Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Impact of Interdialytic Weight Gain (IDWG) on Nutritional Parameters, Cardiovascular Risk Factors and Quality of Life in Hemodialysis Patients

Abstract Introduction. The amount of interdialytic weight gain (IDWG) considering body weight is of great importance in hemodialysis patients. In general practice, patients are asked to get standard weight between two hemodialysis sessions. However, it should be individualized considering patient’s weight. We aimed to determine the association between the IDWG and the nutritional parameters, cardiovascular risk factors, and quality of life. Methods. Thrity-two patients receiving hemodialysis at least for one year were enrolled into the study. Patients were monitored for 12 consecutive hemodialysis sessions; and the arithmetic mean of IDWG was calculated. IDWG% was calculated in accordance with patients’ dry weight. Data of patients with IDWG<3% (Group I) and IDWG≥3 (Group II) were compared. Sociodemographic variables, laboratory, anthropometric measurements, blood pressure, left ventricular mass index, Subjective Global Assessment Scale and SF-36 Quality of Life Scale were applied to evaluate the patients. Results. 59.4% (n=19) and 40.6% (n=13) of patients were included in Group I and Group II, respectively. In Group II, albumin (p=0.02), potassium (p=0.02), phosphorus (p=0.04), nPCR (p=0.03), physical function (p=0.04), role limitations caused by physical problems (p=0.04), general health (p=0.03), physical quality of life (p=0.04) scores were significantly higher. A significant correlation was detected between IDWG and physical and mental quality of life, total score SF-36, albumin, total protein and the potassium values. Conclusions. Patients with an IDWG ≥ 3% have better nutritional parameters and quality of life scales. The limiting of IDWG to 1-2 kg, ingoring patient weight may give rise to malnutrition and a reduced quality of life.
Mezlocillin disposition in chronic hemodialysis patients

The pharmacokinetics of a single 1-g intravenous dose of mezlocillin were examined in six functionally anephric patients undergoing hemodialysis. Hemodialysis clearance calculated by plasma extraction ratios across the dialyzer membrane and by dialysis fluid agree well, averaging 26 and 32 ml/min. Dialyzer extraction ratios averaged 0.16 +/- 0.07, and 23.3 +/- 9.6% of the dose was measured in the dialysate. Plasma clearances (104 +/- 45 ml/min) and steady-state volumes of distribution (0.22 +/- 0.07 liter/kg) of mezlocillin showed good agreement with literature values. The nonrenal clearance (4.25 +/- 2.30 liters/h per 1.73 m2) of mezlocillin was appreciable. Drug loss by hemodialysis is small and should have little effect on therapeutic dosage needs.
Recommendation and Students' Authoring in Repositories of Learning Objects: A Case-Based Reasoning Approach

This paper presents a Case-Based Reasoning approach for the personalized recommendation and the studentsâ? authoring tasks in on-line repositories of Learning Objects (LOs). The recommender combines content-based filtering techniques together with collaborative filtering mechanisms. Studentsâ? authoring tasks include the incorporation of ratings of the existing LOs and new LOs, which are peer reviewed. This approach is going to be applied to a repository with more than 200 programming examples written in different programming languages.
Multidimensional Models of Information Need

User studies in information science have recognised relevance as a multidimensional construct. An implication of multidimensional relevance is that a user's information need should be modeled by multiple data structures to represent different relevance dimensions. While the extant literature has attempted to model multiple dimensions of a user's information need, the fundamental assumption that a multidimensional model is better than a uni-dimensional model has not been addressed. This study seeks to test this assumption. Our results indicate that a retrieval system that models both topicality and the novelty dimension of a users' information need outperforms a system with a uni-dimensional model.
A Robust Capacitive Digital Read-Out Circuit for a Scalable Tactile Skin

This paper presents a robust, capacitive digital read-out circuit (ROC) for sensitive skin applications in humanoid robots. The ROC can be calibrated to null the parasitic effects of transducer variation due to physical assembly. A prototype is fabricated in a 130 nm RFCMOS process, with an active area of <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$221\times 79~\mu \text{m}^{2}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> and 1.84<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\mu W$ </tex-math></inline-formula> power consumption at <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$V_{\mathrm {DD}}=1.2\text{V}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> and 1ms read-out rate. The ROC output is robust to <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$V_{\mathrm {DD}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> and temperature variations in a range <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${|\Delta V_{\mathrm {DD}}|}\leq 20\%$ </tex-math></inline-formula> and (25–53) °C. Furthermore, it can provide up to 200m<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$V_{\mathrm {pp}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> power supply sine wave rejection in the range 50Hz–5MHz at <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$V_{\mathrm {DD}}=1.1\text{V}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>, for an output standard deviation lower than one LSB. Owing to its features and its digital modularity, the ROC was co-designed with a scalable and modular Multi-Walled Carbon NanoTube (MW-CNT) Nano composite transducer, to achieve tunable output sensitivity by adjusting the sensor nominal capacitance and the reference capacitance. The maximum sensitivity of 5.23 fF per LSB was reached when both match. The ROC was then validated with the MW-CNT nanocomposite sensor which exhibits a piecewise behaviour. 5.3 and 7.1 ENOB were extrapolated in the low-load and medium-load regions, respectively. Besides the major advantage of tunable sensitivity, the presented ROC features the lowest acquisition time and one of the most compact sizes among the state-of-the-art ROCs. Moreover, process voltage and temperature (PVT) robust output and ultra-low power consumption make this solution very attractive to replicate human physiology at robotic-level.
Improve SMT with Source-Side “Topic-Document” Distributions

Topic modeling is a popular framework to analyze large text collections. In the previous work, employing topic modeling into statistic machine translation mainly depends on one major topic of the test document. Different from the previous work, the proposed approaches will coverage not only major topic but also sub-topics. The basic idea of this paper is assumed that better translation quality, closer similarity of “topic-document” distributions between the target-side and the sourceside documents. We first give some initial experimental results to support this assumption. Then we transfer generating such a target document into selecting target-side sentences by an effective algorithm. A preliminary study showed that enforcing “topic-document” distributions to be consistent between target-side and source-side in SMT can potentially improve translation quality.
Running the Numbers

European countries banned the use of lead in household paint before 1920 due to known adverse health effects. After opposition from the lead paint industry, the United States finally banned lead from paint intended for consumer use in 1978. Many older US homes still contain lead paint, and ingestion of lead from deteriorating paint remains a common source of childhood lead exposure. Other common sources include contaminated soil and water, occupational take-home lead dust, keys, vinyl mini-blinds, spices, ceremonial powders, traditional medicines, costume jewelry, bullets, and fishing weights. Leaded gasoline was an important source of lead exposure until the 1970s when the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) called for its phaseout. In 1996, the EPA Administrator noted that blood lead levels (BLLs) in children had decreased by 70% since the phaseout began [1]. Public health recommendations changed with improved diagnostic testing and stronger epidemiologic evidence of adverse health effects at lower BLLs. The level of concern in children was 60 micrograms per deciliter (μg/dL) in 1960 and was lowered to 10 μg/dL by 1991. After emerging research showed cognitive effects at even low blood lead levels in children, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Advisory Committee on Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention recommended a reference value of ≥5 μg/dL in 2012, based on data showing that 97.5% of US children aged 1 to 5 had a BLL below 5 μg/dL [2]. Healthy People 2020 objectives include further reduction of childhood BLLs [3]. The Lead Contamination Control Act of 1988…
Effects of Power Training on Muscle Thickness of Older Men

The present study aimed at comparing the effects of traditional resistance training (TRT) and power training (PT) in inducing muscle hypertrophy in older men. Twenty older men (aged between 69 and 76 years) were divided in two groups: TRT training (n=9) and PT training (n=11). The volunteers trained twice a week, during 10 weeks. Both groups performed an equal work output and the same exercises with loads between 40% and 60% of 1 RM. Three sets of eight repetitions of each exercise were performed with rest intervals of 90 s between sets. Muscle thickness was measured by ultrasound at the biceps brachii (BIC) and rectus femoris (RF), using a 12 MHz high resolution scanning probe. An ANCOVA was used to compare post training muscle thickness values between TRT and PT, using baseline values as covariates. According to the results, RF muscle thickness increased only in PT, while BIC muscle thickness increased in both groups, but with larger increases in PT. In conclusion, ten weeks of PT induced muscle hypertrophy of the upper and lower limb muscles in older men. PT training may yield better results in muscle hypertrophy when compared with TRT.
Observer based networked control systems with network-induced time delay

The time-delay characterizations of the network transmission and device processing are very important to analysis and design of networked control system. Modeling of networked control systems is described and analysis of networked control system is carried out. Then state observer of the networked control system with time delay is derived in this paper and modeling of networked control system based on state observer is built. Finally simulations of networked control system based on state observer with time delay and without time delay are carried out respectively. A good performance of the NCS with time delay based on the state observer is obtained.
Quantitative analysis of sex differences in hormone accumulation in the zebra finch brain: Methodological and theoretical issues

The autoradiographic method was used to compare the numbers of hormone accumulating cells in several brain regions in male and female zebra finches (Poephila guttata) after injection of tritiated testosterone. The brain regions examined were the caudal nucleus of the hyperstriatum ventrale (HVc), magnocellular nucleus of the anterior neostriatum (MAN), robust nucleus of the archistriatum (RA), nucleus intercollicularis of the midbrain (ICo), the tracheosyringeal hypoglossal motor nucleus (nXIIts), and periventricular magnocellular nucleus of the anterior hypothalamus (PVM). All but the last of these regions are thought to be involved in the control of vocalizations in passerine song birds. Males have significantly more labelled cells in HVc and MAN. In RA, there is no difference in total percentage of labelled cells, but there is a sex difference in size distribution of labelled cells. No sex difference was detected in other brain regions. These differences are found when using a criterion for cell labelling which is based on the Poisson distribution, and the relative merits are evaluated of various quantitative criteria used in the analysis of steroid autoradiograms. The magnitude of the observed sex difference may be influenced by several biasing factors, yet the sex difference persists when corrections are applied to eliminate the biases, indicating that the sex difference is not an artifact of autoradiographic procedure. The magnitude of the sex difference in hormone accumulation has certain implications for the process of sexual differentiation of the brain.
A century of transitions in New York City's measles dynamics

Infectious diseases spreading in a human population occasionally exhibit sudden transitions in their qualitative dynamics. Previous work has successfully predicted such transitions in New York City's historical measles incidence using the seasonally forced susceptible–infectious–recovered (SIR) model. This work relied on a dataset spanning 45 years (1928–1973), which we have extended to 93 years (1891–1984). We identify additional dynamical transitions in the longer dataset and successfully explain them by analysing attractors and transients of the same mechanistic epidemiological model.
Performance comparisons of two on-demand ad hoc routing protocols in dynamic rate shifting WLANs

Recently, many on-demand routing protocols for ad-hoc networks have been proposed, but most of these works have been done on the basis of the IEEE 802.11 standard that supports a single transmission rate. In ad hoc networks supporting the multi-rate transmission scheme, which is referred to as dynamic rate shifting in the IEEE 802.11 standard, few performance studies on ad-hoc routing protocols have been performed. In this paper, we extensively study the impact of dynamic rate shifting on the performance of ad-hoc routing protocols in various situations in multi-rate WLANs environments. Our question is whether the dynamic rate shifting scheme supported by the IEEE 802.11 standard affects the relative performance of the routing protocols being studied. We have extended the ns-2 network simulator to accurately model the IEEE 802.11b wireless LAN standard, and simulated the performance of two ad hoc routing protocols over each of networks supporting single rate and multi-rate transmissions.
DcrA, a c-type heme-containing methyl-accepting protein from Desulfovibrio vulgaris Hildenborough, senses the oxygen concentration or redox potential of the environment

The amino acid sequence of DcrA from Desulfovibrio vulgaris Hildenborough, a strictly anaerobic, sulfate-reducing bacterium, indicated homology with the methyl-accepting chemotaxis proteins from enteric bacteria (A. Dolla, R. Fu, M. J. Brumlik, and G. Voordouw, J. Bacteriol. 174:1726-1733, 1992). The homology is restricted to the cytoplasmic C-terminal signaling domain. The periplasmic N-terminal sensor domain was found to contain a unique sequence, CHHCH, corresponding to a consensus c-type heme binding site. A pretreated, DcrA-specific polyclonal antiserum, generated against DcrA protein overproduced in Escherichia coli, was used for immunoprecipitation of 35S-labeled DcrA from D. vulgaris and Desulfovibrio desulfuricans G200(pJRFR2), a transconjugant that overexpresses functional DcrA. Labeling of the latter with the heme precursor 5-amino-[4-14C]levulinic acid, followed by immunoprecipitation, sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, and fluorography, confirmed the presence of c-type heme, while labeling with L-[methyl-3H]methionine in the absence of protein synthesis confirmed that DcrA is a methyl-accepting protein. The base liability of the incorporated radioactivity indicated methyl ester formation like that occurring in the methyl-accepting chemotaxis proteins of enteric bacteria. L-[methyl-3H]methionine labeling of D. desulfuricans G200(pJRFR2) under different conditions indicated that methyl labeling of DcrA decreased upon addition of oxygen and increased upon subsequent addition of the reducing agent dithionite. These results indicate that DcrA may serve as a sensor of oxygen concentration and/or redox potential.
Effect of rs2241766T>G polymorphism in Adiponectin Gene on Circulating Adiponectin Levels among Iraqi Women with PCOS

Background: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a most common endocrine /metabolic disorder of women in their reproductive ages. Although PCOS is complex, but there is strong evidence that candidate genes on insulin action have been proposed to show a vital role in its etiology. Aim:The current research was designed to study the effect of (rs2241766T>G)in adiponectin gene with PCOS, and their impact on the level of serum adiponectinand insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) in Iraqi women with PCOS. Methods: The case –control design study was performed on 120 women with and without PCOS. Phenotypic analysis included the estimation of fasting levels of; blood glucose, and lipid profile by spectrophotometric methods, while insulin, and adiponectin concentrations were determined by ELISA. Genotyping of the selected SNP(rs2241766T>G) in the adiponectin gene was carried out by (PCR-RFLP) technique. Results:After controlling for the age, body mass index, significant difference in Waist circumferences, fasting insulin, HOMA-IR, and serum adiponectin levels were found in POCS group with respects to those of a healthy control group.Genotyping and alleles results of the selected SNP (rs2241766T>G) were not associated with incident of PCOS. However, women with PCOS with TG and GG genotype had higher insulin levels, and HOMA-IR than carriers of the TTgenotype. Conclusions: The current study point out that the selected SNP (rs2241766T>G) in adiponectin gene is not relatedto PCOS in Iraqi women. Nevertheless, the selected polymorphism was found to be associated with insulin levels, and HOMA-IR among Iraqi women with PCOS, and to impact adiponectin secretion.Further research with a greater sample size, and more SNPs in adiponectin gene are wanting to confirm these results.
A Numerical Note on Upper Bounds for B2[g] Sets

ABSTRACT Sidon sets are those sets such that the sums of two of its elements never coincide. They go back to the 1930s when Sidon asked for the maximal size of a subset of consecutive integers with that property. This question is now answered in a satisfactory way. Their natural generalization, called B2[g] sets and defined by the fact that there are at most g ways (up to reordering the summands) to represent a given integer as a sum of two elements of the set, is much more difficult to handle and not as well understood. In this article, using a numerical approach, we improve the best upper estimates on the size of a B2[g] set in an interval of integers in the cases g = 2, 3, 4, and 5.
Effect of verapamil in intermittent claudication A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over study after individual dose-response assessment.

BACKGROUND The calcium antagonist verapamil is a vasodilator drug that has been shown to increase oxygen extraction of ischemic tissues in coronary and peripheral vascular disease. METHODS AND RESULTS Since the balance between the positive and the negative effects of vasodilation may be delicate in ischemic diseases a dose-response study (dose range, 120 to 480 mg) was established to determine optimal, individual dosages of slow-release verapamil in 44 patients with stable intermittent claudication (Fontaine classification stage II) with respect to walking capacity. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over study (4 weeks) was performed to assess clinical and hemodynamic effects of verapamil. The optimal daily dose of verapamil on maximal walking ability was 120 (8 patients), 240 (8 patients), 360 (14 patients), and 480 mg (14 patients). Walking distances were measured at a metronome-controlled speed of 60 steps per minute on level surface. Optimal individual doses of verapamil increased mean pain-free walking distance by 29% from 44.9 to 57.8 meters (P < .01) and maximal walking distance by 49% from 100.7 to 149.8 meters (P < .001) compared with placebo. The increase in maximal walking distance correlated positively only with initial systolic ankle pressure (r = .49, P < .001) and ankle/brachial pressure index (r = .37, P < .013). Verapamil had no effect on systolic ankle pressure, ankle/brachial pressure index, peripheral leg temperature, or blood pressure, which suggests that the drug may have extrahemodynamic effects, possibly brought about through improved oxygen metabolism. CONCLUSIONS Verapamil showed significant clinical benefits in patients with moderate intermittent claudication in this short-term study. Individual optimization of drug dosage should be considered an option both in trials and in the clinical setting in these patients.
Analysis and reduction of mismatch in silicon neurons

In this paper, we describe a methodical approach for reducing errors due to mismatch in neuron circuits. We chose the neuron's current-frequency (f-i) curve as the desired output and use a sensitivity analysis to determine which transistors contribute most significantly to its variation. This allows us to identify the most critical transistors that need to be matched. For the special case in which floating-gate (FG) transistors are used to reduce this mismatch, we propose a method to further reduce the number of FG devices to be used in the circuit resulting in a corresponding reduction in “calibration” time. In addition to reducing mismatch between neurons, the usage of FG devices allows the user to independently set the parameters of each neuron. Since the calibration is based on f-i curve, it can be obtained through address-event representation (AER) circuits that are included in the neuron array for normal functionality. We use one example of commonly used integrate and fire neuron to illustrate this mismatch correction procedure. The method presented allows the corrected neurons to compute both rate codes and spike time codes in a mismatch resilient fashion.
Convergence of the expansion of the renormalization group flow equation

We compare and discuss the dependence of a polynomial truncation of the effective potential used to solve an exact renormalization group flow equation for a model with a fermionic interaction (linear sigma model) with a grid solution. The sensitivity of the results to the underlying cutoff function is discussed. We explore the validity of the expansion method for second- and first-order phase transitions. (c) 2000 The American Physical Society.
Oral Sildenafil has No Acute Effect on Diffusion Capacity Measurements inPatients with Diffuse Parenchymal Lung Disease and Pulmonary Hypertension

Diffuse parenchymal lung diseases have diverse etiology and treatment often requires individualization taking into consideration comorbidities. Pulmonary hypertension represents one such comorbidity which, when present, worsens prognosis and confounds approach to treatment. Sildenafil is a pulmonary vasodilator, which has recently generated considerable interest for use in patients with diffuse parenchymal lung disease and concomitant pulmonary hypertension. We wondered whether acute administration of oral sildenafil affects the diffusion capacity measurement, which is a tool for serially monitoring patients with diffuse parenchymal lung diseases. Methods: 15 patients with diffuse parenchymal lung disease and pulmonary hypertension (WHO Class III) had diffusion capacity measurements and 6 minute walk test performed before and after receiving sildenafil 20 mg orally. CT scans of the chest were scored to determine burden of interstitial lung disease. Results: The mean change in DLCO after administration of oral sildenafil was -0.26 ± 0.94 ml/min/mmHg (p=0.30) and -0.41 ± 2.84 % predicted (p=0.58). The average 6 minute walk distance at baseline was 363.28 ± 141 meters. After oral administration of sildenafil, 6 minute walk distance was 369 ± 116 meters (p=0.63). No correlation was observed between composite radiology scores and DLCO measurements or change in DLCO and radiology scores (p=0.43 and p=0.17 respectively). Conclusion: We found no acute change in diffusion capacity after a single dose of oral sildenafil in patients with diffuse parenchymal lung disease and pulmonary hypertension.