Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Re: Polymorphisms associated with circulating sex hormone levels in postmenopausal women.

The Journal recently published a study analyzing the role of sequence variation of genes involved in steroid hormone metabolism in the serum sex hormone levels of postmenopausal women (1). This study concluded that CYP19 and SBGH polymorphisms contribute to the variability in circulating sex hormones in postmenopausal women, although CYP19 or SHBG polymorphisms are only marginally related to breast cancer susceptibility. However, after comparing results from a study we recently published (2) with those of Dunning et al. (1), we think that because of the complexity of the genetic control of estrogen production in preand postmenopausal women, a multilocus rather than a marker-by-marker statistical analysis may be best suited for the study of the genetic component of complex traits such as hormone levels or breast cancer risk (3). Therefore, we would like to suggest further analysis of the data presented by Dunning et al. Using a pharmacogenetics approach, we are studying the role of different loci looking at the effect of gonadrotropin releasing hormone agonist (GnRHa) and other hormones during controlled ovarian stimulation (COS) in premenopausal women (2). Hormone-related cancers and assisted reproduction techniques are routine GnRHa indications. GnRHa administration suppresses the estrogen production in the ovary via the biochemical ablation of the hypothalamus–hypophysis–ovary axis (pituitary suppression). Pituitary suppression represents a unique pharmacogenetics model to study the function and regulation of the CYP19 aromatase, because only a small proportion of women reach partial estrogen synthesis suppression after GnRHa treatment (4,5). To study the association of different genetic polymorphisms with pituitary suppression caused by GnRHa treatment, 213 premenopausal women were treated with GnRHa tryptorelin, as previously reported (2). Patients were grouped according to degree of pituitary suppression and genotyped for several loci (2). Table 1 summarizes the results of our study using four single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers located at FSHR, CYP19, ESR1, and ESR2. Twenty-four percent of the patients responded only partially to GnRHa treatment. In addition, our results suggest that the rs10046 marker of the CYP19 locus is associated with pituitary suppression in premenopausal women (Pallele positivity test for risk allele c .001). These results are also consistent with quantitative analysis that showed a higher mean number of days to reach pituitary suppression in women who carry the cc genotype than the tt genotype at the rs10046 locus (Kruskall–
Au th or ' s pe rs on al co py Fisheye zone routing protocol : A multi-level zone routing protocol for mobile ad hoc networks

Zone Routing Protocol (ZRP) provides a flexible solution for discovering and maintaining routes in the MANET. By adopting the idea of Fisheye State Routing in ZRP, a more efficient protocol called Fisheye Zone Routing Protocol (FZRP) was proposed in the paper. FZRP provides the advantage of a larger zone with only a little increase of the maintenance overhead. Two levels of routing zone are defined in FZRP: the basic zone and the extended zone. Different updating frequencies of changes of link connectivity are associated with the basic zone and extended zone. Simulation study has shown that FZRP is more efficient than ZRP in terms of route finding cost with only a little increase of the maintenance overhead. 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Autonomous Task Sequencing for Customized Curriculum Design in Reinforcement Learning

Transfer learning is a method where an agent reuses knowledge learned in a source task to improve learning on a target task. Recent work has shown that transfer learning can be extended to the idea of curriculum learning, where the agent incrementally accumulates knowledge over a sequence of tasks (i.e. a curriculum). In most existing work, such curricula have been constructed manually. Furthermore, they are fixed ahead of time, and do not adapt to the progress or abilities of the agent. In this paper, we formulate the design of a curriculum as a Markov Decision Process, which directly models the accumulation of knowledge as an agent interacts with tasks, and propose a method that approximates an execution of an optimal policy in this MDP to produce an agent-specific curriculum. We use our approach to automatically sequence tasks for 3 agents with varying sensing and action capabilities in an experimental domain, and show that our method produces curricula customized for each agent that improve performance relative to learning from scratch or using a different agent’s curriculum.
Validation of Hindi Translation of SRPB Facets of WHOQOL-SRPB Scale

Background: World Health Organization's Quality of Life – Spirituality, Religiousness and Personal Beliefs Scale (WHOQOL SRPB) is a valuable instrument for assessing spirituality and religiousness. The absence of this self-administered instrument in Hindi, which is a major language in India, is an important limitation in using this scale. Aim: To translate the English version of the SRPB facets of WHOQOL-SRPB scale to Hindi and evaluate its psychometric properties. Materials and Methods: The SRPB facets were translated into Hindi using the World Health Organisation's translation methodology. The translated Hindi version was evaluated for cross-language equivalence, test-retest reliability, internal consistency, and split half reliability. Results: Hindi version was found to have good cross-language equivalence and test-retest reliability at the level of facets. Twenty-six of the 32 items and 30 of the 32 items had a significant correlation (ρ<0.001) in cross language concordance and test-retest reliability data, respectively. The Cronbach's alpha was 0.93, and the Spearman-Brown Sphericity value was 0.91 for the Hindi version of SRPB. Conclusions: The present study shows that cross-language equivalence, internal consistency, split-half reliability, and test-retest reliability of the Hindi version of SRPB (of WHOQOL-SRPB) are excellent. Thus, the Hindi version of WHOQOL-SRPB as translated in this study is a valid instrument.
PERFORMANCE OF THE JOUYBAN-ACREEAND YALKOWSKY-ROSEMAN MODELSFOR ESTIMATING THE SOLUBILITY OFINDOMETHACIN IN ETHANOL + WATERMIXTURES

Indomethacin (IMC) is an anti-inflammatory drug whose physiochemical properties in aqueous solutions have not been studied thoroughly. For this reason, in this work the validity of the Jouyban-Acree and Yalkowsky-Roseman models is evaluated to predict the solubility of this compound in ethanol + water cosolvent mixtures. The solubility estimation is studied as a function of temperature and cosolvent composition. Both models require only the experimental solubility values in the pure solvents at all the temperatures evaluated. The solubility calculated values by using both models deviate notoriously from experimental values in several cases.
Population density, survival and movement of blue crabs in estuarine salt marsh nurseries.

The importance of a broad suite of complex structured habitats as nurseries for estuarine fauna is well recognized. In contrast, recent evidence indicates the nursery value of salt marshes and contiguous unvegetated mud flats for blue crabs are underestimated. To assess the nursery value of salt marsh tidal creeks for the blue crab Callinectes sapidus in coastal North Carolina, USA, we quantified population density, survival and movement patterns of juvenile blue crabs in 2 tidal salt marsh creeks during summer and fall. Survival rates of blue crab juveniles were high (0.98 d–1) and similar in both creek systems. Juvenile crabs exhibited a high degree of site fidelity to a given marsh creek during summer–fall, suggesting that losses were predominantly due to mortality, not emigration. Our study provides critical information on the demographic processes underlying the importance of salt marshes as nurseries for estuarine-dependent species, and was novel in that it: (1) measured density, survival and emigration concurrently; and (2) enabled the identification of individuals, which allowed for the assessment of the relationship between blue crab size, survival and capture probability. We conclude that the observed patterns of abundance, survival and habitat utilization of blue crabs within tidal salt marsh creeks in North Carolina are consistent with the hypothesis that salt marsh creeks are important nurseries for blue crabs. Further, the relatively high use of the marsh surface by juvenile blue crabs, combined with a general lack of directed sampling within these complex habitats, suggests that crab densities may be even higher in salt marshes than previously thought.
Assessment of Magnetic Resonance Enterography in the Diagnosis of Small Bowel Diseases in Children with Crohn's Disease.

BACKGROUND In pediatric patients Crohn's disease most commonly involves the colon and the ileocecal part of the intestine. MR enterography, a new method of small bowel imaging with magnetic resonance, has been introduced in the last decade. OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to assess the usefulness of the MR enterography in the diagnosis of small bowel lesions in children with Crohn's disease. MATERIAL AND METHODS The study included 37 children (18 girls and 19 boys) aged from 5.5 to 18 years (average age, 13.3), diagnosed with Crohn's disease according to the Porto criteria. The disease duration ranged from 1 month to 12 years, on average 3 years. MR eterography was performed according to the Giles et al. protocol. The obtained results were compared with the location and the manifestation of the disease according to the Paris classification. RESULTS In 13 children (35.1%), the disease began prior to 10 years of age, and in the remaining 24 children (64.9%) between 10 and 17 years of age. The gastrointestinal endoscopy confirmed Crohn's disease in the colon (45.9%) and in the colon and ileum (27.1%). An incomplete colonoscopy examination which did not reveal the location of the disease was conducted in 7 children (18.9%). A comparison of the location of Crohn's disease with the location of lesions in the small bowel as indicated by MR enterography revealed that the most common changes can be found in the final part of ileum, in ileum, and in 4 children in jejunum. MR enterography demonstrated, that 16 children (43.2%) had inflammation, 7 children (18.9%) stenosis, and 14 children (37.8%) had no lesions at all. CONCLUSIONS MR enterography is a non-invasive and safe procedure well tolerated by children that allows the visualization of lesions in the small bowel in children with Crohn's disease.
Temporal Development of Heartbeat Intervals in Transition of Sound Stimuli Inducing Different Relaxation Feelings

This paper aims to investigate the temporal development of heartbeat intervals in a transition of different sound stimuli. In the listening experiment, two minutes relaxing musical piece and white noise were employed as the different sound stimuli, and the sound stimuli were played twice alternately after five minutes rest. After the exposure of the sound stimuli, a questionnaire asked the subjects relaxation feeling for rest, noise and music sections, respectively. Psychological result showed that music section induced the highest relaxation feeling and noise section induced the lowest relaxation feelings. Average of heartbeat intervals in music section was larger than that in noise section significantly (P≪0.05). Furthermore, after the transition of sound stimuli, it took about 30-s to change heartbeat interval from previous section. These results support the previous findings that investigated the effects of sound stimuli on heartbeat and will contribute to develop musical system reflecting a user's KANSEI information automatically.
A Cost-Benefit Analysis of Private Versus Semi-Private Inpatient Rooms in a New Hospital

The design of new hospital rooms for inpatient stays is moving towards private (single occupancy) rooms. Private rooms are generally preferred by patients, they may minimize the spread of disease and aid recovery times, but they take up more space and they are more expensive to build and to staff than semi-private rooms. From a societal perspective, are they worth it? This question is important because hospitals are expensive, long-term investments and, once built, their layout is prohibitively expensive to change. This paper presents a cost-benefit analysis of private rooms versus semiprivate rooms in a proposed new hospital in Vancouver, Canada. We find that the present value of the incremental cost of a private room relative to a semi-private room is about $228,000. However, the benefits of a single room are higher, resulting in net social benefits of a private room of a $70,000 per patient bed, on average.
The management and outcome of anastomotic leaks in colorectal surgery

Purpose Anastomotic leaks in colorectal surgery are associated with significant morbidity and mortality and may result in poor functional and oncological outcomes. Diagnostic difficulties may delay identification and appropriate management of leaks. The aim of this study was to look at the diagnosis, clinical management and outcomes of anastamotic leaks in our department.
Evaluation of Neutrophil Gelatinase-associated Lipocalin and Cystatin C as Early Markers of Diabetic Nephropathy

Introduction: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a major cause of concern because of its increasing prevalence rate and related microvascular as well as macrovascular complications, including kidney disease. Microalbuminuria has been accepted as the earliest marker for diabetic nephropathy; however, a large proportion of renal impairment occurs in nonalbuminuric state. We planned to investigate the serum and urinary levels of the tubular damage markers (neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin [NGAL] and cystatin C [Cys C]) in patients of type 2 diabetes to detect early kidney injury. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional hospital-based study included 180 patients with type 2 DM according to the American Diabetes Association criteria. Serum NGAL (S.NGAL) and urine NGAL (U.NGAL) and Cys C were measured in all study participants and investigated for correlation with microalbuminuria. Results: Our results showed that U.NGAL and S.NGAL levels were significantly high in patients with microalbuminuria as compared to normoalbuminuric controls. Serum Cys C was also higher in microalbuminuric patients than who had normoalbuminuria. A positive correlation of urinary albumin excretion with S.NGAL and U.NGAL was noted. U.NGAL also showed positive correlation with duration of diabetes, glycated hemoglobin, and dyslipidemia. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed that the area under the curve for U.NGAL and S.NGAL were 1 and 0.8, respectively, which indicates that they are sensitive markers for early renal damage. Conclusion: Urinary biomarkers were significantly elevated in normoalbuminuric type 2 diabetic patients compared with nondiabetic controls and could be used as markers of nephropathy at a very early stage even before the development of microalbuminuria, the current gold standard for early diagnosis. Despite the promise of these new biomarkers, further large, multicenter prospective studies are still needed.
DNA Mechanics Affected by Small DNA Interacting Ligands

We have investigated the mechanics of individual DNA strands exposed to DNA binding ligands. The interaction of these agents with individual dsDNA strands measured by optical tweezers clearly indicates the ligand-DNA binding mode. As expected, if the compound is intercalating then an increase of contour length is detected. Groove binders affect the overstretching capabilities of the formerly “naked” dsDNA strand. We interacted SYBR®Green I with naked dsDNA. The binding mode of this compound, which is used for nucleic acid gel staining, is not known. The mechanics of the interaction of SYBR® is revealed by optical tweezers experiments. The force extension curves on single dsDNA fragments show a groove-binding mode, which does not affect the contour length of the molecule but significantly alters the overstretching behaviour of the dsDNA.
Ultrastructural evidence for pre‐ and postsynaptic localization of Cav1.2 L‐type Ca2+ channels in the rat hippocampus

In the hippocampal formation, Cav1.2 (L‐type) voltage‐gated Ca2+ channels mediate Ca2+ signals that can trigger long‐term alterations in synaptic efficacy underlying learning and memory. Immunocytochemical studies indicate that Cav1.2 channels are localized mainly in the soma and proximal dendrites of hippocampal pyramidal neurons, but electrophysiological data suggest a broader distribution of these channels. To define the subcellular substrates underlying Cav1.2 Ca2+ signals, we analyzed the localization of Cav1.2 in the hippocampal formation by using antibodies against the pore‐forming α1‐subunit of Cav1.2 (α11.2). By light microscopy, α11. 2‐like immunoreactivity (α11.2‐IR) was detected in pyramidal cell soma and dendritic fields of areas CA1–CA3 and in granule cell soma and fibers in the dentate gyrus. At the electron microscopic level, α11. 2‐IR was localized in dendrites, but also in axons, axon terminals, and glial processes in all hippocampal subfields. Plasmalemmal immunogold particles representing α11. 2‐IR were more significant for small‐ than large‐caliber dendrites and were largely associated with extrasynaptic regions in dendritic spines and axon terminals. These findings provide the first detailed ultrastructural analysis of Cav1.2 localization in the brain and support functionally diverse roles of these channels in the hippocampal formation. J. Comp. Neurol. 506:569–583, 2008. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Are serotonin selective reuptake inhibitors effective in underweight anorexia nervosa?

OBJECTIVE Recent data suggest that serotonin selective reuptake inhibiter (SSRI) medication is useful in preventing relapse in weight-restored anorexics. Our clinical impression has been that SSRIs are not effective in patients who are underweight with anorexia nervosa. METHOD In order to determine whether there was any benefit for SSRI medication in underweight anorexics, we compared two groups of underweight anorexics upon admission to our inpatient hospital using a retrospective chart review. RESULTS Sixty percent of anorexic patients were taking an SSRI upon admission to our inpatient hospital. The 24 subjects taking an SSRI were compared to the 16 subjects not taking an SSRI. These two groups had similar ages and body weights as well as scores for measures of anxiety and depression and most core eating disorder symptoms. DISCUSSION These results suggest that SSRI medication had no effect on clinical symptoms of malnourished underweight anorexics.
Valley V2 control technique for switching converters with fast transient response

Valley V2 control technique for switching converters is proposed in this paper. By utilizing output voltage ripple as pulse-width modulation ramp and valley voltage of output voltage ripple as additional control variable, valley V2 control technique provides faster load transient response than conventional current-mode control techniques. Steady-state and transient performances of switching converters with valley V2 control, peak V2 control, and current-mode control are compared and verified by experimental results.
Geographic relevance

Purpose – The purpose of this paper concerns the dimensions of relevance in information retrieval systems and their completeness in new retrieval contexts such as mobile search. Geography as a factor in relevance is little understood and information seeking is assumed to take place in indoor environments. Yet the rise of information seeking on the move using mobile devices implies the need to better understand the kind of situational relevance operating in this kind of context. Design/methodology/approach – The paper outlines and explores a geographic information seeking process in which geographic information needs (conditioned by needs and tasks, in context) drive the acquisition and use of geographic information objects, which in turn influence geographic behaviour in the environment. Geographic relevance is defined as “a relation between a geographic information need” (like an attention span) and “the spatio-temporal expression of the geographic information objects needed to satisfy it” (like an area of influence). Some empirical examples are given to indicate the theoretical and practical application of this work. Findings – The paper sets out definitions of geographical information needs based on cognitive and geographic criteria, and proposes four canonical cases, which might be theorised as anomalous states of geographic knowledge (ASGK). The paper argues that geographic relevance is best defined as a spatio-temporally extended relation between information need (an “attention” span) and geographic information object (a zone of “influence”), and it defines four domains of geographic relevance. Finally a model of geographic relevance is suggested in which attention and influence are modelled as map layers whose intersection can define the nature of the relation. Originality/value – Geographic relevance is a new field of research that has so far been poorly defined and little researched. This paper sets out new principles for the study of geographic information behaviour.
[Efficacy of heated humidified high-flow nasal cannula in preterm infants aged less than 32 weeks after ventilator weaning].

OBJECTIVE To investigate the efficacy of heated humidified high-flow nasal cannula (HHHFNC) and nasal continuous positive airway pressure (nCPAP) in preterm infants aged 26-31(+6) weeks with respiratory distress syndrome after ventilator weaning. METHODS A total of 161 preterm infants were randomly divided into two groups after ventilator weaning: HHHFNC treatment (n=79) and nCPAP treatment (n=82). The two groups were subdivided into 26-28(+6) weeks and 29-31+6 weeks groups according to the gestational age. The treatment failure rate, reintubation rate within 7 days after extubation, incidence of complications, and mortality during hospitalization were compared between the two groups. RESULTS The treatment failure rate and reintubation rate showed no significant differences between the HHHFNC and nCPAP groups. The preterm infants aged 26-28(+6) weeks in the HHHFNC group had a significantly higher treatment failure rate than those in the nCPAP group (P<0.05), while the reintubation rate showed no significant difference. As for the preterm infants aged 29-31(+6) weeks, the treatment failure rate and reintubation rate showed no significant differences between the two groups. The incidence of complications and mortality showed no significant differences between the HHHFNC and nCPAP groups. CONCLUSIONS In preterm infants aged 29-31(+6) weeks, HHHFNC has a similar efficacy as nCPAP after ventilator weaning, while in those aged less than 29 weeks, HHHFNC should be used with great caution if selected as the first-line noninvasive respiratory support.
Suicide in Twins

Suicide appears to cluster in families, suggesting that genetic factors may play a role in this behavior. We studied 176 twin pairs in which one or both twins had committed suicide. Seven of the 62 monozygotic twin pairs were concordant for suicide compared with two of the 114 dizygotic twin pairs (11.3% vs 1.8%). The presence of psychiatric disorder in the twins and their families was examined in a subsample of 11 twin pairs, two of whom were concordant for suicide. Eleven of these 13 twin suicide victims had been treated for psychiatric disorder, as had eight of their nine surviving cotwins. In addition, twins in 10 pairs had other first- or second-degree relatives who had been treated for psychiatric disorder. Thus, these twin data suggest that genetic factors related to suicide may largely represent a genetic predisposition for the psychiatric disorders associated with suicide. However, they leave open the question of whether there may be an independent genetic component for suicide.