Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Epidemiology of anemia associated with chronic renal insufficiency among adults in the United States: results from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

Anemia associated with chronic renal insufficiency (CRI) may have substantial clinical and public health importance, but little is known about its epidemiology. This study aims to quantify the relationship between reduced renal function and hemoglobin level, to assess the iron status of subjects with CRI, and to estimate the burden of anemia associated with CRI. The Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III) (1988 to 1994) data on 15,971 adults aged >18 yr with measurements of serum creatinine, hemoglobin, and iron profile were analyzed. General linear models were used to determine the relationship between hemoglobin level and Cockcroft-Gault creatinine clearance (CrCl) and to estimate the likelihood of anemia at different levels of renal function in different demographic subgroups. Sample weights were used to produce weighted regression parameters and population estimates. A statistically significant decrease in hemoglobin was apparent among men starting at CrCl < or =70 ml/min and among women starting at CrCl < or =50 ml/min. At any given level of CrCl, men had a larger decrease in hemoglobin than women. For example, compared with subjects with CrCl >80 ml/min, the decrease in hemoglobin for subjects with CrCl 20 to 30 ml/min was 1.0 g/dl in women and 1.4 g/dl in men. A substantial number of subjects with CRI might not have sufficient iron stores to support erythropoiesis as judged by the NKF-K/DOQI transferrin saturation or serum ferritin targets. Among those with CrCl 20 to 30 ml/min, 46% of women and 19% of men had transferrin saturation <20%, and 47% of women and 44% of men had serum ferritin <100 ng/ml. Results estimate that 13.5 million US adults had CrCl < or =50 ml/min. The overall burden of CRI associated anemia, defined as hemoglobin <11 g/dl, was 800,000 adults. The public health burden of anemia associated with CRI may be substantial, given the large number of people with CRI; and that even a modest reduction in renal function is associated with decreased hemoglobin level.
JPE 1509-127 Modelling and Feedback Control of LLC Resonant Converters for High Switching Frequency

High switching frequency operation of power converters can achieve high power density through size reduction of passive components such as capacitors, inductors, and transformers. However, the smaller output capacitor that has small capacitance and low effective series resistance (ESR) changes the small-signal model of the converter power stage. It can make the converter unstable by increasing the crossover frequency in the transfer function of the small-signal model. In this paper, the design and implementation of a high frequency LLC resonant converter are proposed to verify the power density enhancement achieved by decreasing the size of the passive components. The effect of the smaller output capacitance is analyzed for stability using a proper small-signal model of the LLC resonant converter. Finally, the proper design methods of a feedback compensator are proposed to obtain sufficient phase margin in the bode plot of the converter’s loop gain for stable operation at 500 kHz switching frequency. A theoretical approach using MATLAB, a simulation approach using PSIM, and experimental results are presented to show the validity of the proposed analysis and design methods with 100 kHz and 500 kHz prototype converters.
Global convergence of fractionally spaced Godard (CMA) adaptive equalizers

The Godard (1980) or constant modulus algorithm (CMA) equalizer is perhaps the best known and the most popular scheme for blind adaptive channel equalization. Most published works on blind equalization convergence analysis are confined to T-spaced equalizers with real-valued inputs. The common belief is that analysis of fractionally spaced equalizers (FSEss) with complex inputs is a straightforward extension with similar results. This belief is, in fact, untrue. We present a convergence analysis of Godard/CMA FSEs that proves the important advantages provided by the FSE structure. We show that an FSE allows the exploitation of the channel diversity that supports two important conclusions of great practical significance: (1) a finite-length channel satisfying a length-and-zero condition allows Godard/CMA FSE to be globally convergent, and (2) the linear FSE filter length need not be longer than the channel delay spread. Computer simulation demonstrates the performance improvement provided by the adaptive Godard FSE.
Impact of Foreign Direct Investment on Economic of Afghanistan

The present study attempts the impact of foreign direct investment on gross domestic product (GDP) of Afghanistan by taking a time- series data for the period of 2001-2014. It is applied ordinary least square (OLS) method through simple regression. T-statistic is significant and P-value is also significant at 5% level. The F-test was also significant at 5% level so the overall model is significant. The results indicated that there is positive significance relationship between foreign direct investment and gross domestic product (GDP) in Afghanistan. The study suggests that Government may focus on to attracting foreign direct investment and improve its agriculture and mine sector latest technology and Machineries for better economic growth.
An Arterial Spin Labeling MRI Perfusion Study of Migraine without Aura Attacks

Background Studies of brain perfusion during migraine without aura attacks have inconsistent results. Methods Arterial spin labeling MRI, a non-invasive quantitative perfusion technique, was used to prospectively study a spontaneous untreated migraine without aura attack and a headache-free period. Image analysis used FSL and MATLAB software; Group analysis used permutation methods for perfusion differences between sessions. Results Thirteen women (age 35.7) were scanned during an attack of an average intensity of 6.8 (on 0–10 Visual Analog Scale) and 16 h duration. No global or regional perfusion differences were identified when comparing migraine and migraine-free sessions. Discussion Our findings suggest that the painful phase of migraine without aura attacks is not associated with brain perfusion abnormalities.
Effect of Preinduction Specific Growth Rate on Recombinant Alpha Consensus Interferon Synthesis in Escherichia coli

The effect of preinduction specific growth rate on the yield of recombinant alpha consensus interferon in Escherichia coli K‐12 was investigated. The cells used in the investigation contain a temperature‐sensitive, walkaway plasmid bearing an insert that codes for alpha consensus interferon. Transcription of the recombinant gene is controlled by a lambda repressor/pL promoter system. The lambda promoter is regulated by the temperature‐sensitive gene cl857 at 30 °C, but at 42 °C the promoter is derepressed. The cells were grown under glucose‐limited conditions in a chemostat at pH 7 and 30 °C. Once steady state was achieved, the vessel temperature was raised to 42 °C and a fed‐batch mode was initiated. Six dilution rates ranging from 0.025/h to 0.2/h were investigated. Cell dry weight, alpha consensus interferon content, glucose concentration, acetate concentration, and plasmid stability were measured. At each dilution rate, the expression level of alpha consensus interferon (g/g of cell dry wt) reached its maximum value approximately 3 h after induction. In addition, the expression level of alpha consensus interferon increases 4‐fold as the dilution rate prior to induction is increased from 0.025/h to 0.2/h. Consequently, the expression of recombinant protein produced by E. coli is dependent on the preinduction specific growth rate.
General recombination in Escherichia coli K-12: in vivo role of RecBC enzyme

Heterozygous lacZ- merodiploids of Escherichia coli K-12 have been used to study the role of the RecBC enzyme in general recombination. The transcribable intermediate assay detects the product of early steps in recombination without requiring the formation of viable recombinant colonies. Recombination is initiated by infection with lambda precA+. We have found that transcribable intermediate formation in crosses between F42 lac and chromosomal lac is dependent on F fertility functions and an active RecBC enzyme. Thus, the products of the recB and recC genes are required in early steps of recombination between these two substrates. Introduction of the F42 lac donor DNA by conjugation immediately after infection with lambda precA+ abolishes the requirement for an active RecBC enzyme.
Egg Contribution Towards the Diet of Pregnant Latinas

Proper nutrition during gestation is important to prevent adverse pregnancy outcomes. Eggs contain many important nutrients necessary for fetal development and human survival. Three focus groups were conducted with Latina women living in Connecticut to identify cultural beliefs toward egg consumption during pregnancy, traditional egg dishes, and methods of preparation. A cross-sectional study was then carried out with a sample of predominately Puerto Rican pregnant Latinas (N = 241) to identify the frequency of consumption of eggs and egg-containing dishes as well as methods of preparation using a tailored food frequency questionnaire modified for this population. Paired sample t-tests were used to examine if there were differences in weekly mean egg intake patterns between the year prior to the pregnancy and during pregnancy based on a Food Frequency Questionnaire. Women were categorized into eggs consumers and non-consumers if they consumed or did not consume eggs during the previous day based on 24-hour recall data. Independent-sample t-test and chi-square cross-tabulation analyses were conducted to examine the association between egg consumption and nutrient intake categories. Results showed that eggs and egg-containing traditional dishes are consumed by Latinas before and during pregnancy. Egg consumers had higher intakes of protein, fat, vitamin K, vitamin E, selenium, beta carotene, lutein and zeaxanthin, cholesterol, total polyunsaturated fatty acids, and docosahexaenoic acid. Eggs contribute significantly to the diet of pregnant Latinas.
A Decision Analysis Approach to Solving the Signaling Game

Decision analysis has traditionally been applied to choices under uncertainty involving a single decision maker. Game theory has been applied to solving games of strategic interaction between two or more players. Building upon recent work of van Binsbergen and Marx (van Binsbergen, J. H., L. M. Marx. 2007. Exploring relations between decision analysis and game theory. Decision Anal. 4(1) 32--40), this paper defines a modified decision-theoretic approach to solving games of strategic interaction between two players. Using this method, the choices of the two players are modeled with separate decision trees comprised entirely of chance nodes. Optimal policies are reflected in the probabilities in the decision trees of each player. In many cases, the Nash equilibrium strategy for each player can be obtained by rolling back the opponent's decision tree. Results are demonstrated for the multistage signaling game, which is difficult to model using decision nodes to represent strategies, as in the approach of van Binsbergen and Marx.
Clinical experience with warfarin (coumadin) sodium, a new anticoagulant.

Although the presently available anticoagulants have been of great clinical usefulness, well-recognized defects are inherent in them. Heparin requires frequent parenteral administration and is costly. Bishydroxycoumarin (Dicumarol) has a long latent period between the time of administration and onset of therapeutic effect. Ethyl biscoumacetate (Tromexan) loses therapeutic effect within a few hours after reaching the therapeutic level, thus rendering smooth control of anticoagulant action difficult. Other of the newer anticoagulants posses undesirable side-reactions. A more nearly ideal anticoagulant continues to be a practical need. For this reason a clinical study has been conducted on warfarin (Coumadin) sodium, one of the group of coumarin drugs produced by Dr. Karl Paul Link and his group at the University of Wisconsin.1The substance, 3-(α-phenyl-β-acetylethyl)-4-hydroxycoumarin, is highly active as a hypoprothrombinemic agent, is soluble and stable, and is suitable for intravenous use. The relationship of warfarin sodium to bishydroxycoumarin is shown in fig.
The metabolic syndrome: time for a critical appraisal: joint statement from the American Diabetes Association and the European Association for the Study of Diabetes.

The term "metabolic syndrome" refers to a clustering of specific cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors whose underlying pathophysiology is thought to be related to insulin resistance. Since the term is widely used in research and clinical practice, we undertook an extensive review of the literature in relation to the syndrome's definition, underlying pathogenesis, and association with CVD and to the goals and impact of treatment. While there is no question that certain CVD risk factors are prone to cluster, we found that the metabolic syndrome has been imprecisely defined, there is a lack of certainty regarding its pathogenesis, and there is considerable doubt regarding its value as a CVD risk marker. Our analysis indicates that too much critically important information is missing to warrant its designation as a "syndrome. " Until much needed research is completed, clinicians should evaluate and treat all CVD risk factors without regard to whether a patient meets the criteria for diagnosis of the "metabolic syndrome. "
Synthesis of Zno Nanorods by Hydrothermal Method for Gas Sensor Applications

Abstract ZnO nanorods with different sizes and shapes have been successfully synthesized via a simple hydrothermal route, using zinc acetate and Cetyltriammonium bromide (CTAB) as the reactants. The thick films of as prepared ZnO were prepared by screen-printing technique in desired pattern. The films are characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The gas sensing properties of the materials have been investigated for various interfering gases such as CO2, CO, Ethanol, NH3 and H2S etc at operating temperature from 30° (room temperature) to 300°C. The results indicate that the ZnO nanorod thick films showed much better sensitivity and stability than the conventional materials to H2S gas at 30°C. The nanoshaped pillar can improve the sensitivity and selectivity of the sensors. ZnO nanorods are excellent potential candidates for gas sensors.
Studies on Occurrence, Antibiogram and Decontamination of Salmonella enterica in Table Eggs

Eggs are one of the economical nutritious food items from the livestock and they form an important part of the routine human diet. However, good qualities of nutrients in eggs offer the suitable environment to the microbial proliferation. Eggs can be contaminated or infected horizontally (through the shell) or vertically (transovarially), that may become potential source of foodborne diseases in humans (Martelli and Davies, 2011). Some International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences ISSN: 2319-7706 Volume 6 Number 3 (2017) pp. 2163-2175 Journal homepage: http://www.ijcmas. com
Atrial fibrillation in cardiac resynchronization recipients with and without prior arrhythmic history. How much of arrhythmia is too much?

BACKGROUND The aim of the study was to assess long-term incidence of atrial fibrillation (AF) in cardiac resynchronization (CRT) recipients with and without prior arrhythmic history, factors predisposing to arrhythmia, as well as to evaluate the prognostic power of cumulative arrhythmia burden, duration of the longest episode and the number of episodes. METHODS Device-collected data on AF episodes during 24 months in 96 participants of a randomized CRT-trial were analyzed (15% in NYHA class IV, sinus rhythm, median left ventricular ejection fraction 24% and QRS 169 ms). Blindly adjudicated major adverse cardiac events (MACE) and any-cause death were censoring variables. RESULTS Two-year incidence of AF was 70%, including 66% of patients without previous AF history. No baseline characteristics distinguished those who developed new onset AF. Percent of time spent in AF, but not number of episodes predicted mortality (adjusted hazard ratio [HR] 1.05 ± 95% confidence interval CI 1.01-1.10) and MACE incidence (HR 1.03 ± 1.01-1.07; p = 0.03). Duration of the longest episode also predicted mortality (HR 1.06 ± 1.01-1.12; both p = 0.03). Prognostic impact of AF load was marked only in patients with slower ventricular response (< 98/min), but was independent from CHADS2 scores, pacing burden, or prior atrioventricular nodal ablation. CONCLUSIONS Seven out of 10 CRT-patients had AF within 2 years, including two-thirds of subjects without arrhythmic history. No baseline features distinguished those who developed new onset AF. Arrhythmia burden and duration of the longest episode, but not number of episodes influenced outcomes in CRT-patients, irrespectively from pacing burden or prior atrioventricular node ablation.
PupilNet v2.0: Convolutional Neural Networks for CPU based real time Robust Pupil Detection

Real-time, accurate, and robust pupil detection is an essential prerequisite for pervasive video-based eye-tracking. However, automated pupil detection in realworld scenarios has proven to be an intricate challenge due to fast illumination changes, pupil occlusion, non-centered and off-axis eye recording, as well as physiological eye characteristics. In this paper, we approach this challenge through: I) a convolutional neural network (CNN) running in real time on a single core, II) a novel computational intensive two stage CNN for accuracy improvement, and III) a fast propability distribution based refinement method as a practical alternative to II. We evaluate the proposed approaches against the state-of-the-art pupil detection algorithms, improving the detection rate up to ~9% percent points on average over all data sets (~7% on one CPU core 7ms). This evaluation was performed on over 135,000 images: 94,000 images from the literature, and 41,000 new hand-labeled and challenging images contributed by this work (v1.0).
Properties of Filament-bound Myosin Light Chain Kinase*

Myosin light chain kinase binds to actin-containing filaments from cells with a greater affinity than to F-actin. However, it is not known if this binding in cells is regulated by Ca2+/calmodulin as it is with F-actin. Therefore, the binding properties of the kinase to stress fibers were examined in smooth muscle-derived A7r5 cells. Full-length myosin light chain kinase or a truncation mutant lacking residues 2–142 was expressed as chimeras containing green fluorescent protein at the C terminus. In intact cells, the full-length kinase bound to stress fibers, whereas the truncated kinase showed diffuse fluorescence in the cytoplasm. After permeabilization with saponin, the fluorescence from the truncated kinase disappeared, whereas the fluorescence of the full-length kinase was retained on stress fibers. Measurements of fluorescence intensities and fluorescence recovery after photobleaching of the full-length myosin light chain kinase in saponin-permeable cells showed that Ca2+/calmodulin did not dissociate the kinase from these filaments. However, the filament-bound kinase was sufficient for Ca2+-dependent phosphorylation of myosin regulatory light chain and contraction of stress fibers. Thus, dissociation of myosin light chain kinase from actin-containing thin filaments is not necessary for phosphorylation of myosin light chain in thick filaments. We note that the distance between the N terminus and the catalytic core of the kinase is sufficient to span the distance between thin and thick filaments.
Mean reversion in stock index futures markets: A nonlinear analysis

Several stylized theoretical models of futures basis behavior under nonzero transactions costs predict nonlinear mean reversion of the futures basis towards its equilibrium value. Nonlinearly mean‐reverting models are employed to characterize the basis of the S&P 500 and the FTSE 100 indices over the post‐1987 crash period, capturing empirically these theoretical predictions and examining the view that the degree of mean reversion in the basis is a function of the size of the deviation from equilibrium. The estimated half lives of basis shocks, obtained using Monte Carlo integration methods, suggest that for smaller shocks to the basis level the basis displays substantial persistence, while for larger shocks the basis exhibits highly nonlinear mean reversion towards its equilibrium value. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Jrl Fut Mark 22:285–314, 2002
Identification and Expression of Equine MER-Derived miRNAs

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are single-stranded, small RNAs (21–23 nucleotides) that function in gene silencing and translational inhibition via the RNA interference mechanism. Most miRNAs originate from host genomic regions, such as intergenic regions, introns, exons, and transposable elements (TEs). Here, we focused on the palindromic structure of medium reiteration frequencies (MERs), which are similar to precursor miRNAs. Five MER consensus sequences (MER5A1, MER53, MER81, MER91C, and MER117) were matched with paralogous transcripts predicted to be precursor miRNAs in the horse genome (equCab2) and located in either intergenic regions or introns. The MER5A1, MER53, and MER91C sequences obtained from RepeatMasker were matched with the eca-miR-544b, eca-miR-1302, and eca-miR-652 precursor sequences derived from Ensembl transcript database, respectively. Each precursor form was anticipated to yield two mature forms, and we confirmed miRNA expression in six different tissues (cerebrum, cerebellum, lung, spleen, adrenal gland, and duodenum) of one thorough-bred horse. MER5A1-derived miRNAs generally showed significantly higher expression in the lung than in other tissues. MER91C-derived miRNA-5p also showed significantly higher expression in the duodenum than in other tissues (cerebellum, lung, spleen, and adrenal gland). The MER117-overlapped expressed sequence tag generated polycistronic miRNAs, which showed higher expression in the duodenum than other tissues. These data indicate that horse MER transposons encode miR-NAs that are expressed in several tissues and are thought to have biological functions.
The Capsid and Tegument of the Alphaherpesviruses Are Linked by an Interaction between the UL25 and VP1/2 Proteins

ABSTRACT How alphaherpesvirus capsids acquire tegument proteins remains a key question in viral assembly. Using pseudorabies virus (PRV), we have previously shown that the 62 carboxy-terminal amino acids of the VP1/2 large tegument protein are essential for viral propagation and when transiently expressed as a fusion to green fluorescent protein relocalize to nuclear capsid assemblons following viral infection. Here, we show that localization of the VP1/2 capsid-binding domain (VP1/2cbd) into assemblons is conserved in herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) and that this recruitment is specifically on capsids. Using a mutant virus screen, we find that the protein product of the UL25 gene is essential for VP1/2cbd association with capsids. An interaction between UL25 and VP1/2 was corroborated by coimmunoprecipitation from cells transiently expressing either HSV-1 or PRV proteins. Taken together, these findings suggest that the essential function of the VP1/2 carboxy terminus is to anchor the VP1/2 tegument protein to capsids. Furthermore, UL25 encodes a multifunctional capsid protein involved in not only encapsidation, as previously described, but also tegumentation.