Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
EPlDEMIOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF THE HEALTH IMPLICATIONS OF CULTURE CHANGE: A CONCEPTUAL MODEL *

Influenced largely by the views of investigators such as Chapin,’ Frost? F le~ne r ,~ and G o r d ~ n , ~ ~ ~ there has been a renewed appreciation during the past three decades that epidemiological techniques, which for the preceding century had been confined to a study of communicable disease outbreaks, could be applied to a study of all health phenomena. Recognition of the usefulness of this concept has been widespread, but translation into an operational frame of reference has often proved difficult and has led to considerable confusion. The failure, for example, to find a standard definition of epidemiology acceptable to all epidemiologists bears witness to this confusion. In our opinion the major advances in knowledge of contemporary health problems expected from epidemiological investigations, with some notable exceptions, have not been fully realized. The confusion and difficulties that have limited the potential contribution of many such investigations may be traced to two interrelated misconceptions. First there has been a failure on the part of some investigators to recognize that the significant contributions made by epidemiology in the past have been those in which it has been applied as an analytical rather than as a descriptive science. The major contributions of investigators such as P. Panum, J. Snow, J. Goldberger, and W. H. Frost resulted mainly from their skillful derivation of hypotheses rather than from the discovery of new data. Despite this, too many current epidemiological studies content themselves with describing incidence and prevalence data by selected demographic variables and drawing few if any inferences. Such conclusions as are derived are largely restricted to identifying high-risk population groups for case-finding purposes or estimating the volume and nature of service needs. Such studies have led to an unfortunate dichotomy in the minds of some between “epidemiological” and “etiological” investigations. Wade Hampton Frost has perhaps best expressed the concept that to be productive epidemiology must be an analytical science. In his words: “Epidemiology at any given time is something more than the total of its established facts. It includes their orderly arrangement into chains of inference which extend more or less beyond the bounds of direct observation. ”6 Recognition of the validity of this view raises the second and more fundamental issue. What is the nature of the inferences that can be derived through epidemiological investigation? Specifically, has epidemiological analysis a contribution to make in identifying etiological factors, or is this the prerogative of clinical and laboratory investigation? * The views presented in this paper represent the combined thinking of the Department of Epidemiology. We are particularly grateful to the contribution made by Sidney L. Kark (at present World Health Organization expert at the Hebrew University Medical School, Jerusalem, Israel) during the year he spent as head of this department.
Performance evaluation of distributed algorithms for mining association rules on workstation cluster

The mining of association rules is one of the database mining techniques used to extract useful information from large quantities of data. Finding association rules, however, requires that the transaction database be scanned repeatedly, and we need to handle very large amounts of transaction data. This requires an incredibly large amount of computation time. There have therefore been many attempts to speed-up database mining by using parallel computers. Recent improvements in the performance of PCs and workstations (WSs), and the recent dissemination of network technology have made parallel processing distributed within computer clusters an attractive alternative to parallel computers. In this paper we describe two new algorithms effective for parallel processing distributed in a WS cluster environment. One is an algorithm in which the size of data transmitted between WSs is smaller than that of the former algorithm. The other is an algorithm that reduces the amount of scan processing at each node by dividing data and that uses shift operations for data communication. We have implemented these algorithms on a WS cluster and have evaluated their performance.
Histochemical and morphological characteristics of the vastus lateralis muscle in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

PURPOSE AND METHODS In this study, we examined the fiber-type proportions, cross-sectional areas (CSA), and capillarization from needle biopsies of the vastus lateralis muscle in 20 patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) (FEV1 = 37 +/- 11% predicted, peak VO2 = 13 +/- 4 mL.min-1.kg-1) and nine age-matched normal subjects (peak VO2 = 33 +/- 7 mL.min-1.kg-1). The effects of endurance training on these parameters were also evaluated in 11 of the 20 patients with COPD. RESULTS The proportion of Type I fiber was smaller in COPD than normals (34 +/- 14% vs 58 +/- 16 in normals, P < 0.0005) with a corresponding increase in Type IIb fiber (P = 0.015). The CSA of Type I, IIa, and IIab fibers was also smaller in COPD. The capillary to fiber ratio tended to be reduced in patients, but this difference did not reach statistical significance (P = 0.15). The number of capillary contact for Type I, IIa, and IIab fibers was significantly reduced in COPD compared with normal subjects (P < 0.05). When corrected for the CSA, this parameter was similar for both groups. After training, peak VO2 increased by 11% (P < 0.05), the fiber-type proportion remained unchanged, and the CSA of Type I and IIa fibers increased by 31 and 21%, respectively (P < 0.05). Although the number of capillary contact for each fiber types increased with training, the capillary to fiber ratio and the number of capillary contact for the different fiber types relative to their CSA remain unchanged. CONCLUSIONS We conclude that in COPD, 1) the vastus lateralis muscle is characterized by a marked decrease in Type I fiber proportion, an increase in Type IIb fiber proportion, a decrease in Type I, IIa, and IIab fiber CSA and by a relatively preserved capillarization; and 2) a 12-wk training program induces a significant increase in Type I and IIa CSA.
SEMRSA: Spectrum Efficient Modulation-aware Dynamic Routing & Spectrum Allocation in Elastic Optical Network

Nowadays, Elastic optical network (EON) provides a long term solution to handle enormous volume of data traffic that arises out of recent developments in mobile technologies, cloud computing, video-on-demand etc. In dynamic environment, setting up and tearing down the spectrums in the optical path may generate spectral fragmentation thus presenting a major obstacle for the effectiveness of elastic spectral allocation. A routing and spectrum allocation (RSA) problem in EON is constrained by three factors: spectrum continuity, sub-carrier contiguity and guard band. With Orthogonal Frequency division Multiplexing (OFDM) technologies, EON is able to make efficient use of spectrum based on distance adaptive modulation format. This paper proposes a novel spectral efficient heuristic SEMRSA for dynamic RSA problem in EON by using modulation-aware concept and satisfying those three constraints. Routing in SEMRSA may take preferably single (if possible) / multiple paths for allocating a connection request to guarantee number of sub-carrier requirement for a connection request as low as possible. Simulation results show that SEMRSA results in lower blocking and higher spectral efficiency compared to a recent approach MMRSA which uses multipath routing associated with modulation awareness concept.
Phosphorylated baculovirus p 10 is a heat-stable microtubule-associated protein associated with process formation in Sf 9 cells

Insect ovarian Sf9 cells extend processes with complex morphologies when infected with a recombinant baculovirus encoding the catalytic subunit of protein kinase A. Within the shafts of the processes are abundant microtubules, which, in contrast to those in Sf9 cells expressing the microtubule-associated protein tau, are generally not organized into parallel bundles. During infection the late viral polypeptide plO becomes phosphorylated by the protein kinase A catalytic subunit at its penultimate residue, Ser92. The expression or phosphorylation of other major host cell or viral polypeptides does not change, compared with polypeptides from a wild-type viral infection. Once phosphorylated, plO associates with microtubules in the infected cells and may thereby play a role in process formation.
SIRT 1 phosphorylation by AMP-activated protein kinase regulates p 53 acetylation

The deacetylase SIRT1 regulates multiple biological processes including cellular metabolism and aging. Importantly, SIRT1 can also inactivate the p53 tumor suppressor via deacetylation, suggesting a role in oncogenesis. Recently, SIRT1 was shown to be released from its endogenous inhibitor DBC1 by a process requiring AMPK and the phosphorylation of SIRT1 by yet undefined kinase(s). Here we provide further evidence that AMPK directly phosphorylates SIRT1 on T344, releasing it from DBC1. Furthermore, a phospho-mimetic SIRT1 (T334E) showed decreased binding to DBC1, supporting the importance of this phosphorylation in AMPK-mediated regulation of SIRT1 activity. In addition, inhibition of AMPK by Compound C led to increased p53 acetylation, suggesting a role for the AMPK/SIRT1 pathway in regulating p53 signaling. Together, our results support a hypothesis that AMPK negatively regulates p53 acetylation via phosphorylation of SIRT1 on T344. Furthermore, our findings also define the AMPK/ SIRT1 axis as a possible targetable pathway to regulate p53 function.
Efficiency Optimized Distributed Transformers for Broadband Monolithic Millimeter-Wave Integrated Power Amplifier Circuits

This paper revises the efficiency optimization equations for magnetic-transformer-based power combiner/ divider impedance transformation networks (e.g., distributed active transformer). It evaluates their usability for high millimeter-wave frequencies, where the distributed behavior of a transformer and its loss become relevant. As is demonstrated, the standard optimization equations do not lead to an optimum result. To enable the optimization of distributed transformers, an extended lumped equivalent circuit model is proposed and used for the derivation of new optimization equations. The novel equations enable the design of magnetic transformers with maximum efficiency. To demonstrate the performance that can be achieved with optimized distributed magnetic transformer networks at millimeter-wave frequencies, measurement results of an R-band (i.e., 170–260 GHz)/H-band (i.e., 220–325 GHz) power amplifier (PA) are presented. With an output power of approximately 6.2 dBm at 260 GHz, the amplifier is among the state of the art for mHEMT PAs operating in this frequency range. With its relative 3-dB bandwidth of 29%, however, it surpasses all those reported mHEMT PAs to date.
A differential binary message-passing LDPC decoder

In this paper, we propose a binary message-passing algorithm for decoding low-density parity-check (LDPC) codes. The algorithm substantially improves the performance of purely hard-decision iterative algorithms with a small increase in the memory requirements and the computational complexity. We associate a reliability value to each nonzero element of the code's parity-check matrix, and differentially modify this value in each iteration based on the sum of the extrinsic binary messages from the check nodes. For the tested random and finite-geometry LDPC codes, the proposed algorithm can perform as close as about 1 dB and 0.5 dB to belief propagation (BP) at the error rates of interest, respectively. This is while, unlike BP, the algorithm does not require the estimation of channel signal to noise ratio. Low memory and computational requirements and binary message-passing make the proposed algorithm attractive for high-speed low-power applications.
A Matrix-Based Multifrequency Output Impedance Model for Beat Frequency Oscillation Analysis in Distributed Power Systems

Power electronic converters are single input multiple output (SIMO) systems in frequency domain. In distributed power system (DPS), one converter's switching frequency ripples are another converter's perturbations, and beat frequency components are generated due to their SIMO characteristics. As the control loops of power converters always take high gains in low-frequency regions if the beat frequency components are relatively low, they may be magnified and presented as oscillations, which will introduce system instability. This paper proposes a matrix-based multifrequency output impedance model to describe the SIMO characteristics of power converters and to analyze the stability of DPS. The buck converter is specifically illustrated as demonstration. The proposed model indicates that the variation of switching frequency, as well as those traditionally discussed parameters of control loops and passive components, could also change output impedance characteristics and introduce system instability. In DPS, the beat frequency oscillation that traditional models fail to explain could be accurately predicted by the proposed model. In addition, based on the proposed model, the switching frequencies for power converters can be optimized to improve the stability of power electronic-based systems. Simulation and experimental results validate the accuracy and the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Ovarian tissue cryopreservation using vitrification and/or in vitro activated technology.

Slow freezing has been a standard method forovarian tissue cryopreservation and transplantation (OTCP), while vitriﬁcation is commonly used for cryopreservation of embryos, oocytes and sperm. We have conducted preclinical studies using cynomolgus monkeys since 2006 and clinical studies since 2010, reporting a live birth after OTCP with vitriﬁcation Suzuki As discussed in their opinion article in this issue of Human Reproduction it seems to be difﬁcult to compare slow freezing with vitriﬁcation and determine which is better. The live birth rate might be thought of as a useful param-eter for comparing the two procedures, but it is not actually very useful because the number of primordial follicles in ovarian tissues cannot be counted before transplantation. Vitriﬁcation can be performed quickly and easily using a commercially available kit without the need for expensive equipment. Such convenience is a great advan-tage. However, it is important to determine the optimal conditions for vitriﬁcation by taking into consideration the safety and efﬁcacy of cryoprotectants.
The Interactions of Hepatocyte Growth Factor/Scatter Factor and Its NK1 and NK2 Variants with Glycosaminoglycans Using a Modified Gel Mobility Shift Assay

Full-length hepatocyte growth factor/scatter factor interacts with both heparan and dermatan sulfates and is critically dependent upon them as cofactors for activation of the tyrosine kinase receptor Met. Two C-terminally truncated variants (NK1 and NK2) of this growth factor also occur naturally. Their glycosaminoglycan binding properties are not clear. We have undertaken a comparative study of the heparan/dermatan sulfate binding characteristics of all three proteins. This has entailed the development of a modified gel mobility shift assay, utilizing fluorescence end-tagged oligosaccharides, that is also widely applicable to the analysis of many glycosaminoglycan-protein interactions. Using this we have shown that all three hepatocyte growth factor/scatter factor variants share identical heparan/dermatan sulfate binding properties and that both glycosaminoglycans occupy the same binding site. The minimal size of the oligosaccharide that binds with high affinity in all cases is a tetrasaccharide from heparan sulfate but a hexasaccharide from dermatan sulfate. These findings demonstrate that functional glycosaminoglycan binding is restricted to a binding site situated solely within the small N-terminal domain. The same minimal size fractions are also able to promote hepatocyte growth factor/scatter factor-mediated activation of Met and consequent downstream signaling in the glycosaminoglycan-deficient Chinese hamster ovary pgsA-745 cells. A covalent complex of heparan sulfate tetrasaccharide with monovalent growth factor is also active. The binding and activity of tetrasaccharides put constraints upon the possible interactions and molecular geometry within the ternary signaling complex.
Taxonomy and systematics of some Eimeria species of murid rodents as determined by the ITS1 region of the ribosomal gene complex

Eimeria arizonensis, E. albigulae and E. onychomysis, morphologically similar species from closely related murid rodents, were distinguished using nuclear rDNA ITS1 sequences obtained from multiple isolates of each taxon. ITS1 sequences were also obtained from 6 other species parasitizing murid rodents: E. falciformis, E. langebarteli, E. nieschulzi, E. papillata, E. separata and E. sevilletensis, and from E. reedi, a parasite of heteromyid rodents. Under parsimony and maximum likelihood analyses, the isolates of E. arizonensis, E. albigulae and E. onychomysis were differentiated as closely related, monophyletic lineages. Maximum likelihood pairwise distances between the latter species ranged from 7 to 12%, and distances within each species ranged from <1 to 5%; thus it is suggested that ITS1 genetic distances may be used to facilitate taxonomic differentiation of Eimeria spp. Against expectation, phylogenetic procedures placed E. reedi within the phylogeny of the Eimeria of murid rodents. ITS1 sequencing appears to provide data that can be used for taxonomic and phylogenetic studies on the speciose genus Eimeria, and may be especially useful when samples contain insufficient numbers of oocysts for other molecular-based methods, e.g. RAPD–PCR.
Imaging of space objects using space-borne millimeter wave ISAR

Imaging of space objects in orbit using space-borne millimeter wave Inverse synthetic aperture radar (ISAR) is investigated. The geometrical and kinetic relationship between the space-borne radar and the object is analyzed. Range walk and range dispersion have occurred during the pulse duration, caused by the high-velocity radial motion. A novel method for radial velocity compensation based on radon-ambiguity transform (RAT) is proposed. Computer simulation illustrates the feasibility of imaging space objects using space-borne radar.
Anomalies, Becchi-Rouet-Stora cohomology, and effective theories.

A survey is made of the known Becchi-Rouet-Stora (BRS) cohomology and potential anomalies in nonrenormalizable'' effective gauge theories with and without supersymmetry. The probable existence of higher-dimension Abelian anomalies is mentioned. Supersymmetric theories have complicated BRS cohomology, but at least for {ital N}=1 and {ital D}=4, it appears that this does not give rise to corresponding anomalies so long as the gauge anomalies are eliminated.
Cyr61 Is Overexpressed in Gliomas and Involved in Integrin-Linked Kinase-Mediated Akt and β-Catenin-TCF/Lef Signaling Pathways

Cyr61 is a member of the CCN family of growth factors; these proteins are secreted and can act as ligands of distinct integrins. We show that Cyr61 can enhance tumorigenicity of glioma cells acting through activated integrin-linked kinase (ILK) to stimulate β-catenin-TCF/Lef and Akt signaling pathways. Overexpression of Cyr61 occurred in highly tumorigenic glioma cell lines and in 68% of the most malignant glioblastoma multiforme brain tumors. Forced expression of Cyr61 in U343 glioma cells accelerated their growth in liquid culture, enhanced their anchorage-independent proliferation in soft agar, and significantly increased their ability to form large, vascularized tumors in nude mice. Overexpression of Cyr61 in the U343 cells led to the up-regulation of distinct integrins, including β1 and ανβ3, which have been shown to interact with Cyr61 and ILK. The activity of ILK was increased dramatically in these cells. Overexpression of Cyr61 also resulted in the phosphorylation of glycogen synthase kinase-3β and accumulation and nuclear translocation of β-catenin, leading to activation of the β-catenin-TCF/Lef-1 signaling pathway. Furthermore, forced expression of Cyr61 in the glioma cells activated phosphatidylinositol 3′-kinase pathway, resulting in prominent phosphorylation of Akt and the antiapoptotic protein Bad. Cyr61 appears to stimulate several signaling pathways in the development of gliomas.
Adaptively constructing liquid surface from particle-based simulation

Natural phenomena simulation attracts a lot of research attention and interest in virtual reality. The simulation for liquid has become a research focus in both computer graphics and computational physics, because of the difficulties in dynamic modelling and high computational complexity. We introduce the main research achievements in recent years with regard to liquids, which is a common natural phenomenon. A hybrid modelling approach for dynamic liquid simulation is proposed, followed by a surface reconstruction method using simulated results. In particle-based fluid simulation, surface construction is one procedure to contour the implicit function which determines an isosurface in a scalar field. We describe an adaptive polygonisation approach, by adaptively constructing an unconstrained octree structure, to reduce excessive subdivision which is required by traditional methods like Marching Cubes. Dual Marching Cubes is then applied to perform surface extraction on a new grid which is topologically dual to the octree structure. Experiment shows the advantages of our approach in generating satisfactory effects without excessively fine-grained grid structure. Satisfactory visual effect is achieved and this application can be used in computer games, movie making and virtual simulation in medical areas.
Use of Glomerular Filtration Rate Estimating Equations for Drug Dosing in HIV-Positive Patients

Background Current HIV treatment guidelines recommend using the Cockcroft–Gault equation for drug dosing adjustments. The use of newer glomerular filtration rate (GFR) estimating equations for drug dosing and the appropriateness of physician antiretroviral dosing based on estimated kidney function have not been studied in an HIV-positive population. Methods We evaluated concordance between measured and estimated GFR for the assignment of kidney function categories designated by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Guidance for industry for pharmacokinetic studies, and appropriateness of physician antiretroviral drug dosing for level of kidney function in 200 HIV-positive patients on stable antiretroviral therapy. Estimated kidney function was determined using the Chronic Kidney Disease-Epidemiology collaboration (CKD-EPI), Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) Study and Cockcroft–Gault equations. Results For assignment of FDA-designated kidney function categories, concordance rates between measured and estimated GFR using the CKD-EPI, MDRD Study and Cockcroft–Gault equations were 79%, 71% and 77%, respectively. This pattern was consistent across most subgroups. When actual prescribed dosages were compared with recommended dosages based on the level of estimated kidney function, 3–19% of study participants were prescribed higher than recommended dosages. The largest discordance between prescribed and recommended dosages was observed for the Cockcroft–Gault equation. Conclusions The CKD-EPI equation has the highest concordance with measured GFR for the assignment of FDA-designated kidney function categories. Its use may lead to lower dosing-related errors in HIV-infected US adults on stable antiretroviral therapy. More education is required with respect to dose adjustment for level of kidney function.