Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Multidomain Lifestyle Interventions for the Prevention of Cognitive Decline After Ischemic Stroke: Randomized Trial

Background and Purpose— Cognitive impairment occurs in ⩽30% of all stroke survivors. However, effective therapies aimed at preventing poststroke cognitive decline are lacking. We assessed the efficacy of a multidomain intervention on preventing cognitive decline after stroke. Methods— In this randomized, observer-blind trial patients were recruited within 3 months after an acute stroke in 5 Austrian neurological centers. Patients were assigned to a 24-month lifestyle-based multidomain intervention or standard stroke care. Primary outcomes were the cognitive subscale of the Alzheimer Disease Assessment Scale (ADAS-cog) and occurrence of cognitive decline in the composite scores of at least 2 of 5 cognitive domains at 24 months. Results— A total of 101 patients were randomized into multi-intervention and 101 into standard care during June 2010 and November 2012. Of them, 76 patients in the intervention group and 83 in the control group were included in the final intention-to-treat analysis. At 24 months, 8 of 76 (10.5%) patients in the intervention group and 10 of 83 (12.0%) patients in the control group showed cognitive decline corresponding to a relative risk reduction of 0.874 (95% confidence interval, 0.364–2.098). The change in ADAS-cog from baseline to 24 months was not different either (median 0 [IQR, −1 to 2] in both groups; P=0.808). Conclusions— This trial found no benefit of 24-month multidomain intervention with focus on improvement in lifestyle and vascular risk factors on the incidence of poststroke cognitive decline in comparison with standard stroke care. Studies with a larger sample size are needed. Clinical Trial Registration— URL: http://clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT01109836.
The biochemical fundamentals of angiotensin converting enzyme ( ACE ) gene polymorphism in myocardial infarction

Myocardial Infarction (MI) is the most important reason of mortality and morbidity in developed countries. It is detected that about half of the deaths, no matter what reason is, in the USA is sourced from MI. In recent years, a lot of scientific studies have increased on some genetic risk factors responsible from the formation of MI. One of the most popular of these is searching for the relations between the I/D polymorphism in the ACE gene and MI. In this study, it is assumed that ACE I/D gene polymorphism is a useful indicator in the detection of the risk of cardiovascular disease, the better control of the people in high risk group and the optimal cure to start at an earlier stage. By the help of these studies the risk factors of genetic origin, using the genetic indicators and new risk factors, and supporting the information by some easily performed biochemical experiments would supply great easiness in diagnosis and cure and save life.
A Hybrid Course Designed to Increase Managerial Export Motivation and Export Engagement

The paper reviews and explains a new course format at West Virginia University. The content of this course focuses on initiating exporting by companies located in the home state of the university. The attendees include university students and representatives of companies that are interested in starting to export. The content of the course and the participation by company representatives created the need for an atypical delivery of Friday evenings and all day Saturday meeting at two to four week intervals between class sessions. Practical exporting experience is shared by experts from the Department of Commerce, the Export Council, and representative of companies that are successful exporters. As noted in the paper the dynamics of the course delivery as well as the practical nature of the content leads to substantial student learning while promoting the economic benefits of exporting to the companies in particular and the state economy in general.
Development of a Markerless Genetic Exchange Method for Methanosarcina acetivorans C2A and Its Use in Construction of New Genetic Tools for Methanogenic Archaea

ABSTRACT A new genetic technique for constructing mutants of Methanosarcina acetivorans C2A by using hpt as a counterselectable marker was developed. Mutants with lesions in the hpt gene, encoding hypoxanthine phosphoribosyltransferase, were shown to be >35-fold more resistant to the toxic base analog 8-aza-2,6-diaminopurine (8ADP) than was the wild type. Reintroduction of the hpt gene into a Δhpt host restored 8ADP sensitivity and provided the basis for a two-step strategy involving plasmid integration and excision for recombination of mutant alleles onto the M. acetivorans chromosome. We have designated this method markerless exchange because, although selectable markers are used during the process, they are removed in the final mutants. Thus, the method can be repeated many times in the same cell line. The method was validated by construction of ΔproC Δhpt mutants, which were recovered at a frequency of 22%. Additionally, a Methanosarcina-Escherichia shuttle vector, encoding the Escherichia coli proC gene as a new selectable marker, was constructed for use in proC hosts. Finally, the markerless exchange method was used to recombine a series of uidA reporter gene fusions into the M. acetivorans proC locus. In vitro assay of β-glucuronidase activity in extracts of these recombinants demonstrated, for the first time, the utility of uidA as a reporter gene in Methanosarcina. A >5,000-fold range of promoter activities could be measured by using uidA: the methyl-coenzyme M reductase operon fusion displayed ∼300-fold-higher activity than did the serC gene fusion, which in turn had 16-fold-higher activity than did a fusion to the unknown orf2 gene.
The Tradeoffs between Tax Savings and Financial Reporting Costs: Public versus Private Firms in China

This study examines how public and private firms responded to the 2008 tax rate reduction in China from 33 percent to 25 percent. We find that private firms report significantly more income-decreasing accruals than public firms in 2007, prior to the tax rate reduction. These negative accruals are substantial and material both compared to public firms and compared to 2008. Private firms appeared to shift RMB 8 million in the aggregate, or 22 percent of total income. The results provide the first economy-wide estimates of the extent to which private firms respond materially to rate changes with inter-temporal income-shifting.
Determination of the Relationship between Group A Streptococcal Genome Content, M Type, and Toxic Shock Syndrome by a Mixed Genome Microarray

ABSTRACT Group A streptococci (GAS), or Streptococcus pyogenes, are associated with a remarkable variety of diseases, ranging from superficial infections to life-threatening diseases such as toxic-shock-like syndrome (TSS). GAS strains belonging to M types M1 and M3 are associated with TSS. This study aims to obtain insight into the gene profiles underlying different M types and disease manifestations. Genomic differences between 76 clinically well characterized GAS strains collected in The Netherlands were examined using a mixed-genome microarray. Inter-M-type genomic differences clearly outweighed intra-M-type genome variation. Phages were major contributors to observed genome diversification. We identified four novel genes, including two genes encoding fibronectin-binding-like proteins, which are highly specific to a subset of M types and thus may contribute to M-type-associated disease manifestations. All M12 strains were characterized by the unique absence of the citrate lyase complex and reduced growth under hypoxic, nutrient-deprived conditions. Furthermore, six virulence factors, including genes encoding a complement-inhibiting protein (sic), an exotoxin (speA), iron(III) binding factor, collagen binding factor (cpa), and fibrinogen binding factor (prt2-like), were unique to M1 and/or M3 strains. These virulence factors may contribute to the potential of these strains to cause TSS. Finally, in contrast to M-type-specific virulence profiles, we did not identify a common virulence profile among strains associated with TSS irrespective of their M type.
Recommendations for the clinical development of topical microbicides: an update

Topical microbicides are products that are being developed to prevent HIV infection and other sexually transmitted diseases (STD) through topical application to the genital and rectal epithelial surfaces. This paper is an update of the clinical section of a general guidance for the development and evaluation of microbicidal products that was first published by the International Working Group on Microbicides (IWGM) in 1996. (The preclinical section of that document will be updated separately later.) All topical microbicides should be clinically evaluated in humans for safety and effectiveness. Safety studies are necessary to evaluate the potential for systemic absorption and toxicity as well as local toxic effects, such as irritation, ulceration, burning, and itching. Reported symptoms of burning and itching are relevant to future product use and acceptability. Irritation and ulceration of the vaginal, cervical, penile, or rectal epithelium have the potential to result in an increased transmission of HIV and other STD. Effectiveness studies to assess the prevention of HIV infection or STD, depending upon the product indication, are subsequently conducted. These trials need to be large enough to detect clinically meaningful levels of protection. For spermicidal microbicides, additional contraceptive effectiveness studies are also needed.
Interference Cancellation Using Relay Station in Heterogeneous Networks

This paper proposes interference cancellation that utilizes relay stations (RSs). In Long Term Evolution (LTE)-Advanced, heterogeneous networks in which femto and picocells are overlaid onto macrocells are extensively discussed. However, interference between macro and pico(femto)cells arises due to their different transmit power levels. Unlike conventional cooperative transmission schemes, the RS decodes interference in the first transmit timing period and forwards it to the user equipment (UE) in the second period. Moreover, cooperative transmission can be achieved without stopping the transmission from the base station (BS) to UE when forwarding the interference from the RS to the UE by utilizing the fact that signal to noise power ratio (SNR) between the RS and UE is much greater than that between the BS and UE. The effectiveness of the proposed method and the optimal relay arrangement are shown based on computer simulation when considering heterogeneous pathloss models.
Effect of training status on the changes in platelet parameters induced by short–duration exhaustive exercise

Abstract It is now well known that hemostasis is directly involved in the benefits induced by physical activity. It has recently been shown that the baseline mean platelet volume (MPV) may be a predictor of endurance performance. We aimed to explore whether platelet parameters are associated with VO2max as well as running duration and speed in a short-duration exhaustive exercise test. Thirty healthy male subjects (10 sedentary and 20 trained) performed an incremental running test until exhaustion. MPV, platelet distribution width (PDW), platelet (Plt) count, and plateletcrit (Pct) were determined before exercise, immediately after exercise and after 30′ recovery. Training status did not produce any difference in the baseline levels or in the post-exercise increases found in all the parameters tested. VO2max, test duration, and running speed were not correlated with any baseline parameter. Although MPV was found to be a predictor of endurance performance in long-duration exercise, the results of the present study are consistent with the hypothesis that MPV may not be a significant marker of performance in short-duration exhaustive exercise. Likewise, more research is needed to ascertain whether platelet activation is a reliable performance predictor in other exercise settings.
Surveillance system of power transmission line via object recognition and 3D vision computation

Surveillance systems have been widely applied on power transmission system for security precaution of the major risk factor that is the construction activity in the vicinity of power transmission line. However, currently used automatic object detection in surveillance systems suffers from high error rate and has at least two limitations: first, the type of the object can’t be recognized; second, the dangerous strength of the object cannot be identified. In this paper, we propose a video surveillance method for the security precaution of power transmission line via the techniques of object recognition and 3D spatial location detection so that the motion objects are recognized and the position and size of the object are determined to identify the dangerous strength. Experimental results show that the developed system based on our proposed method is feasible and practical.
High Frequency Finance: Using Scaling Laws to Build Trading Models

The availability of large amounts of tick-by-tick data, in excess of 50,000 data points per day (Glattfelder et al., 2010), oanda, ebs has opened up new opportunities for model building. It is now possible to follow an empirical approach and develop models bottom up by analyzing empirical data and searching for statistical properties. The analysis of high frequency data is nontrivial: ticks (i.e., quoted prices) are irregularly spaced in time in an intricate sequence. The available literature essentially suggests two ways to handle this issue (Dacorogna et al., 2001; Engle and Russell, 2006). The first method suggests aggregating price information by interpolating prices between fixed and predetermined times. The drawback of this method is the loss of intratime information during active periods and the multiplication of price information during quiet periods, when insufficient data is available. With the second approach, one can consider a time series made of ticks and times between their occurrences (i.e., duration); this is referred to as a point process (Bauwens and Hautsch, 2009). Point processes are valuable because they incorporate durations and allow analytical results to be derived; however, they have the disadvantage that time is measured in terms of physical units, and therefore, point processes neither adapt to the changing market activity nor
Robust PI design with pole allocation for MIMO systems using LMI

In this paper we deal with the design problem of PI controllers for linear MIMO systems using LMI. From a previous result on output static feedback design, we describe the closed loop system by an augmented states space representation to identify conditions for design of the controllers gains. We extend the main result to consider parametric norm bounded uncertainties, and a closed loop pole allocation criteria based on the so called D-stability regions. The design procedure is applied to two simulation examples. The first one deals with the Quadruple Tank Process benchmark while the second considers distributed control of a multiagent system.
The weight status of school-age children and its association with gross domestic product

Abstract The aim To examine the possible relationship between the prevalence of underweight, overweight and obesity of Polish children and adolescents and the gross domestic product per capita (GDP). Material and methods This report is based on the results of a nationwide, representative population study. An area of the country, the so-called Eastern Poland, where GDP per capita is less than 80% of the national average, was designated, based on the data from the Central Statistical Office of Poland (CSOP) and was compared with the rest of the country. The frequency of underweight, normal weight, overweight and obesity, as well as the odds ratio were calculated for gender and region of residence. The body mass index (BMI) for age and sex was standardized and expressed as z-score. The statistical significance of standardized mean differences of BMI depending on the area was examined using the t-test. Results There were significant differences in the prevalence of underweight, overweight and obesity between the regions analyzed. The region of Eastern Poland was characterized by a lower risk of overweight and obesity and an increased risk of underweight in comparison with the rest of the country. Conclusions Identification of the diverse prevalence of overweight and underweight depending on the region and determined according to the economic status is an opportunity to modify and adapt the strategy of implementing programs aimed at promoting healthy behaviours.
Family Friendly Occupations and the US Gender Wage Gap

A consistent finding in US labor market research is that the wages of men and women are lower in predominantly female occupations. The roles of a number of specific occupational characteristics that may be of benefit to individuals juggling labor market and child-rearing responsibilities in explaining this relationship are investigated. These occupation level characteristics include the proportion of employees working part-time, the average hours of work among full-time workers and the average commuting time to work. The relationship between average occupation commuting time and wages is examined in detail.
General primer-mediated polymerase chain reaction for detection of enteroviruses: application for diagnostic routine and persistent infections

The aim of this study was to determine the applicability of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for routine diagnostic use and for the detection of persistent enteroviral infections. To this end, general primers were selected in the highly conserved part of the 5'-noncoding region of the enteroviral genome. They were tested on 66 different enterovirus serotypes. A specific fragment was amplified from 60 of 66 serotypes. An amplification product was not observed from coxsackievirus types A11, A17, and A24 and echovirus types 16, 22, and 23. Enteroviral RNA was detected by the PCR in routinely collected throat swabs and stool specimens that were found to be positive for enterovirus by isolation in tissue culture. Enteroviral RNA was detected in one of five myocardial biopsy specimens from patients with dilated cardiomyopathy, implicating virus persistence. No amplification product was obtained from eight control samples. Our results demonstrate the significance of the PCR for the detection of enteroviral RNA and, in particular, for the demonstration of persistent enteroviral infections.
Hedge fund behavior: An ex-post analysis

This paper aims to analyze hedge fund index behavior over the 9-year period ranging from January 1994 to December 2002 with help of various statistical measures. The results indicate that hedge fund returns are not normally distributed and exhibit first order autocorrelation, a phenomenon known as smoothing or stale price bias. Entire period correlations between 13 hedge fund indices and 85 market factors provide evidence that most of hedge fund styles show strong positive correlations with equity and real estate indices, and negative correlations with volatility index. Two exceptions are Dedicated Short Bias and Long Short Equity indices, which exhibit significant negative correlations with equity indices but positive correlations with volatility index. However, these correlations vary over time, depending on market conditions. The results also reveal that hedge funds generally underperform than the market in upward periods but do better than the market in downward ones. Dedicated Short Bias and Long Short Equity are the only ones that make loss in upward markets and make profits in downside market.
Simulation of Expected Areal Density Gain for Heat-Assisted Magnetic Recording Relative to Other Advanced Recording Schemes

In this paper, we review our latest progress for heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) systems. The temperature distribution has been computed using the finite difference time domain technique and by solving the heat diffusion equation. Magnetic behavior has been calculated using a renormalized cell technique (granular media) and atomistic simulation [bit-patterned media (BPM)]. We find that the ultimate density of HAMR on granular media depends greatly on grain size, with a 5 nm grain pitch yielding ~4 Tb/in2. We were unable to exceed ~5.8 Tb/in2 on BPM owing to excessive heating of the adjacent track, causing adjacent track erasure to date. Shingled recording on granular media, using two dimensional magnetic recording (TDMR) detection depends greatly on the mechanical systems, with likely user densities reaching ~2.5 Tb/in2. Finally, shingled recording without heat assist on BPM yielded an unexpectedly high density of ~8 Tb/in2.
Clinicopathological Differences between Mucinous Adenocarcinoma and Signet-Ring Cell Carcinoma in the Colorectum

Purpose. This study aimed to evaluate the clinicopathological differences between signet-ring cell carcinoma and mucinous adenocarcinoma of the colon and rectum.Methods. We prospectively reviewed the medical records between January 2000 and December 2007, and identified 19 patients with signet-ring cell carcinoma and 192 patients with mucinous adenocarcinoma. We examined the differences in age, tumor location, pathologic stage, pre-operative carcinoembryonic antigen level, microsatellite instability, and 5-year overall survival between each subtype.Results. The patients with signet-ring-cell carcinoma (mean age, 60.4 years) were slightly younger than patients with mucinous adenocarcinoma (mean age, 65.6 years; p=0.001). In addition, the incidence of mucinous adenocarcinoma and signet-ring cell carcinoma was higher in right-sided colon cancer (35.4% and 36.8%) than in other subtypes of colorectal cancer (25%). Further, no significant difference was observed in gender, preoperative carcinoembryonic antigen level, high probability of microsatellite instability, and tumor recurrence rate between the 2 subtypes. Signet-ring cell carcinoma was more likely to present at the later stages (stage III/IV, 100.0%) than mucinous adenocarcinoma (stage III/IV, 64.1%; p＜0.001). The 5-year overall survival rates of patients with signet-ring cell carcinoma were poorer than those of patients with mucinous adenocarcinoma (29.5% vs. 57.8%; p＜0.001). Patients with signet-ring cell carcinoma (17.6%) had significantly poorer cancer-specific survival than those with mucinous adenocarcinoma (51.1%; p＜0.001). Conclusion. Colorectal signet-ring cell carcinoma patients had advanced disease and poorer outcome than mucinous adenocarcinoma patients. No significant difference was observed in microsatellite instability analyses between signet-ring cell carcinoma and mucinous adenocarcinoma.