Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Impact of Diet on Mortality From Stroke: Results From the U.S. Multiethnic Cohort Study

Objectives: Stroke is the fourth leading cause of death in the United States and stroke mortality rates vary by ethnicity. The purpose of this study was to examine the associations between food group consumption and risk of death from stroke among 5 ethnic groups in the United States. Methods: The Multiethnic Cohort includes >215,000 participants, the majority of whom are African American, Native Hawaiian, Japanese American, Latino, and Caucasian men and women recruited by mail survey in Hawaii and Los Angeles in 1993–1996. Deaths from stroke were identified by linkage to the state death files and the U.S. National Death Index. Diet was assessed using a validated food frequency questionnaire. Associations were examined using multivariable Cox proportional hazards models, stratified by ethnicity and gender. Results: A total of 860 deaths from stroke were identified among the cohort participants. Vegetable intake was associated with a significant reduction in risk for fatal stroke among African American women (relative risk [RR] = 0.60; 95% CI: 0.36–0.99). Among Japanese American women only, high fruit intake was significantly associated with a risk reduction for stroke mortality (RR = 0.43; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.22–0.85), whereas meat intake increased risk (RR = 2.36; 95% CI: 1.31–4.26). Among men, a significant reduction in stroke mortality was observed among Native Hawaiians (RR = 0.26; 95% CI: 0.07–0.95). After pooling the data for the ethnic groups, the findings support an elevated risk for high meat intake among women overall (RR = 1.56; 95% CI: 1.12–2.16); no significant effects of dietary intake on risk for fatal stroke were observed among men. Conclusions: Although some variations were observed for the associations between diet and stroke mortality among ethnic groups, the findings suggest that these differences are not substantial and may be due to dietary intake of specific food subgroups. Additional investigations including dietary subgroups and nutrients sources are needed to clarify these findings.
Chapter 7 The Science of Cryobiology

The demand for effective bio-preservation methods in the medical community continues to increase with advances in transplantation and transfusion medicine [1]. In reproductive medicine, pre-implantation embryo cryopreservation has become an integral component of overall patient care, increasing the success rate per oocyte retrieval cycle [2,3]. Oocyte cryopreservation is becoming increasingly important due to legal restrictions on the creation and transplantation of supernumerary preimplantation embryos as well as ethical considerations surrounding the cryopreservation of pre-implantation embryos [4,5]. Early investigations into the effects of sub-physiologic temperatures on living cells have been reviewed in great detail [6]. The current chapter will attempt to provide a broad overview of cryobiology, and refer to the reproductive biology literature when appropriate. Readers interested in learning more details are directed at several excellent texts and reviews on the various subjects [7–20].
The spatial relationship between the musculature and the 5-HT and FMRFamide immunoreactivities in cercaria, metacercaria and adult Opisthorchis felineus (Digenea)

The organisation of the neuromuscular system in cercariae, metacercariae and adult Opisthorchis felineus was studied. The patterns of nerves immunoreactive (IR) to antibodies towards serotonin (5-HT) and FMRFamide are described in relation to the musculature, stained with TRITC-conjugated phalloidin. The general organisation of the musculature in the body wall, suckers, pharynx, intestine and sphincter of the excretory pore remains the same from the larval stages to the adult worms. However, the diameter of the individual muscle fibres increases distinctly in the adult worms. The general pattern of 5-HT IR fibres in cercariae, metacercariae and adult O. felineus remains the same. Despite the large increase in body size, the number of 5-HT IR neurones remains almost the same in the cercariae and metacercariae and only a modest increase in number of neurones was observed in the adult worms. Thus the proportion of 5-HT IR neurones/body mass is greatest in the actively moving cercariae. Anti-FMRFamide stains the nervous system strongly.
[Costs analysis of ambulatory blood pressure monitoring in mild hypertension].

BACKGROUND To contrast the costs of conventional and ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) methods in the diagnosis, treatment and follow-up of mild hypertensive patients. METHODS Among patients with conventional diagnosis of mild hypertension, the ABPM would discriminate patients with sustained hypertension, who would receive drug treatment, from patients with white coat hypertension (WCH), who would be only followed up. The diagnosis, treatment and control costs were obtained from 446 mild hypertensive patients from the Primary Health Care Center Aranbizkarra II (Vitoria, Spain) during 1996. For each gender, the overall costs per patient were estimated in both conventional and ABPM methods in terms of mean diagnosis age and WCH percentage. RESULTS For 45 years old patients and 30% of WCH, the overall costs per patient among men were 414,999 and 371, 101 pesetas with conventional and ABPM methods, respectively. From 30 to 60 years old patients, the ABPM method turned up to be less expensive as long as the WCH percentage was higher than 6%. Similar results were obtained among women with mild hypertension. CONCLUSIONS ABPM can be accepted as an useful clinical tool for the screening of patients with conventional diagnosis of mild hypertension. On the one hand, ABPM allows to select patients with low cardiovascular risk (WCH). On the other hand, the savings resulting from treatment reduction and fewer physician visits are higher than the additional costs of ABPM recordings.
Trace metals (Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Ni, Pb, and Zn) in feathers of Black-browed Albatross attending the Patagonian Shelf

Black-browed Albatross attending Abstract 31 We investigated the concentrations of cadmium, chromium, copper, iron, nickel, lead 32 and zinc among feather tissues in sexes of Black-browed Albatross Thalassarche 33 melanophrys killed in longliners off Argentina in 2005. We found no different metal 34 concentration with sex for cadmium, copper, iron, lead and zinc in feathers of adult 35 birds, though there were significant body-size differences between sexes. However, the 36 concentrations of trace metals differed significantly among the type of feather within 37 individual bird. The mean concentrations of copper, iron, and zinc in breast feathers of 38 T. melanophrys were lower than those reported for the species from Georgias del Sur/ 39 South Georgia, the southern Indian Ocean and for other seabirds’ worldwide. While 40 cadmium fall within the known range of concentrations for bird feathers lead were not. 41 Our results may be indicating that level of pollution in Patagonia may not be as 42 negligible as previously thought at least for some trace metals. 43 44 > Information on the concentrations of trace metals in southern ocean seabirds is scarce. > We examine concentrations of seven trace metals in feathers of Black-browed Albatross off Argentina. > Concentrations of cadmium, copper, iron, lead and zinc in feathers were not affected by sex. > The mean concentrations of cooper, iron, and zinc in feathers of birds were lower than those reported for the species from relative nearby oceanic areas. > While cadmium concentrations fall within the known range for bird feathers lead were not. > Our results may be indicating that level of pollution in Patagonia may not be as negligible as previously thought at least for some trace metals.
Identifying unusual commits on GitHub

Transparent environments and social‐coding platforms as GitHub help developers to stay abreast of changes during the development and maintenance phase of a project. Especially, notification feeds can help developers to learn about relevant changes in other projects. Unfortunately, transparent environments can quickly overwhelm developers with too many notifications, such that they lose the important ones in a sea of noise. Complementing existing prioritization and filtering strategies based on binary compatibility and code ownership, we develop an anomaly detection mechanism to identify unusual commits in a repository, which stand out with respect to other changes in the same repository or by the same developer. Among others, we detect exceptionally large commits, commits at unusual times, and commits touching rarely changed file types given the characteristics of a particular repository or developer. We automatically flag unusual commits on GitHub through a browser plug‐in. In an interactive survey with 173 active GitHub users, rating commits in a project of their interest, we found that, although our unusual score is only a weak predictor of whether developers want to be notified about a commit, information about unusual characteristics of a commit changes how developers regard commits. Our anomaly detection mechanism is a building block for scaling transparent environments.
Impact of parathyroidectomy on renal graft function, blood pressure and serum lipids in kidney transplant recipients: a single centre study.

BACKGROUND Successful kidney transplantation is believed to reverse secondary hyperparathyroidism, but persistent disease has emerged in a significant number of allograft recipients. Parathyroid hormone (PTH) is not only involved in the aetiology of calcium/phosphate abnormalities and osteitis fibrosa, but it is also a permissive factor in the occurrence of hypertension, cardiovascular damage and dyslipidaemia. In experimental renal failure, abrogation of hyperparathyroidism by administration of a calcimimetic or parathyroidectomy (PTX) attenuates progression of renal failure. To evaluate the impact of PTX on blood pressure (BP), renal graft function and serum lipids, we performed a retrospective case-controlled study in renal graft recipients. METHODS Charts of 1647 kidney allograft recipients, transplanted between 1989 and 2004, were reviewed. Thirty-two patients with a functioning graft and a history of a successful PTX performed at least 9 months after transplantation were identified. Biochemical and clinical data available 6 months pre- and post-PTX were registered. Changes in BP, renal function and serum lipids were assessed. The data were compared with those obtained in a similar time frame in a control group closely matched for date of transplantation. RESULTS Systolic BP (149.9 vs 141.7 mmHg), diastolic BP (85.6 vs 81.9 mmHg), pulse pressure (64.3 vs 58.8 mmHg), total cholesterol concentration (221.4 vs 211.1 mg/dl) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentration (123.9 vs 106.7 mg/dl) improved significantly after successful PTX. Serum creatinine, conversely, significantly increased after PTX (1.75 vs 2.13 mg/dl, P<0.0001). No significant changes were observed in the control group in the same time period. CONCLUSION In patients with a functioning renal graft, BP and dyslipidaemia improve, whereas serum creatinine worsens following successful PTX. Our data are in agreement with a stimulatory effect of PTH on plasma renin activity and an inhibitory effect on lipase activity, as previously demonstrated by others. To what extent the increased serum creatinine following PTX reflects a true deterioration of the glomerular filtration rate and/or is the consequence of vitamin D-induced reduction of the renal tubular secretion of creatinine needs to be elucidated by further research.
Platelet‐bound and free serotonin levels in jugular and forearm venous blood during migraine

The level of serotonin in platelets and free in plasma has been determined in jugular and forearm venous blood before and during migraine attacks in six women. A significant fall in platelet serotonin was observed in five subjects and was accompanied by a significant fall in plasma free serotonin in the four subjects for whom data concerning free serotonin levels were available. There was no significant difference between jugular and forearm blood in respect to either platelet-bound or free serotonin in the headache-free phase, and during migraine, the values for jugular and forearm blood were parallel. The significance of these findings in relationship to the serotonin theory of migraine is discussed.
Horizontal projections of area 17 in Cebus monkeys: metric features, and modular and laminar distribution.

Metric features and modular and laminar distributions of intrinsic projections of area 17 were studied in Cebus apella. Anterogradely and retrogradely labeled cell appendages were obtained using both saturated pellets and iontophoretic injections of biocytin into the operculum. Laminar and modular distributions of the labeled processes were analyzed using Nissl counterstaining, and/or cytochrome oxidase and/or NADPH-diaphorase histochemistry. We distinguished three labeled cell types: pyramidal, star pyramidal and stellate cells located in supragranular cortical layers (principally in layers IIIa, IIIb alpha, IIIb beta and IIIc). Three distinct axon terminal morphologies were found, i.e., Ia, Ib and II located in granular and supragranular layers. Both complete and partial segregation of group I axon terminals relative to the limits of the blobs of V1 were found. The results are compatible with recent evidence of incomplete segregation of visual information flow in V1 of Old and New World primates.
Inter-Carrier Interference Compensation for Zero Padding OFDM

Zero Padded (ZP)-OFDM has attracted a lot of attention as an efficient technique to improve the performance in severe frequency selective channels, and many works were devoted to the equalization methods of ZP-OFDM in static channel models. In this paper, we propose the ICI compensation method corresponding to ZP-OFDM in the time and frequency selective channel. In the proposed method, the channel variation within one OFDM symbol is assumed to be linear to reduce the computational complexity. Simulation results show that the proposed method improves the performance in the frequency and time selective channels.
Does Crew Resource Management Training Work? An Update, an Extension, and Some Critical Needs

Objective: This review provides the state of crew resource management (CRM) training evaluations since the E. Salas, C. S. Burke, C. A. Bowers, and K. A. Wilson (2001) review and extends it to areas beyond aviation cockpits. Some critical evaluation needs in CRM training are also covered. Background: Because of the purported success of CRM training in aviation, other high-consequence domains have begun to implement CRM training for their workforces. However, the true impact of CRM training in aviation and these other domains has yet to be determined. Method: Using D. L. Kirkpatrick's (1976) framework for evaluating training (i.e., reactions, learning, behavior, and organizational impact), we reviewed 28 published accounts of CRM training to determine its effectiveness within aviation, medicine, offshore oil production and maintenance, shipping/maritime, and nuclear power domains. Results: Findings indicate that CRM training generally produced positive reactions from trainees; however, the impact of training on learning and behavioral changes suggest mixed results across and within domains. Furthermore, and as was found by Salas, Burke, et al. in 2001, we cannot ascertain whether CRM has had an impact on the organization's bottom line (i.e., safety). Conclusion: Based on the results, there are several critical needs that the CRM training community must address before CRM training can have the desired impact on safety: a mandate, access to data, and resources. Application: As CRM training expands to organizations beyond aviation, it is critical that its impact be understood such that it can be improved and achieve the intended results.
THE EFFECTS OF STEROID WITHDRAWAL ON THE LIPOPROTEIN PROFILES OF CYCLOSPORINE‐TREATED KIDNEY AND KIDNEY‐PANCREAS TRANSPLANT RECIPIENTS

Lipoprotein profiles were measured before and two months after complete withdrawal of prednisone in 34 kidney and 9 kidney-pancreas transplant recipients subsequently maintained on cyclosporine and azathioprine. Withdrawal of steroid therapy was accompanied by a 17% reduction in total serum cholesterol levels. However, there was a parallel reduction in all other measured lipoprotein concentrations, including an 18% reduction in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels. In diabetic recipients of a kidney or kidney-pancreas transplant, the ratio of total to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol was unchanged after steroid withdrawal. In nondiabetic kidney transplant recipients, this ratio actually increased significantly following withdrawal of prednisone. These observations suggest that it is premature to presume that withdrawal of steroid therapy will reduce the cardiovascular risk related to hyperlipidemia in cyclosporine-treated kidney or kidney-pancreas transplant recipients.
A biological profile of a nonsteroidal antiandrogen, SCH 13521 (4'-nitro-3'trifluoromethylisobutyranilide).

Sch 13521 (4'–nitro–3'–trifluoromethylisobutyranilide) at daily doses from 1–50 mg/kg reduced seminal vesicles and ventral prostate wt of intact male rats treated orally for 1–3 weeks. No alterations in sex structures of female rats were observed with doses as high as 50 mg/kg. Sch 13521 antagonized the effects of testosterone, testosterone propionate, androstenedione, and dihydrotestosterone on seminal vesicles and ventral prostate wt in castrated rats as well as the effects of hCG in hypophysectomized rats. A comparative study in castrated rats revealed that Sch 13521 was equipotent to cyproterone acetate (CPA) as an antiandrogen. However, when Sch 13521 was given to gravid rats, days 16–19, it reduced the anogenital distance in male fetuses and altered the normal development of the scrotum and penis, but unlike CPA, Sch 13521 did not effect parturition time. In the majority of these male rats, hypospadias and vaginal tracts were present and ventral prostates and seminal vesicles were absent or markedly.
Long-term menstrual and reproductive function in patients with bulimia nervosa.

OBJECTIVE Menstrual dysfunction occurs frequently in patients with bulimia nervosa. Whether this is associated with diminished fertility is unknown. This study examined menstrual and reproductive function in bulimia nervosa patients retrospectively, with 10-15-year follow-ups. METHOD A total of 173 women with bulimia nervosa were interviewed an average of 11.5 years (SD=1.9) after initial assessment with the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV and a questionnaire about menstruation, pregnancy, and eating disorder symptoms. RESULTS At baseline assessment, 38.2% of the subjects reported regular menses, and 4.6% reported amenorrhea. At follow-up, the rate of amenorrhea was 16.8% (2.9% because of pregnancy). At baseline, 34.7% of the subjects had experienced at least one pregnancy. At follow-up, 74.6% had been pregnant at least once, and 1.7% reported an inability to conceive. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that while menstrual irregularities are common, bulimia nervosa appears to have little impact on later ability to achieve pregnancy.
Fluid Limits Applied to Peer to Peer Network Analysis

The objective of several techniques including fluid limits and mean field approximations is to analyze a stochastic complex system (e.g. Markovian) studying a simplified model (deterministic, represented by ordinary differential equations (ODEs)). In this paper, we explore models proposed for the analysis of BitTorrent P2P systems and we provide the arguments to justify the passage from the stochastic process, under adequate scaling, to a fluid approximation driven by an ODE. We also make the link between the stationary regime of the stochastic models and the fixed points of the associated ODEs. Finally, we analyze the asymptotic distribution of the scaled process.
A new paradigm for Prelamin A proteolytic processing by ZMPSTE24: the upstream SY^LL cleavage occurs first and there is no CaaX processing by ZMPSTE24

Human ZMPSTE24, an integral membrane zinc metalloprotease, is required for conversion of prelamin A to mature lamin A, a component of the nuclear lamina and failure of this processing causes premature ageing disorders. ZMPSTE24 has also been implicated in both type 2 diabetes mellitus and in viral-host response mechanisms, but to date its only confirmed substrate is the precursor for lamin A. Prelamin A is thought to undergo four C-terminal post-translational modifications in the following order: farnesylation, SIM tripeptide cleavage, carboxymethylation and upstream “SY^LL” cleavage. Here we present evidence that the sequence of events does not follow the accepted dogma. We assessed cleavage of long human prelamin A sequence peptides by purified human ZMPSTE24 combined with FRET and mass spectrometry to detect products. Surprisingly, we found that the “SY^LL” cleavage occurs before and independent of the C-terminal CSIM modifications. We also found that ZMPSTE24 does not perform the predicted C^SIM tripeptide cleavage, but rather it removes an IM dipeptide. ZMPSTE24 can perform a tripeptide cleavage with a canonical CaaX box (C: cysteine; a: aliphatic; X: any residue), but the C-terminus of prelamin A is not a true CaaX sequence. Regardless of the C-terminal modifications of prelamin A, ZMPSTE24 can perform upstream SY^LL cleavage, thus removing the unwanted farnesylated C-terminus. Therefore, it is failure of SY^LL cleavage, not the C-terminal processing that is the likely cause of progeroid disorders.
Elastic Domains Regulate Growth and Organogenesis in the Plant Shoot Apical Meristem

Shape-Shifting Signals Although orthogonal signaling systems seem to direct various developmental processes, few tissues remain in the same shape as they are at initiation to that of the final form. Arabidopsis leaves are free of the cell migrations that complicate animal development, and thus allowed Kuchen et al. (p. 1092) to track and model the trajectory of leaf growth under a variety of perturbations. Varying the values of parameters in their model produced outputs of different leaf shapes ranging from obcordate, ovate, and oval to elliptic, and offered predictions for genes that regulate the developmental process. The meristem at the growing tip of plants is home to stem cells and is the source of newly differentiating shoots and leaves. New leaves make their first appearance as bulges at the side of the dome-shaped meristem. Although these developmental events are under hormonal control, they also seem to be constrained by the physical properties of the meristem. Kierzkowski et al. (p. 1096) tested physical effects acting on the shoot apical meristem of growing tomato shoots that alter turgor pressure. Again, mathematical modeling combined with observations of plant tissue helped to define the different zones in the meristem that respond to diverse mechanical stimuli. New leaves emerge where they are allowed. Although genetic control of morphogenesis is well established, elaboration of complex shapes requires changes in the mechanical properties of cells. In plants, the first visible sign of leaf formation is a bulge on the flank of the shoot apical meristem. Bulging results from local relaxation of cell walls, which causes them to yield to internal hydrostatic pressure. By manipulation of tissue tension in combination with quantitative live imaging and finite-element modeling, we found that the slow-growing area at the shoot tip is substantially strain-stiffened compared with surrounding fast-growing tissue. We propose that strain stiffening limits growth, restricts organ bulging, and contributes to the meristem's functional zonation. Thus, mechanical signals are not just passive readouts of gene action but feed back on morphogenesis.