Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Renin–angiotensin–aldosterone system blockade for cardiovascular diseases: current status

Activation of the renin–angiotensin–aldosterone system (RAAS) results in vasoconstriction, muscular (vascular and cardiac) hypertrophy and fibrosis. Established arterial stiffness and cardiac dysfunction are key factors contributing to subsequent cardiovascular and renal complications. Blockade of RAAS has been shown to be beneficial in patients with hypertension, acute myocardial infarction, chronic systolic heart failure, stroke and diabetic renal disease. An aggressive approach for more extensive RAAS blockade with combination of two commonly used RAAS blockers [ACE inhibitors (ACEIs) and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs)] yielded conflicting results in different patient populations. Combination therapy is also associated with more side effects, in particular hypotension, hyperkalaemia and renal impairment. Recently published ONTARGET study showed ACEI/ARB combination therapy was associated with more adverse effects without any increase in benefit. The Canadian Hypertension Education Program responded with a new warning: ‘Do not use ACEI and ARB in combination’. However, the European Society of Cardiology in their updated heart failure treatment guidelines still recommended ACEI/ARB combo as a viable option. This apparent inconsistency among guidelines generates debate as to which approach of RAAS inhibition is the best. The current paper reviews the latest evidence of isolated ACEI or ARB use and their combination in cardiovascular diseases, and makes recommendations for their prescriptions in specific patient populations.
Decreased sensitivity to renal interstitial hydrostatic pressure in Dahl salt-sensitive rats.

The ability of Dahl salt-sensitive (DS) rats to excrete a sodium load is significantly lower than Dahl salt-resistant (DR) rats. Because renal interstitial hydrostatic pressure (RIHP) is a major mediator of natriuresis in response to a sodium load, we proposed that the renal tubules of DS rats are less responsive to increases in RIHP than those of DR rats. To test this hypothesis, we determined the effect of direct increases in RIHP on renal excretory function in prehypertensive DS and DR rats. RIHP was directly increased by renal interstitial volume expansion via injection of 50 microL of a 2% albumin and saline solution into the renal interstitium through a chronically implanted renal interstitial catheter. RIHP, mean arterial pressure, glomerular filtration rate, urine flow rate, urinary sodium excretion, and fractional excretions of sodium, potassium, and lithium (an indicator of proximal tubule sodium handling) were measured before and after direct increases in RIHP in DS (n = 8) and DR (n = 8) rats. Baseline urine flow rate; urinary sodium excretion; fractional excretions of sodium, potassium, and lithium; RIHP; mean arterial pressure; and glomerular filtration rate were not different between DS and DR rats. Renal interstitial volume expansion in DS rats significantly increased RIHP (delta 4.7 +/- 0.8 mm Hg), urine flow rate (delta 14.5 +/- 3.4 microL/min), urinary sodium excretion (delta 2.62 +/- 0.62 mumol/min), and fractional excretions of sodium (delta 1.54 +/- 0.37%), potassium (delta 17.84 +/- 2.90%), and lithium (delta 19.68 +/- 3.52%). (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Enhancing Effect of Tob Deficiency on Bone Formation Is Specific to Bone Morphogenetic Protein‐Induced Osteogenesis

Tob is a recently reported novel bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) inhibitor, which originally was identified by West‐Western procedure using ErbB2 as a probe and contains a nuclear localization signal. To further characterize the effects of Tob deficiency on BMP‐induced new bone (NB) formation, we examined microcomputed tomography (μCT) on the cross‐section of the bone induced by daily injection with BMP onto the calvariae of newborn mice. The calvariae of the saline‐injected Tob‐deficient (TD) mice were similar to those of the saline‐injected or untreated wild‐type (WT) mice. BMP injection locally produced NB on the calvaria in WT mice as known previously. In contrast to WT mice, BMP injection onto the calvariae of TD mice produced a calcified area in the cross‐section of NB, which was more than that produced by BMP in the WT calvariae. In addition, the horizontal width and the vertical height of the NB induced by BMP in TD mice were several‐fold more than those in WT mice. The effect of Tob deficiency on bone‐forming activity was selective to the response to the injection with BMP because the levels of injury‐induced NB formation examined by μCT 10 days after bone marrow ablation in the femora were similar between the TD and WT mice. These data indicate that Tob acts as a novel specific antagonist against bone formation induced by BMP treatment in bone.
Offset-Free Direct Power Control of DFIG Under Continuous-Time Model Predictive Control

This paper presents a robust continuous-time model predictive direct power control for doubly fed induction generator (DFIG). The proposed approach uses Taylor series expansion to predict the stator current in the synchronous reference frame over a finite time horizon. The predicted stator current is directly used to compute the required rotor voltage in order to minimize the difference between the actual stator currents and their references over the predictive time. However, as the proposed strategy is sensitive to parameter variations and external disturbances, a disturbance observer is embedded into the control loop to remove the steady-state error of the stator current. It turns out that the steady-state and the transient performances can be identified by simple design parameters. In this paper, the reference of the stator current is directly calculated from the desired stator active and reactive powers without encompassing the parameters of the machine itself. Hence, no extra power control loop is required in the control structure to ensure smooth operation of the DFIG. The feasibility of the proposed strategy is verified by the experimental results of the grid-connected DFIG and satisfactory performances are obtained.
An Integrative Theoretical Framework for Understanding Sexual Motivation, Arousal, and Behavior

An integrative theoretical framework and model for understanding sexual motivation, arousal, and behavior is presented, combining the principles of incentive motivation theory and the hierarchical control of behavior. It is intended to stimulate discussion. The framework can serve as a “route map” in understanding the links between different component processes and their interactions, as well as the relations between different academic perspectives on understanding sexuality. It is suggested that both excitation and inhibition of sexual motivation, arousal, and behavior act at various levels in a hierarchical structure, and much confusion can be avoided by distinguishing these levels. The model integrates information from different branches of psychology: biological, evolutionary, clinical, cognitive, developmental, and social. It describes interactions between sexual behavior and anxiety, attachment, aggression, and drug taking; and it is applied to gender differences, evolutionary psychology, sexual deviancy, sexual addiction, and the biological bases of sexuality.
Brain microstructure of subclinical apathy phenomenology in healthy individuals

Although apathy has been extensively studied in relation to neuropsychiatric disorders, it is still unclear whether, in healthy people, it should be considered as a physiological phenomenon or whether it is a risk factor for progression to clinical disturbances. Here, we investigated subclinical apathy phenomenology and its brain microstructural correlates in healthy individuals. We submitted 72 participants to a comprehensive clinical assessment, a high‐resolution structural MRI and a diffusion tensor imaging scan protocol. Data of individual microstructural (mean diffusivity and fractional anisotropy) variations were processed across genders in relation to the Apathy Rating Scale score. In females, subclinical apathy phenomenology was associated with microstructural variation of the bilateral thalami, the anterior thalamic radiation, the forceps major, and the corona radiate. These are white matter areas mostly connecting the thalami to the frontal and occipital cortices, regions that are known to be implicated in the expression of apathy in clinical samples. No significant relationship with brain microstructure was found in males who showed a positive correlation between subclinical apathy and somatic phenomenology of depression. In conclusion, our results show that in healthy individuals subclinical apathy phenomenology is associated with different mechanisms across genders, and raise the issue about whether brain microstructural changes associated with subclinical apathy in healthy females could be a precocious marker useful in the prediction of progression to more severe apathetic conditions. Hum Brain Mapp 34:3193–3203, 2013. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Adaptive radio resource management for QoS optimization in Green long term evolution network

This paper proposes an adaptive radio resource management (RRM) algorithm based on self-organizing network (SON) and distance vector routing protocol (DVRP) strategy for power consumption reduction and quality of service (QoS) improvement in long term evolution (LTE) network. Using SON principle, the base stations downlink transmissions can be effectively organized to maximise interference avoidance. Combining with DVRP routing strategy for enhance resource allocation, it will be shown that the proposed strategy is capable to adaptively adjust the power consumption of the BS and support the increasing demand on QoS per user in LTE cellular network.
Deconstructing the Environment: The Case of Adult Immigrants to Canada Learning English

This article identifies and deconstructs the ways in which professionally successful adult immigrants to Canada chose to interact with and reshape different environments in order to foster their English learning process. The sample for this study was selected to be representative of the “brain gain” immigration wave to Canada of the last two decades. All 20 participants belong to the same category of highly-educated (17+ years of education), independent immigrants who came to Canada as young adults. The data collection process consisted of a series of three interviews with each participant. The data were analyzed following the principles of the grounded theory method. Several qualitative themes associated with learning English as an adult immigrant in various types of environments in Canada (instructed environments, ‘manipulated’ naturalistic environments, and unaltered naturalistic environments) emerged from the interviews with the participants. The themes are critically explored and special emphasis is laid on the ways in which participants overcame difficulties inherent in the environmental factors that were not readily structured to offer immigrants opportunities to learn and practice English.
Randomized, double-blind comparison of sertraline and placebo for posttraumatic stress disorder in a Department of Veterans Affairs setting.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the efficacy of sertraline in the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in a Veterans Affairs (VA) clinic setting involving patients with predominantly combat-related PTSD. METHOD 169 outpatient subjects with a DSM-III-R diagnosis of PTSD and who scored 50 or higher on Part 2 of the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS-2) at the end of a 1-week placebo run-in period participated. Patients recruited from 10 VA medical centers were randomly assigned to 12 weeks of flexibly dosed sertraline (25-200 mg/day) (N = 86; 70% with combat-related PTSD; 79% male) or placebo (N = 83; 72% combat-related PTSD; 81% male) between May 1994 and September 1996. The primary efficacy measures were the mean change in CAPS-2 total severity score from baseline to endpoint, in the total score from the Impact of Event Scale, and in the Clinical Global Impressions-Severity of Illness and Improvement scales. RESULTS There were no significant differences between sertraline and placebo on any of the primary or secondary efficacy measures at endpoint. In order to understand the results, gender, duration of illness, severity of illness, type of trauma, and history of alcohol/substance abuse were explored as potential moderators of outcome, but no consistent effects were uncovered. Sertraline was well tolerated, with 13% of patients discontinuing due to adverse events. CONCLUSION Sertraline was not demonstrated to be efficacious in the treatment of PTSD in the VA clinic settings studied.
The driving effect of internal and external environment on green innovation strategy-The moderating role of top management’s environmental awareness

Purpose Green innovation strategy is not only a new idea to achieve green development but also the inevitable choice for enterprises to upgrade. At present, the research on the driving forces of green innovation strategy mainly focus on direct impact of single factor, lacking the overall consideration of internal and external environment. At the same time, research on the contingency effect of top management’s environmental awareness is scarce. This paper aims to explore how external environment pressures (policy pressures and market pressures) and internal environment driving force (innovation resources and innovation capability) make enterprises to choose green innovation strategy with moderating effect of top management’s environmental awareness. Design/methodology/approach Based on the sample of 216 enterprises, this paper explores the relationship between policy pressure, market pressure, innovation resources, innovation capability and the green innovation strategy with moderating effect of top management’s environmental awareness from inside and outside driving angle. Findings The results of the hierarchical regression model show, first, the driving effect of factors in the external environment. The coercive policy has an inverted U-shaped impact on the green innovation strategy. The incentive policy and the market pressure both have a significant positive impact on the green innovation strategy. Second, the driving effect of factors in the internal environment. The innovation capability has a significant positive impact on the green innovation strategy. The innovation resources have no significant impact on the green innovation strategy. Third, the moderating effect of top management’s environmental awareness. The relationship between the green innovation strategy and the coercive policy is stronger when the top management’s environmental awareness higher. The relationship between the green innovation strategy and the market pressure is stronger when the top management’s environmental awareness higher. The relationship between the green innovation strategy and the innovation resources is stronger when the top management’s environmental awareness higher. Otherwise, the relationship between the green innovation strategy and the innovation capability is weaker when the top management’s environmental awareness higher. And there is no significant change about the relationship between the green innovation strategy and the incentive policy when the top management’s environmental awareness higher. Originality/value First, the authors have promoted the integrated research on the drivers of the enterprise’s green innovation strategy. From the perspective of internal and external environment driving forces, this paper analyzes the key factors influencing the decision-making of the green innovation strategy. Second, the study has contributed to the strategic choice theory. This paper studies the driving mechanism of the green innovation strategy from a new perspective of the strategic choice theory.
Crystal structure of monomeric human β-2-microglobulin reveals clues to its amyloidogenic properties

Dissociation of human β-2-microglobulin (β2m) from the heavy chain of the class I HLA complex is a critical first step in the formation of amyloid fibrils from this protein. As a consequence of renal failure, the concentration of circulating monomeric β2m increases, ultimately leading to deposition of the protein into amyloid fibrils and development of the disorder, dialysis-related amyloidosis. Here we present the crystal structure of a monomeric form of human β2m determined at 1.8-Å resolution that reveals remarkable structural changes relative to the HLA-bound protein. These involve the restructuring of a β bulge that separates two short β strands to form a new six-residue β strand at one edge of this β sandwich protein. These structural changes remove key features proposed to have evolved to protect β sheet proteins from aggregation [Richardson, J. & Richardson, D. (2002) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 99, 2754–2759] and replaces them with an aggregation-competent surface. In combination with solution studies using 1H NMR, we show that the crystal structure presented here represents a rare species in solution that could provide important clues about the mechanism of amyloid formation from the normally highly soluble native protein.
Cyclosporine A Attenuates 3-Nitropropionic Acid–Induced Huntington-Like Symptoms in Rats: Possible Nitric Oxide Mechanism

Cyclosporine A is a well-known immunosuppressant drug that is currently used for prevention of allograft rejection. The current study was conducted to explore the therapeutic potential of cyclosporine A against 3-nitropropionic acid (3-NP)–induced neurotoxicity, an animal model of Huntington disease (HD). Systemic administration of 3-NP (10 mg/kg) for 14 days significantly impaired body weight, motor activity, biochemical parameters (raised lipid peroxidation, nitrite concentration, depletion of superoxide dismutase [SOD] and catalase), and mitochondrial enzymes. Cyclosporine A (2.5, 5, and 10 mg/kg) treatment significantly attenuated behavioral, biochemical, and cellular alterations. Furthermore, l-arginine pretreatment with cyclosporine A (5 mg/kg) significantly reversed the protective effect of cyclosporine A. However, l-nitro-arginine methyl ester (l-NAME; 10 mg/kg) pretreatment potentiated the protective effect of cyclosporine A (5 mg/kg). Study highlights the therapeutic potential of cyclosporine A in the treatment of HP. Study suggests that nitric oxide (NO) modulation is involved in the neuroprotective effect of cyclosporine A against 3-NP neurotoxicity.
Restructuring Companies Under Crisis - A Real Case Study

Nobody is planning to fail, but many companies are failing because of lack of planning. Real business experience showed during the years that crisis can be prevented, avoided or limited. If detected in time, the risks associated with the crisis can be mitigated and the effects can be diminished, with the condition that the actions required are done fast, in a sharp and accurate manner. When it comes, a crisis brings intense level of pressure and under these conditions there is no time or room for mistakes. Delays, losing focus and lack of planning will bring a company one step away from failure.
Finger motion estimation based on frequency conversion of EMG signals and image recognition using convolutional neural network

We describe a method for estimating finger motion on the basis of the frequency conversion of electromyogram (EMG) signals and the image recognition by using a convolutional neural network (CNN). Since EMG signals are generated before finger motion, various EMG-based systems have been developed for smoothly controlling a robot hand. We used a simple CNN model for estimating finger motion by classifying images generated from a wavelet transform of EMG signals. The model has originally been used for document recognition, and it contains two pairs of convolution and pooling layers and two fully connected layers. A prototype system composed of inexpensive sensor devices was fabricated for acquiring EMG signals and capturing finger motion. The experimental results show that the test accuracy reached 83% in classifying EMG signals into four types; when a thumb opens or is closed, and fingers, except for the thumb, open or are closed.
Route factors influencing trust and attitude toward TV shopping

ABSTRACT Television (TV) shopping has notably changed the way people shop today. Due to the high uncertainty and risk associated with TV shopping transactions, trust is crucial to facilitating the adoption of TV shopping. Drawing upon the elaboration likelihood model (ELM), this study examined the effect of route factors on trust and attitude toward TV shopping. While media richness, host interaction, and price fairness act as central cues, ease of payment acts as a peripheral cue. This study employed structural equation modeling, and the sample consisted of 460 TV home shoppers in Taiwan. The results indicated that trust and attitude develop through a dual route that includes a central route and peripheral route. Trust is an important mediator influencing the relationship between route factors and attitude. Moreover, user experience moderates the relationships in the model. Therefore, this study advanced the previous knowledge of the ELM in the context of TV shopping.
Smoothing power ripple in single phase chargers at minimized dc-link capacitance

To be able to use film capacitances in the dc-link of single phase chargers, the needed capacity has to be reduced. This can be achieved by directly controlling the dc-link voltage with the high bandwidth of the dc-dc converter, but in this case the complete fluctuation of the grid power is seen by the battery. In order to reduce the stress on batteries through micro cycles and to increase the efficiency of the system, the power flow should be smoothed towards the battery. The control strategy presented in this paper smooths the power ripple by controlling the dc-link voltage by a dynamic reference value. A method is shown to determine the reference value from the control values of the inverter in the fixed reference frame system. The strategy is analytically described and the effect is shown in simulation and by measurements on a prototype system.