Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Intraperitoneal Hyaluronan Production in Stable Continuous Ambulatory Peritoneal Dialysis Patients

Objective Several cytokines and proteins are excreted intraperitoneally during the course of peritonitis and stable states in continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) patients. Dialysate hyaluronan (HYA) is also regarded as a marker of peritoneal healing during bacterial peritonitis. We examined here, intraperitoneal HYA production in stable CAPD patients and compared the results to those of the peritoneal equilibration test (PET), the length of time on dialysis, and other marker proteins. Design We determined the concentration of HYA and other marker proteins in the 4-hour-dwell dialysate at 1-year intervals. Setting CAPD unit in Hitachi General Hospital. Patients The subjects were 46 stable CAPD patients who underwent 104 PETs. Results A correlation was found between the length of time on dialysis and the amount of HYA excretion in the 4-hr-dwell dialysate (r = 0.403, p < 0.001). A positive but weak correlation was found between the dialysate-to-plasma ratio of the creatinine concentration and dialysate HYA excretion (r = 0.229, p < 0.05). Seven patients were over the 90th percentile in both the concentration of HYA (>349.2 ng/mL) and the amount of HYA (>743.6 μg/4-hr dwell). Five patients exceeded 1000 μg of HYA excretion in the 4-hr-dwell dialysate, 4 of whom showed an abrupt increase of HYA excretion to more than 1000 μg/4-hr dwell, and discontinued CAPD within 6 months due to ultrafiltration failure. Two of these 4 patients were diagnosed with sclerosing encapsulating peritonitis at autopsy. Conclusion Intraperitoneal HYA production increased with both higher permeable membrane and the length of time on CAPD. Monitoring of HYA in the peritoneal dialysate may be useful as a marker to assess functional and morphological changes in the peritoneum in long-term CAPD patients.
Asymmetric dimethylarginine attenuates the association of melatonin secretion with night-time blood pressure and dipping in elderly individuals.

BACKGROUND Melatonin decreases night-time blood pressure (BP) by increasing nitric oxide (NO) in endothelial cells. Whether serum asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA), a major endogenous competitive inhibitor of endothelial NO synthase, attenuates the association of melatonin with night-time BP and dipping in humans is unclear. METHODS AND RESULTS: In this cross-sectional study of 852 community-based elderly individuals, serum ADMA, overnight urinary 6-sulfatoxymelatonin excretion (UME), and ambulatory BP were measured. Mean ADMA was 0.46±0.06 μmol/L. In the low-ADMA group (n=451), crude OR for nocturnal hypertension (NH) and non-dipper significantly decreased with a quartile increase in UME (P=0.023 and 0.001, respectively), but these associations were not observed in the high-ADMA group (n=401). Higher UME was significantly and inversely associated with adjusted OR for NH and non-dipper in the low-ADMA group (Q1, 1.00 and 1.00; Q2, 0.92 and 0.74; Q3, 0.57 and 0.51; Q4, 0.48 and 0.40; P=0.004 and 0.002, respectively) but not in the high-ADMA group (P=0.75 and 0.12, respectively). These association trends were also observed on continuous variable analysis (low ADMA, P=0.031 and 0.003; high ADMA, P=0.52 and 0.13; respectively). CONCLUSIONS ADMA attenuates the association of endogenous melatonin with night-time BP and dipping in the general elderly population.
The moderating effect of board size on the relationship between diversification and tourism firm performance

This study examines the effects of diversification strategy and board size on firm performance as well as the moderating effect of board size on the relationship between diversification strategy and firm performance in the Chinese tourism industry from 2008 to 2015. The results show that related diversification positively influenced Chinese tourism firm performance, and unrelated diversification negatively influenced it. Board size was found to negatively moderate the relationship between related diversification and firm performance and to positively moderate the relationship between unrelated diversification and firm performance. In addition, the results imply that small boards are beneficial to Chinese tourism firms when both related and unrelated diversification strategies are implemented.
Controller design for discrete input control system based on machine-learning

Switching control is an effective control technique for control systems equipped with low-resolution actuators. It is modeled as a control system that restricts its input to discrete values. Designing a discrete-valued controller is equivalent to determining the switching surface. In this paper, a controller design method based on a machine learning technique is discussed. In particular, this paper proposes that the supper vector machine (SVM) is used to construct the switching condition. The relation between the current situation (previous input sequence and previous output sequence), applied input sequence, and output evolution is learned by a support vector machine (SVM) from the database of previous control results. As a result, the learned SVM can determine the most suitable input for the current situation and the reference output. The effectiveness of the proposed method is verified for a discrete input system via experiments.
The Value of Secretin-Enhanced MRCP in Patients With Recurrent Acute Pancreatitis.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study is to assess the additional value of secretin-enhanced MRCP over conventional (non-secretin-enhanced) MRCP in diagnosing disease in patients with recurrent acute pancreatitis. MATERIALS AND METHODS A retrospective review of a radiology database found 72 patients with recurrent acute pancreatitis who had secretin-enhanced MRCP and ERCP correlation within 3 months of each other between January 2007 and December 2011. Of these patients, 54 had no history of pancreatic tumor or surgery and underwent MRI more than 3 months after an episode of acute pancreatitis. In addition, 57 age- and sex-matched control subjects with secretin-enhanced MRCP and ERCP correlation and without a diagnosis of recurrent acute pancreatitis or chronic pancreatitis were enrolled as the control group. All studies were anonymized, and secretin-enhanced MRCP images (image set A) were separated from conventional 2D and 3D MRCP and T2-weighted images (image set B). Image sets A and B for each patient were assigned different and randomized case numbers. Two blinded reviewers independently assessed both image sets for ductal abnormalities and group A image sets for exocrine response to secretin. RESULTS There were statistically significantly more patients with recurrent acute pancreatitis with reduced exocrine function compared with patients in the control group (32% vs 9%; p < 0.01) on secretin-enhanced images. Patients with recurrent acute pancreatitis were more likely to have side branch dilation (p = 0.02; odds ratio, 3.6), but not divisum, compared with the control group. Secretin-enhanced images were superior to non-secretin-enhanced images for detecting ductal abnormalities in patients with recurrent acute pancreatitis, with higher sensitivity (76% vs 56%; p = 0.01) and AUC values (0.983 vs 0.760; p < 0.01). CONCLUSION Up to one-third of patients with recurrent acute pancreatitis showed exocrine functional abnormalities. Secretin-enhanced MRCP had a significantly higher yield for ductal abnormalities than did conventional MRI and should be part of the MRCP protocol for investigation of patients with recurrent acute pancreatitis.
A New Rate Control Scheme For Video Coding Based On Region Of Interest

The quality fluctuation of video is significant in human visual system, and thus, many rate control schemes are widely developed in the area of video communication. In recent years, researchers show more interests in region of interest (ROI)-based encoding, and it is widely applied in the latest video codecs, such as HEVC and VP9. This paper presents a new rate control scheme for ROI mode coding based on discrete fourier transform coefficient model and radial basis function neuron network. A new R-D model is proposed by classifying blocks into different depth, ROI groups, and so on. Then, rate and distortion are described based on the Laplacian distribution model using mathematical ways. A machine learning approach is induced to enhance the accuracy of the distortion estimation. By utilizing the new R-D model, a new rate control scheme is designed for ROI mode coding from the group of picture layer to coding unit layer. By comparisons with other rate control approaches, the proposed one has a better result in terms of visual quality, R-D performance, bitrate accuracy, and so on. Hence, it outperforms the conventional schemes especially for sequences with obvious ROI details.
Elongator function depends on antagonistic regulation by casein kinase Hrr25 and protein phosphatase Sit4

In yeast, the role for the Elongator complex in tRNA anticodon modification is affected by phosphorylation of Elongator subunit Elp1. Thus, hyperphosphorylation of Elp1 due to inactivation of protein phosphatase Sit4 correlates with Elongator‐minus phenotypes including resistance towards zymocin, a tRNase cleaving anticodons of Elongator‐dependent tRNAs. Here we show that zymocin resistance of casein kinase hrr25 mutants associates with hypophosphorylation of Elp1 and that nonsense suppression by the Elongator‐dependent SUP4 tRNA is abolished in hrr25 or sit4 mutants. Thus changes that perturb the evenly balanced ratio between hyper‐ and hypophosphorylated Elp1 forms present in wild‐type cells lead to Elongator inactivation. Antagonistic roles for Hrr25 and Sit4 in Elongator function are further supported by our data that Sit4 inactivation is capable of restoring both zymocin sensitivity and normal ratios between the two Elp1 forms in hrr25 mutants. Hrr25 binds to Elongator in a fashion dependent on Elongator partner Kti12. Like sit4 mutants, overexpression of Kti12 triggers Elp1 hyperphosphorylation. Intriguingly, this effect of Kti12 is blocked by hrr25 mutations, which also show enhanced binding of Kti12 to Elongator. Collectively, our data suggest that rather than directly targeting Elp1, the Hrr25 kinase indirectly affects Elp1 phosphorylation states through control of Sit4‐dependent dephosphorylation of Elp1.
Cross-Section of Returns in Frontier Markets: Evidence from the GCC Markets

ABSTRACT Many variables have been used to explain a significant proportion of the cross-section of returns, mainly size and book-to-market. We investigate whether stock returns in the frontier markets of the GCC are driven by the same drivers. Additionally, we test other variables, such as β, leverage, momentum, and the price-to-earnings ratio. We conclude by examining which of the empirical asset pricing models (CAPM or three-factor) best describes returns in the GCC markets.
Integration and gene replacement in the Lactococcus lactis lac operon: induction of a cryptic phospho-beta-glucosidase in LacG-deficient strains

Insertions, replacement mutations, and deletions were introduced via single or double crossover recombination into the lacE (enzyme IIlac) and lacG (phospho-beta-galactosidase) genes of the Lactococcus lactis chromosomal lacABCDFEGX operon. LacG production was abolished in strains missing the lacG gene or carrying multicopy insertions in the lacE gene that affected expression of the lacG gene. However, these LacG-deficient strains could still ferment lactose slowly and were found to contain an enzymatic activity that hydrolyzed the chromogenic substrate o-nitrophenyl-beta-D-galactopyranoside phosphate. Induction of this phospho-beta-glycohydrolase activity coincided with the appearance of a new 55-kDa protein cross-reacting with anti-LacG antibodies that had a size similar to that of LacG but a higher isoelectric point (pI 5.2) and was not found in wild-type cells during growth on lactose. Since the phospho-beta-glycohydrolase activity and this protein with a pI of 5.2 were highly induced in both mutant and wild-type cells during growth on cellobiose that is likely to be transported via a phosphoenolpyruvate-dependent phosphotransferase system, we propose that this induced activity is a phospho-beta-glucosidase that also hydrolyzes lactose-6-phosphate.
A Novel Retinoic Acid-Responsive Element Regulates Retinoic Acid-Induced BLR1 Expression

ABSTRACT The mechanism of action of retinoic acid (RA) is of broad relevance to cell and developmental biology, nutrition, and cancer chemotherapy. RA is known to induce expression of the Burkitt's lymphoma receptor 1 (BLR1) gene which propels RA-induced cell cycle arrest and differentiation of HL-60 human myeloblastic leukemia cells, motivating the present analysis of transcriptional regulation of blr1 expression by RA. The RA-treated HL-60 cells used here expressed all RA receptor (RAR) and retinoid X receptor (RXR) subtypes (as detected by Northern analysis) except RXRγ. Treatment with RAR- and RXR-selective ligands showed that RARα synergized with RXRα to transcriptionally activate blr1 expression. A 5′-flanking region capable of supporting RA-induced blr1 activation in HL-60 cells was found to contain a 205-bp sequence in the distal portion that was necessary for transcriptional activation by RA. Within this sequence DNase I footprinting revealed that RA induced binding of a nuclear protein complex to an element containing two GT boxes. Electromobility shift assays (EMSAs) and supershift assays showed that this element bound recombinant RARα and RXRα. Without RA there was neither complex binding nor transcriptional activation. Both GT boxes were needed for binding the complex, and mutation of either GT box caused the loss of transcriptional activation by RA. The ability of this cis-acting RAR-RXR binding element to activate transcription in response to RA also depended on downstream sequences where an octamer transcription factor 1 (Oct1) site and a nuclear factor of activated T cells (NFATc) site between this element and the transcriptional start, as well as a cyclic AMP response element binding factor (CREB) site between the transcriptional start and first exon of the blr1 gene, were necessary. Each of these sites bound its corresponding transcription factor. A transcription factor-transcription factor binding array analysis of nuclear lysate from RA-treated cells indicated several prominent RARα binding partners; among these, Oct1, NFATc3, and CREB2 were identified by competition EMSA and supershift and chromatin immunoprecipitation assays as components of the complex. RA upregulated expression of these three factors. In sum the results of the present study indicate that RA-induced expression of blr1 expression depends on a novel RA response element. This cis-acting element approximately 1 kb upstream of the transcriptional start consists of two GT boxes that bind RAR and RXR in a nuclear protein complex that also contains Oct1, NFATc3, and CREB2 bound to their cognate downstream consensus binding sites.
Mars or Mercury Redux: The Geopolitics of Bilateral Trade Agreements

We analyze the role of economic and security considerations in bilateral trade agreements. We use the pre-World War I period to test whether trade agreements are governed by pecuniary factors, such as distance and other frictions measured by gravity covariates, or by geopolitical factors. While there is support for both hypotheses, we find that defense pacts boost the probability of trade agreements by as much as 20 percentage points. Our estimates imply that were the U.S. to alienate its geopolitical allies, the likelihood and benefits of successful bilateral agreements would fall significantly. Trade creation from an agreement between the U.S. and E.U. countries would decline by about 0.6 percent of total U.S. exports. JEL Classification: F13, N20
Genome‐wide copy number variation in the bovine genome detected using low coverage sequence of popular beef breeds†,‡

Copy number variations (CNVs) are large insertions, deletions or duplications in the genome that vary between members of a species and are known to affect a wide variety of phenotypic traits. In this study, we identified CNVs in a population of bulls using low coverage next-generation sequence data. First, in order to determine a suitable strategy for CNV detection in our data, we compared the performance of three distinct CNV detection algorithms on benchmark CNV datasets and concluded that using the multiple sample read depth approach was the best method for identifying CNVs in our sequences. Using this technique, we identified a total of 1341 copy number variable regions (CNVRs) from genome sequences of 154 purebred sires used in Cycle VII of the USMARC Germplasm Evaluation Project. These bulls represented the seven most popular beef breeds in the United States: Hereford, Charolais, Angus, Red Angus, Simmental, Gelbvieh and Limousin. The CNVRs covered 6.7% of the bovine genome and spanned 2465 protein-coding genes and many known quantitative trait loci (QTL). Genes harbored in the CNVRs were further analyzed to determine their function as well as to find any breed-specific differences that may shed light on breed differences in adaptation, health and production.
Rehabilitation after critical illness: A randomized, controlled trial

ObjectiveTo evaluate the effectiveness of a rehabilitation program following critical illness to aid physical and psychological recovery. DesignRandomized controlled trial, blind at follow-up with final assessment at 6 months. SettingTwo district general hospitals and one teaching hospital. PatientsPatients were 126 consecutively admitted intensive care patients meeting the inclusion criteria. InterventionsControl patients received ward visits, three telephone calls at home, and clinic appointments at 8 wks and 6 months. Intervention patients received the same plus a 6-wk self-help rehabilitation manual. Measurements and Main ResultsWe measured levels of depression and anxiety (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale), phobic symptoms (Fear Index), posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)-related symptoms (Impact of Events Scale), and scores on the Short-Form Health Survey physical dimension 8 wks and 6 months after intensive care unit (ICU) treatment. Memory for ICU was assessed at 2 wks post-ICU discharge using the ICU Memory Tool.The intervention group improved, compared with the control patients, on the Short-Form Health Survey physical function scores at 8 wks and 6 months (p = .006), and there was a trend to a lower rate of depression at 8 wks (12% vs. 25%). However, there were no differences in levels of anxiety and PTSD-related symptoms between the groups. The presence of delusional memories was correlated significantly with both anxiety and Impact of Events Scale scores. ConclusionsA self-help rehabilitation manual is effective in aiding physical recovery and reducing depression. However, in those patients recalling delusional memories from the ICU, further psychological care may be needed to reduce the incidence of anxiety and PTSD-related symptoms.
The relationships between arterial oxygen flow rate, oxygen binding by hemoglobin, and oxygen utilization after myocardial infarction.

The interrelationships of arterial oxygen flow rate index, oxygen binding by hemoglobin, and oxygen consumption have been examined in patients with acute myocardial infarction. Proportional extraction of oxygen increased in close association with decreasing oxygen flow rate, and hence, whole body oxygen consumption was constant over nearly a three-fold variation in arterial oxygen flow rate. A reduction in hemoglobin-oxygen affinity at in vivo conditions of pH. Pco(2) and temperature also occurred in proportion to the reduction in arterial oxygen flow rate. Therefore, the increased proportional removal of oxygen from arterial blood at low oxygen flow rates, required to maintain oxygen consumption, may have been facilitated by the reduced affinity of hemoglobin for oxygen at in vivo conditions. However, the decrease in affinity did not appear to explain more than 30-40% of the increased extraction. Respiratory alkalosis was a frequent occurrence in these patients and 2,3-diphosphoglycerate was positively associated with blood pH as well as with the time-averaged proportion of deoxyhemoglobin in arterial and venous blood.Hemoglobin-oxygen affinity measured at standard conditions and the mixed venous oxygen saturation were equally good indicators of reduced arterial oxygen flow rate in patients without shock. However, Svo(2) is more easily measured and is a more useful indicator of reduced oxygen flow rate, since its relationship to oxygen flow appears to be independent of affinity changes and time.
Redox regulation of muscle adaptations to contractile activity and aging

Superoxide and nitric oxide are generated by skeletal muscle, and these species are increased by contractile activity. Mitochondria have long been assumed to play the primary role in generation of superoxide in muscle, but recent studies indicate that, during contractile activity, membrane-localized NADPH oxidase(s) rapidly generate(s) superoxide that plays a role in redox signaling. This process is important in upregulation of rapid and specific cytoprotective responses that aid maintenance of cell viability following contractile activity, but the overall extent to which redox signaling contributes to regulation of muscle metabolism and homeostasis following contractile activity is currently unclear, as is identification of key redox-sensitive protein targets involved in these processes. Reactive oxygen and nitrogen species have also been implicated in the loss of muscle mass and function that occurs with aging, although recent work has questioned whether oxidative damage plays a key role in these processes. A failure of redox signaling occurs in muscle during aging and may contribute to the age-related loss of muscle fibers. Whether such changes in redox signaling reflect primary age-related changes or are secondary to the fundamental mechanisms is unclear. For instance, denervated muscle fibers within muscles from aged rodents or humans appear to generate large amounts of mitochondrial hydrogen peroxide that could influence adjacent innervated fibers. Thus, in this instance, a “secondary” source of reactive oxygen species may be potentially generated as a result of a primary age-related pathology (loss of neurons), but, nevertheless, may contribute to loss of muscle mass and function during aging.
Ambiguity and Investor Behavior

In this paper, we relate time-varying aggregate ambiguity to individual investor trading. We use a unique data set on the trading records of more than 100 thousand individual investors from a large German discount brokerage for the period from March 2010 through December 2015. We present five main findings. First, innovations in ambiguity are associated with increased investor activity. Second, innovations in ambiguity are associated with less risk taking. Third, we find evidence that as investors learn about risks, their trading is less prone to ambiguity shocks. Fourth, we show that psychological biases are increased when ambiguity is high. Fifth, ambiguity averse investors are more prone to ambiguity shocks than the average investor.