Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of Nebivolol Versus Metoprolol on Sodium Sensitivity and Renal Sodium Handling in Hypertensive Hispanic Postmenopausal Women

Several consistent lines of evidence indicate an association between sodium sensitivity and impaired nitric oxide bioactivity. Nevertheless, whether restoring nitric oxide in humans by pharmacological means can ameliorate sodium sensitivity has not been investigated. Because nebivolol has been demonstrated to increase nitric oxide bioactivity in both laboratory and clinical investigations, we hypothesized that nebivolol might ameliorate sodium sensitivity and improve renal sodium handling in comparison to metoprolol. We therefore conducted a randomized, 2-treatment-period crossover trial in 19 Hispanic postmenopausal women with hypertension to determine the comparative effects of nebivolol versus metoprolol on (1) 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure response to an increase in dietary sodium from 5 days of low sodium to 5 days of high sodium, (2) renal natriuretic response to a 1-L saline challenge, and (3) asymmetrical dimethylarginine. Clinic blood pressure and heart rate were significantly reduced after 4 weeks of treatment with both nebivolol and metoprolol. Twenty-four–hour mean systolic blood pressure increased sharply from low sodium to high sodium for both nebivolol and metoprolol. Nevertheless, the increases in blood pressure did not differ between the 2 drugs: 7.7 (3.1, 12.3) mm Hg with metoprolol and 9.3 (4.6, 13.9) mm Hg with nebivolol (P=0.63). Furthermore, we observed no differences between the drugs in natriuretic response to saline challenge or asymmetrical dimethylarginine. In a sodium-sensitive population, at doses sufficient to produce reductions in blood pressure and heart rate, nebivolol did not demonstrate a significant effect on sodium sensitivity or sodium handling compared with metoprolol.
A NEW GRAPHICAL APPROACH FOR VISUALIZING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ANATOMICAL AND ELECTROTONIC STRUCTURE

Here for the first time we present the use of a new approach to visualizing neuronal electrotonic architecture, L vs. x plots. This approach is illustrated by an examination of how subtle anatomical changes affect electrical signaling in a neuron. Diameter variations within the range of morphometric experimental error changed the electrotonic architecture of a hippocampal granule cell in ways that were most clearly seen in L vs. x plots.
Discovery of hotspots evolution based on community detection method

How the hotspot or congestion area evolves in a large scale complex networks is still not clear. The prediction of such behavior is more difficult. In this paper, the classical Fast-Newman algorithms for community detection is improved by considering node weight and edge weight in the network model. The evolution of the communities are reconstructed from the network trace. The relation between the hotspot evolution trends and the network characters including node count, dynamic path selection and load factor are investigated. The results show the hotspot area have rich dynamic behavior patterns such as merging, splitting, enlarging and shrinking behaviors, and multiple hotspot distributions is affected by the node count, dynamic path selecting policy and load factors. This work can help improving the congestion control policies widely existed in computing networks and transportation networks.
A COMPUTATIONAL MULTIPATH ROUTING SCHEME FOR WIRELESS AD HOC NETWORKS

Multi-path schemes have provided ad hoc routing protocols with a variety of techniques to enhance network performance. Generally, storing information about more than one route allows a node to continue transmission when a route breaks. Assigning traffic to more than one route also enables a more balanced utility of network resources. We propose network equilibration as a solution of traffic assignment in context of multipath routing. The advantage compared to other multi-path routing schemes is the modifiability of optimization criteria. With the choice of cost function, equilibration can be set to enforce e. g. congestion control, energy-aware routing, load balancing or shortest path routing. Besides the cost functions, another key issue here is the computation of flow pattern. An originating node distributes its traffic in proportion to the values of the flow pattern. These values are calculated according to an algorithm modified from an iterative equilibration algorithm. By distributing traffic to several routes approximating the traffic equilibrium, we achieve longer network lifetime and maintain better connectivity. On the other hand, this kind of multi-path routing, carried out here by the use of load balancing cost functions, is a form of congestion control. With a suitable cost function, equilibration gives us shorter delays and better throughput. In this paper we present an equilibration scheme followed by simulation results covering energy consumption, latency time and throughput. We compare the performance of our multi-path routing scheme with that of typical single-path routing schemes.
3D surface reconstruction using HMH algorithm

3D surface reconstruction using the half maximum height (HMH) algorithm is a method to extract a surface of interest from a voxel data set. It is based on the original HMH method applied to each voxel of the segmented surface to reconstruct. From a 3D voxel grid, an initial segmentation is computed to extract a discrete surface of interest. For each of these voxels, HMH computes a segmentation and an orientation. The result of this step is then processed using a marching cube-like algorithm. The two major advantages of this method are the precision of the surface extraction and its non user-dependancy.
Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor-α Regulates Fatty Acid Utilization in Primary Human Skeletal Muscle Cells

In humans, skeletal muscle is a major site of peroxisome proliferator–activated receptor-α (PPAR-α) expression, but its function in this tissue is unclear. We investigated the role of hPPAR-α in regulating muscle lipid utilization by studying the effects of a highly selective PPAR-α agonist, GW7647, on [ 14 C]oleate metabolism and gene expression in primary human skeletal muscle cells. Robust induction of PPAR-α protein expression occurred during muscle cell differentiation and corresponded with differentiation-dependent increases in oleate oxidation. In mature myotubes, 48-h treatment with 10–1,000 nmol/l GW7647 increased oleate oxidation dose-dependently, up to threefold. Additionally, GW7647 decreased oleate esterification into myotube triacylglycerol (TAG), up to 45%. This effect was not abolished by etomoxir, a potent inhibitor of β-oxidation, indicating that PPAR-α–mediated TAG depletion does not depend on reciprocal changes in fatty acid catabolism. Consistent with its metabolic actions, GW7647 induced mRNA expression of mitochondrial enzymes that promote fatty acid catabolism; carnitine palmityltransferase 1 and malonyl-CoA decarboxylase increased ∼2-fold, whereas pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 4 increased 45-fold. Expression of several genes that regulate glycerolipid synthesis was not changed by GW7647 treatment, implicating involvement of other targets to explain the TAG-depleting effect of the compound. These results demonstrate a role for hPPAR-α in regulating muscle lipid homeostasis.
New class of low frequency QPOs: Signature of nuclear burning or accretion disk instabilities?

We report the discovery of a new class of low frequency quasi-periodic variations of the X-ray flux in the X-ray bursters 4U1608-52 and 4U1636-536. We also report an occasional detection of a similar QPO in Aql X-1. The QPOs, associated with flux variations at the level of percents, are observed at a frequency of 7-9 $\times 10^{-3}$ Hz. While usually the relative amplitude of flux variations increases with energy, the newly discovered QPOs are limited to the softest energies (1-5 keV). The observations of 4U1608-52 suggest that these QPOs are present only when the source X-ray luminosity is within a rather narrow range and they disappear after X-ray bursts. Approximately at the same level of the source luminosity, type I X-ray bursts cease to exist. Judging from this complex of properties, we speculate that a special mode of nuclear burning at the neutron star surface is responsible for the observed flux variations. Alternatively, some instabilities in the accretion disk may be responsible for these QPOs.
European Conference on Information Systems ( ECIS ) 2004 Reflections on Technology Acceptance in Higher Education

The use of new information technology impacts individual work as well as the whole organization. This paper illuminates some preliminary findings from an ongoing study about impacts of the new educational technology in educational organization and individual work. The main question answered in this article is why has information technology being taken into use in certain higher education cases and by whom? Empirical findings are discussed and compared with technology acceptance model (TAM) and theoretical extension of the model (TAM2). Findings suggest that perceived usefulness plays very crucial role when adapting new technology, but there are also other important factors.
Incentive Relativity and the Specificity of Reward Expectations in Honey Bees

Honey bees were trained in a proboscis extension re sponse procedure on a high quality reward to one of two odors under one of two contexts and then on a lower quality reward under the alternative context to the alternative odor. The performance de crement induced by the reduced reward, revealed by comparisons with subjects trained continually on the lower reward, was independent of odorcontext combinations or the order of experience wit h stimuli. In a second experiment subjects were forward or backward conditioned to a high quality r eward or fed unconditionally and then trained on a low reward in a novel context to a novel odor. Th e observed performance decrement depended only on exposure to the high quality reward. These resul ts suggest that incentive contrast effects arise fr om a simple mechanism—the comparison of a current incentive with experienced incentives—that is effectively independent of cues that signal a rewar d. Crespi (1942, 1944) discovered that rats anticipat e the magnitude of a
Simulating stochastic behaviors in intonation control

This paper presents the extension of the quantitative target approximation model for simulating not only intonations but also stochastic behaviors in speech production. The simulation method first samples the initial F0 state from the initial F0 distribution. Then, to implement the communicative function, it predicts the pitch target parameters from the joint probability distribution of the initial F0 state the possible pitch target parameters. The stochastic simulation can generate highly correlated pitch targets from the distribution.
Presence of diabetic microvascular complications does not incrementally increase risk of ischemic stroke in diabetic patients with atrial fibrillation

AbstractConventional stroke risk prediction tools used in atrial fibrillation (AF) incorporate the presence of diabetes mellitus (DM) as a risk factor. However, it is unknown whether this risk is homogenous or dependent on the presence of diabetic microvascular complications, such as diabetic retinopathy, nephropathy, and neuropathy. The present study examined the risk of ischemic stroke in diabetic patients with and without microvascular complications. The present study used the National Health Insurance Research Database in Taiwan with detailed healthcare data on all-comers to the Taiwanese medical system from January 1, 1996 to December 31, 2011. AF and DM were identified when listed as discharge diagnoses or confirmed more than twice in the outpatient department. Patients on antithrombotic agents were excluded. The clinical endpoint was ischemic stroke. Among the 50,180 AF patients with DM, the majority had no microvascular complications (72.7%), while 2.6% had diabetic retinopathy, 8.4% had diabetic nephropathy, and 16.1% had diabetic neuropathy. Ischemic stroke occurred in 6003 patients, with a 4.74% annual risk of ischemic stroke. When compared with DM patients without microvascular complications, those with diabetic retinopathy, nephropathy, or neuropathy had higher incidences of ischemic stroke (4.65 vs 5.07, 4.77, or 5.20 per 100 person-years, respectively). However, after adjusting for confounding factors, the differences were no longer significant. In a large nationwide AF cohort with DM, risk of ischemic stroke was similar between patients with and without microvascular complications, suggesting that risk stratification of these patients does not require inclusion of diabetic retinopathy, nephropathy, and neuropathy.
A randomized, controlled trial with 6-month follow-up of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation and electroconvulsive therapy for severe depression.

OBJECTIVE Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) has been reported to be as effective as electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) for major depression. The authors conducted a multicenter randomized, controlled trial to test the equivalence of rTMS with ECT. METHOD Forty-six patients with major depression referred for ECT were randomly assigned to either a 15-day course of rTMS of the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (N=24) or a standard course of ECT (N=22). The primary outcome measures were the score on the 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D) and the proportion of patients with remissions (Hamilton score, <or=8) at the end of treatment. Secondary outcomes included mood self-ratings on the Beck Depression Inventory-II and visual analogue mood scales, Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) score, and both self-reported and observer-rated cognitive changes. The patients were followed up after 6 months. RESULTS HAM-D scores at the end of treatment were significantly lower for ECT, with 13 patients (59.1%) achieving remission in the ECT group and four (16.7%) in the rTMS group. However, at 6 months the HAM-D scores did not differ between groups. Beck scale, visual analogue mood scale, and BPRS scores were lower for ECT at the end of treatment and remained lower after 6 months. Self- and observer-rated cognitive measures were similar in the two groups. CONCLUSIONS rTMS was not as effective as ECT, and ECT was substantially more effective for the short-term treatment of depression.
Image Compression Using Harmony Search Algorithm

Image compression techniques are important and useful in data storage and image transmission through the Internet. These techniques eliminate redundant information in an image which minimizes the physical space requirement of the image. Numerous types of image compression algorithms have been developed but the resulting image is still less than the optimal. The Harmony search algorithm (HSA), a meta-heuristic optimization algorithm inspired by the music improvisation process of musicians, was applied as the underlying algorithm for image compression. Experiment results show that it is feasible to use the harmony search algorithm as an algorithm for image compression. The HSA-based image compression technique was able to compress colored and grayscale images with minimal visual information loss.
Single-wall carbon nanotube modified glassy carbon electrode for electroanalytical determination of dopamine

In this research, a glassy carbon electrode modified with single-wall carbon nanotubes for electrochemical determination of dopamine was studied by cyclicvoltammetry (CV) and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV). The oxidation and reduction potentials of dopamine using voltammetric technique were measured. The SWCNTs/GC 10 µL was used to test the linearity of anodic oxidation of dopamine by DPV. The peak current increased linearly with concentration of dopamine in the range of 2.5–25 ppm (R2 =0.9766). For the life time of the SWCNTs/GC, the cut-off criterion of the DPV was detected in the reduction of current by 50 %. The lifetime of the SWCNTs-modified depended on the oxidation of dopamine because of fouling of the electrode surface due to the adsorption of oxidation products. 34 repetition cycles was obtained. The detection limit of the dopamine as obtained from the oxidation current in DPV was 0.021 ppm (S/N=3) with minimum current for the detection of dopamine of 0.033 µA. The reproducibility of electrocatalytical studies was better within 90% (10% RSD). The relative standard deviation (RSD) of 8.42% for 100 ppm dopamine (n=20) showed excellent reproducibility. Drug samples obtained from Radvitee hospital were tested as the mentioned procedure. The percentage recovery of dopamine in drug samples was 120.
Effectiveness and uptake of screening programmes for coronary heart disease and diabetes: a realist review of design components used in interventions

Objective To evaluate behavioural components and strategies associated with increased uptake and effectiveness of screening for coronary heart disease and diabetes with an implementation science focus. Design Realist review. Data sources PubMed, Web of Knowledge, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Cochrane Controlled Trials Register and reference chaining. Searches limited to English language studies published since 1990. Eligibility criteria Eligible studies evaluated interventions designed to increase the uptake of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and diabetes screening and examined behavioural and/or strategic designs. Studies were excluded if they evaluated changes in risk factors or cost-effectiveness only. Results In 12 eligible studies, several different intervention designs and evidence-based strategies were evaluated. Salient themes were effects of feedback on behaviour change or benefits of health dialogues over simple feedback. Studies provide mixed evidence about the benefits of these intervention constituents, which are suggested to be situation and design specific, broadly supporting their use, but highlighting concerns about the fidelity of intervention delivery, raising implementation science issues. Three studies examined the effects of informed choice or loss versus gain frame invitations, finding no effect on screening uptake but highlighting opportunistic screening as being more successful for recruiting higher CVD and diabetes risk patients than an invitation letter, with no differences in outcomes once recruited. Two studies examined differences between attenders and non-attenders, finding higher risk factors among non-attenders and higher diagnosed CVD and diabetes among those who later dropped out of longitudinal studies. Conclusions If the risk and prevalence of these diseases are to be reduced, interventions must take into account what we know about effective health behaviour change mechanisms, monitor delivery by trained professionals and examine the possibility of tailoring programmes according to contexts such as risk level to reach those most in need. Further research is needed to determine the best strategies for lifelong approaches to screening.
Web searching, search engines and Information Retrieval

This article discusses Web search engines; mainly the challenges in indexing the World Wide Web, the user behaviour, and the ranking factors used by these engines. Ranking factors are divided into query-dependent and query-independent factors, the latter of which have become more and more important within recent years. The possibilities of these factors are limited, mainly of those that are based on the widely used link popularity measures. The article concludes with an overview of factors that should be considered to determine the quality of Web search engines.
Ieee 6th Workshop on Signal Processing Advances in Wireless Communications Limited Feedback Signaling for Mimo Broadcast Channels

Recently, a number of techniques have been introduced to exploit multiuser diversity of a wireless multipIe input multiple output (MIMO) broadcast channel (BC) that consists of a base statim (BS) with t transmit antennas and K mobile stations (M S) with multiple antennas. However, prior works have ignored the rate overhead associated with feedback of MIMO BC channel state information (CSI), which is roughly K times lar er than single-user MIMO CSI (Le,, it is U (t r) where 7-= E,=, ~k and r k is the number of antennas at the kth MS). Considering the amount of feedback signaling, quantization is a necessity for effective fecd-back transmission as a form of partial CSI. In this paper, we propose the greedy multi-channel selection diversity (greedy MCSD) scheme based on block MMSE QR decomposition with dirty paper coding (block MMSE-DP), where partial CSI is almost sufficient. The sum-rate performance of our novel scheme approaches extremely close to the sum capacity of MIMO BC as the number of users increases, whereas tbe feedback overhead is reduced by a factor of 2t3/L(t2-t) , in which L is the number of active chan-ne! vectors. Simulation results validate the expectation from the analysis.
PADS: A Pattern-Driven Stencil Compiler-Based Tool for Reuse of Optimizations on GPGPUs

Stencil computations are core of wide range of scientific and engineering applications. A lot of efforts have been put into improving efficiency of stencil calculations on different platforms, but unfortunately it is not easy to reuse. In this paper we present a PAttern-Driven Stencil compiler-based tool and a simple tuning system to reuse those well optimized methods and codes. We also suggest extensions to OpenMP, depicting high-level data structures in order to facilitate recognition of various stencil computation patterns. The PADS allows programmers to rewrite kernel of stencils or reuse source-to-source translator outputs as optimized stencil template codes with related tuning parameters, In addition, PADS consists of a OpenMP to CUDA translator and code generator using optimized template codes. It also obtains architecture-specific parameters to tune stencils across different GPU platforms. To demonstrate our system flexibility and performance portability, we illustrate four different stencil computations, Laplacian operator with Jacobi iterative method, divergence operator, 3 dimension 25 point stencil and a 2D heat equation using ADI method with periodic boundary conditions. PADS succeeds in generating all these four stencil codes using different optimization strategies and delivers a promising performance improvement.