Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Changes in diet in Finland from 1972 to 1992: impact on coronary heart disease risk.

BACKGROUND Coronary heart disease mortality has declined in Finland by 55% among men and 68% among women between 1972 and 1992. About three-quarters of this decline has been explained by changes in the main coronary risk factors, the decrease in serum cholesterol being the most important one. The aim of this study was to analyze to what extent dietary changes could explain the change in serum cholesterol. METHODS Cardiovascular risk factor surveys have been carried out in Finland from 1972 to 1992 at 5-year intervals. Dietary surveys were carried out in connection with these surveys in 1982 and 1992. An earlier, representative dietary survey carried out in 1969-1972 was used as the baseline measure for diet. RESULTS The total fat content of the Finnish diet changed from 38% of energy to 34%, saturated fat from 21 to 16%, and polyunsaturated fat from 3 to 5% and the intake of cholesterol decreased by 16%. Based on Keys equation these changes could have decreased serum cholesterol level by 0.6 mmol/liter (23 mg/dl) in both genders. A shift from boiled to filtered coffee could have further decreased serum cholesterol by 0.3 mmol/liter (11 mg/dl). Thus, these changes together could explain the total change in serum cholesterol, which has been on average 1.0 mmol/liter (38 mg/dl). Several other changes in the diet have also been favorable. Fruit and vegetable consumption has increased two- to three-fold during this time period. Supplementation of fertilizers with selenium since 1985 has tripled the intake of selenium. CONCLUSIONS Dietary changes seem to explain the decrease in serum cholesterol. Together with a decline in smoking among males as well as better blood pressure control they have contributed to the dramatic decline in coronary heart disease mortality in Finland.
Barcode haplotype variation in north American agroecosystem lady beetles (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae)

DNA barcodes have proven invaluable in identifying and distinguishing insect pests, most notably for determining the provenance of exotic invasives, but relatively few insect natural enemies have been barcoded. We used Folmer et al.’s (1994) universal invertebrate primers and Hebert et al.’s (2004) for Lepidoptera, to amplify 658 bp at the 5′ end of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase c subunit I (COI) gene in five species of lady beetles from crop fields in six states in the US Mid‐Atlantic, Plains and Midwest: three native species, Hippodamia convergens Guérin‐Méneville, H. parenthesis (Say) and Coleomegilla maculata (De Geer); and two exotic species, Harmonia axyridis (Pallas) and Coccinella septempunctata Linnaeus. Sequence divergences within species were low, never exceeding 0.9% (Kimura 2‐parameter distances). Sequence divergences between the two Hippodamia species ranged from 14.7 to 16.4%, mirroring the relationships found for other arthropod taxa. Among the exotic species, C. septempunctata sequences were as variable as those of the three native species, while H. axyridis populations comprised a single haplotype. Limited data on two Coleomegilla subspecies, C. m. lengi Timberlake and C. m. fuscilabris (Mulsant), are consistent with their belonging to the same species, although morphological and reproductive data indicate that they represent separate species. Our results support the general utility of COI barcodes for distinguishing and diagnosing coccinellid species, but point to possible limitations in the use of barcodes to resolve species assignments in recently divergent sibling species.
The Role of an Engineering Oriented Medical Research Group in Developing Improved Methods and Devices for Achieving Ventricular Defibrillation: The University of Missouri Experience

Physical scientists and engineers have played important roles in helping to expand our understanding of the factors that influence the defibrillation process and in developing improved methods and devices for achieving cardiac ventricular defibrillation. The long‐term experience of one engineering oriented group, based in a clinical department of a medical school, is summarized. Emphasized are the features of a series of research defibrillators that facilitated the generation of an extensive experimental database from studies in dogs and calves, the development of the first automatic implantable defibrillator to be successfully used in dogs, and studies that furnished the rationale for the widespread use of the uniphasic truncated exponential waveform and for the increasing interest in a variety of biphasic and multiphasic waveforms. Also considered are studies concerning the scaling of the defibrillatory shock with subject size and the role of compound units, defibrillation threshold, and contour graphs in the presentation and interpretation of data.
Disturbance in uniformly 13C-labelled DHA metabolism in elderly human subjects carrying the apoE ε4 allele

Carrying the apoE ε4 allele (E4+) is the most important genetic risk for Alzheimer's disease. Unlike non-carriers (E4 − ), E4+ seem not to be protected against Alzheimer's disease when consuming fish. We hypothesised that this may be linked to a disturbance in n-3 DHA metabolism in E4+. The aim of the present study was to evaluate [13C]DHA metabolism over 28 d in E4+v. E4 − . A total of forty participants (twenty-six women and fourteen men) received a single oral dose of 40 mg [13C]DHA, and its metabolism was monitored in blood and breath over 28 d. Of the participants, six were E4+ and thirty-four were E4 − . In E4+, mean plasma [13C]DHA was 31 % lower than that in E4 − , and cumulative β-oxidation of [13C]DHA was higher than that in E4 − 1–28 d post-dose (P≤ 0·05). A genotype × time interaction was detected for cumulative β-oxidation of [13C]DHA (P≤ 0·01). The whole-body half-life of [13C]DHA was 77 % lower in E4+ compared with E4 − (P≤ 0·01). In E4+ and E4 − , the percentage dose of [13C]DHA recovered/h as 13CO2 correlated with [13C]DHA concentration in plasma, but the slope of linear regression was 117 % steeper in E4+ compared with E4 − (P≤ 0·05). These results indicate that DHA metabolism is disturbed in E4+, and may help explain why there is no association between DHA levels in plasma and cognition in E4+. However, whether E4+ disturbs the metabolism of 13C-labelled fatty acids other than DHA cannot be deduced from the present study.
Activation of adrenergic receptors by resveratrol elicits pigment aggregation in isolated melanophores of adult toad , Bufo melanostictus leading to skin lightening

The present study was carried out to determine the effects of the seed skin extract of A. hypogaea along with active ingredient pure Resveratrol on the isolated dorsal skin melanophores of the toad Bufo melanostictus.The skin melanophores of the B. melanostictus, were assayed using the mean melanophore size index and their responses were recorded in the presence of various concentrations of the plant extract and its active ingredient along with speci! c antagonists and potentiator. It was found that the A. hypogaea extracts induced a signi! cant melanin aggregating effect making all the melanophores retard their processes gradually, making the dorsal skin appear lighter. The melanin aggregation effects on the isolated melanophores of the toad, B. melanostictus by seed skin extract of A. hypogaea were completely blocked by Propranolol and partially blocked by prazosin. These melanin granule aggregation and potentiating effects of reserpine to seed skin extract of A. hypogaea in the melanophores of B. melanostictus were found to be effectively blocked by adrenergic receptor blockers propranolol ( blocker -complete blockade) as well as prazosin ( blockerPartial blockade). In the present study the effect of seed skin extracts of A. hypogaea and its active ingredient Resveratrol induced a physiological as well as statistically signi! cant melanophore aggregation effect, leading to lightening of the isolated dorsal skin of toad, B. melanostictus
Intraoperative tranexamic acid in pediatric bloodless cardiac surgery

Objective The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical effects of intraoperative tranexamic acid administration in cardiac surgery without blood transfusion (bloodless cardiac surgery) in children. Methods Seventy-one consecutive patients weighing less than 20 kg, who underwent bloodless cardiac surgery for simple atrial or ventricular septal defects at Kobe Children’s Hospital from January 2011 to June 2013, were enrolled in this retrospective study. Tranexamic acid was administered during surgery from January 2012 (TXA group; n = 31), whereas it was not administered before January 2012 (control group; n = 40). Perioperative variables were compared between the TXA and control groups. Results There were no significant differences in patient characteristics or preoperative data between the 2 groups. Serial changes in perioperative hemoglobin and hematocrit levels, mixed venous oxygen saturation, and regional cerebral oxygenation during cardiopulmonary bypass were significantly higher in the TXA group compared to the control group. There were significant reductions in operative time, dopamine dose, peak serum lactate level, intubation time, chest tube drainage and duration, and hospital stay in the TXA group. Conclusions Intraoperative tranexamic acid administration was effective for blood conservation, and improved postoperative clinical outcomes in pediatric bloodless cardiac surgery.
Three-Dimensional Reconstruction of Murine Peyer's Patches from Immunostained Cryosections

Abstract Peyer's patches, macroscopic aggregates of lymphoid follicles present throughout the small intestines of humans and other mammals, are considered the gateway through which luminal dietary antigens and microbes are sampled by the mucosal immune system. The cellular make-up of Peyer's patch lymphoid follicles is not only complex, but highly dynamic, as there are at least four major cell types that are known to migrate in response to antigenic stimulation. In an effort to capture the complexity and dynamic nature of this specialized tissue, here we report the three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction of immunofluorescent-labeled mouse Peyer's patch cryosections. The technology that enabled the stacking and linear blending of serial cryosections was a novel macro for Fiji, the open source image-processing package based on ImageJ. By simultaneously labeling cryosections for surface markers CD45R, CD3, and CD11c, we provide a 3D image as well as quantitative measures of B-cell, T-cell, and dendritic cell populations at steady state and following exposure to the mucosal adjuvant cholera toxin.
Meaning-based Tarannum: Preliminary research on uslub qira'ah of Sheikh Muhammad Rif'at (1880-1950)

This article is a preliminary study on Sheikh Muhammad Rif'at's uslub qira'ah (Qur'anic reading style) based on the meaning of Qur'anic verses in his recitation. His method of tarannum (Qur'anic chanting) stressed the importance of understanding the contents of the verses and focusing on components of al-Ada' which are observation of the law of tajwid, waqf (stop or pause) and ibtida' (beginning), tadabbur (meditating) of the verse, engrossment in reading and correlating of verses with maqam tarannum. These five components are important pillars in explaining the concept of meaning-based tarannum in Qur'anic recitation, be it in the form of murattal or mujawwad. The combination of these five components results in a solid recitation of high quality tarannum and artistic value.
Reduction of E-cadherin expression is associated with non-lobular breast carcinomas of basal-like and triple negative phenotype

Aim: E-cadherin inactivation in breast cancer has been shown to be strongly associated with lobular breast cancer. However, little is known about the levels of E-cadherin expression according to the breast cancer “molecular” subtypes. The aim of this study was to address the distribution of E-cadherin expression according to the different molecular subtypes of breast cancer. Methods: E-cadherin expression was immunohistochemically analysed in a tissue microarray containing duplicate cores of 245 invasive breast carcinomas, of which 182 cases were of non-lobular histology, using a semi-quantitative scoring system based on the percentage of cells showing membrane immunopositivity. Results: In non-lobular breast carcinomas, reduced and/or negative E-cadherin expression was significantly associated with lack of oestrogen receptor expression, low levels of CCND1 expression, positivity for cytokeratins 5/6 and 17, epidermal growth factor receptor and caveolins 1 and 2, p53 expression, high MIB-1 proliferation indices, basal-like phenotype and triple negative phenotype. Conclusion: This study demonstrates that in the group of non-lobular breast cancers, reduction/lack of E-cadherin expression is preferentially found in basal-like breast carcinomas.
Grey-scale gating for freehand 3D ultrasound

Freehand three-dimensional (3D) ultrasound is a flexible imaging technique which allows a 3D data set to be constructed of sequential B-scans from a conventional ultrasound scanner. Since the data is acquired over several seconds, physiological motion generates spatial artifacts in visualisations of the data. Consequently, an electrocardiogram (ECG) signal is often used to gate the acquisition of B-scans to a single point in the cardiac cycle. We present a technique which can remove temporal artifacts by using properties of the grey-scale B-scan data, obviating the need for an external gating signal. B-scans are acquired throughout the cardiac cycle, and any phase can be selected for subsequent visualisation. This enables limited real-time 4D display of the data.
Induction of beta-lactamase production in Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilm

Imipenem induced high levels of beta-lactamase production in Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms. Piperacillin also induced beta-lactamase production in these biofilms but to a lesser degree. The combination of beta-lactamase production with other protective properties of the biofilm mode of growth could be a major reason for the persistence of this sessile bacterium in chronic infections.
Erp Packages: What's Next?

Abstract The traditional focus of IT operations no longer meets the challenges of tomorrow's fast-changing business environment. in the new millennium, CIOs will be required to shift their focus from internal information processing to external information processing. By taking on the role of “corporate antenna” and generating the business intelligence that matters, IT will, for the first time in history, start to exercise its true strategic role on corporate operations.
The psychological sequelae on mothers of thermally injured children and adolescents: Future directions: Part 3

Part 3 of this study focused on maternal psychopathology and relationship with their children in three groups, assessed in Parts 1 and 2. Evidence of greater psychopathology in the mothers of burned children was supported by findings of both interview and self-report data, which indicated more symptoms of worry, depression, tension, anxiety, lack of energy, lower self confidence with other people and guilt, compared with mothers of Fracture Clinic and Normal Controls. Marital and social functioning and adverse life events did not differentiate groups, with the exception of a significantly higher divorce rate in the parents of burned children, following thermal injury.
Time-resolved luminescence study of self-trapped-exciton relaxation in quasi-one-dimensional halogen-bridged mixed-valence metal complexes.

The relaxation processes of self-trapped excitons (STE's) in halogen-bridged mixed-valence metal complexes (MX-chain complexes) have been investigated by picosecond time-resolved luminescence measurements. The self-trapped exciton luminescence of [Pt(en${)}_{2}$][Pt(en${)}_{2}$${\mathrm{Cl}}_{2}$](${\mathrm{ClO}}_{4}$${)}_{4}$ (en=ethylenediamine) decays exponentially with a lifetime of 230\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}10 psec at 2 K. The STE's are dominantly annihilated nonradiatively by tunneling and thermally activated processes. In an MX complex with ligand disorder caused by the random arrangement of the R,R and S,S-isomer ligand molecules, the STE's exhibit nonexponential decay. The decay dynamics varies with energy across the luminescence band and depends on the photon energy of the excitation laser. This behavior is explained by site-selective generation of STE's and their subsequent hopping relaxation.
Smoothing Spline Growth Curves With Covariates

We adapt the interactive spline model of Wahba to growth curves with covariates. The smoothing spline formulation permits a non-parametric representation of the growth curves. In the limit when the discretization error is small relative to the estimation error, the resulting growth curve estimates often depend only weakly on the number and locations of the knots. The smoothness parameter is determined from the data by minimizing an empirical estimate of the expected error. We show that the risk estimate of Craven and Wahba is a weighted goodness of fit estimate. A modified loss estimate is given, where $\sigma^2$ is replaced by its unbiased estimate.
Effect of the Mutant Microphthalmia-Associated Transcription Factor Found in Tietz Syndrome on the In Vitro Development of Mast Cells

Mutations in microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (MITF) lead to Waardenburg syndrome type 2 (WS2), a dominantly inherited disorder involving hearing loss and pigment disturbances caused by a lack of melanocytes. On rare occasions, mutations in MITF lead to Tietz syndrome (TS), which is characterized by a severe WS2 phenotype. The MITF gene is the human homolog of the mouse microphthalmia (mi) gene in some families. Mi/mi mice show decreased numbers and an abnormal phenotype of mast cells (MC). In contrast, the number and phenotype of MC in WS2/TS patients who also have an alteration in their MITF gene are unclear. In this study, we identified a mutation in the MITF gene, delR217, which was equivalent to that found in mi/mi mice, in a case of TS. None of the MITF isoforms with the mutation were able to transactivate the tyrosinase gene promoter. In addition, mutant MITF-M showed dominant negative activity toward wild-type MITF-M, inhibiting its transactivation of the tyrosinase gene promoter. The patient's peripheral blood CD34+ cells showed no differences with respect to total cell number or their expression levels of tryptase mRNA in a serum-deprived liquid culture system for 6 weeks when compared with normal control cells. These findings suggest that MITF does not play a critical role in MC development in humans.
Monitoring Resistance to Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Protease Inhibitors by Pyrosequencing

ABSTRACT The emergence of drug-resistant viral variants is the inevitable consequence of incomplete suppression of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) replication during treatment with antiretroviral drugs. Sequencing to determine the resistance profiles of these variants has become increasingly important in the clinical management of HIV-1 patients, both in the initial design of a therapeutic plan and in selecting a salvage regimen. Here we have developed a pyrosequencing assay for the rapid characterization of resistance to HIV-1 protease inhibitors (PIs). Twelve pyrosequencing primers were designed and were evaluated on the MN strain and on viral DNA from peripheral blood mononuclear cells from eight untreated HIV-1-infected individuals. The method had a limit of detection of 20 to 25% for minor sequence variants. Pattern recognition (i.e., comparing actual sequence data with expected wild-type and mutant sequence patterns) simplified the identification of minor sequence variants. This real-time pyrosequencing method was applied in a longitudinal study monitoring the development of PI resistance in plasma samples obtained from four patients over a 2 1/2-year period. Pyrosequencing identified eight primary PI resistance mutations as well as several secondary mutations. This sequencing approach allows parallel analysis of 96 reactions in 1 h, facilitating the monitoring of drug resistance in eight patients simultaneously and, in combination with viral load analysis, should be a useful tool in the future to monitor HIV-1 during therapy.
Fast Control Method of Software-Managed TLB for Reducing Zero-Copy Communication Overhead

SUMMARY Microkernel operating systems (OSes) use zero-copy communication to reduce the overhead of copying transfer data, because the communication between OS servers occurs frequently in the case of microkernel OSes. However, when a memory management unit manages the translation lookaside buffer (TLB) using software, TLB misses tend to increase the overhead of interprocess communication (IPC) between OS servers running on a microkernel OS. Thus, improving the control method of a software-managed TLB is important for microkernel OSes. This paper proposes a fast control method of software-managed TLB that manages page attachment in the area used for IPC by using TLB entries, instead of page tables. Consequently, TLB misses can be avoided in the area, and the performance of IPC improves. Thus, taking the SH-4 processor as an example of a processor having a software-managed TLB, this paper describes the design and the implementation of the proposed method for AnT oper
Post-liver transplantation myocardial dysfunction.

Patients with end-stage liver disease usually show a hyperdynamic circulatory state. It has previously been reported that patients who develop myocardial depression in the early post-liver transplantation period are more prone to organ failure and death. We reviewed the records of 754 adult patients undergoing liver transplantation at our institution and identified 7 patients who initially showed hyperdynamic circulation, but then developed reversible dilated cardiomyopathy in the early posttransplantation period. All identifiable causes of cardiac dysfunction, such as myocardial ischemia, thyroid dysfunction, and electrolyte imbalances, were excluded. Left ventricular ejection fraction decreased from a preoperative median baseline of 60% to 20% (P = .02), with four-chamber dilatation on echocardiogram. All these patients required supportive care, including mechanical ventilation, afterload reduction, inotropic support, and monitoring in the intensive care unit. Cardiac function subsequently improved in all patients, with ejection fraction increasing to a median of 50%. All patients were discharged from the hospital. At a median follow-up of 15 months, there was no recurrence of heart failure. The increased peripheral resistance seen after successful liver transplantation may be an important causative factor.
Secret Message Transmission over Quantum Channels under Adversarial Quantum Noise: Secrecy Capacity and Super-activations

We determine the secrecy capacities of AVQCs (arbitrarily varying quantum channels). Both secrecy capacity with average error probability and with maximal error probability are derived. Both derivations are based on one common code construction. The code we construct fulfills a stringent secrecy requirement, which is called the strong code concept. We determine when the secrecy capacity is a continuous function of the system parameters and completely characterize its discontinuity points both for average error criterion and for maximal error criterion. Furthermore, we prove the phenomenon “super-activation” for secrecy capacities of AVQCs, i.e., two quantum channels both with zero secrecy capacity, which, if used together, allow secure transmission with positive capacity. We also discuss the relations between the entanglement distillation capacity, the entanglement generating capacity, and the strong subspace transmission capacity for AVQCs.