Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Correlates of serum resistin in elderly, non-diabetic patients with chronic kidney disease.

BACKGROUND Renal function may be a major determinant of resistin levels, since most studies revealed association between elevated resistin levels and decreased glomerular filtration rate (GFR) in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). The aim of the present study was to test the hypothesis whether serum resistin is associated with markers of malnutrition and inflammation in elderly non-diabetic adults in different stages of CKD including hemodialysis. METHODS This was a cross-sectional study of 80 elderly patients divided in four groups of 20 patients each according to eGFR and matched for age (+/- 5 years) and gender. Patients with eGFR more than 1.5 mL/second served as controls. Multivariate regression was used to evaluate the association of resistin with eGFR, demographic, metabolic and inflammatory markers, and insulin resistance. Hematological, biochemical, and immunochemical analyses were performed using commercially available enzyme immunoassays. RESULTS Our results showed that: 1) serum resistin levels were two times higher in patients with advanced CKD especially those undergoing hemodialysis compared to controls, 2) in univariate analysis, resistin levels correlated directly with Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), high sensitive C-Reactive Protein (hsCRP), and serum phosphate and inversely correlated with albumin, eGFR, and hematocrit levels. We failed to reveal any relationship between resistin levels and Homeostasis Model Assessment Score of Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR), body mass index (BMI), cholesterol and leptin levels, 3) in multivariate analysis, only TNF-alpha (p < 0.001) and hsCRP (p = 0.032) were the most important independent determinants of serum resistin levels. CONCLUSIONS These results indicate that resistin increases as GFR declines and may be involved in the malnutrition-inflammation state and the reverse epidemiology phenomenon present in elderly, non-diabetic patients with CKD.
Role of New Drugs for Management of Atrial Fibrillation

Objective: To evaluate the role of newer agents in the management of atrial fibrillation (AF). Data Sources: EMBASE and MEDLINE were searched (up to June 2012) combining medication names with atrial fibrillation, humans, clinical trials, and pharmacoeconomic. References of the articles identified and www.clinicaltrials. gov were also reviewed. Study Selection and Data Extraction: Studies were limited to the English language with clinical or pharmacoeconomic end points followed by the consensus of 3 authors. Data Synthesis: Formulated to reduce some of the adverse effects associated with amiodarone by removing the iodine component, dronedarone has improved clinical outcomes over placebo when used in paroxysmal or persistent AF; however, it is less efficacious than amiodarone. Worse outcomes with dronedarone have been seen in patients with heart failure or permanent AF. It has not been compared to antiarrhythmic agents other than amiodarone, and pharmacoeconomic evaluations are lacking. Dabigatran 150 mg is superior to warfarin in preventing stroke or systemic embolism and has been associated with lower rates of vascular-associated mortality. Although the rates of major bleeding were not significantly different between the 2 agents, gastrointestinal bleeding and myocardial infarction occurred more frequently with dabigatran. Dabigatran appears to have the most pharmacoeconomic benefit over warfarin in patients with a higher risk of stroke. Rivaroxaban is noninferior to warfarin for the prevention of stroke and systemic embolism, with no difference in the rates of major bleeding. Cost-effectiveness studies have not been performed with this agent at this time. In patients with AF who were not suitable candidates for warfarin, apixaban is superior to aspirin in preventing stroke or systemic embolism without increasing the risk for major bleeding. Additionally, apixaban is superior to warfarin in preventing stroke or systemic embolism, results in fewer bleeding events, and is associated with lower mortality. Apixaban is not cost-effective against aspirin when used for a short duration but gains superiority with prolonged use or in patients with higher risks of stroke. Additionally, apixaban appears to offer a pharmacoeconomic advantage over warfarin at no to minimal cost. Each new anticoagulant lacks a reversal agent and an assay to detect the presence of the anticoagulant, as well as long-term data when used in the clinical setting. Conclusions: Use of dronedarone should be limited to patients with paroxysmal or persistent AF and should not be used in patients with heart failure or with permanent AF. Newer antithrombotic agents appear to be promising alternatives for the prevention of stroke in patients with AF; however, more data are needed to understand their role.
RADIATION TOLERANCE LIMITS OF THE BRAINSTEM

OBJECTIVEOne of the key limitations of gamma knife surgery arises from the radiation safety tolerance limit of the brainstem. The authors conducted an analysis of patients with intra-axial brainstem lesions and documented the incidence of adverse radiation imaging effects (ARIE) and new neurological deficits after gamma knife surgery. METHODSThirty-eight patients (39 lesions) with intra-axial brainstem astrocytomas or vascular malformations underwent gamma knife surgery during a 6-year interval. Brainstem exposure volume was calculated by subtracting the volume within the 12-Gy isodose line (12 Gray volume) from the prescription volume. ARIE was defined as a new parenchymal signal alteration on follow-up magnetic resonance imaging sequences. RESULTSThe average prescription volume was 1.46 cm3, 12 Gy volume was 2.03 cm3, and brainstem exposure volume was 0.57 cm3. Seven (18.4%) patients developed ARIE. ARIE correlated only with the presence of new neurological deficits and age younger than 40 years. Three (7.9%) patients developed minor residual deficits without any ARIE. There was no mortality. CONCLUSIONExposure of the brainstem to more than 12 Gy at volumes as low as 0.1 cm3 can produce ARIE and new neurological deficits. The tolerance of the brainstem to radiosurgery is related to patient age, lesion volume, and pathology. Analysis of the exposed volume of brainstem tissue may be useful in radiosurgical planning for individual patients.
Offensive communications: exploring the challenges involved in policing social media

ABSTRACT The digital revolution has transformed the potential reach and impact of criminal behaviour. Not only has it changed how people commit crimes but it has also created opportunities for new types of crimes to occur. Policymakers and criminal justice institutions have struggled to keep pace with technological innovation and its impact on criminality. Criminal law and justice, as well as investigative and prosecution procedures, are often outdated and ill-suited to this type of criminality as a result. While technological solutions are being developed to detect and prevent digitally-enabled crimes, generic solutions are often unable to address the needs of criminal justice professionals and policymakers. Focussing specifically on social media, this article offers an exploratory investigation of the strengths and weaknesses of the current approach used to police offensive communications online. Drawing on twenty in-depth interviews with key criminal justice professionals in the United Kingdom, the authors discuss the substantial international challenges facing those seeking to police offensive social media content. They argue for greater cooperation between policymakers, social science and technology researchers to develop workable, innovative solutions to these challenges, and greater use of evidence to inform policy and practice.
Spacer Design Guidelines for Nanowire FETs From Gate-Induced Drain Leakage Perspective

In this paper, we study for the first time the impact of the design of gate sidewall spacer on the gate-induced drain leakage (GIDL) of: 1) the conventional nanowire (NW) FETs and 2) NWFETs with a gate–source/drain extension underlap. We demonstrate that the inclusion of a high-<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\kappa $ </tex-math></inline-formula> spacer over the source/drain extension region in the conventional NWFETs results in a suppressed lateral band-to-band tunneling (L-BTBT) GIDL. Furthermore, we also show that a gate–source/drain extension underlap architecture in NWFETs not only reduces the transverse BTBT GIDL but also mitigates the L-BTBT. However, the inclusion of a high-<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\kappa $ </tex-math></inline-formula> spacer in the underlapped NWFET leads to an enhanced L-BTBT and an increased OFF-state current compared with the underlapped NWFET with air spacer unlike FinFETs. In addition, we also study the impact of nanowire diameter and underlap length on L-BTBT GIDL of NWFETs. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the inclusion of the high-<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\kappa $ </tex-math></inline-formula> spacer increases the intrinsic delay owing to an increased fringe capacitance. Therefore, we provide the necessary design guidelines for performance optimization of NWFETs in the sub-10-nm regime.
Testing and measurement of economic convergence: A review of some recent developments

Objective: This article reviews the empirical findings about the convergence hypothesis obtained in the period 1992-2017. In the first place it investigates the specifications of economic indicators used in testing the convergence effect. Further, the paper provides a breakdown of the convergence research development after the financial crisis. Research Design & Methods: The research method is based on critical literature review. Hence, this article builds on other author’s surveys, summarizes them and concludes the development. Findings: No trend in analysed literature has been seen. The convergence debate is still not settled. With respect to the financial crisis, many authors describe it as having positive effect on convergence. However despite inserting dummy data or splitting the analysis for the pre- and post-crisis periods, no method to deal with the slowdown was noted. Contribution & Value Added: Providing the empirical results in one place, this review is for sure a good starting point for people interested in the convergence process. Also some more experienced researchers may find, that the debate is still not settled and the topic is worth further investigation.
Associations Between Resting Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia, Intraindividual Reaction Time Variability, and Trait Positive Affect

Resting respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) reflects vagal tone, which has been found to be related to trait positive affect (PA). Resting RSA has also been found to be related to intraindividual reaction time (RT) variability (IIV), which is an index of executive brain function. However, research has yet to investigate whether IIV is associated with trait PA, and whether IIV interacts with resting RSA to predict trait PA. To examine this issue, data of trait PA, 5-min resting RSA, and trial-to-trial IIV of a flanker task (target detection) were collected in 117 young healthy adults. Results showed that IIV under congruent, incongruent, and combined conditions obtained in the flanker task was associated with resting RSA and trait PA. Resting RSA interacted with IIV under incongruent conditions to predict trait PA, such that resting RSA positively predicted trait PA in high IIV under incongruent conditions, but not in low IIV under incongruent conditions. These findings suggest that executive brain function indexed by IIV might be a central nervous correlate of trait PA, and the executive brain function indexed by IIV under incongruent conditions and the vagal tone indexed by resting RSA interactively predict trait PA, might have health implications.
Random and Blocked Practice of Movement Sequences

Abstract Three similar six-element key press sequences were practiced under blocked or random practice schedules with acquisition conducted on one day and retention and transfer on the next day. The task required participants to type, as quickly as possible, one of three 6-element sequences as observed on a computer monitor. In blocked practice, participants completed all practice in one repeated sequence before the next repeated sequence was introduced. In random acquisition practice, the three repeated sequences were randomly presented to the participants. The data suggest that random practice results in participants adopting a uniform response structure, while blocked practice allows participants to exploit unique sequential aspects of the individual tasks. This finding suggests that random practice may not be as effective as blocked practice when one of the tasks being practiced together can be optimized through the development of a unique response structure.
Physical mapping of temporally regulated, overlapping transcripts in the region of the 10K protein gene in Autographa californica nuclear polyhedrosis virus

We investigated transcriptional activity in the region of a gene for a major late protein (10 kilodaltons) of Autographa californica nuclear polyhedrosis virus. This 10K protein gene spans an HindIII cleavage site, with the 5' end of the gene located in the HindIII-Q fragment and the 3' end in the HindIII-P fragment. Northern blot analysis showed that there were at least four transcripts mapping in this region, two that are present maximally at 12 h (1,500 and 1,100 bases in length) and two that are present at 24 h (750 and 2,500 bases in length). Northern blot analysis also suggested that these transcripts overlap. S1 mapping identified the precise positions of the transcripts and confirmed the overlap. The 1,500- and 1,100-base transcripts share a common 5' end, about 1,056 bases upstream from the HindIII-P-Q boundary; the 750- and 2,500-base transcripts share a common 5' end, about 303 bases upstream from the HindIII-P-Q boundary. The 1,100-base transcript terminates in the Q fragment, about 234 bases from the HindIII-P-Q boundary. The other three transcripts all end in the P fragment. Both the 1,500- and the 750-base transcripts terminate approximately 240 bases from the HindIII-P-Q boundary. The 2,500-base transcript exhibits 3'-end heterogeneity, ending around 2,046 bases from the HindIII-P-Q boundary. Therefore, three different transcripts (1,500, 750, and 2,500 bases in length) contain the complete 10K protein coding region. A fourth transcript (1,100 bases in length) overlaps the 750-base 10K protein gene transcript by 70 bases.
MEM: Energy management system for low voltage DC microgrids

This paper introduces the Microgrid Energy Manager (MEM), a plug-and-play platform for microgrid management. MEM is an end-to-end solution for monitoring, control, and management of AC, DC, and hybrid microgrids. We introduce the application of MEM for low voltage DC microgrids. Under the umbrella of MEM, a key component is the homegrid, which is managed locally by the Homegrid Energy Manager (HEM). A group of homegrids form the community-level microgrid, and are managed by MEM, which is based in the cloud. MEM adopts a plug-and-play model, working with existing storage systems, inverters, energy sources, and loads. A multi-layer approach provides real-time control and intelligent management of energy sources and loads, using embedded sensing and computing, wireless networks, internet-of-things, and cloud-computing technologies. This study focuses on a DC homegrid which consists of storage, loads and energy sources. A brief overview of the MEM architecture is given, with emphasis on design and experimental evaluation at the DC homegrid level.
Degradation of dimeric lignin model compounds by aerobic bacteria isolated from the hindgut of xylophagous termites

The capability of the intestinal flora from the gut of xylophagous termites of degrading lignin model compounds was investigated. Different dimeric lignin model compounds‐degrading bacteria were obtained from the hindgut flora of Mastotermes darwiniensis FROGGATT, Reticulitermes santonensis FEYTAUD, Nasutitermes nigriceps HALDEMAN and Zootermopsis angusticollis HAGEN. In the presence of oxygen dimeric model compounds were degraded by all isolates. This indicates that the hindgut flora of termites is basically able to produce substrate for their host from aromatic extractives of wood.
Rotor Design for Sensorless Position Estimation in Permanent-Magnet Machines

A high-frequency injection sensorless rotor position estimation algorithm is incorporated directly into the finite-element design process to realize a permanent-magnet (PM) machine that is suited to zero- and low-speed sensorless control. The machine design is tightly constrained by an existing stator assembly, only enabling the redesign of the replacement PM rotor, and by the requirement that the manufacture of the resulting machine must be simple while meeting aerospace standards. Experimental results confirm that the resulting machine matches the original performance specification and that it operates under position sensorless control.
Rapid assessment of disability in the Philippines: understanding prevalence, well-being, and access to the community for people with disabilities to inform the W-DARE project.

BACKGROUND International recognition that people with disabilities were excluded from the Millennium Development Goals has led to better inclusion of people with disabilities in the recently agreed Global Goals for Sustainable Development (SDGs) 2015-2030. Given the current global agenda for disability inclusion, it is crucial to increase the understanding of the situation of people with disabilities in the Philippines. The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of disability and compare the well-being and access to the community between people with and without disabilities. METHODS A population-based survey was undertaken in District 2 of Quezon City and in Ligao City. 60 clusters of 50 people aged 18 years and older were selected with probability proportion to size sampling from both locations. The Rapid Assessment of Disability (RAD) survey was used to identify people with disabilities based on their responses to activity limitations. The levels of well-being and access to the community for people with disabilities were compared with controls matched by age, gender, and cluster. Information on barriers to accessing the community was also collected. RESULTS The prevalence of disability was 6.8 (95 % CI: 5.9, 7.9) and 13.6 % (95 % CI: 11.4, 16.2) in Quezon City and Ligao City respectively. Psychological distress was the most commonly reported condition in both locations, although it was often reported with a co-morbid condition related to sensory, physical, cognitive, and communication difficulties. The prevalence of disability was associated with age and no schooling, but not associated with poverty. People with disabilities had significantly lower well-being scores and reduced access to health services, work, rehabilitation, education, government social welfare, and disaster management than people without disability. Having a disability and negative family attitudes were reported as barriers for people with disabilities participating in work, community meetings, religious activities, and social activities. CONCLUSIONS The prevalence of disability among adults in District 2 of Quezon City and in Ligao City is higher than the estimated national prevalence of disability derived from the 2010 Philippines census. Disability is also associated with lower well-being and reduced participation across a number of domains of community life.
PnCcp, a Phytophthora nicotianae protein containing a single complement control protein module, is sorted into large peripheral vesicles in zoospores

Motile zoospores are instrumental in establishing infection in many species of Phytophthora and other pathogenic oomycetes. We have identified Phytophthora nicotianae complement control protein (PnCcp), a protein that occurs in the large peripheral vesicles in Phytophthora nicotianae zoospores. Phytophthora nicotianae PnCcp contains a single complement control protein module and has homologues in P. infestans, P. sojae and P. ramorum. Sequence analysis revealed that PnCcp is a single copy, intron-less gene. Unlike the promoters of other Phytophthora genes that have been described, the PnCcp promoter contains a putative non-canonical TATA box, a CT box-containing initiator element and a downstream promoter element. PnCcp was expressed at low levels in mycelia and germinated cysts butwas significantly upregulated in sporulating hyphae and zoospores. Immunolocalisation studies in zoospores and sporangia showed that PnCcp colocalised with LPV, a high molecular weight glycoprotein that is resident in the large peripheral vesicles. However, in mycelia arising from cysts that had germinated up to 3 days earlier, the two proteins did not colocalise, suggesting that the large peripheral vesicles may contain components that are processed separately during the asexual life cycle.
N-acetylgalactosaminyltransferase activity involved in O-glycosylation of herpes simplex virus type 1 glycoproteins

We report on N-acetylgalactosaminyltransferase (UDPacetylgalactosamine--protein acetylgalactosaminyltransferase; EC 2.4.1.41) activity in herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1)-infected BHK and RicR14 cells, a line of ricin-resistant BHK cells defective in N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase I. The enzyme catalyzed the transfer of [14C]N-acetylgalactosamine (GalNAc) from UDP-[14C]GalNAc into HSV glycoproteins, as identified by immunoprecipitation. The sugar was selectively incorporated into the immature forms of herpesvirus glycoproteins pgC, pgD, and gA-pgB, which are known to contain N-linked glycans of the high-mannose type. The high incorporation of [14C]GalNAc into endogenous acceptors of HSV-1-infected RicR14 cells was consistent with the accumulation of immature forms of HSV glycoproteins which occurs in these cells. Mild alkaline borohydride treatment of glycoproteins labeled via GalNAc transferase showed that the transferred GalNAc was O-linked and represented the first sugar added to the peptide backbone.
Agreement between emergency room and discharge diagnoses in a population of injured inpatients: determinants and mortality.

BACKGROUND Various factors contribute to the quality of care of an injured patient at the emergency room (ER), and a correct diagnosis can improve and accelerate care. The aim of this study was to evaluate the agreement between diagnoses assigned in the ER and those assigned after hospital admission to patients with unintentional injuries. We also tried to determine the factors that influenced the disagreement, and to evaluate if discordant diagnoses were associated with higher mortality risk. METHODS All ER visits for unintentional injuries that were followed by hospital admission at the 60 emergency departments in the Lazio Region in 2000. Concordant diagnoses (ER/discharge) were established based on the Barell matrix cells. Logistic regression was used to assess the role of individual and ER care factors on the probability of concordance. A logistic regression was performed, where death within 30 days was the outcome and concordance was the determinant. RESULTS We considered 22,892 ER visits for injury that were followed by hospital admission. In 62.2% of cases, the ER and discharge diagnoses were concordant. Higher concordance was found for older patients and less urgent cases. Factors influencing concordance were the hour of the visit, ER specialization degree, initial outcome, and length of hospital stay. Patients who had disconcordant diagnoses had a 30% higher probability of death. CONCLUSIONS A correct diagnosis (i.e. confirmed at hospital discharge) at first contact with the emergency room is associated with lower mortality. Comparing administrative ER and hospital discharge data can be useful in emergency department management studies.