Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Impact of the Coronary Health Improvement Project (CHIP) on Several Employee Populations

The greatest potential to improve public health lies in the ability of individuals to adopt healthful behaviors. The purpose of this study was to determine whether participation in a facilitator-based video version of the Coronary Health Improvement Project (CHIP) would improve health behaviors and significantly reduce employee health risks. Employees (n = 442) from six worksites in metropolitan Rockford, Illinois, were used in a pretest/posttest design. Employees self-selected to participate in a facilitator-based, CHIP video program. Participants received instruction twice a week, for 8 weeks, via 15 videos shown at each participating worksite. Demographic and biometric data (body weight, body mass index, blood lipids, blood pressure, and fasting blood glucose) were evaluated at baseline and at 8 weeks. All sites individually and collectively demonstrated significant and meaningful reductions in body weight, body mass index, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides, and fasting blood glucose. Men demonstrated greater improvement than women, and individuals with higher baseline health risks experienced the greatest reductions in risk. The CHIP video program appears to be an effective method of lowering employee health risks. Future research is needed to determine how long these reductions may persist.
Shuffling Through the Bargain Bin: Real Estate Holdings of Public Firms

Constructing a novel database on the real estate holdings of public firms, we show that distressed firms sell their real estate assets at a discount relative to healthy firms. We find that distress discount in real estate assets is less pronounced for sellers with less liquidity-constrained industry peers and in machinery-heavy industries. We also document that asset redeployability and the availability of potential buyers are two important property-specific determinants of the distress discount. Additionally, firms' property portfolios that are less redeployable with less potential buyers exacerbate the negative impact of financial distress on the cost of borrowing.
Automated DEM extraction in digital aerial photogrammetry: precisions and validation for mass movement monitoring

Automated procedures for photogrammetric image processing and Digital Elevation Models (DEM) extraction yield high precision terrain models in a short time, reducing manual editing; their accuracy is strictly related to image quality and terrain features. After an analysis of the performance of the Digital Photogrammetric Work- station (DPW) 770 Helava, the paper compares DEMs derived from different surveys and registered in the same reference system. In the case of stable area, the distribution of height residuals, their mean and standard devia- tion values, indicate that the theoretical accuracy is achievable automatically when terrain is characterized by regular morphology. Steep slopes, corrugated surfaces, vegetation and shadows can degrade results even if man- ual editing procedures are applied. The comparison of multi-temporal DEMs on unstable areas allows the mon- itoring of surface deformation and morphological changes.
Early and mid‐term angiographic and clinical results after intracoronary duet stent placement

The Duet stent (Guidant/Advanced Cardiovascular Systems) is a new stent with a corrugated ring design and very limited data on its short‐ and mid‐term performance. Accordingly, in this study we sought to determine the early and mid‐term clinical and angiographic outcomes in a moderate‐sized series of 86 consecutive patients who underwent placement of 108 premounted Duet stents in 98 coronary lesions. Procedural success, accomplished in all patients, was accompanied by a significant reduction in lesion severity from 89% ± 11% before to 5% ± 3% diameter stenosis after the procedure (P = 0.0001) and a 0.9% incidence of subacute stent thrombosis. Angiographic restudy at 5.7 months in 89% of eligible patients revealed a binary in‐stent restenosis rate of 26%. Coronary stenting with the new Duet stent confers a low risk of stent thrombosis and a favorable mid‐term clinical and angiographic outcome despite the presence of a large proportion of patients at high risk of in‐stent restenosis. Cathet Cardiovasc Intervent 2001;52:173–176. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Pharmacokinetic Variability of Aripiprazole and the Active Metabolite Dehydroaripiprazole in Psychiatric Patients

Aripiprazole is a new atypical antipsychotic drug with a partial agonist activity at dopamine 2 and serotonin 1A receptors. The metabolism of aripiprazole involves both cytochrome P450 2D6 (CYP2D6) and CYP3A4. This study investigated the pharmacokinetic variability of aripiprazole and the active metabolite dehydroaripiprazole on the basis of 155 drug monitoring samples from psychiatric patients treated with therapeutic doses of aripiprazole (10-30 mg/day). Serum concentrations of drug and metabolite were determined by liquid chromatographic and tandem mass spectrometric detection. Pharmacokinetic variability was expressed as the range in concentration/dose (C/D) ratios, and the effect of sex and occasionally coprescribed CYP2D6 or CYP3A4 inhibitors/inducers was studied. In addition, the dose-concentration relationship and combined interquartile range of concentrations obtained at low dose (10-15 mg/day) and high dose (20-30 mg/day) were described. Individual C/D ratios ranged 37-fold for aripiprazole, 78-fold for dehydroaripiprazole, and 27-fold for the active sum of aripiprazole + dehydroaripiprazole. Median C/D ratios in male and female patients differed by less than 15%, and none of the differences were significant (P > 0.14). Cases of concurrent CYP3A4 inducers/inhibitors were not found, but three patients were coprescribed the potent CYP2D6 inhibitors paroxetine or fluoxetine. No consistent difference in C/D ratio was observed in these three patients compared with the rest of the patients. There was a proportional dose-concentration relationship in the population, and the combined interquartile ranges were 230 to 960 nmol/L for aripiprazole and 330 to 1210 nmol/L for aripiprazole + dehydroaripiprazole. In conclusion, pharmacokinetic variability of aripiprazole is extensive in psychiatric patients but apparently not dependent on dose or sex. The variability of the pharmacologic active sum of aripiprazole + dehydroaripiprazole is 25% to 30% less than aripiprazole, suggesting that variability of aripiprazole is partly determined by metabolism to dehydroaripiprazole.
High Resolution Chest Computerized Tomography in the Diagnosis of Ocular Sarcoidosis in a High TB Endemic Population

ABSTRACT Purpose: To review the role of high resolution chest computed tomography (HRCT) in ocular sarcoidosis in a high TB endemic population. Methods: This was a retrospective study. Results: Out of 140 cases, 54 had ocular sarcoidosis, while 86 cases had ocular tuberculosis. Abnormal HRCT findings was noted in 52 cases (96.3%) of ocular sarcoidosis compared with 55 cases (64.7%) of ocular tuberculosis (p = 0.001). Mediastinal lymphadenopathy was the most common finding in both groups (p = 0.544). Hilar lymphadenopathy and fissural nodules were significantly seen in ocular sarcoidosis (p = 0.001). Necrosis was seen in three cases of ocular sarcoidosis. In nearly half of the cases, it was not possible to differentiate between sarcoidosis and tuberculosis on HRCT. Conclusions: HRCT is a useful diagnostic tool in ocular sarcoidosis. Bilateral hilar lymphadenopathy and fissural nodules are significant findings in ocular sarcoidosis. A confident diagnosis of ocular sarcoidosis is made by the amalgamation of results of clinical, radiologic, and other laboratory investigations.
Finite volume approximation of stiff problems on two-dimensional curvilinear domain

The aim of this article is to apply a novel finite volume method to approximate a stiff problem for a two-dimensional curvilinear domain. The stiffness is caused by the existence of a small parameter in the equation which introduces a boundary layer along parts of the curvilinear boundary. Incorporating in the finite volume space the boundary layer correctors, the boundary layer singularities are absorbed. Hence, we propose a second order scheme for curvilinear domains using uniform meshes thus avoiding the costly refinement of mesh in the boundary layers.
Graphical representation and multicomponent analysis of single‐frequency fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy data

Graphical representation of fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy data demonstrates that a mixture of two components with single exponential decays can be resolved by single frequency measurements. We derive a method based on linear fitting that allows the calculation of the fluorescence lifetimes of the two components. We show that introduction of proper error‐weighting results in a non‐linear method that is mathematically identical to a global analysis algorithm that was recently derived. The graphical approach was applied to cellular data obtained from a lifetime‐based phosphorylation assay for the epidermal growth factor receptor and yielded results similar to those obtained by a global analysis algorithm.
Eradication of Invasive Pneumococcal Disease due to the Seven-valent Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine Serotypes in Calgary, Alberta

Background: The seven-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV7) was licensed in Canada in 2001. Routine infant vaccination programs in Alberta began in 2002. Several years after PCV7 introduction, the routine use of PCV7 in infants and high-risk children has led to near elimination of invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) caused by vaccine serotypes. Methods: Prospective, population-based surveillance of all IPD cases was conducted from January 1998 to December 2010. Demographic, clinical and microbiologic data were collected. Results: There were 1462 IPD cases over 13 years. Comparing PCV7 serotype IPD incidence in the prevaccine period (1998–2001) to the late postvaccine period (2007–2010), there were declines in children 0–5 months (100%), 6–23 months (98%), 2–4 years (97%), 5–15 years (100%) as well as in adults 16–64 years (73%), 65–84 years (90%) and ≥85 years of age (100%). From 2008 to 2010, there were no cases of PCV7 serotype IPD in children under 2 years of age. There have been increases in non-PCV7 serotype IPD; notably, serotypes 5 and 19A have increased significantly in adults and 19A in children. Conclusions: PCV7 serotype IPD has been eliminated in vaccine-eligible young children and nearly eliminated in all other age groups. Serotype 19A increased significantly at all ages before the introduction of an expanded valency pneumococcal conjugate vaccine.
Long‐term follow‐up and survival of cutaneous T‐cell lymphoma patients treated with extracorporeal photopheresis

Extracorporeal photopheresis (ECP) is effective for treating cutaneous T‐cell lymphoma. In 1987, a pivotal trial showed 81% overall response rate (ORR) using outdated criteria. No long‐term follow‐up was available for assessing survival. This study applies modern criteria to the 1987 trial to assess the impact of ECP on skin responses and also updates overall survival of the cohort.
Cuticular lipid mass and desiccation rates in Glossina pallidipes: interpopulation variation

Abstract Tsetse flies, Glossina pallidipes (Diptera: Glossinidae) are said to have strong dispersal tendencies. Gene flow among these populations is estimated to be the theoretical equivalent of no more than one or two reproducing flies per generation, thereby raising the hypothesis of local regimes of natural selection. Flies were sampled from four environmentally diverse locations in Kenya to determine whether populations are homogeneous in desiccation tolerance and cuticular lipids. Cuticular hydrocarbon fractions known to act as sex pheromones do not differ among populations, thereby eliminating sexual selection as an isolating mechanism. Cuticular lipid quantities vary among populations and are not correlated with prevailing temperatures, humidities, and normalized density vegetation indices. Females demonstrate a stronger correlation than males between cuticular lipid mass and body weight. Desiccation rates also vary among populations, but are not correlated with the amounts of cuticular lipid. Chemical analysis of cuticular hydrocarbons by gas chromatography–mass spectroscopy shows that one of the four populations has more 11,15‐ and 11,21‐dimethyl‐31 hydrocarbon on females. These results are discussed in the context of population differences and estimates of gene flow.
Neural Differentiation of Lexico-Syntactic Categories or Semantic Features? Event-Related Potential Evidence for Both

Event-related potentials (ERPs) were used to investigate whether processing differences between nouns and verbs can be accounted for by the differential salience of visual-perceptual and motor attributes in their semantic specifications. Three subclasses of nouns and verbs were selected, which differed in their semantic attribute composition (abstract, high visual, high visual and motor). Single visual word presentation with a recognition memory task was used. While multiple robust and parallel ERP effects were observed for both grammatical class and attribute type, there were no interactions between these. This pattern of effects provides support for lexicalsemantic knowledge being organized in a manner that takes account both of category-based (grammatical class) and attribute-based distinctions.
Osteoclast differentiation and function in aquaglyceroporin AQP9‐null mice

Background information. Osteoclasts are cells specialized for bone resorption and play important roles in bone growth and calcium homoeostasis. Differentiation of osteoclasts involves fusion of bone marrow macrophage mononuclear precursors in response to extracellular signals. A dramatic increase in osteoclast cell volume occurs during osteoclast biogenesis and is believed to be mediated by AQP9 (aquaporin 9), a membrane protein that can rapidly transport water and other small neutral solutes across cell membranes.
Structural phase transitions and equations of state for selenium under pressure.

Pressure-induced structural phase transitions in hexagonal Se were studied for the first time by high-pressure energy dispersive x-ray-diffraction techniques up to 50 GPa. The observed phase transitions are as follows: from hexagonal to monoclinic at 14(1) GPa, from monoclinic to tetragonal at 28(2) GPa, and from tetragonal to rhombohedral at 41(3) GPa. All the observed phase transitions are reversible with hysteresis. The high-pressure behavior of selenium is compared with that of tellurium. The room-temperature equation-of-state data for all the phases are presented.
A multiscale feature fusion approach for classification of very high resolution satellite imagery based on wavelet transform

A novel methodology based on multiscale spectral and spatial information fusion using wavelet transform is proposed in order to classify very high resolution (VHR) satellite imagery. Conventional wavelet‐based feature extraction methods employ single windows of a fixed size, which are not satisfactory as the VHR imagery contains complex and multiscale objects. In this paper, spectral and spatial features are extracted based on a set of concentric windows around a central pixel in order to integrate the information across different windows/scales. The proposed method is made up of three blocks: (1) the conventional wavelet‐based feature extraction methods are extended from single band processing to multispectral bands, and from single window to multi‐windows, (2) two multiscale fusion algorithms are proposed to exploit the multiscale spectral and spatial information and (3) a support vector machine (SVM), a relatively new method of machine learning, is used to classify the multiscale spectral–spatial feature sets. The proposed classification method is evaluated on two VHR datasets and the results show that the multiscale approach can improve the classification accuracy in homogeneous areas while simultaneously preserving accuracy in edge regions.
Renal response to furosemide in conscious rats: effects of acute instrumentation and peripheral sympathectomy.

In order to investigate whether the renal sympathetic nerves contribute to the compensatory Na reabsorption observed during furosemide-induced volume contraction, furosemide was administered as constant i.v. infusion (7.5 mg/kg/h) in trained, chronically instrumented rats with or without guanethidine-induced peripheral sympathectomy. In addition, the effect of acute instrumentation was evaluated by measuring renal function before and after furosemide infusion in control rats recovering from surgery and halothane anesthesia. Lithium clearance was used as a marker for proximal tubular Na reabsorption, and [3H]inulin and [14C]tetraethylammonium were used as markers for the glomerular filtration rate and the effective renal plasma flow, respectively. Control values in chronically instrumented sympathectomized rats did not differ from values obtained in chronically instrumented control rats. In acutely instrumented control rats the control value for effective renal plasma flow was 20% lower than in both chronically instrumented groups; this was associated with increased arterial blood pressure and increased renal vascular resistance. There were no differences in the diuretic or the natriuretic furosemide response between chronically instrumented control and chronically instrumented sympathectomized rats, whereas the diuretic and natriuretic responses were reduced in acutely instrumented control rats. This was due to an accentuation of the initial fall in glomerular filtration rate during furosemide infusion. In control animals, either acutely or chronically instrumented, fractional Li excretion increased from 30% to 50% during furosemide peak response, after which it returned toward control values. In sympathectomized rats, the fractional Li excretion increased from 36% to 70% during furosemide peak response, after which it decreased to a steady-state value of 56%. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Percutaneous Lumbar Discectomy: One‐Year Follow‐Up in an Initial Cohort of Fifty Consecutive Patients with Chronic Radicular Pain

BACKGROUND Discogenic leg pain is a primary cause of health care expenditure in the U.S.A. , afflicting nearly 10 million people at an estimated cost of over $20 billion. 1,2 This pain is often due to herniation of the intervertebral disc 3–5 and clinically characterized as compressive or noncompressive. 3 Compressive herniations have been treated with open surgical discectomy/decompression when a progressive motor, sensory, and/or reflex change (ie, radiculopathic pattern) is noted on serial neurologic exam. 6,7 In that setting, surgical disc decompression has produced clinical improvement by reducing pressure within the intervertebral disc and adjacent nerve root. 8
COMPARATIVE HISTOLOGICAL STUDY OF TONGUE IN TWO SPECIES OF RAT (RATTUS NORVEGICUS & RATTUS WISTAR)

This study was carried out to compare the anatomical structure of tongue in two species of Rattus. For this purpose, the tongue of Rattus norvegicus (8 adult male) and Rattus wistar (8 adult male) was dissected from the root. Macroscopic features of tongue as weight, length and width were measured by calliper. Then, they were fixed in formalin (10%) and prepared by tissue processing. The sections (5 μ) were prepared and subjected to Haematoxylin and Eosin stain. Morphometric analyses were performed by light microscopy and progress capture soft ware. The comparative observation in these species were showed that the keratinized stratified squamous epithelium covered dorsal of tongue especially on apex and the lingual torus was on the posterior third. The layers and arrangement of them were similar together but and different in thickness. Nnumerous filiform papillae as mechanical papillae and a few fungiform and one circumvallate papillae as gustatory papillae were observed on dorsum of tongue. Distribution and density of filliform and fungiform papillae were different. Lingual glands were found spatially on posterior of ventral surface. According to these results, the structure of tongue in both species is somewhat similar and differences due to adaptations for verity of diet.
Monocyte expression of Toll-like receptor-4 in patients with stable angina undergoing percutanoeus coronary intervention.

BACKGROUND Toll like receptors (TLRs) are well recognized players in inflammatory conditions. Among them TLR-4 is involved in chronic inflammatory processes such as formation of atherosclerotic plaques. OBJECTIVE The present study was aimed to examine the effects of percutanoeus coronary intervention (PCI) as a revascularization method on monocyte expression of hTLR-4 and on the serum levels of two proinflammatory cytokines (TNF-α and IL-1β). METHODS Blood samples were obtained from 41 patients with stable angina who were candidates for PCI. The samples were collected immediately before and 2h and 4h after PCI. The expression of hTLR-4 on CD14+ monocytes and the serum levels of TNF-α and IL-1β were measured using flowcytometry and ELISA techniques, respectively. RESULTS By comparing the frequency of circulating hTLR-4+/CD14+ monocytes at different time points, it was observed that PCI procedure up regulates the monocyte expression of hTLR-4 (p<0.05). The increase in expression was associated with the elevation of the serum levels of proinflammatory cytokines (p<005). There was a significant correlation between monocyte expression of hTLR-4 and serum levels of TNF-α and IL-1β only before PCI. In spite of parallel increase in the serum levels of proinflammatory cytokines and the monocyte expression of hTLR-4, the correlation did not attain a significant level after PCI intervals. CONCLUSION PCI is positively associated with an increase in the monocyte expression of hTLR-4. It is also associated with the elevation in the serum levels of proinflmmatory cytokines. These findings suggest that hTLR-4 monocyte expression may be used as a potential prognostic tool in patients with stable angina undergoing PCI.
Speech prosody and possible misunderstandings in intercultural talk: A study of listener behaviour in Standard Vietnamese and German dialogues

A perception experiment testing the interpretation of backchannels by Vietnamese native listeners (Ha 2012) indicates that the pitch reflecting affective meanings may not be derived from the Frequency Code as proposed for a large number of languages (Ohala 1983, Gussenhoven 2004). In the current study we investigate the prosodic patterns of backchannels used by Vietnamese and German speakers in map task dialogues. The analysis focuses on the rechecking phase of the map task. Our findings show that Standard Vietnamese backchannels are produced consistently with a falling/level pitch contour. For German, although there is variation in the form of backchannels, they are predominantly produced with a rising contour. The study points out potential misunderstandings that may occur in intercultural talk in general, and in Vietnamese-German dyads in particular.
Glycan Antagonists and Inhibitors: A Fount for Drug Discovery

ABSTRACT Glycans, the carbohydrate chains of glycoproteins, proteoglycans, and glycolipids, represent a relatively unexploited area for drug development compared with other macromolecules. This review describes the major classes of glycans synthesized by animal cells, their mode of assembly, and available inhibitors for blocking their biosynthesis and function. Many of these agents have proven useful for studying the biological activities of glycans in isolated cells, during embryological development, and in physiology. Some are being used to develop drugs for treating metabolic disorders, cancer, and infection, suggesting that glycans are excellent targets for future drug development.