Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Low serum levels of dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate predict all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in elderly Swedish men.

CONTEXT The age-related decline in dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) levels is thought to be of importance for general and vascular aging. However, data on the association between DHEA and mortality are conflicting. OBJECTIVES We tested the hypothesis that low serum DHEA and DHEA sulfate (DHEA-S) levels predict all-cause and cardiovascular disease (CVD) death in elderly men. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS We used gas/liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry to analyze baseline levels of DHEA and DHEA-S in the prospective population-based MrOS Sweden study (2644 men, aged 69-81 yr). Mortality data were obtained from central registers and analyzed using Cox proportional hazards regressions. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES All-cause and CVD mortality by serum DHEA(-S) levels. RESULTS During a mean 4.5-yr follow-up, 328 deaths occurred. Low levels of DHEA-S (quartile 1 vs. quartiles 2-4), predicted death from all causes [hazard ratio (HR) 1.54, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.21-1.96; adjusted for traditional cardiovascular risk factors], from CVD (n = 123 deaths; HR 1.61, 95% CI 1.10-2.37) and ischemic heart disease (n = 73; HR 1.67, 95% CI 1.02-2.74) but not cancer. Analyses with DHEA gave similar results. The association between low DHEA-S and CVD death remained after adjustment for C-reactive protein and circulating estradiol and testosterone levels. When stratified by the median age of 75.4 yr, the mortality prediction by low DHEA-S was more pronounced among younger (age adjusted HR for CVD death 2.64, 95% CI 1.37-5.09) than older men (HR 1.30, 95% CI 0.83-2.04). CONCLUSIONS Low serum levels of DHEA(-S) predict death from all causes, CVD, and ischemic heart disease in older men.
Two strains of the Madin‐Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cell line have distinct glycosphingolipid compositions.

The glycosphingolipids (GSLs) of two sublines of Madin‐Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells, an epithelial cell line, were characterized by t.l. c. , antibody overlay and mass spectrometry. The major characteristic which distinguishes the two MDCK cell strains is their trans‐epithelial electrical resistance which is typically of the order of 3000 ohm.cm2 for strain I and 100 ohm.cm2 for strain II cells. Strain I and II cells were equally rich in glycolipids, the cellular GSL/phospholipid ratio being 0.04. However, while the phospholipid patterns were identical, the GSLs showed striking differences, and each cell strain expressed appreciable amounts of GSLs that were not found in the other strain. Both cell types possessed neutral GSLs with one, two or three carbohydrate moieties. The monoglycosylceramide accounted for 50% of the total GSLs in each strain. However, while in strain I cells over 90% of this monoglycosylceramide was monoglucosylceramide, in strain II cells over 90% consisted of monogalactosylceramide. In addition, MDCK strain II cells selectively expressed GSLs belonging to the globo series (26% of its neutral GSLs), including globoside and Forssman antigen, a globoside derivative. MDCK strain I cells, on the other hand, expressed another series of GSLs with 4‐7 carbohydrate moieties characterized by the common sequence Hex‐HexNAc‐Hex‐Hex‐Cer. The presence of two fucosylated GSLs in these series was established. Both MDCK strain I and II cells contained negatively charged GSLs, the major component of which was the ganglioside GM3. MDCK strain II cells in addition expressed sulfatide, the sulfated derivative of galactosylceramide. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Hyperimmune globulins and same‐day thrombotic adverse events as recorded in a large healthcare database during 2008–2011

Thrombotic events (TEs) are rare serious complications following administration of hyperimmune globulin (HIG) products. Our retrospective claims‐based study assessed occurrence of same‐day TEs following administration of HIGs during 2008–2011 and examined potential risk factors using HealthCore's Integrated Research Database (HIRDSM) and laboratory testing of products' procoagulant Factor XIa activity by U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Multivariable regression was used to estimate same‐day TE risk for different products. Of 101,956 individuals exposed to 23 different HIG product groups, 86 (0.84 per 1,000 persons) had a TE diagnosis code (DC) recorded on the same day as HIG administration. Unadjusted same‐day TE DC rates (per 1,000 persons) ranged from 0.4 to 148.9 for different products. GamaSTAN S/D IG >10 cc had statistically significantly higher same‐day TE DC risk compared to Tetanus IG (OR = 57.57; 95% CI = 19.72–168.10). Increased TE risk was also observed with older age (≥45 years), prior thrombotic events, and hypercoagulable state(s). Laboratory investigation identified elevated Factor XIa activity for GamaSTAN S/D, HepaGam B, HyperHep B S/D, WinRho SDF, HyperRHO S/D full dose, and HyperTET S/D. Our study, for the first time, identified increase in the same‐day TE DC risk with GamaSTAN S/D IG >10 cc and suggests potentially elevated TE risk with other HIGs. Am. J. Hematol. 88:1035–1040, 2013. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Low Circulating TRAIL Levels Are Associated with Increase of Resistin and Lipocalin-2/ngal Adipokines in Postmenopausal Women

Objective Tumor necrosis factor- (TNF-) related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) is attracting attention for its role in the physiopathology of metabolic disease/diabetes. Evidence suggests that it might protect against metabolic abnormalities driven by obesity-induced dysregulated secretion of adipokines, but this role of TRAIL has not yet been fully established. On this basis, we aimed to investigate the potential association between TRAIL and adipokine levels in a cohort of subjects in which age/gender/hormonal interferences were excluded. Methods Serum levels of TRAIL and a panel of adipokines were measured in postmenopausal women (n = 147) stratified according to waist circumference measures as normal, overweight, or obese. The panel of adipokines included interleukin- (IL-) 6, IL-8, IL-1β, adipsin, lipocalin-2/neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (ngal), TNF-alpha, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1, hepatocyte growth factor, resistin, leptin, adiponectin, and nerve growth factor. Results Low serum TRAIL concentration (deciles I–IV) was significantly and inversely correlated with resistin and lipocalin 2/ngal levels (r = −0.502 and p < 0.001 and r = −0.360 and p < 0.01, resp.). Both associations retained their statistical significance after adjustment for confounding factors, such as waist circumference and age. Conclusions Our data indicate a link between low circulating levels of TRAIL and markers of obesity-induced diseases (resistin and lipocalin-2/ngal), highlighting a new potential axis of TRAIL functions.
Stress Engineering With Silicon Nitride Stressors for Ge-on-Si Lasers

Side and top silicon nitride stressors were proposed and shown to be effective in reducing the threshold current <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$I_{{\rm{th}}}$</tex-math></inline-formula> and in improving the wall-plug efficiency <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\eta _{{\rm{wp}}}$</tex-math></inline-formula> of Ge-on-Si lasers. Side stressors only turned out to be a more efficient way to increase <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\eta_{\mathbf{wp}}$</tex-math></inline-formula> than using the top and side stressors together. With the side stressors and geometry optimizations, a <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX"> $\eta_{\mathbf{wp}}$</tex-math></inline-formula> of 34.8% and an <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX"> $I_{{\rm{th}}}$</tex-math></inline-formula> of 36 mA (<inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$J_{{\rm{th}}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> of 27 kA/cm<sup>2</sup>) can be achieved with a defect limited carrier lifetime ( <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">${\tau _{p,n}}$</tex-math></inline-formula>) of 1 ns. With <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${\tau _{p,n}} = 10\ \;{\rm{ns}}$</tex-math></inline-formula>, an <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$I_{{\rm{th}}}$</tex-math></inline-formula> of 4 mA (<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$J_{{\rm{th}}}$</tex-math></inline-formula> of 3 kA/cm<sup>2</sup>) and a <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\eta_{\mathbf{wp}}$</tex-math></inline-formula> of 43.8% can be achieved. These are tremendous improvements from the case with no stressors. These results give strong support to the Ge-on-Si laser technology and provide an effective way to improve the Ge laser performance.
Reduced rCBV Ratio in Perfusion-Weighted MR Images Predicts Poor Outcome after Thrombolysis in Acute Ischemic Stroke

Recent research has suggested that a perfusion-weighted image (PWI) relative cerebral blood volume (rCBV) map after acute ischemic stroke (AIS) provides information about the collateral circulation in the ischemic region. In this study, we demonstrate the usefulness of the rCBV ratio in PWI in predicting poor outcome after using IV t-PA in AIS. We recruited 58 stroke patients who were treated with IV t-PA after diagnostic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Poor outcome was defined as a Modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score >2 measured 90 days after ischemic insult. In total, 21 patients (36.2%) demonstrated poor outcome (i.e. mRS score 3–6). Poor outcome after t-PA correlated with age (p = 0.03), serum glucose level (p = 0.01), NIHSS (p = 0.05), and the presence of T-occlusion (p = 0.05). Poor outcome also correlated with diffusion-weighted MR images of the lesion volume (p < 0.01), lower rCBV ratio on PWI (p < 0.01), and non-recanalization (p < 0.01). Among these, non-recanalization (p < 0.01), reduced rCBV ratio on PWI (p < 0.01), age (p = 0.04), and serum glucose level (p = 0.01) had an independent significance for predicting it. This suggests that the rCBV ratio on PWI may be used to determine prognosis after thrombolysis in AIS.
Leadership for Social Change: Learning from the Perspectives of Latina/Chicana Activist Educators

Literature in leadership studies is devoid of knowledge about the unique ways that Latina/Chicana educators engage as leaders, activists, and agents for change. Women's studies, ethnic studies, and Chicana feminist studies alert us to the complex role that social context and the intersectionality of gender, ethnicity/race, and class play in the development of educators’ leadership approaches. In-depth interviews were conducted with seven Latina/Chicana educators in the border region of San Diego County. A grounded theory approach was used to discover how their activism developed and influenced their views of leadership. Findings showed the critical role of education as sites of struggle and possibility in the evolution of activists’ identities and social justice leanings.
Sunitinib malate for the treatment of pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors.

BACKGROUND The multitargeted tyrosine kinase inhibitor sunitinib has shown activity against pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors in preclinical models and phase 1 and 2 trials. METHODS We conducted a multinational, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 3 trial of sunitinib in patients with advanced, well-differentiated pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors. All patients had Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors-defined disease progression documented within 12 months before baseline. A total of 171 patients were randomly assigned (in a 1:1 ratio) to receive best supportive care with either sunitinib at a dose of 37.5 mg per day or placebo. The primary end point was progression-free survival; secondary end points included the objective response rate, overall survival, and safety. RESULTS The study was discontinued early, after the independent data and safety monitoring committee observed more serious adverse events and deaths in the placebo group as well as a difference in progression-free survival favoring sunitinib. Median progression-free survival was 11.4 months in the sunitinib group as compared with 5.5 months in the placebo group (hazard ratio for progression or death, 0.42; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.26 to 0.66; P<0.001). A Cox proportional-hazards analysis of progression-free survival according to baseline characteristics favored sunitinib in all subgroups studied. The objective response rate was 9.3% in the sunitinib group versus 0% in the placebo group. At the data cutoff point, 9 deaths were reported in the sunitinib group (10%) versus 21 deaths in the placebo group (25%) (hazard ratio for death, 0.41; 95% CI, 0.19 to 0.89; P=0.02). The most frequent adverse events in the sunitinib group were diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, asthenia, and fatigue. CONCLUSIONS Continuous daily administration of sunitinib at a dose of 37.5 mg improved progression-free survival, overall survival, and the objective response rate as compared with placebo among patients with advanced pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors. (Funded by Pfizer; ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00428597.).
Stringency of regulation and innovation in waste management: an empirical analysis on EU countries

Abstract The transformation of waste into a valuable resource is a key process towards sustainable development and green growth and therefore represents a major concern for policy-makers. Technological innovation plays a crucial role in waste management and therefore understanding the way in which regulation may spur innovation in this domain constitute is crucial. This article aims at testing the weak version of the Porter hypothesis in waste management, by analysing the dynamic relationship between the stringency of environmental regulation and innovation in a European cross-country setting. Results confirm that the stringency of regulation positively affects innovation, but the effect is non-linear, suggesting the existence of an optimal cap to the stringency of regulation. Furthermore, the overall environmental conditions of the country, as well as the presence of highly polluting sectors hinder the development of environmental innovations.
Transformation of the California mental health system: stakeholder-driven planning as a transformational activity.

OBJECTIVE This study describes strategies developed by California counties to transform their mental health systems under the 2004 Mental Health Services Act (MHSA). This voter initiative places a 1% tax on annual incomes over $1 million; tax monies are earmarked to transform county-operated mental health services into systems that are oriented more toward recovery. MHSA implementation itself can be considered "transformational" by balancing greater standardization of mental health service delivery in the state with a locally driven planning process. METHODS A qualitative content analysis of the three-year plans submitted by 12 counties to receive funds under MHSA was conducted to identify common themes, as well as innovative approaches. These 12 (out of 58) counties were chosen to represent both small and large counties, as well as geographic diversity, and they represent 62.3% of the state population. RESULTS This analysis showed that the state guidelines and local planning process generated consistency across counties in establishing full-service partnerships with a "whatever it takes" approach to providing goal-directed services and supports to consumers and their families. There was, however, little convergence around the specific strategies to achieve this vision, reflecting both the local planning process and a relative lack of clear policy and guidance on evidence-based practices. CONCLUSIONS There are many obstacles to the successful implementation of these ambitious plans. However, the state-guided, but stakeholder-driven, transformation in California appears to generate innovative approaches to recovery-oriented services, involve consumers and family members in service planning and delivery, and build community partnerships that create new opportunities for consumers to meet their recovery goals.
SLAP - A Secure but Light Authentication Protocol for RFID Based on Modular Exponentiation

The advantage of using RFID technology is gaining much attention as is seen by an increase in its deployment. However, this pervasive use of RFID tags opens up the possibility for various attacks violating user privacy. This work describes simple, inexpensive, and untraceable mutual identification protocols based on modular exponentiation for RFID tags. The proposed authentication mechanism is a low-cost but high-security for protecting consumer's information in RFID tag against unwanted read-attacks. We analyzed with issues of the security and privacy of RFID systems. This paper also showed the 8-bit architecture of a low-power and low die-size implementation of modular exponentiation. The 8-bit modular exponentiation implementation has a chip area of less than 1 K gates and the encryption of 64 bits requires about 1000 clock cycles. The executing time of the proposed protocol would range from 12.36 ms to 20.6 ms, with 6-8 tags authenticated per second.
Structure and regulation of KGD2, the structural gene for yeast dihydrolipoyl transsuccinylase

Yeast mutants assigned to the pet complementation group G104 were found to lack alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase activity as a result of mutations in the dihydrolipoyl transsuccinylase (KE2) component of the complex. The nuclear gene KGD2, coding for yeast KE2, was cloned by transformation of E250/U6, a G104 mutant, with a yeast genomic library. Analysis of the KGD2 sequence revealed an open reading frame encoding a protein with a molecular weight of 52,375 and 42% identities to the KE2 component of Escherichia coli alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex. Disruption of the chromosomal copy of KGD2 in a respiratory-competent haploid yeast strain elicited a growth phenotype similar to that of G104 mutants and abolished the ability to mitochondria to catalyze the reduction of NAD+ by alpha-ketoglutarate. The expression of KGD2 was transcriptionally regulated by glucose. Northern (RNA) analysis of poly(A)+ RNA indicated the existence of two KGD2 transcripts differing in length by 150 nucleotides. The concentrations of both RNAs were at least 10 times lower in glucose (repressed)- than in galactose (derepressed)-grown cells. Different 5'-flanking regions of KGD2 were fused to the lacZ gene of E. coli in episomal plasmids, and the resultant constructs were tested for expression of beta-galactosidase in wild-type yeast cells and in hap2 and hap3 mutants. Results of the lacZ fusion assays indicated that transcription of KGD2 is activated by the HAP2 and HAP3 proteins. The regulated expression of KGD2 was found to depend on sequences that map to a region 244 to 484 nucleotides upstream of the structural gene. This region contains two short sequence elements that differ by one nucleotide from the consensus core (5'-TN[A/G]TTGGT-3') that has been proposed to be essential for binding of the HAP activation complex. These data together with earlier reports on the regulation of the KGD1 and LPD1 genes for the alpha-ketoglutarate and dihydrolipoyl dehydrogenases indicate that all three enzyme components of the complex are catabolite repressed and subject to positive regulation by the HAP2 and HAP3 proteins.
Ranking of psychosocial and traditional risk factors by importance for coronary heart disease: the Copenhagen City Heart Study.

AIMS To rank psychosocial and traditional risk factors by importance for coronary heart disease. METHODS AND RESULTS The Copenhagen City Heart Study is a prospective cardiovascular population study randomly selected in 1976. The third examination was carried out from 1991 to 1994, and 8882 men and women free of cardiovascular diseases were included in this study. Events were assessed until April 2013. Forward selection, population attributable fraction, and gradient boosting machine were used for determining ranks. The importance of vital exhaustion for risk prediction was investigated by C-statistics and net reclassification improvement. During the follow-up, 1731 non-fatal and fatal coronary events were registered. In men, the highest ranking risk factors for coronary heart disease were vital exhaustion [high vs. low; hazard ratio (HR) 2.36; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.70-3.26; P < 0.001] and systolic blood pressure (≥160 mmHg or blood pressure medication vs. <120 mmHg; HR 2.07; 95% CI, 1.48-2.88; P < 0.001). In women, smoking was of highest importance (≥15 g tobacco/day vs. never smoker; HR 1.74; 95% CI, 1.43-2.11; P < 0.001), followed by vital exhaustion (high vs. low; HR 2.07; 95% CI, 1.61-2.68; P < 0.001). Vital exhaustion ranked first in women and fourth in men by population attributable fraction of 27.7% (95% CI, 18.6-36.7%; P < 0.001) and 21.1% (95% CI, 13.0-29.2%; P < 0.001), respectively. Finally, vital exhaustion significantly improved risk prediction. CONCLUSION Vital exhaustion was one of the most important risk factors for coronary heart disease, our findings emphasize the importance of including psychosocial factors in risk prediction scores.
Overlay versus underlay tympanoplasty. Comparative study of 122 cases.

INTRODUCTION In tympanoplasty, the most common two techniques for positioning the graft relative to the remnant of both the tympanic membrane and of the annulus, are the "overlay" and the "underlay" techniques. Each technique has advantages and disadvantages. METHODS One hundred and twenty-two cases over the age of 8 years who had undergone a tympanoplasty for tympanic membrane perforation secondary to chronic otitis media were included. All patients had a minimum 3-month postoperative otoscopic and audiometric follow-up. RESULTS of 122 cases, 115 tympanoplasties (94%) were anatomically successful. At frequencies of 0.5, 1, 2, and 4 kHz, the mean air-bone gap improved significantly from 21.7 dB preoperatively to 8.4 dB postoperatively giving a mean gain of 13.3 dB. CONCLUSION In our series the underlay or overlay positioning of the graft does not significantly influence the rate of postoperative perforations or complications with the exception of epithelial pearls, which occur significantly more frequently following the overlay technique for perforations that require fibro-epidermal cleaving across a large area.
Bifurcation in standalone photovoltaic-battery hybrid power systems

Standalone photovoltaic-battery hybrid power systems are attractive renewable power generation systems, a particular form of which is based on a photovoltaic system and a battery connected to an output dc bus via a buck converter and a bidirectional buck-boost converter, respectively. To operate this system, a specific control strategy is required. In this paper we consider one such system and control strategy, and study the effects of variations of the load current and sunlight intensity on the stability of the system. A Neimark-Sacker bifurcation is identified in this system. Moreover, a detailed analysis based on discrete-time mapping is performed to evaluate the effect of variations in sunlight intensity and load current on the stability boundary of the system.