Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Afferent arteriolar responses to β,γ-methylene ATP and 20-HETE are not blocked by ENaC inhibition

Afferent arteriolar myogenic and tubuloglomerular feedback responses are critical for the proper maintenance of renal hemodynamics and water and electrolyte homeostasis. Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) P2X receptor activation and 20‐hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acids (20‐HETE) have been implicated in afferent arteriolar autoregulatory responses. Besides these two participants, members of the degenerin/epithelial Na+ channel (DEG/ENaC) family have been demonstrated to play a pivotal role in the afferent arteriolar myogenic response. The aim of this study was to determine if ENaC contributes to P2X receptor‐ or 20‐HETE‐mediated afferent arteriolar vasoconstriction. As previously demonstrated, afferent arteriolar diameter responses to increasing perfusion pressure from 100 to 160 mmHg were abolished by ENaC inhibitors amiloride or benzamil. Afferent arteriolar diameter decreased by 29% under control conditions and by 1% and 5% in the presence of amiloride or benzamil, respectively. The P2X receptor agonist β,γ‐methylene ATP decreased afferent arteriolar diameter by 3 ± 1%, 7 ± 1%, 12 ± 2%, and 17 ± 3% in response to 0.1, 1, 10, and 100 μmol/L, respectively. ENaC inhibition did not alter the afferent arteriolar vasoconstrictor response to the P2X receptor agonist β,γ‐methylene ATP. Like P2X receptor activation, 20‐HETE dose‐dependently decreased afferent arteriolar diameter and this vasoconstrictor response was not altered by the presence of ENaC inhibitors amiloride or benzamil. These results suggest that DEG/ENaC channels are required for afferent arteriolar autoregulatory responses; however, DEG/ENaC channels do not contribute to P2X receptor‐ or 20‐HETE‐mediated afferent arteriolar vasoconstriction.
Comparative Diagnostic Performances of Auscultation, Chest Radiography, and Lung Ultrasonography in Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome

BackgroundLung auscultation and bedside chest radiography are routinely used to assess the respiratory condition of ventilated patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Clinical experience suggests that the diagnostic accuracy of these procedures is poor. MethodsThis prospective study of 32 patients with ARDS and 10 healthy volunteers was performed to compare the diagnostic accuracy of auscultation, bedside chest radiography, and lung ultrasonography with that of thoracic computed tomography. Three pathologic entities were evaluated in 384 lung regions (12 per patient): pleural effusion, alveolar consolidation, and alveolar-interstitial syndrome. ResultsAuscultation had a diagnostic accuracy of 61% for pleural effusion, 36% for alveolar consolidation, and 55% for alveolar-interstitial syndrome. Bedside chest radiography had a diagnostic accuracy of 47% for pleural effusion, 75% for alveolar consolidation, and 72% for alveolar-interstitial syndrome. Lung ultrasonography had a diagnostic accuracy of 93% for pleural effusion, 97% for alveolar consolidation, and 95% for alveolar-interstitial syndrome. Lung ultrasonography, in contrast to auscultation and chest radiography, could quantify the extent of lung injury. Interobserver agreement for the ultrasound findings as assessed by the &kgr; statistic was satisfactory: 0.74, 0.77, and 0.73 for detection of alveolar-interstitial syndrome, alveolar consolidation, and pleural effusion, respectively. ConclusionsAt the bedside, lung ultrasonography is highly sensitive, specific, and reproducible for diagnosing the main lung pathologic entities in patients with ARDS and can be considered an attractive alternative to bedside chest radiography and thoracic computed tomography.
Relaionship between Employee-Organization Congruence ( perceived ) and Organizational Commitment in the Sri Lankan Apparel Sector

The objective of this research paper was to investigate the relationship between perceived Employee-Organization congruence (EOC) and Organizational Commitment (OC) in the Sri Lankan apparel sector. The present study, which was part of a comprehensive study Employee-Organization congruence (EOC) and attitudes, empirically evaluated seven perceived EOC related factors that could have effect on EOC namely supportiveness, innovation, aggressiveness, attention to detail, outcome orientation, emphasis on rewards, team orientation and three OC factors ,that is affective, normative and effective commitments. The study involved 175 machine operators who were selected from 05 large garment factories in Sri Lanka. The results indicated that all the EOC variables were positively and significantly correlated to OC. This study would be an effective contribution in the existing body of knowledge. Human Resource Managers and other recruiters may be helped to recognize the significance of perceived EOC and OC as well as their relationship with each other for ensuring selection of machine operators. Perceived congruence in the organization, will help creating and maintaining a conducive environment for improving organizational commitment of the machine operators which will ultimately result in enhanced efficacy and effectiveness of the organization.
Establishing rates of binge drinking in the UK: anomalies in the data.

AIMS Several studies funded by the UK government have been influential in understanding rates of 'binge drinking' in the UK. This analysis aims to establish consistency between results and clarify UK rates of binge drinking. METHOD The relevant sections of these surveys were compared: the Scottish Health Survey (SHS) 1998, the General Household Survey (GHS) 2002, and the Health Survey for England (HSE) 2003. In addition the methodology used by the Health Protection Agency in the Adult Drinking Patterns in Northern Ireland (2003) was compared with the approach used by the SHS, GHS, and HSE. RESULTS Marked differences were observed between the results of the GHS 2002 and both the SHS 1998 and the HSE 2002 despite each using a similar methodology, with the HSE 2003 reporting a rate of 'binge drinking' in young males of 57%, and the GHS reporting a rate of 35%. This difference may be largely attributed to variations in the criteria in binge drinking in each study. These differences in interpretation do not appear to have been acknowledged. Indeed several key documents on alcohol harm reduction made inaccurate citations of previous surveys. CONCLUSION The media rhetoric on escalating rates of binge drinking in the UK should be regarded with caution until trends are based on standardized recording and reporting.
A partial ordering for binary channels

The properties of iterated binary channels are investigated. An ordering (defined by the symbol \supset ) of communication channels with two possible inputs and any number of possible outputs is defined. For any two such channels C_1 and C_2 , this ordering has the property that if C_1 \supset C_2 , the minimum average loss when using C_1 will be less than the minimum average loss using C_2 , independent of the losses assigned to the various errors, and independent of the statistics of the source. This ordering is applied to 1) the general binary channel, 2) the iterated binary symmetric channel, and 3) the unreliable binary symmetric channel when used with many iterations. Curves allowing one to use the ordering are given, and an example using these curves is worked out.
Effectiveness of a low-intensity telephone counselling intervention on an untreated metabolic syndrome detected by national population screening in Korea: a non-randomised study using regression discontinuity design

Objective Whether low-intensity telephone-counselling interventions can improve cardiometabolic risk factors in screen-detected people with metabolic syndrome (MetS) is unclear. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a low-intensity, telephone-counselling programme on MetS implemented by the National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) of Korea using regression discontinuity design. Design A nationwide non-randomised intervention study with a regression discontinuity design. A retrospective analysis using data from NHIS. Setting NHIS, Korea from January 2011 to June 2013. Participants 5 378 558 beneficiaries with one or more MetS components by NHIS criteria detected by population screening were enrolled in the NHIS MetS Management Programme in 2012. Of these, 1 147 695 underwent annual follow-up examinations until June 2013 (‘control group’ which received control intervention, n=855 870; ‘eligible group’ which was eligible for counselling, n=291 825; ‘intervention group’ which participated in telephone counselling among eligible groups, n=23 968). Main outcome measures Absolute changes in MetS components, weight and body mass index (BMI) were analysed. Multiple regression analyses were applied using the analysis of covariance model (baseline measurements as covariates). Results Low-intensity telephone counselling was associated with decreased systolic BP (−0.85 mm Hg, 95% CI −1.02 to −0.68), decreased diastolic BP (−0.63 mm Hg, −95% CI −0.75 to −0.50), decreased triglyceride (−1.57 mg/dL, 95% CI −2.89 to −0.25), reduced waist circumference (−0.09 cm, 95% CI −0.16 to −0.02), reduced weight (−0.19 kg, 95% CI −0.24 to −0.15) and reduced BMI (−0.07 kg/m2, 95% CI −0.09 to −0.05), when comparing the intervention and control groups. When individuals with low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol were analysed, the intervention was also associated with increased HDL cholesterol (0.90 mg/dL, 95% CI 0.51 to 1.29). Conclusions Low-intensity telephone counselling programmes could yield improvements in the following year on blood pressure, lipid profiles, weight and body mass index in untreated patients detected at the population screening. However, the improvements may be very modest and the clinical relevance of these small improvements may be limited.
Methodology for Performance Evaluation of the Input/Output System on Computer Clusters

The increase of processing units, speed and computational power, and the complexity of scientific applications that use high performance computing require more efficient Input/Output (I/O) systems. In order to efficiently use the I/O it is necessary to know its performance capacity to determine if it fulfills applications I/O requirements. This paper proposes a methodology to evaluate I/O performance on computer clusters under different I/O configurations. This evaluation is useful to study how different I/O subsystem configurations will affect the application performance. This approach encompasses the characterization of the I/O system at three different levels: application, I/O system and I/O devices. We select different system configuration and/or I/O operation parameters and we evaluate the impact on performance by considering both the application and the I/O architecture. During I/O configuration analysis we identify configurable factors that have an impact on the performance of the I/O system. In addition, we extract information in order to select the most suitable configuration for the application.
Reduced Platelet Activity Is Associated With Early Clot Growth and Worse 3-Month Outcome After Intracerebral Hemorrhage

Background and Purpose— Antiplatelet medication use and reduced platelet activity may be associated with mortality after intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). We tested the hypothesis that reduced platelet activity is associated with early ICH clot growth and worse outcomes. Methods— We prospectively identified patients with spontaneous ICH, measured platelet activity (VerifyNow-ASA, Accumetrics) on admission, and recorded antiplatelet medication use. ICH volume was calculated using computerized volumetric analysis. Data were analyzed with nonparametric statistics and repeated measures ANOVA as appropriate. Patients were prospectively followed for functional outcomes. Data are presented as mean±SD or median [Q1 to Q3]. Results— Reduced platelet activity (≤550 aspirin reaction units [ARU]) was associated with increased ICH volume growth (P<0.05) for patients with the diagnostic CT within 12 hours. In the subset of patients not known to take aspirin, 24% had reduced platelet activity. Sixteen (24%) patients received a platelet transfusion 21.2±11.4 hours after symptom onset with an increase in platelet activity (448 [414-479] to 586 [530-639] ARU, P=0.001), but without impact on outcomes. Reduced platelet activity was associated with worse modified Rankin Scores at 3 months (P=0.02). Conclusions— Reduced platelet activity was associated with early ICH volume growth and worse functional outcome. Because platelet activity can be increased with platelet transfusion, increasing platelet activity is a potential method to reduce ICH volume growth and improve functional outcomes.
Shear stress magnitude and duration modulates matrix composition and tensile mechanical properties in engineered cartilaginous tissue

Cartilage tissue‐engineering strategies aim to produce a functional extracellular matrix similar to that of the native tissue. However, none of the myriad approaches taken have successfully generated a construct possessing the structure, composition, and mechanical properties of healthy articular cartilage. One possible approach to modulating the matrix composition and mechanical properties of engineered tissues is through the use of bioreactor‐driven mechanical stimulation. In this study, we hypothesized that exposing scaffold‐free cartilaginous tissue constructs to 7 days of continuous shear stress at 0.001 or 0.1 Pa would increase collagen deposition and tensile mechanical properties compared to that of static controls. Histologically, type II collagen staining was evident in all construct groups, while a surface layer of type I collagen increased in thickness with increasing shear stress magnitude. The areal fraction of type I collagen was higher in the 0.1‐Pa group (25.2 ± 2.2%) than either the 0.001‐Pa (13.6 ± 3.8%) or the static (7.9 ± 1.5%) group. Type II collagen content, as assessed by ELISA, was also higher in the 0.1‐Pa group (7.5 ± 2.1%) compared to the 0.001‐Pa (3.0 ± 2.25%) or static groups (3.7 ± 3.2%). Temporal gene expression analysis showed a flow‐induced increase in type I and type II collagen expression within 24 h of exposure. Interestingly, while the 0.1‐Pa group showed higher collagen content, this group retained less sulfated glycosaminoglycans in the matrix over time in bioreactor culture. Increases in both tensile Young's modulus and ultimate strength were observed with increasing shear stress, yielding constructs possessing a modulus of nearly 5 MPa and strength of 1.3 MPa. This study demonstrates that shear stress is a potent modulator of both the amount and type of synthesized extracellular matrix constituents in engineered cartilaginous tissue with corresponding effects on mechanical function. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2009; 104: 809–820 © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Convolutionless Nakajima–Zwanzig equations for stochastic analysis in nonlinear dynamical systems

Determining the statistical properties of stochastic nonlinear systems is of major interest across many disciplines. Currently, there are no general efficient methods to deal with this challenging problem that involves high dimensionality, low regularity and random frequencies. We propose a framework for stochastic analysis in nonlinear dynamical systems based on goal-oriented probability density function (PDF) methods. The key idea stems from techniques of irreversible statistical mechanics, and it relies on deriving evolution equations for the PDF of quantities of interest, e.g. functionals of the solution to systems of stochastic ordinary and partial differential equations. Such quantities could be low-dimensional objects in infinite dimensional phase spaces. We develop the goal-oriented PDF method in the context of the time-convolutionless Nakajima–Zwanzig–Mori formalism. We address the question of approximation of reduced-order density equations by multi-level coarse graining, perturbation series and operator cumulant resummation. Numerical examples are presented for stochastic resonance and stochastic advection–reaction problems.
Evaluating a Problem-Based Learning Strategy for Enhancing Ethical Awareness in Negotiation

Abstract : A problem-based learning strategy (Bransford & Schwartz, 1998) was used to develop a training protocol to enhance U.S. Military Academy (USMA) Cadets' awareness of ethical issues and decision-making processes in negotiation situations. The training protocol was tested in an upper-level course on negotiations at USMA. Cadets were assigned to either an experimental (training) or a control (no training) group. The experimental group was exposed to four negotiation scenarios at one-month intervals, and were asked to evaluate the scenario for potential ethical issues, to role-play the scenario in class, and then to evaluate their own and others' negotiation and ethical decision-making performances. Role-plays were followed by an after action review in which the instructor encouraged Cadets to discuss their ethical evaluation and decision-making processes. Following the fourth scenario, the instructor presented a lecture describing a thematic model of ethical sense-making (cf. Graves, Pleban, Miller, Branciforte, Donigian, Johnson, & Matthews, 2010) and how the model could be applied to facilitate decision-making across different contexts. Pre-post training assessments indicated that the training strategy significantly improved the experimental group's sensitivity to themes related to ethical sense-making and decision making in military specific situations relative to scores obtained from the control group. Also, post exercise ethical awareness scores correlated significantly with Cadets' negotiation strategies. The Cadets' responses to the training were favorable. The training strategy may be used to support experiential and dialogue-based professional military ethics training for officer Cadets and newly commissioned junior officers (ROTC, OCS, and USMA).
Longitudinal associations of maternal depressive symptoms, maternal involvement, and diabetes management across adolescence.

OBJECTIVE To examine whether maternal depressive symptoms: (a) predicted the level of maternal involvement in diabetes management tasks across adolescence; and (b) moderated associations of involvement with adolescent adherence, metabolic control, and depression. METHODS Eighty-two youth aged 10-15 years with type 1 diabetes and their mothers completed measures at baseline and 16 months later. Participants rated maternal involvement in diabetes tasks, adherence, and depressive symptoms; metabolic control was indexed from medical records. RESULTS Maternal depressive symptoms were associated with higher involvement at baseline, and slower declines in involvement across time. At baseline, involvement was associated with lower adolescent depression and better metabolic control, but this association was stronger when mothers reported fewer depressive symptoms. Interactions of maternal depression with involvement across time suggested maternal involvement was associated with better subsequent adherence primarily when mothers reported fewer depressive symptoms. CONCLUSIONS Mothers' depressive symptoms may undermine her care-giving effectiveness during adolescence.
Toward Common Patterns for Distributed, Concurrent, Fault-Tolerant Code

There are no widely accepted design patterns for writing distributed, concurrent, fault-tolerant code. Each programmer develops her own techniques for writing this type of complex software. The use of a common pattern for fault-tolerant programming has the potential to produce correct code more quickly and increase shared understanding between developers. We describe rules, tasks, and pools, patterns extracted from the development of RAMCloud, a fault-tolerant datacenter storage system. We illustrate their application and discuss their relationship to concurrent programming models. Our goal is to generate discussion that will ultimately lead to common techniques for fault-tolerant programming.
ABIMS - auditory bewildered interaction measurement system

We present a novel computer game-based framework for phonetic perception experiments. We employ the game environment of a first-person shooter game where players interact with and respond to animated creatures in different virtual environments. Whenever the player encounters such an animated creature, a sound stimulus is played and the creature changes its color depending on the type of stimulus. Throughout the game, colors are getting harder to distinguish until the two creature types (corresponding to two stimulus types) are virtually identical in color. Data can be collected in various ways and without the need for specific additional tests. A first pilot study was conducted in which the game was well received by the subjects and which already highlights the potential of this investigative framework.
Proving the Impossible : Provable Route Avoidance using Alibi Routing

We introduce route avoidance using alibi routing, in which a source can provably avoid a particular area when sending traffic to a destination. Our approach combines overlay routing and latency estimation using network coordinates to establish an “alibi” — a packet could not possibly have gone to the relay(s), the area to be avoided, and the destination within the considered timeframe. In our simulation over PlanetLab ping trace data, we show that geographic coordinates map well to 2-D network coordinates and allow us to reason about who can avoid whom and at what costs. We find that geography, particularly the continent and distribution of nodes, is a primary determinant of the possibility and costs of provable avoidance. We also discuss potential extensions to alibi routing, including secure network coordinates and “scaffolding” for constructing paths with multiple relays.