Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Small Cells Deployment for Cost Reduction of Hybrid-Energy Cellular Networks

Energy efficiency of wireless cellular networks is a well-studied domain and many proposals have been done following different amelioration paths. In this paper, we analyze the efficient use of small cells in a renewable energy context and considering real- time price of grid energy. This is typically the case when the mobile network is powered by the Smart Grid, in addition to renewable energy when available. We study the use of an algorithm adapted for this context and analyze it in simulation. Our results show that a suitable number or density of small cells gives better cost and energy savings performance, if we take grid energy cost into account.
Radiologic screening in the neurocutaneous syndromes: strategies and controversies.

The article by Egelhoff et al ( 1) in the current issue of this journal raises some important questions concerning what constitutes the proper radiologic screening and evaluation of patients with neurofibromatosis (NF). In this study, a surprisingly large number of occult spinal tumors were detected in patients with type 1 (NF -1) and type 2 (NF -2) neurofibromatosis. Does this mean that all patients with NF should undergo periodic magnetic resonance (MR) imaging of the entire brain and spine? Should their first-degree relatives also be scanned? How do the sophisticated new chromosomal marker tests for NF affect these imaging algorithms? Should we also rethink our approach to patients with other neurocutaneous syndromes, such as tuberous sclerosis and von Hippei-Lindau disease? To answer such questions , we must first review what is known about the natural history of these diseases, a limited and conflicting body of data that, for the present, must serve as our sole source of "truth. "
Use of the Cassette-Dosing Approach to Assess Brain Penetration in Drug Discovery

The objective of the present study was to examine the cassette dosing method in determination of brain-to-plasma concentration ratio (area under the concentration-time profiles for plasma/area under the concentration-time profiles for brain, Kp). Eleven model compounds, amprenavir, citalopram, digoxin, elacridar, imatinib, (3S,6S,12aS)-1,2,3,4,6,7,12,12a-octahydro-9-methoxy-6-(2-methylpropyl)-1,4-dioxopyrazino[1′,2′:1,6]pyrido[3,4-b]indole-3-propanoic acid 1,1-dimethylethyl ester (Ko143), loperamide, prazosin, quinidine, sulfasalazine, and verapamil, were selected to compare their Kp determined from discrete dosing in wild-type mice and their Kp from cassette dosing in wild-type, Mdr1a/1b(−/−), Bcrp1(−/−), and Mdr1a/1b(−/−)/Bcrp1(−/−) mice at 1 to 3 mg/kg. The mice brain and plasma were collected at 0.25, 1, and 3 h and were analyzed using high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry methods. The Kp determined from discrete dosing versus cassette dosing in the wild-type mice were within 2-fold for all the compounds except sulfasalazine and Ko143. The brain concentrations of sulfasalazine and Ko143 and the plasma concentrations of Ko143 were below the lower limit of quantitation. In addition, the Kp values estimated by mass spectrometry responses, namely the ratio of compound peak area to internal standard peak area, were within 2-fold of the Kp observed from the actual concentrations. Furthermore, the ratios of Kp in Mdr1a/1b(−/−), Bcrp1(−/−), and Mdr1a/1b(−/−)/Bcrp1(−/−) mice versus the Kp in the wild-type mice from cassette dosing were consistent with the ones reported in the literature where the compounds were dosed discretely. These results demonstrate that drug-drug interactions at the blood-brain barrier are unlikely at a subcutaneous dose of 1 to 3 mg/kg and support the use of the cassette dosing approach to assess brain penetration in drug discovery.
Discrete time minimax tracking control with disturbance estimation

The paper proposes an alternative way to solve robust reference tracking problem. Instead of rejecting the effect of the disturbance directly, an intermediate step is built into the state estimation problem. The advantage of the methodology is to elaborate a modified optimal state estimation problem taking the unbiased estimate of the disturbance into account. Henceforward, the solution of the discrete time, optimal LQ minimax tracking problem is modified and subjected to attenuate the disturbance residual. The paper addresses the nominal case for constant reference and disturbance signal showing the asymptotical stability and the tracking performance of the discrete time, optimal min-max control. Suboptimal solution is given for time varying reference and disturbance signal. A linearized hovering quadrotor example demonstrates the importance of the suggested technique.
The kinin B1 receptor contributes to the cardioprotective effect of angiotensin‐converting enzyme inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers in mice

Recent studies have shown that inhibition of angiotensin‐converting enzyme (ACE) or angiotensin II receptors causes upregulation of the B1 receptor (B1R). Here we tested the hypothesis that activation of the B1R partly contributes to the cardiac beneficial effect of ACE inhibitor (ACEi) and angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARB). B1R knockout mice (B1R−/−) and C57Bl/6J (wild‐type control animals, WT) were subjected to myocardial infarction (MI) by ligating the left anterior descending coronary artery. Three weeks after MI, each strain of mice was treated with vehicle, ACEi (ramipril, 2.5 mg kg−1 day−1 in drinking water) or ARB (valsartan, 40 mg kg−1 day−1 in drinking water) for 5 weeks. We found that: (1) compared with WT mice, B1R−/− mice that underwent sham surgery had slightly but significantly increased left ventricular (LV) diastolic dimension, LV mass and myocyte size, whereas systolic blood pressure, cardiac function and collagen deposition did not differ between strains; (2) MI leads to LV hypertrophy, chamber dilatation and dysfunction similarly in both WT and B1R−/− mice; and (3) ACEi and ARB improved cardiac function and remodelling in both strains; however, these benefits were significantly diminished in B1R−/− mice. Our data suggest that kinins, acting via the B1R, participate in the cardioprotective effects of ACEi and ARB.
Association between the APOE ε4 Allele and Late-Onset Alzheimer's Disease in an Ecuadorian Mestizo Population

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common neurodegenerative disease. It has two main pathological hallmarks: amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles. The APOE ε4 allele has been recognized as the strongest genetic risk factor for late-onset Alzheimer's disease (LOAD) in several populations worldwide, yet the risk varies by region and ethnicity. The aims of this study were to describe APOE allele and genotype frequencies and examine the relationship between the APOE ε4 allele and LOAD risk in an Ecuadorian Mestizo population. We carried out a case-control study comprising 56 individuals clinically diagnosed with probable AD (≥65 years of age) and 58 unrelated healthy control subjects (≥65 years of age). Genotyping was performed using the real-time PCR method. Our data showed that allelic and genotypic frequencies follow the trends observed in most worldwide populations. We also found a high-risk association between APOE ε4 allele carriers and LOAD (OR = 7.286; 95% CI = 2.824–18.799; p < 0.001). Therefore, we concluded that APOE ε4 must be considered an important genetic risk factor for LOAD in the Ecuadorian Mestizo population. Additionally, we suggest that in mixed populations the effects of admixture and ethnic identity should be differentiated when evaluating genetic contributions to Alzheimer's disease risk.
Obesity and metabolic syndrome in Brazilian patients with bipolar disorder

Objective: We aimed to determine the prevalence of obesity and metabolic syndrome (O/MetS) in a sample of Brazilian outpatients with bipolar disorder. Methods: Eighty-four patients with bipolar disorder were evaluated. We used the definition of MetS established in the Third Report of the National Cholesterol Education Program Expert Panel on Detection, Evaluation and Treatment of High Blood Cholesterol in Adults, modified by the American Heart Association (AHA). Patients were classified as obese if their body mass index (BMI) was ≥ 30 kg/m2. Results: We found that 28.6% of our sample met the AHA criteria for MetS and 35.7% were obese. The percentage of patients meeting each criterion of the AHA was as follows: 46% for abdominal obesity; 44% for hypertriglyceridemia or cholesterol-lowering medication use; 26% for low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol or being on a lipid-lowering medication; 45% for hypertension; and 20% for high fasting glucose or anti-diabetic medication use. Conclusions: The prevalence of obesity in our sample of outpatients with bipolar disorder was higher than that observed for the general population of Brazil. The rate of MetS was similar to that observed for the general population. Our data indicate the need for prevention, early detection and treatment of O/MetS in patients with bipolar disorder.
Virtual Libraries Supporting Student Learning

School libraries can exist in two spaces, a physical space or a virtual space. The author argues that students need a virtual library as well as a physical library because of the different learning opportunities that can be supported by virtual libraries. If a virtual library is carefully planned and designed, it can provide a rich learning environment. Although some authors may distinguish between various terms used to describe virtual libraries: digital libraries, electronic libraries, e-libraries, and the broader term virtual library, in this article, the term virtual library is used to describe any managed collection of information sources in an electronic format. Therefore, virtual libraries could include digital collections of pictures, maps, Web sites, or library records.
Evaluation of metal ions in rice samples: extraction and direct determination by ICP OES

A method for extraction of metal ions present in rice samples using ammoniacal EDTA solution, pH > 10, as extractor agent is proposed under the following optimized conditions: 0.20 g of rice sample and 5.00 mL of ammoniacal EDTA (ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid) solution, with 5 min of ultrasound exposure time. Using robust ICP OES (inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry) conditions, direct analysis of the extraction solution was allowed, and the recovery values obtained were above 90% for most of the studied elements (P, K, Mg, Ca, Zn, Mn, Cu and Mo) with RSD < 5%. The results were in good agreement with those obtained by microwave-assisted extraction and for the reference material of rice flour (NIST SRM 1568a). The limits of detection of method were in the range of 0.007 mg kg-1 (Mn) - 48.68 mg kg-1 (K), showing adequate detectability for the determination of the analytes. The analysis of different samples indicated that Brazilian "integral" rice contains higher contents of the constituents studied, followed by "parboiled" rice, and the "agulhinha" rice a long and thin grain type.
A systematic review of definitions of periodontitis and methods that have been used to identify this disease.

OBJECTIVE To perform a systematic review and critical analysis of the definitions of periodontitis and the methods which have been used to identify and measure this disease. MATERIAL AND METHODS Relevant publications were identified after searching MEDLINE, EMBASE, SCISEARCH and LILACS electronic databases. Screening of titles and abstracts and data extraction was conducted independently by two reviewers. To be included in the review, studies were required to define periodontitis and to indicate how it was measured. Studies that related purely to gingivitis, and/or intervention studies, and/or studies where prevalence or severity of periodontitis was not a principal outcome were excluded. RESULTS From a total of 34,72 titles and abstracts, 104 potentially relevant full text papers were identified. Of these, 15 met the criteria for inclusion in the final stage of the review. The survey revealed heterogeneity between the studies in the measurement tools used, particularly the types of probes and the sites and areas of the mouth that were assessed. There was also heterogeneity in the use of clinical attachment loss (CAL) and pocket probing depth (PPD) as criteria for periodontitis. In the 15 studies, the threshold for a diagnosis of periodontitis when CAL was the criterion ranged from 2 to > or =6 mm and when PPD was used, from 3 to > or =6 mm. CONCLUSIONS This review has confirmed previous work which has suggested that epidemiological studies of periodontal diseases are complicated by the diversity of methodologies and definitions used. The studies that were reviewed utilized a minimum diagnostic threshold defining periodontitis, at a given site in terms of CAL of 2 mm and PPD of 3 mm.
Prosthetic vascular graft infection through a median sternotomy: a multicentre review †.

OBJECTIVES The aim of this study is to analyse the treatment outcomes of thoracic prosthetic graft infection. METHODS A retrospective chart review was conducted at six hospitals and included the records of 68 patients treated for postoperative prosthetic vascular graft infection (mean age: 62.3 ± 15.1, male 51) from January 2000 to December 2013. The number of patients and the locations of the treated infections were as follows: 13 for aortic root, 16 for ascending aorta, 35 for aortic arch and 4 for aortic root to arch. In-hospital infection occurred in 43 patients and after discharge in 25. RESULTS The mean follow-up time was 2.0 ± 2.3 years. The follow-up rate was 94.1%. The most commonly isolated micro-organism was Staphylococcus aureus (72.1%). Rereplacement of infectious graft was performed in 18 patients (Dacron graft in 12, homograft in 4 and rifampicin-bonded Dacron graft in 2). The overall hospital mortality rate was 35.3% (24/68). The mortality rate among the patients with graft rereplacement was 33.3% (6/18), with pedicled muscle flaps or pedicled omental flaps to cover the graft 25.9% (7/27), with irrigation 55.0% (11/20) and on antibiotic therapy only 0% (0/3). Our multivariate analysis demonstrated that the risk factors of hospital death increased in the absence of pedicled flaps (muscle or omentum) to cover the graft (P = 0.001), age over 55 (P = 0.003), time from onset of initial operation <1 week (P = 0.031) and period before 2008 (P = 0.001). The overall 1-year survival rate was 58.6%. CONCLUSIONS The treatment outcomes of thoracic prosthetic vascular graft infection have not been satisfactory. However, the use of pedicled muscle or omental flaps to cover the graft could improve the outcomes.
Diverged Binding Specificity of Rim101p, the Candida albicans Ortholog of PacC

ABSTRACT The biology of Candida albicans, including dimorphism and virulence, is significantly influenced by environmental pH. The response to ambient pH includes the pH-conditional expression of several genes, which is directly or indirectly regulated by Rim101p. Rim101p is homologous to PacC, a transcription factor that regulates pH-conditional gene expression in Aspergillus nidulans. PacC binds 5′-GCCARG-3′ sequences upstream of pH-responsive genes and either activates or represses transcription. The absence of pacC consensus binding sites upstream of PHR1, a RIM101-dependent, alkaline pH-induced gene of C. albicans, suggested either that PHR1 is indirectly regulated by Rim101p or that the binding specificity of Rim101p is different. In vitro binding studies demonstrated that Rim101p strongly bound two regions upstream of PHR1 that were only weakly bound by PacC. Deletion analysis and site-specific mutagenesis demonstrated that both sites were functionally significant, mutation of either site reduced RIM101-dependent induction, and expression was abolished in the double mutant. Furthermore, oligonucleotides containing these sites conferred pH-conditional expression when inserted upstream of a reporter gene. The consensus sequence of these sites, 5′-CCAAGAAA-3′, was identical to the binding recognition sequence identified by in vitro selection of Rim101p binding oligonucleotides from a random pool. The functional significance of this binding sequence was reinforced by its observed presence upstream of a number of newly identified pH-conditional genes. We conclude that Rim101p acts as a transcription factor and directly regulates pH-conditional gene expression but has a binding specificity different from that of PacC.
Arsenic Exposure and Anemia in Bangladesh: A Population-Based Study

Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine the association between arsenic exposure and anemia, based on blood hemoglobin concentration. Methods: Hemoglobin measures, skin lesions, arsenic exposure, and nutritional and demographic information were collected from 1954 Bangladeshi participants in the Health Effects of Arsenic Longitudinal Study. We used general linear modeling to assess the association between arsenic exposure and hemoglobin concentration, examining men and women separately. Results: Arsenic exposure (urinary arsenic >200 &mgr;g/L) was negatively associated with hemoglobin among all men and among women with hemoglobin <10 d/L. Other predictors of anemia in men and women included older age, lower body mass index, and low intake of iron. Among women, the use of contraceptives predicted higher hemoglobin. Conclusions: The study suggests an association between high arsenic exposure and anemia in Bangladesh.
Hypotensive effect of a newly identified peptide, proadrenomedullin N-terminal 20 peptide.

Proadrenomedullin N-terminal 20 peptide (PAMP) and adrenomedullin (AM), which are both derived from proadrenomedullin, exhibit marked hypotensive effects. We recently reported that PAMP but not AM reduced the release of norepinephrine from peripheral sympathetic nerve endings. Our present objective was to clarify the involvement of the sympathetic nervous system in the hypotensive action of PAMP and AM. Intravenous administration of PAMP (10, 20, and 50 nmol/kg) to conscious rats induced less reflex tachycardia (5 +/- 5, 10 +/- 5, and 14 +/- 6 beats per minute [bpm]) than that of AM in 0.1, 0.5, and 1.0 nmol/kg doses (5 +/- 8, 20 +/- 7, and 38 +/- 5 bpm, P < .01) although both agents showed similar hypotensive effects. We evaluated the effect of PAMP on blood pressure in pithed rats whose sympathetic nervous systems were abolished. In pithed rats, AM (-2 +/- 1, -7 +/- 1, and -10 +/- 3 mm Hg; NS, P < .05, and P < .01, respectively) but not PAMP evoked hypotension. In contrast, administration of PAMP (-3 +/- 1, -11 +/- 2, and -14 +/- 4 mm Hg; P < .05, P < .01, and P < .01, respectively) as well as adrenomedullin (-2 +/- 2, -10 + 3, and -15 +/- 4 mm Hg; NS, P < .01, and P < .01) significantly reduced blood pressure in electrically stimulated, pithed rats, which had reached almost the same levels as in conscious rats. In electrically stimulated, pithed rats, plasma norepinephrine level was reduced by PAMP but not by vehicle or AM. These findings suggest that the hypotensive effect of PAMP is mainly due to inhibition of peripheral sympathetic nerve activity.
Ultrasonic Backscatter and Transmission Parameters at the Os Calcis in Postmenopausal Osteoporosis

Ultrasound technology has emerged as a new tool in the assessment of osteoporosis. Ultrasound parameters usually are measured in transmission; there is a potential for the analysis of backscattered signals to provide information on bone microarchitecture. The aim of this study was to explore a new technological development of the method, adding backscatter coefficient to transmission parameters, and to examine the appropriate thresholds to identify postmenopausal osteoporotic women. We examined 210 postmenopausal women (including 60 with osteoporotic fractures) and 30 healthy premenopausal controls. They had lumbar spine and hip bone mineral density (BMD) measurement and quantitative ultrasound (QUS) evaluation at the os calcis, measured in transmission (broadband ultrasound attenuation [BUA], speed of sound [SOS], ratio of transit time [dt] to BUA [dt/BUA], and “strength” index [STI]) and reflexion (broadband ultrasound backscattering [BUB]). The standardized CVs (sCVs) were between 2.27% and 3.40% for QUS measured in transmission and 4.41% for BUB. The odds ratio (OR) for fracture discrimination adjusted for age was 2.77 for hip BMD and between 1.6 and 2.9 for QUS. After adjustment for hip BMD, ORs were still highly significant for SOS, STI, and dt/BUA. According to hip BMD T score, prevalence of osteoporosis in our population was 39%. To detect the same prevalence, T scores ranged between −0.95 and −1.42 for QUS. QUS parameters have adequate ability to discriminate osteoporotic patients from controls. The World Health Organization (WHO) threshold for diagnosis of osteoporosis does not apply to this technology. The clinical utility of BUB at the os calcis, in addition to usual ultrasound parameters, is not yet proven. However, BUB evaluation, which does not require two transducers and may be implemented in conventional reflection mode systems, warrants further studies.
Application limits and data correction in number of molecules and brightness analysis

Number of molecules and Brightness (N&B) has been proposed for measuring the molecular brightness and number of fluorophores in time‐sequence of images, in live cells. If the fluorescently tagged‐proteins are mobile in the illumination volume, the stoichiometry of their oligomers can be derived from the increase of the brightness of the fluorescent dyes due to clustering. We examine aspects concerning extra‐fluctuation effects induced by cell shifts and photobleaching, which yield large overestimates of the clusters size and sub‐unit counts. We develop an offline corrective approach consisting in frame re‐alignment and boxcar filtering for recovering precision of the analysis. Using simulations we derive general criteria for approaching this analysis, and assess the application limits of the corrective procedure. We tested the approach in extreme experimental conditions (few pixels, large extra‐variance perturbations), in which we analyzed the minimal increases of brightness as that expected between a monomeric and dimeric GPI‐mEGFP constructs. We show how most of the perturbing effects can be abolished, and obtain the correct the brightness of GPI‐mEGFP monomers and dimers. Microsc. Res. Tech. 76:1135–1146, 2013. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Applied Multivariate Data Analysis

The material on GLMs has been considerably expanded and now encompasses  ve chapters, more than half of the book. Chapter 7 covers binary response models and logistic regression. It includes a discussion of doseresponse analysis versus a single factor. Chapter 8 explores nominal and ordinal data for more than two categorical outcomes. Chapter 9 is a new chapter on regression and log-linear models for count data that have a Poisson distribution. Chapter 10 discusses analysis of failure-time data. Chapter 11 presents methods for repeated-measures experiments, including both generalized estimating equations and multilevel models. Thanks go to the publisher for the softcover edition and attendant modest price, another of the book’s virtues besides its brevity. These attributes make this book a recommended purchase for those who need a book on logistic regression. It is a good place to start.