to neutralize endogenous monkey LH for different periods during the follicular phase, and the effect on the overall follicular maturation process was assessed by analyzing serum estrogen (E) and progesterone (P) profiles. Neither continuous LH deprivation from Day 8 of the cycle nor deprivation of LH on any one day between Days 6 and 10 had a significant effect on serum E and P profiles and the follicular maturation process. The period for which the antiserum was effective was dependent upon the dose injected; 1 ml of the antiserum given on Day 8 blocked ovulation but not follicular maturation. To assess the effect of deprivation of LH/FSH at the cellular level, animals were deprived in vivo of LH (on Days 8 and 9 of the cycle) or of FSH (on Day 6 of the cycle) by injection of highly characterized hCG and ovine (o) FSH antisera, respectively; the in vitro responsiveness of granulosa and thecal cells isolated on Day 10 from these animals was then determined. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Protecting privacy in system design: the electronic voting case

Purpose – The purpose of the paper is to present Privacy Safeguard (PriS) a formal security requirements engineering methodology which, incorporates privacy requirements in the system design process and to demonstrate its applicability in an e‐voting case.Design/methodology/approach – PriS provides a methodological framework for addressing privacy‐related issues during system development. It provides a set of concepts for formally expressing privacy requirements (authentication, authorisation, identification, data protection, anonymity, pseudonymity, unlinkability and unobservability) and a systematic way‐of‐working for translating these requirements into system models. The main activities of the PriS way‐of‐working are: elicit privacy‐related goals, analyse the impact of privacy goals on processes, model affected processes using privacy process patterns and identify the technique(s) that best support/implement the above‐process patterns.Findings – Analysis of a number of well known privacy‐enhancing tech.
Dissemination of Multisusceptible Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus in Singapore

ABSTRACT Analysis of hospital-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains isolated from a tertiary public hospital in Singapore revealed that multisusceptible strains had gradually started to replace the endemic multiresistant strain (ST239-MRSA-III) since 2002. Molecular typing showed that this was a predominantly clonal outbreak of a UK-EMRSA-15 strain (ST22-MRSA-IV).
Module-level cell processing of silicon heterojunction interdigitated back-contacted (SHJ-IBC) solar cells with efficiencies above 22%: Towards all-dry processing

Module-level processing of silicon heterojunction interdigitated back-contacted (SHJ-IBC) solar cells while bonded to glass, in the so-called i2-module concept, is discussed. In this approach, a key challenge is the interdigitated patterning of a-Si:H without compromising on the rear-surface passivation. Process adaptations involving more resistant bonding agents and a milder wet etchant enabled bonded cells with the best efficiency of 21.7% and Voc of 734 mV, which are the highest reported for bonded cells processed partially at module level, and which undoubtedly proves the potential of this i2-module concept to reach high Voc and efficiency. Yet another challenge is to make the process flow cost-effective and industrially-relevant, i.e. a litho-free, all-dry process flow, analogous to thin-film PV module fabrication. As a first step, dry etching of a-Si:H was developed to replace wet etching, and was successfully incorporated in a SHJ-IBC process flow to fabricate freestanding cells with the best efficiency of 22.9% and above 20% on thick (190 μm) and thin (56 μm) EVA-bonded silicon.
Linear Time Isotonic and Unimodal Regression in the L 1 and L ∞ Norms

We consider L1-isotonic regression and L∞ isotonic and unimodal regression. For L1isotonic regression, we present a linear time algorithm when the number of outputs are bounded. We extend the algorithm to construct an approximate isotonic regression in linear time when the output range is bounded. We present linear time algorithms for L∞ isotonic and unimodal regression.
Engineering practice variation through provider agreement: a cluster-randomized feasibility trial

Purpose Minimal-risk randomized trials that can be embedded in practice could facilitate learning health-care systems. A cluster-randomized design was proposed to compare treatment strategies by assigning clusters (eg, providers) to “favor” a particular drug, with providers retaining autonomy for specific patients. Patient informed consent might be waived, broadening inclusion. However, it is not known if providers will adhere to the assignment or whether institutional review boards will waive consent. We evaluated the feasibility of this trial design. Subjects and methods Agreeable providers were randomized to “favor” either hydrochlorothiazide or chlorthalidone when starting patients on thiazide-type therapy for hypertension. The assignment applied when the provider had already decided to start a thiazide, and providers could deviate from the strategy as needed. Prescriptions were aggregated to produce a provider strategy-adherence rate. Results All four institutional review boards waived documentation of patient consent. Providers (n=18) followed their assigned strategy for most of their new thiazide prescriptions (n=138 patients). In the “favor hydrochlorothiazide” group, there was 99% adherence to that strategy. In the “favor chlorthalidone” group, chlorthalidone comprised 77% of new thiazide starts, up from 1% in the pre-study period. When the assigned strategy was followed, dosing in the recommended range was 48% for hydrochlorothiazide (25–50 mg/day) and 100% for chlorthalidone (12.5–25.0 mg/day). Providers were motivated to participate by a desire to contribute to a comparative effectiveness study. A study promotional mug, provider information letter, and interactions with the site investigator were identified as most helpful in reminding providers of their study drug strategy. Conclusion Providers prescribed according to an assigned drug-choice strategy most of the time for the purpose of a comparative effectiveness study. This simple design could facilitate research participation and behavior change in non-research clinicians. Waiver of patient consent can broaden the representation of patients, providers, and settings.
Mutation and Loss of Expression of ARID1A in Uterine Low-grade Endometrioid Carcinoma

ARID1A is a recently identified tumor suppressor gene that is mutated in approximately 50% of ovarian clear cell and 30% of ovarian endometrioid carcinomas. The mutation is associated with loss of protein expression as assessed by immunohistochemistry. In this study, we evaluated ARID1A immunoreactivity in a wide variety of carcinomas to determine the prevalence of ARID1A inactivation in carcinomas. Mutational analysis of ARID1A was carried out in selected cases. Immunoreactivity was not detected (corresponding to inactivation or mutation of ARID1A) in 36 (3.6%) of 995 tumors. Uterine low-grade endometrioid carcinomas showed a relatively high-frequency loss of ARID1A expression, as 15 (26%) of 58 cases were negative. The other tumor that had a relatively high-frequency loss of ARID1A expression was gastric carcinoma (11%). Mutational analysis showed 10 (40%) of 25 uterine endometrioid carcinomas; none of 12 uterine serous carcinomas and none of 56 ovarian serous and mucinous carcinomas harbored somatic ARID1A mutations. All mutations in endometrioid carcinomas were nonsense or insertion/deletion mutations, and tumors with ARID1A mutations showed complete loss or clonal loss of ARID1A expression. In conclusion, this study is the first large-scale analysis of a wide variety of carcinomas showing that uterine low-grade endometrioid carcinoma is the predominant tumor type harboring ARID1A mutations and frequent loss of ARID1A expression. These findings suggest that the molecular pathogenesis of low-grade uterine endometrioid carcinoma is similar to that of ovarian low-grade endometrioid and clear cell carcinoma, tumors that have previously been shown to have a high-frequency loss of expression and mutation of ARID1A.
Progesterone reverses the spatial memory enhancements initiated by tonic and cyclic oestrogen therapy in middle‐aged ovariectomized female rats

While some research has indicated that ovarian hormone therapy (HT) benefits memory and decreases risk of Alzheimer's disease in menopausal women, several newer studies have shown null or detrimental effects. Despite the null and negative cognitive findings, the numerous studies showing positive effects beg the question of what factors determine whether HT acts as a neuroprotectant or a risk factor for brain functioning. Using middle‐aged female rats, we directly compared six HTs. We evaluated the effects of ovariectomy, tonic low‐dose, tonic high‐dose and biweekly cyclic estradiol treatment, as well as whether progesterone altered the effectiveness of any one of these oestrogen regimens. Animals were tested on spatial and complex cued (intramaze patterns) reference memory using variants of the Morris maze. The tonic low‐dose and cyclic estradiol treatments improved spatial performance, while the addition of progesterone reversed these beneficial cognitive effects of estradiol. Additionally, all groups learned to locate the platform on the cued task; however, an egocentric circling strategy was used with sham ovary‐intact and hormone‐replacement groups showing the most efficient search strategy. Although the question of memory retention 8 weeks after the first cognitive assessment was addressed, a large number of animals died between the first and second test, rendering the retest uninterpretable for many group comparisons. Specifically, both doses of tonic estradiol dramatically increased the number of deaths during the 17‐week experiment, while the cyclic estradiol treatment did not. Progesterone decreased the number of deaths due to tonic estradiol treatment. Our findings suggest that the dose of estradiol replacement as well as the presence of progesterone influences the cognitive outcome of estradiol treatment. Further, there appears to be a dissociation between HT effects on cognition and mortality rates.
Race-Ethnic Disparities in the Impact of Stroke Risk Factors: The Northern Manhattan Stroke Study

Background and Purpose— Stroke risk factors have been determined in large part through epidemiological studies in white cohorts; as a result, race-ethnic disparities in stroke incidence and mortality rates remained unexplained. The aim in the present study was to compare the prevalence, OR, and etiological fraction (EF) of stroke risk factors among white, blacks, and Caribbean Hispanics living in the same urban community of northern Manhattan. Methods— In this population-based incident case-control study, cases (n=688) of first ischemic stroke were prospectively matched 1:2 by age, sex, and race-ethnicity with community controls (n=1156). Risk factors were determined through in-person assessment. Conditional logistic regression was used to calculate adjusted ORs in each race-ethnic group. Prevalence and multivariate EFs were determined in each race-ethnic group. Results— Hypertension was an independent risk factor for whites (OR 1.8, EF 25%), blacks (OR 2.0, EF 37%), and Caribbean Hispanics (OR 2.1, EF 32%), but greater prevalence led to elevated EFs among blacks and Caribbean Hispanics. Greater prevalence rates of diabetes increased stroke risk in blacks (OR 1.8, EF 14%) and Caribbean Hispanics (OR 2.1 P <0.05, EF 10%) compared with whites (OR 1.0, EF 0%), whereas atrial fibrillation had a greater prevalence and EF for whites (OR 4.4, EF 20%) compared with blacks (OR 1.7, EF 3%) and Caribbean Hispanics (OR 3.0, EF 2%). Coronary artery disease was most important for whites (OR 1.3, EF 16%), followed by Caribbean Hispanics (OR 1.5, EF 6%) and then blacks (OR 1.1, EF 2%). Prevalence of physical inactivity was greater in Caribbean Hispanics, but an elevated EF was found in all groups. Conclusions— The prevalence, OR, and EF for stroke risk factors vary by race-ethnicity. These differences are crucial to the etiology of stroke, as well as to the design and implementation of stroke prevention programs.
Genetic and Phenotypic Diversity and Relations Between Grapevine Varieties: Slovenian Germplasm

Slovenia is a small central European country situated between the Alps and the Adriatic Sea, at the crossing between Italy (to the West), Austria (to the North), Hungary (to the East) and Croatia (to the South), a historical place of significant grape and wine trading. Grapevines have been cultivated in Slovenia since ancient times, although the first literal proofs on grape growing and winemaking date back merely to the Austro-Hungarian Empire [1,2]. However, the oldest Vitis vinifera ssp. L. (grape) pips (seeds) found during the archaeologi‐ cal excavation of the late Neolithic (Copper Age) pile-dwelling settlement of Hočevarica at the Ljubljansko barje moor and date back to the 37th/36th century B.C. [3].