Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Low-dose angiotensin II receptor antagonists and angiotensin II-converting enzyme inhibitors alone or in combination for treatment of primary glomerulonephritis

Objective: The renin-angiotensin system is thought to be involved in the progression of chronic renal diseases of both diabetic and non-diabetic origin. It has been confirmed that angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) and angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) reduce urinary protein excretion and attenuate the development of renal injury. Clinical data comparing the renal effects of ACEIs and ARBs, either singly or in combination, are scarce and usually concern the use of standard or high doses. Material and Methods: This was a prospective, randomized, 9-month study of the effects of low doses of losartan (25 mg; n=18) versus enalapril (10 mg; n=18) versus the combination of losartan (25 mg) and enalapril (10 mg) (n=16) on proteinuria, kidney function and metabolic profile in 54 patients with biopsy-proven chronic glomerulonephritis, hypertension and normal or slightly impaired kidney function. The clinical evaluation and laboratory tests were performed before treatment (baseline) and after 3 and 9 months of therapy. Results: After 3 months, significant decreases in proteinuria were observed in all groups: losartan, 22.6% (p=0.02); enalapril, 43% (p=0.012); and combined therapy, 63% (p=0.001). This anti-proteinuric effect was even greater after 9 months of therapy: losartan, 44.2% (p=0.02); enalapril, 49.6% (p=0.02); and combined therapy, 51% (p=0.003). There was no significant difference between losartan and enalapril with respect to their impact on proteinuria level. Proteinuria reduction was significantly greater in patients receiving combined therapy in comparison with losartan treatment after 3 months of therapy (p=0.02). Creatinine clearance and serum creatinine were stable during the entire study period in all patients. No significant changes in lipids, serum uric acid or protein levels were observed. Conclusions: These results indicate that proteinuria is reduced by low doses of losartan or enalapril. The combination of these drugs seems to be beneficial and may offer an additional renoprotective effect. This needs to be confirmed in a study with a larger sample size.
Dependencias no dirigidas para el análisis basado en transiciones

En este articulo se presenta un nuevo enfoque para abordar el analisis de dependencias basado en transiciones. Se propone que el analizador construya un grafo no dirigido durante el proceso de analisis, en lugar de la estructura de dependencias dirigida clasica. A posteriori, la estructura no dirigida es transformada en un arbol de dependencias. Con ello se consigue reducir la propagacion de errores propia de estos sistemas. Aplicando este enfoque se obtuvieron variantes no dirigidas de los analizadores Planar, 2-Planar y Covington no proyectivo. Se han llevado a cabo experimentos sobre varios bancos de arboles del "CoNLL-X shared task", obteniendo resultados para las nuevas variantes que superan a los algoritmos originales en la mayoria de los casos.
Safety and efficacy of rivastigmine in patients with Alzheimer's disease not responding adequately to donepezil: an open-label study.

OBJECTIVE Switching patients with Alzheimer's disease from one cholinesterase inhibitor to another represents a viable option for patients not responding to current therapy. The objective of this large U.S.-based study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of a treatment switch to rivastigmine in patients not responding adequately to or declining on treatment with donepezil. METHOD In this 26-week, prospective, open-label, single-arm, multicenter study conducted from April 24, 2003, to June 25, 2004, patients with mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease (DSM-IV-TR criteria) who were not responding to donepezil were treated with rivastigmine 3-12 mg/day. Safety and tolerability were measured by the occurrence of adverse events and patient disposition. Treatment effects on global functioning were assessed using the Clinical Global Impression of Change (CGIC) scale. RESULTS Two hundred seventy patients with a mean age of 78.5 (SD = 7.56) years and a mean duration of dementia of 3.5 (SD = 2.06) years were included in the study. Sixty-nine percent of patients completed the study with 17.8% discontinuing due to adverse events. Eighty-three percent of patients reported at least 1 adverse event, with the most frequently occurring adverse events affecting the gastrointestinal system (54%). The majority of patients were reported to have either improvement or no decline on the CGIC. A limitation of the study is that the interpretation of the results is based on an overall completion rate of 69%. CONCLUSION Immediately switching patients from donepezil to rivastigmine without a washout period was safe and well tolerated in the current study. Additionally, these results suggest that patients not responding adequately to or declining while taking donepezil may improve or stabilize after switching to rivastigmine.
he course of neuropsychological impairment and brain structure bnormalities in psychotic disorders eil

Neuropsychological impairment and abnormalities in brain structure are commonly observed in psychotic disorders, including schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Shared deficits in neuropsychological functioning and abnormalities in brain structure suggest overlapping neuropathology between schizophrenia and bipolar disorder which has important implications for psychiatric nosology, treatment, and our understanding of the etiology of psychotic illnesses. However, the emergence and trajectory of
Role-play Gaming Simulation for Flood Management on Cultural Heritage: A Case Study of Ayutthaya Historic City

The main aim of this research is to develop a understanding on the participation of flood management for cultural heritage, as the cooperation and interaction among government section, private section, and public section through role-play gaming simulation theory. The format of this research is to develop Role-play gaming simulation from existing documents, game or role-playing from several sources and existing data of the research site. We found that role-play gaming simulation can be implemented to help improving the understanding of the existing problem and the impact of the flood on cultural heritage, and the role-play game can be understandi management on cultural heritage, moreover the cooperation among the government, private section and public section will be improved through the theory of role-play gaming simulation.
Modeling the 5-year cost effectiveness of treatment strategies including tumor necrosis factor-blocking agents and leflunomide for treating rheumatoid arthritis in the Netherlands.

OBJECTIVE To determine the cost effectiveness of treatment strategies for rheumatoid arthritis patients satisfying the indication for tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-blocking treatment. METHODS A Markov model study was performed. The following treatment strategies were considered: 1) usual treatment; 2) treatment with leflunomide, in the case of nonresponse after 3 months, switch to usual treatment; 3) TNF-blocking treatment, in the case of nonresponse after 3 months, switch to usual treatment; 4) treatment with leflunomide, in the case of nonresponse, switch to TNF-blocking treatment, in the case of nonresponse to TNF-blocking treatment, switch to usual treatment; 5) TNF-blocking treatment, in the case of nonresponse, switch to leflunomide treatment, in the case of nonresponse to leflunomide, switch to usual treatment. Expected patient-years in the different Markov states, costs, and quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) were compared between the treatment strategies; incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs) were calculated. RESULTS Over the 5-year period, the expected effect on disease activity and QALYs was better for treatment strategies that included TNF-blocking treatment than for the other treatment strategies. The greater effectiveness of these treatment strategies reduced medical and nonmedical costs compared with usual treatment by about 16% and 33%, respectively, omitting the costs of medication. When the costs of medication were included, the costs of strategies that started with TNF-blocking treatment were higher than those of the other treatment strategies. Treatment strategy 4 had the most favorable ICER of the treatment strategies that included TNF-blocking treatment: 163,556/QALY compared with usual treatment. CONCLUSION Among strategies that include TNF-blocking agents, one starting with leflunomide and, in the case of nonresponse, switching to TNF-blocking treatment probably results in the most favorable ratio between incremental costs and effects.
Closed-Form Design Method of an n-Way Dual-Band Wilkinson Hybrid Power Divider

In this paper, the closed-form design method of an N- way dual-band Wilkinson hybrid power divider is proposed. This symmetric structure including N groups of two sections of transmission lines and two isolated resistors is described which can split a signal into N equiphase equiamplitude parts at two arbitrary frequencies (dual-band) simultaneously, where N can be odd or even. Based on the rigorous even- and odd-mode analysis, the closed-form design equations are derived. For veriflcation, various numerical examples are designed, calculated and compared while two practical examples including two ways and three ways dual-band microstrip power dividers are fabricated and measured. It is very interesting that this generalized power divider with analytical design equations can be designed for wideband applications when the frequency-ratio is relatively small. In addition, it is found that the conventional N-way hybrid Wilkinson power divider for single-band applications is a special case (the frequency-ratio equals to 3) of this generalized power divider.
An Efficient Detection And Management Of False Accusation Attacks In Hierarchical Ad-Hoc Networks

An approach to detect abnormal activities based on reputations created individually by each node is vulnerable to a false accusation since intrusion detection in ad-hoc networks is done in a distributed and cooperative manner. Detection of false accusation is considered important because the efficiency or survivability of the network can be degraded severely if normal nodes were excluded from the network by being considered as abnormal ones in the intrusion detection process. In this paper, we propose an improved reputation-based intrusion detection technique to efficiently detect and manage false accusations in ad-hoc networks. Additionally, we execute simulations of the proposed technique to analyze its performance and feasibility to be implemented in a real environment.
Foreign Interventions and Abuse of Civilians During the Peruvian Civil War

The international community has a declared intention to protect innocent civilians from direct and deliberate violence in civil conflicts, but its track record of actually doing so is mixed. Using a new monthly time-series data set, we explore the factors associated with variations in the number of civilians killed or wounded by participants in the civil war in Peru during the 1980s and 1990s. We find that an increase in the level of abuse by one side is strongly associated with subsequent increases in the level of abuse by the other. Certain types of foreign intervention had a large and statistically significant impact on the level of abuse; some types of intervention raised the level of violence, but others reduced it.
Soil Enzyme Activity as Affected by Tillage and Residue Management Practices under Diverse Cropping Systems

Soil management practices influences population of microorganisms and soil microbial processes through changes in the quantity and quality of plant residues in the soil profile (Kandeler et al., 1999). Soil enzymes are indispensible for nutrient cycling in ecosystems and biotic and abiotic factors including quantity and quality of litter input, moisture and temperature are determining factor for their activity. The hydrolytic enzymes are involved in the dynamics of soil nutrient transformations and their activity in soil is considered to be a major contributor of overall soil microbial activity (Frankenberger and Dick, 1983) and soil quality (Visser and Parkinson, 1992). Modification of microbial dynamics on account of management practices may also be reflected in differences in enzyme activities in soils. Soil physical, chemical, biological and biochemical properties can be significantly altered by tillage and residue management practices, which in turn lead to alteration of the composition, distribution and activities of soil microbial community and enzymes (Dick, 1984; Magnan and Lynch, 1986). Accumulation of organic matter and nutrients at the surface soil layer under reduced tillage produces beneficial effects on soil physical, chemical and biological properties (Beare et International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences ISSN: 2319-7706 Volume 6 Number 10 (2017) pp. 1211-1218 Journal homepage: http://www.ijcmas. com
Bronchiolitis in US Emergency Departments 1992 to 2000: Epidemiology and Practice Variation

Objective: To describe the epidemiology of US emergency department (ED) visits for bronchiolitis, including the characteristics of children presenting to the ED and the variability in bronchiolitis care in the ED. Methods: Data were obtained from the 1992 to 2000 National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey. Cases had International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification code 466 and were younger than 2 years. National estimates were obtained using assigned patient visit weights; 95% confidence intervals were calculated using the relative standard error of the estimate; analysis used χ2 and logistic regression. Results: From 1992 to 2000, bronchiolitis accounted for approximately 1,868,000 ED visits for children younger than 2 years. Among this same age group, the overall rate was 26 (95% confidence interval 22-31) per 1000 US population and 31 (95% confidence interval 26-36) per 1000 ED visits. These rates were stable over the 9-year period. Comparing children with bronchiolitis to those presenting with other problems, children with bronchiolitis were more likely boys (61% vs. 53%; P = 0.01) and Hispanic (27% vs. 20%; P = 0.008). Therapeutic interventions varied and 19% were admitted to the hospital. The multivariate predictor for receiving systemic steroids was urgent/emergent status at triage (odds ratio 4.0, 1.9-8.4). Multivariate predictors for admission were Hispanic ethnicity (odds ratio 2.3, 1.1-5.0) and urgent/emergent status at triage (odds ratio 3.7, 2.0-6.9). Conclusions: ED visit rates for bronchiolitis among children younger than 2 years were stable between 1992 and 2000. The observed ED practice variation demonstrates that children are receiving medications for which there is little supporting evidence. Boys and Hispanics are at-risk groups for presentation to the ED, and Hispanics are more likely to be hospitalized.
H2O2 Is Required for Optimal Establishment of the Medicago sativa/Sinorhizobium meliloti Symbiosis

ABSTRACT The symbiotic interaction between Medicago sativa and Sinorhizobium meliloti RmkatB ++ overexpressing the housekeeping catalase katB is delayed, and this delay is combined with an enlargement of infection threads. This result provides evidence that H2O2 is required for optimal progression of infection threads through the root hairs and plant cell layers.
Sensory Consciousness is Experienced through Amplification of Sensory Stimuli via Lateral Inhibition

At present, researchers are unclear about which activity within the brain is responsible for the emergence of consciousness—the subconscious or unconscious. Current literature suggests that consciousness is isolated in the brain; however, we suggest consciousness emerges from both—subconscious and unconscious activity, in addition to sensory consciousness. This article contends that sensory consciousness arises from neurophysiological brain activity, intrapersonal space, sensory information, and parallel processing of the external and internal environment through vision, olfaction, the integumentary system, gustation, and audition. Traditionally, lateral inhibition is defined as the ability for an excited neuron to laterally inhibit its neighbors, and is an integral part of neurophysiology in all senses. In this article, we are connecting the science behind the well-established physiological observations of gamma wave activity in the interneurons of peripheral receptors with what is currently unknown regarding the functional significance of seemingly unrelated gamma activity in the cortico-thalamic gamma oscillations. We suggest that this allows for instantaneous integration of the brain with sensory receptors. This article uses existing literature on lateral inhibition to investigate its role in sensory organs and various areas of the body. We explain how sensory consciousness is only one component of unified consciousness. We propose that lateral inhibition also plays a vital role in consciousness theory, and understanding this can help illustrate the dynamic interactions between the central and peripheral nervous systems within the body.
Optical and dielectric properties of partially resonant composites.

We analyze the two-dimensional potential around a coated cylinder placed in a nonuniform field. In two special cases the system behaves as if the core of the cylinder were enlarged and the shell absent. These are when the shell dielectric constant is the negative of either the core dielectric constant or the matrix dielectric constant. When the shell dielectric constant has a small imaginary part, the field can exhibit large fluctuations which remain localized near the surface of the coated cylinder.
Role of the T Cell Receptor Ligand Affinity in T Cell Activation by Bacterial Superantigens*

Similar to native peptide/MHC ligands, bacterial superantigens have been found to bind with low affinity to the T cell receptor (TCR). It has been hypothesized that low ligand affinity is required to allow optimal TCR signaling. To test this, we generated variants of Staphylococcus enterotoxin C3 (SEC3) with up to a 150-fold increase in TCR affinity. By stimulating T cells with SEC3 molecules immobilized onto plastic surfaces, we demonstrate that increasing the affinity of the SEC3/TCR interaction caused a proportional increase in the ability of SEC3 to activate T cells. Thus, the potency of the SEC3 variants correlated with enhanced binding without any optimum in the binding range covered by native TCR ligands. Comparable studies using anti-TCR antibodies of known affinity confirmed these observations. By comparing the biological potency of the two sets of ligands, we found a significant correlation between ligand affinity and ligand potency indicating that it is the density of receptor-ligand complexes in the T cell contact area that determines TCR signaling strength.
Retinorecipient areas in the diurnal murine rodent Arvicanthis niloticus: A disproportionally large superior colliculus

The Nile grass rat (Arvicanthis niloticus) has a high proportion of cone photoreceptors (∼30–40%) compared with that in the common laboratory mouse and rat (∼1–3%) and may prove a preferable murine model with which to study cone‐driven information processing in retina and primary visual centers. However, other than regions involved in circadian control, little is known about the retinorecipient structures in this rodent. We undertook a detailed analysis of the retinal projections as revealed after intravitreal injection of the anterograde tracer cholera toxin subunit B. Retinal efferents were evaluated in 45 subcortical structures. Contralateral projections were always dominant. Major contralateral inputs consisted of the suprachiasmatic nucleus, dorsolateral geniculate nucleus (dLGN), intergeniculate leaflet, ventral geniculate nucleus (magnocellular part), lateroposterior thalamic nucleus, all six pretectal nuclei, superficial layers of the superior colliculus (SC), and the main nuclei of the accessory optic system. Terminals from the contralateral eye were also localized in an unnamed field rostromedial to the dLGN as well as in the subgeniculate thalamic nucleus. Ipsilateral inputs were found mainly in the suprachiasmatic nucleus, dLGN, intergeniculate leaflet, internal sector of the magnocellular part of the ventral geniculate nucleus, olivary pretectal nucleus, and SC optic layer. Retinal afferents were not detected in the basal forebrain or the dorsal raphe nucleus. Morphometric measurements revealed that the superficial layers of the SC are disproportionately enlarged relative to other retinorecipient regions and brain size compared with rats and mice. We suggest that this reflects the selective projection of cone‐driven retinal ganglion cells to the SC. J. Comp. Neurol. 521:1699–1726, 2013. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Pathogenesis of Clostridium perfringens infection: mechanisms and mediators of shock.

Shock, a common complication of gas gangrene caused by Clostridium perfringens, is related to the elaboration of α- and θ-toxins in vivo. This study compared the relative potencies of θ- and α-toxins in a rabbit model and determined the role of endogenous mediators of toxin-induced shock. α-Toxin decreased cardiac index, mean arterial pressure, and heart rate and caused death in 83% of animals. θ-Toxin did not alter these parameters and caused death in only 25% of animals. α-Toxin also inhibited ex vivo cardiac contractility in a dose-dependent manner. Finally, both α-and θ-toxins were potent inducers of endothelial cell-derived platelet activating factor. α-Toxin, but not θ-toxin, also stimulated production of tumor necrosis factor by peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Thus, the fulminant nature of shock in patients with gas gangrene caused by C. perfringens is the sum of α-toxin's direct effects on myocardial contractility and both toxins' ability to induce production of potent endogenous mediators.
Hemosporidian Parasites in Forest Birds from Venezuela: Genetic Lineage Analyses

SUMMARY. Avian hemosporidian parasites of the genera Haemoproteus, Plasmodium, and Leucocytozoon are transmitted by different dipteran vectors. In the present work, we looked for the presence of these parasites in 47 birds from 12 families, which were sampled in the migratory corridor Paso de Portachuelo, located at the Henri Pittier National Park, Venezuela. The presence of the parasites was evidenced by amplification of a region of 471 bp of their cytochrome b gene. This region of the marker presents enough polymorphism to identify most of the mitochondrial lineages. Therefore, the obtained amplicons were sequenced, not only to identify the genus of the parasites sampled, but also to analyze their genetic diversity in the study area. The overall parasite prevalence was low (11%). We reported, for the first time, Plasmodium in birds of the species Formicarius analis and Chamaeza campanisona (Formicariidae) and Haemoproteus in Geotrygon linearis (Columbidae). A phylogenetic tree was generated using the Haemoproteus, Plasmodium, and Leucocytozoon sequences obtained in this study, together with representative sequences from previous studies. The highest genetic diversities between the two Haemoproteus lineages (11.70%) and among the three Plasmodium lineages (7.86%) found in this study are also similar to those found when lineages reported in the literature were used. These results indicate that in the migratory corridor Paso de Portachuleo, representative parasite lineages are found, making this location an attractive location for future studies.