Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Associations Between Serum-Intact Parathyroid Hormone, Serum 25-Hydroxyvitamin D, Oral Vitamin D Analogs and Metabolic Syndrome in Peritoneal Dialysis Patients: A Multi-Center Cross-Sectional Study

♦ Introduction: Although previous studies have suggested associations between serum intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH), 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) and metabolic syndrome (MS) in the general population, these associations are still uncharacterized in peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients. ♦ Methods: In total, 837 prevalent PD patients from 5 centers in China were enrolled between April 1, 2011 and November 1, 2011. The demographic data, biochemical parameters and medical records were collected, except for serum 25(OH)D which was measured in 347 of 837 patients. The definition of MS was modified from National Cholesterol Education Program Third Adult Treatment Panel (NCEP-ATPIII). ♦ Results: 55.4% of 837 patients were found to have MS. The median concentration of iPTH, 25(OH)D and doses of oral vitamin D analogs for participants with MS was significantly lower than those without MS. The iPTH, 25(OH)D values and doses of vitamin D analogs were all associated with one or more components of MS. After multivariate adjustment, low serum iPTH values and oral vitamin D analogs, rather than serum 25(OH)D, were significantly associated with the presence of MS, abnormal fasting blood glucose (FBG) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C). Compared to iPTH < 130pg/mL, iPTH 130-585 pg/mL and > 585pg/mL were associated with a lower risk of MS with adjusted odds ratio (OR) of 0.59 and 0.33, respectively. Taking vitamin D analogs was also associated with a lower risk of MS with adjusted OR of 0.55. ♦ Conclusions: Serum iPTH and the use of active vitamin D supplements rather than serum 25(OH)D were independently associated with the presence of MS in patients on PD.
A role for the proteasome in the turnover of Sup35p and in [PSI+] prion propagation

Yeast prions are superb models for understanding the mechanisms of self‐perpetuating protein aggregates formation. [PSI+] stands among the most documented yeast prions and results from self‐assembly of the translation termination factor Sup35p into protein fibrils. A plethora of cellular factors were shown to affect [PSI+] formation and propagation. Clearance of Sup35p prion particles is however poorly understood and documented. Here, we investigated the role of the proteasome in the degradation of Sup35p and in [PSI+] prion propagation. We found that cells lacking the RPN4 gene, which have reduced intracellular proteasome pools, accumulated Sup35p and have defects in [PSI+] formation and propagation. Sup35p is degraded in vitro by the 26S and 20S proteasomes in a ubiquitin‐independent manner, generating an array of amyloidogenic peptides derived from its prion‐domain. We also demonstrate the formation of a proteasome‐resistant fragment spanning residues 83–685 which is devoid of the prion‐domain that is essential for [PSI+] propagation. Most important was the finding that the 26S and 20S proteasomes degrade Sup35p fibrils in vitro and abolish their infectivity. Our results point to an overlooked role of the proteasome in clearing toxic protein aggregates, and have important implications for a better understanding of the life cycle of infectious protein assemblies.
A Study of Patent Analysis for Stock Price Prediction

Stock price prediction is considered as one of the most challenging and important tasks. It is so complex and uncertainly, so that it is not enough to only use financial indicators for stock price prediction. As we known, patents is not only can protect the companies technologies' development and promote the advance of the core technologies, but can be used as one of the evaluation indicators to estimate the company's innovation activities. Therefore, patents have an influence on turbulence and fluctuations of companies' stock price. The aim in this study is to adopt patent and financial indicators for stock-price prediction. Thus, we collect patent and financial data as the attributes to predict the stock price by regression analysis. The experimental results show the proposed approach can accurately predict companies' stock price.
When favourites fail: Tournament trophies as reward cues in tennis finals

Abstract In tournaments in various sports that feature one–on–one competition, the trophy is sometimes prominently displayed near the athletes during the final. Based on recent research on subtle reward cues, we propose that such trophies have the potential to induce choking under pressure in the match favourites, who are known to be most at risk. To test this idea, we analysed real-life tennis performance data (service performance and rally performance) from professional tournaments. While favourites generally outperformed underdogs during rallies, they did not do so in finals in which (a) large amounts of money were at stake and (b) a trophy was on display near the court. These findings support the idea that tournament trophies may distract favourites by continuously reminding them of what is at stake, and via that route may severely thwart their performance.
Black currant (Ribes nigrum L.) - an insight into the crop

There is an increasing interest in the inclusion of berries, especially the black currant in the human diet mainly for the health benefits associated with their consumption. Black currant (Ribes nigrum L.) belonging to the genus Ribes is widely cultivated across temperate Europe, Russia, New Zealand, parts of Asia and to a lesser extent North America. Besides high content of tasty juice, black currant is a valuable source of bioactive compounds like vitamin C and polyphenols, acting as antioxidants, with a potential to protect against disorders such as cardiovascular events, cancer and other degenerative symptoms. Industrially, black currant fruits are considered to be of importance; however other anatomical parts like buds and leaves are also excellent sources of phenolic compounds. The leaf and bud extracts are of relevance as raw material for the food and health industry thereby making black currant a lucrative product for use as functional food ingredient. Research until now has investigated the content of different polyphenolic fractions of the fruits and to lesser extent on content of these fractions on plant parts like buds and leaves. The breeding of black currant is mainly focussed on national and international requirements, as related to specific quality desired from the processing sector alongside with important agronomic characters. Black currant cultivation is in different areas limited by a lack of climate adaptation in the existing cultivars as well as susceptibility of these cultivars to different pests and diseases. Also, the levels of bioactive compounds in black currant like content of ascorbic acid and polyphenols are influenced by genotype, environment and genotype x environment interactions. Durable resistance towards damaging pest and diseases together with an increase in content of health promoting compounds and adaptability to local climates remain to be of high priority for breeders. Additionally flavour, mouth feel, aroma and after taste are important primary quality factors for the fresh fruit market and juice industry. This introductory paper focuses on the history of development and biology of black currant; their ecology and environmental adaptability; crop utilisation; bioactive compounds, genetic, biochemical and phenotypic diversity. The breeding objectives and important pest and diseases are also presented. This paper is an attempt to review important work that has been done so far and the background literature, whilst providing the scope for the current PhD study.
Products of some special compact spaces and restricted forms of AC

Abstract We establish the following results: 1. In ZF (i.e., Zermelo-Fraenkel set theory minus the Axiom of Choice AC), for every set I and for every ordinal number α ≥ ω, the following statements are equivalent: (a) The Tychonoff product of ∣α∣ many non-empty finite discrete subsets of I is compact. (b) The union of ∣α∣ many non-empty finite subsets of I is well orderable. 2. The statement: For every infinite set I, every closed subset of the Tychonoff product [0, 1]Iwhich consists offunctions with finite support is compact, is not provable in ZF set theory. 3. The statement: For every set I, the principle of dependent choices relativised to I implies the Tychonoff product of countably many non-empty finite discrete subsets of I is compact, is not provable in ZF0 (i.e., ZF minus the Axiom of Regularity). 4. The statement: For every set I, every ℵ0-sized family of non-empty finite subsets of I has a choice function implies the Tychonoff product of ℵ0many non-empty finite discrete subsets of I is compact, is not provable in ZF0.
Hybrid controller for inverted pendulum

Inverted pendulum system is a nonlinear multivariable system which is inherently unstable. It requires designing of a hybrid controller which can adapt in different disturbance conditions and work appreciably well when compared to conventional controllers. In this paper, a hybrid controller for inverted pendulum is designed. Initially Fuzzy and LQR controllers for inverted pendulum are designed, then data are collected from these controllers, which then are used to train Adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS). This hybrid controller has advantages of Fuzzy, LQR controllers and of neural networks; so it gives better performance.
Concentration of viruses and dissolved DNA from aquatic environments by vortex flow filtration

Vortex flow filtration (VFF) was used to concentrate viruses and dissolved DNA from freshwater and seawater samples taken in Florida, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Bahamas Bank. Recoveries of T2 phage and calf thymus DNA added to artificial seawater and concentrated by VFF were 72.8 and 80%, respectively. Virus concentrations determined by transmission electron microscopy of VFF-concentrated samples ranged from 3.4 x 10(7)/ml for a eutrophic Tampa Bay sample to 2.4 x 10(5) for an oligotrophic oceanic surface sample from the southeastern Gulf of Mexico. Viruslike particles were also observed in a sample taken from a depth of 1,500 m in the subtropical North Atlantic Ocean. Filtration of samples through Nuclepore or Durapore filters (pore size, 0.2 micron) prior to VFF reduced phage counts by an average of two-thirds. Measurement of dissolved-DNA content by Hoechst 33258 fluorescence in environmental samples concentrated by VFF yielded values only ca. 35% of those obtained for samples concentrated by ethanol precipitation (the standard dissolved-DNA method). However, ethanol precipitation of VFF-concentrated extracts resulted in an increase in measurable DNA, reaching 80% of the value obtained by the standard method. These results indicate that a portion of the naturally occurring dissolved DNA is in a form inaccessible to nucleases and Hoechst stain, perhaps bound to protein or other polymeric material, and is released upon ethanol precipitation. Viral DNA contents estimated from viral counts averaged only 3.7% (range, 0.9 to 12.3%) of the total dissolved DNA for samples from freshwater, estuarine, and offshore oligotrophic environments. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Use of conserved sequences from hepatitis C virus for the detection of viral RNA in infected sera by polymerase chain reaction

Three oligonucleotide primer combinations selected from the 5′ noncoding, the nucleocapsid and the putative nonstructural regions of the hepatitis C virus genome were compared in a nested polymerase chain reaction assay with respect to sensitivity and specificity for the detection of viral RNA in chimpanzeeinfected and human‐infected sera. Sera from both the acute and the chronic phase of the infection were obtained from 13 animals inoculated with five different non‐A, non‐B hepatitis strains and from seven cardiac surgery patients who had non‐A, non‐B hepatitis develop after transfusion and who had been tested in parallel for the presence of hepatitis C virus RNA and anti‐C100‐3. A total of 90% of the acute‐phase and 100% of the chronic‐phase sera tested positive for hepatitis C virus RNA when the 5′ noncoding–derived or the nucleocapsid‐derived combinations were used; only 58% and 56%, respectively, gave positive results with the putative nonstructural primers, whereas 33% and 71%, respectively, scored positive for C100‐3. Thus polymerase chain reaction primers selected from either the highly conserved 5′ noncoding or nucleocapsid‐regions appear to provide the sensitivity and the specificity necessary to detect low levels of hepatitis C virus RNA in both chimpanzee‐infected and human‐infected sera. (HEPATOLOGY 1991;14:595–600.)
Confidential Cooperative Communication With Trust Degree of Potential Eavesdroppers

For a confidential communication, we develop the transmission strategies by taking into account trust degree among users, which shows how much a user can be trusted in terms of an eavesdropping attack. For a single potential eavesdropper (PE) case, we derive an optimal power allocation for confidential message and jamming signal to maximize an expected secrecy rate with respect to the trust degree. In order to further increase the expected secrecy rate, by exploiting relaying transmission via PE, we derive the optimal transmission strategy and corresponding power allocation based on the threshold of trust degree. Furthermore, to investigate the effect of the accuracy of trust degree, we analyze the expected secrecy rate loss caused by an estimation error of the trust degree and provide the robust power allocation based on imperfect trust degree. Finally, we extend the results to the case of confidential communication in the presence of multiple PEs. Our analytical and numerical results show that the proposed strategies achieve substantially higher secrecy rates than that without exploiting the trust degree of users.
Numerical Analysis of a Multi-Function Photonic Integrated Circuit for Coherent Radio-Over-Fiber

A digital coherent radio-over-fiber (RoF) system comprising a microwave photonic integrated circuit (MPIC) as the main building block is proposed. The multifunction MPIC circuit is analyzed to operate as a single-sideband (SSB) modulator and as an in-phase and quadrature modulator (IQM) of a baseband signal in the RoF downlink. The circuit is also analyzed in the uplink as an SSB of a 60-GHz frequency-shifted input. The performance of the MPIC is assessed through numerical simulations, computing the harmonic distortions in the SSB, as well as the error vector magnitude in the IQM and coherent RoF system. Obtained results illustrate the advantage of the proposed MPIC for heterodyne mixing by providing the upper and lower sidebands spatially located in distinct ports. Moreover, simulation results yield insights into the feasibility of the circuit as an IQM of both baseband and low-power intermediate frequency signals. A comparison of an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing system and a single carrier system employing the proposed circuit in the end-to-end transport of high data rate is presented through error vector magnitude calculations.
Modélisation du portage des salmonelles dans un élevage porcin

Ce rapport decrit un modele de simulation stochastique representant la dynamique des populations de truies et de porcs dans un troupeau naisseur engraisseur et la transmission indirecte des Salmonelles au sein de ce troupeau. Ce modele a ete initialement developpe pendant la these de doctorat d'Amandine Lurette Il a ensuite a ete repris et etendu dans le cadre du stage de Justine Guillaumont, pour integrer les differentes conduites en bandes rencontrees en Bretagne. L'effet du melange de bandes et du type de conduite ont ete evalues a partir de ce modele.
A framework for multiple-query optimization

Certain computations that may arise repeatedly during the simultaneous processing of multiple queries offer an opportunity for amortizing the processing costs. This paper classifies the types of common computations that can arise, develops methods for exploiting them, and proposes ways for detecting them. It outlines a framework developed for the optimal interleaved processing of multiple queries in relational DBMS. <<ETX>>
Partial discharge behavior within a spherical cavity in a solid dielectric material as a function of frequency and amplitude of the applied voltage

Modeling of the partial discharge (PD) process allows a better understanding of the phenomena. In this paper, a simulation model for spherical cavities within a homogeneous dielectric material has been developed. The model is implemented using Finite Element Analysis (FEA) software in parallel with a mathematical package. This method provides many advantages over previous PD models because discharge events can be simulated dynamically and the electric field in the cavity can be calculated numerically. The model has been used to study the effect of different amplitudes and frequencies of the applied voltage and simulation results have been compared with experimental measurement results. It is found that certain model parameters are dependent on the applied stress and parameters that clearly affect PD activity can be readily identified, these parameters include; the electron detrapping time constant, the cavity surface conductivity, the initial electron generation rate and the extinction voltage. The influence of surface charge decay through conduction along the cavity wall on PD activity has also been studied.
A low‐frequency haplotype spanning SLX4/FANCP constitutes a new risk locus for early‐onset breast cancer (<60 years) and is associated with reduced DNA repair capacity

Only a fraction of breast cancer (BC) cases can be yet explained by mutations in genes or genomic variants discovered in linkage, genome‐wide association and sequencing studies. The known genes entailing medium or high risk for BC are strongly enriched for a function in DNA double strand repair. Thus, aiming at identifying low frequency variants conferring an intermediate risk, we here investigated 17 variants (MAF: 0.01–0.1) in 10 candidate genes involved in DNA repair or cell cycle control. In an exploration cohort of 437 cases and 1189 controls, we show the variant rs3810813 in the SLX4/FANCP gene to be significantly associated with both BC (≤60 years; OR = 2.6(1.6–3.9), p = 1.6E‐05) and decreased DNA repair capacity (≤60 years; beta = 37.8(17.9–57.8), p = 5.3E‐4). BC association was confirmed in a verification cohort (N = 2441). Both associations were absent from cases diagnosed >60 years and stronger the earlier the diagnosis. By imputation we show that rs3810813 tags a haplotype with 5 additional variants with the same allele frequency (R2 > 0.9), and a pattern of association very similar for both phenotypes (cases <60 years, p < 0.001, the Bonferroni threshold derived from unlinked variants in the region). In young cases (≤60 years) carrying the risk haplotype, micronucleus test results are predictive for BC (AUC > 0.9). Our findings propose a risk variant with high penetrance on the haplotype spanning SLX4/FANCP to be functionally associated to BC predisposition via decreased repair capacity and suggest this variant is carried by a fraction of these haplotypes that is enriched in early onset BC cases.
Lexical competition in a non-Roman, syllabic script: An inhibitory neighbour priming effect in Japanese Katakana

Previous masked priming studies have reported that lexical decision latencies are slower when a word target is primed by a higher-frequency neighbour (e.g., blue-BLUR) than when it is primed by an unrelated word of equivalent frequency (e.g., care-BLUR). These results suggest that lexical competition plays an important role in visual word identification in Indo-European languages such as English, French, and Dutch, consistent with activation-based accounts of lexical processing. The present research, using Japanese Katakana script, a syllabic script, demonstrates that lexical decision latencies were slower when targets were primed by word neighbour primes but not when targets were primed by nonword neighbour primes. Both results have clear parallels with previous research using Indo-European languages and therefore suggest that lexical competition is also an important component of word recognition processes in languages that do not employ the Roman alphabet.
Preoperative risk assessment and prevention of complications in patients with esophageal cancer

In this review the preoperative risk assessment and prevention of complications in patients undergoing esophagectomy for cancer is discussed. Age, pulmonary and cardiovascular condition, nutritional status, and neoadjuvant chemo(radio)therapy are known predictive factors. None of these factors is a valid exclusion criterion for esophagectomy, but may help in careful patient selection. Both anesthetists and surgeons play an important role in intraoperative risk reduction by means of appropriate fluid management and application of optimal surgical techniques. J. Surg. Oncol. 2010; 101:270–278. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Self-assessed auditory symptoms, noise exposure, and measured auditory function among healthy young Swedish men

Abstract The aim of the study was to estimate the prevalence of the exposure to ototraumatic factors and auditory symptoms, and to analyse the relations between these factors in a group of young healthy men. A total of 839 men, 19–22 years old, were recruited for the study when reporting for primary military service. A questionnaire was distributed and audiometry was performed. The prevalence of tinnitus, sensitivity to noise, and measured hearing impairment in the study group was 23.2%, 15.5%, and 14.5% respectively. Exposure to occupational noise often was reported by 21.4%, and playing loud music often by 16.5%. The young men who had experienced tinnitus after noise exposure had an elevated risk of high frequency hearing impairment, tinnitus, and sensitivity to noise. Those who played loud music had elevated prevalence values of tinnitus but not of hearing impairment. In this young group we observed high prevalence values of ototraumatic factors and auditory symptoms. We also observed significant correlations between tinnitus after noise exposure, self-assessed hearing symptoms, and hearing impairment. Sumario El objetivo de este estudio fue estimar la prevalencia de la exposición de factores traumáticos al oído y síntomas auditivos y analizar las relaciones entre estos factores y un grupo de hombres jóvenes y sanos. Un total de 839 hombres entre 19 y 22 años fueron reclutados para el estudio al momento que se reportaban para el servicio militar primario. Se distribuyó un cuestionario y se realizó una audiometría. En el grupo de estudio hubo presencia de acufeno, sensibilidad al ruido y se midió hipoacusia en un 23.2%, 15.5% y 14.5% respectivamente. EL 21.4% reportó exposición frecuente a ruido y 16.5% tocaban música a alta intensidad. El joven que presentó acufeno después de haberse expuesto a ruido tenía un alto riesgo de hipoacusia en frecuencias agudas, acufeno y sensibilidad al ruido. Aquellos que tocaban música a alta intensidad tenían valores de prevalencia elevados para acufeno pero no para hipoacusia. En este grupo de jóvenes observamos altos valores de prevalencia para factores traumáticos para el oído y síntomas auditivos. También observamos correlaciones significativas entre acufeno y exposición a ruido, síntomas auto-evaluados e hipoacusia.