Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Vitamin K epoxide reductase genetic polymorphism is associated with venous thromboembolism: results from the EDITH Study

Summary. Background: The vitamin K epoxide reductase complex subunit 1 (VKORC1) recycles endogenous vitamin K, a cofactor for vitamin K‐dependent coagulation factor synthesis. Common polymorphisms in VKORC1, the gene coding for VKORC1, have been found to affect the dose response to vitamin K antagonists, and to confer an increased risk of vascular diseases in a Chinese population. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between the VKORC1 1173C > T polymorphism and venous thromboembolism (VTE). Methods: We report the results of a case–control study designed to evaluate interactions between acquired and inherited risk factors of VTE. We studied 439 cases hospitalized with a first venous thromboembolic event that was not related to a major acquired risk factor for VTE, and 439 matched controls. The VKORC1 1173C > T polymorphism was selected for genotyping as the tagging single‐nucleotide polymorphism for previously identified VKORC1 haplotypes.Results: The relationship between VTE and the VKORCI 1173C > T polymorphism was consistent with a recessive model. The frequency of the VKORCI TT genotype was lower in cases than in controls. The odds ratio (OR) (95% CI) was 0.62 (0.41–0.94) for the TT genotype as compared to CT/CC genotypes. Adjustment on cardiovascular diseases, body mass index, factor V (FV) and prothrombin gene mutations did not alter the results.Conclusions: In this case–control study, the frequency of the VKORCI TT genotype was lower in patients with VTE than in matched controls. The clinical consequence of these results remains to be determined, but gives new perspectives for exploration of the role of VKORCI polymorphism in the pathogenesis of VTE.
IRIN: Micromontage in Graphical Sound Editing and Mixing Tool

Micromontage technique allows the composer to work a musical figure point by point, shaping each sound particle with microscopic precision. The software presented in this paper combines graphic and script editing with algorithmic generation and manipulation of sound sequences. It provides several tools to enhance both creation and organic development of the musical material under this compositional paradigm using a user-friendy visual environment
Exclusive B → ( K ∗ , ρ ) γ decays in the general two-Higgs-doublet models

Abstract By employing the QCD factorization approach, we calculated the next-to-leading order new physics contributions to the branching ratios, CP asymmetries, isospin and U-spin symmetry breaking of the exclusive decays B → V γ (V = K, ρ), induced by the charged Higgs penguins in the general two-Higgs-doublet models. Within the considered parameter space, we found that (a) the new physics corrections to the observables are generally small in the model I and model III-A, moderate in model II, but large in model III-B; (b) from the well measured branching ratios and upper limits, a lower bound of MH > 200 GeV in model II was obtained, while the allowed range of MH in model III-B is 226 ≤ MH ≤ 293 GeV; these bounds are comparable with those from the inclusive B → Xsγ decay; (c)the NLO Wilson coefficient C7(mb) in model III-B is positive and disfavered by the measured value of isospin symmetry breaking ∆ 0− (K γ) = (3.9 ± 4.8)%, but still can not be excluded if we take the large errors into account; (d) the CP asymmetry ACP (B → ργ) in model III-B has an opposite sign with the one in the standard model (SM), which may be used as a good observable to distinguish the SM from model III-B; (e) the isospin symmetry breaking ∆(ργ) is less than 10% in the region of γ = [40 ∼ 70] preferred by the global fit result, but can be as large as 20 to 40% in the regions of γ ≤ 10 and γ ≥ 120. The SM and model III-B predictions for ∆(ργ) are opposite in sign for small or large values of the CKM angles; (f) the U-spin symmetry breaking ∆U(K, ρ) in the SM and the general two-Higgs-doublet models is generally small in size: ∼ 10−7.
Polynucleobacter wuianus sp. nov., a free-living freshwater bacterium affiliated with the cryptic species complex PnecC.

Strain QLW-P1FAT50C-4T, isolated from a shallow, acidic freshwater pond located in the Austrian Alps at an altitude of 1300 m, was characterized by investigation of phenotypic, chemotaxonomic and genomic traits. As shown previously, phylogenetic analyses based on 16S rRNA gene sequences placed the strain in the cryptic species complex PnecC within the genus Polynucleobacter. The major fatty acids of the strain were C16 : 1ω7c and C18 : 1ω7c. The strain has a genome of 2.23 Mbp with a DNA G+C content of 44.9 mol%. The strain encodes a seemingly complete gene cluster for anoxygenic photosynthesis but lacks typical genes for CO2 assimilation. In order to resolve the phylogenetic position of the strain within the species complex PnecC, concatenated partial sequences of eight housekeeping genes were analysed. The phylogenetic reconstruction obtained did not place strain QLW-P1FAT50C-4T close to any of the five previously described species within subcluster PnecC. Pairwise average nucleotide identity (ANI) comparisons of whole-genome sequences suggested that strain QLW-P1FAT50C-4T (=DSM 24008T=CIP 111100T) represents a novel species, for which we propose the name Polynucleobacter wuianus sp. nov.
Impact of Resistance Training on Balance and Gait in Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an incurable neurodegenerative disease whose symptoms are only partially relieved by pharmaceutical intervention. Disability due to this disease process can impede activities of daily living and decrease quality of life, both for MS patients and for their care partners and families. A nonrandomized, nonblinded prospective cohort study of 45 patients with MS was undertaken to investigate the impact of an exercise program emphasizing resistance training on balance and gait. This article presents data for the first 33 participants to complete the study protocol. The exercise program consisted of twice-weekly 50-minute sessions for 6 months. At 3 months and 6 months, statistically significant improvements (P < .05) from baseline were observed for the following measures: Nine-Hole Peg Test, 2- and 3-second Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test, Modified Fatigue Impact Scale, NeuroCom Balance Master (NeuroCom International, Inc, Clackamas, OR), Timed Up and Go test, and Berg Balance Sca.
Frequency of feeding, weight reduction and energy metabolism.

A study was conducted to investigate the effect of feeding frequency on the rate and composition of weight loss and 24 h energy metabolism in moderately obese women on a 1000 kcal/day diet. During four consecutive weeks fourteen female adults (age 20-58 years, BMI 25.4-34.9 kg/m2) restricted their food intake to 1000 kcal/day. Seven subjects consumed the diet in two meals daily (gorging pattern), the others consumed the diet in three to five meals (nibbling pattern). Body mass and body composition, obtained by deuterium dilution, were measured at the start of the experiment and after two and four weeks of dieting. Sleeping metabolic rate (SMR) was measured at the same time intervals using a respiration chamber. At the end of the experiment 24 h energy expenditure (24 h EE) and diet-induced thermogenesis (DIT) were assessed by a 36 h stay in the respiration chamber. There was no significant effect of the feeding frequency on the rate of weight loss, fat mass loss or fat-free mass loss. Furthermore, fat mass and fat-free mass contributed equally to weight loss in subjects on both gorging and nibbling diet. Feeding frequency had no significant effect on SMR after two or four weeks of dieting. The decrease in SMR after four weeks was significantly greater in subjects on the nibbling diet. 24 h EE and DIT were not significantly different between the two feeding regimens. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Application of combined 6-Hz primed low-frequency rTMS and intensive occupational therapy for upper limb hemiparesis after stroke.

INTRODUCTION The purpose of this study was to clarify the safety, feasibility and efficacy of 6-Hz primed low-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) applied with intensive occupational therapy (OT) for upper limb hemiparesis after stroke. SUBJECTS AND METHODS Eleven patients with history of stroke and upper limb hemiparesis (age at intervention: 61.0 ± 13.7 years, time after stroke onset: 70.2 ± 39.8 months) were studied. Each patient received 22 sessions of 6-Hz primed low-frequency rTMS (10-min 6-Hz priming stimulation followed by 20-min low-frequency rTMS of 1-Hz) applied to the non-lesional hemisphere plus intensive OT comprising 60-min one-to-one training and 60-min self-training during 15-day hospitalization. The motor function of the affected upper limb was evaluated by Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA) and Wolf Motor Function Test (WMFT) on the days of admission and discharge. RESULTS All patients completed the 15-day protocol without any adverse effects. The treatment increased the FMA score (from 42.2 ± 6.9 to 45.6 ± 7.2 points, p< 0.005) and shortened the log performance time of WMFT (from 3.26 ± 1.21 to 2.81 ± 1.26 sec, p< 0.05). CONCLUSIONS The 15-day protocol of 6-Hz primed low-frequency rTMS combined with intensive OT seems safe and a potentially useful therapeutic modality for upper limb hemiparesis after stroke.
Experimental and theoretical investigations of the optogalvanic effect in a Hg-Ar discharge.

The optogalvanic effect induced in a Hg-Ar discharge by light at 546.1 nm is studied experimentally and theoretically. The plasma and its response to a disturbance in the atomic-level populations are described entirely in terms of electron collision cross sections and other fundamental parameters. In a detailed description of the laser interaction with the atomic system, it was necessary to take into account velocity-changing collisions (VCC). These collisions (VCC) strongly modify the interaction between the Doppler-broadened system and the optical field. In some Doppler-free optogalvanic spectra the dramatic influence of VCC on the velocity distribution of atomic-level population is evident. Measurements of the magnitude of the optogalvanic signal confirm most of the theoretical results. Some anomalous features of the impedance change due to a weak beam were observed when a strong counterpropagating beam was introduced.
Coding-sequence variants are associated with blood lipid levels in 14,473 Chinese.

Previously identified common variants explain only a small fraction of the trait heritability and at most loci the identities of the underlying causal genes and their functional variants still remain unknown. To identify the low-frequency and rare coding variants that influence lipid levels, we conducted a meta-analysis of exome-wide association studies in 14,473 Chinese subjects, followed by a joint analysis with 1000 genomes imputed data from 6,534 samples. We replicated 24 previously reported lipid loci with exome-wide significance (P < 3.3 × 10 - 7), including fourteen coding variants at ten confirmed lipid loci (P range from 1.44 × 10 - 7 to 1.64 × 10 - 45). Of these, six coding variants showed population-specific associations and were independent of previously identified associations in European populations, including four low-frequency (PCSK9 p.Arg93Cys, HMGCR p.Tyr311Ser, APOA5 p.Gly185Cys and CETP p.Asp399Gly) and two common (APOB p.Arg532Trp and APOA4 p.Ser147Asn) variants. Furthermore, we detected three new lead non-coding variants at LPA, LIPC and LDLR in Chinese. The independent variants at PCSK9, HMGCR, LPA, APOA5 and LDLR were also associated with increased risk of coronary artery disease in the expected direction. In gene-based tests, the burden of rare or low frequency variants in PCSK9, HMGCR and CEPT exhibited strong associations with blood lipid levels (P < 2.8 × 10 - 6). Our findings identify additional population-specific possible causal variants. Our data demonstrate that the inter-ethnic differences in allele frequencies of coding variants may lead to different association signals across ethnic groups, highlighting the importance of including diverse populations to uncover genetic variation associated with lipid levels.
Genetic epidemiology of myotonic dystrophy in Istria, Croatia

Objectives – We evaluated epidemiology of myotonic dystrophy in Istria, Croatia including direct mutation analysis as an additional, specific diagnostic criterion. Material and methods – Patients were ascertained in the period 1980–1994 from multiple sources under established clinical criteria with a special reference to congenital and minimal forms of the disease. Additionally, patients and their relatives were evaluated by direct mutation analysis. The prevalence, corrected for underascertainment, was estimated on July 1, 1989. Results – A total of 33 DM patients from nine families were ascertained. In all families the diagnosis was confirmed by mutation analysis of the DM gene. After correction for underascertainment the prevalence of 18.1/100,000 was calculated. Conclusion – One of the highest prevalence estimates of DM in the populations without evidence of founder effect or genetic isolation was found. Our results imply the importance of ascertainment of patients with all forms of DM and utilization of specific diagnostic tests for estimation of genetic epidemiology in DM.
Combinatorial optimisation for arterial image segmentation

Cardiovascular disease is one of the leading causes of the mortality in the western world. Many imaging modalities have been used to diagnose cardiovascular diseases. However, each has different forms of noise and artifacts that make the medical image analysis field important and challenging. This thesis is concerned with developing fully automatic segmentation methods for cross-sectional coronary arterial imaging in particular, intra-vascular ultrasound and optical coherence tomography, by incorporating prior and tracking information without any user intervention, to effectively overcome various image artifacts and occlusions. Combinatorial optimisation methods are proposed to solve the segmentation problem in polynomial time. A node-weighted directed graph is constructed so that the vessel border delineation is considered as computing a minimum closed set. A set of complementary edge and texture features is extracted. Single and double interface segmentation methods are introduced. Novel optimisation of the boundary energy function is proposed based on a supervised classification method. Shape prior model is incorporated into the segmentation framework based on global and local information through the energy function design and graph construction. A combination of cross-sectional segmentation and longitudinal tracking is proposed using the Kalman filter and the hidden Markov model. The border is parameterised using the radial basis functions. The Kalman filter is used to adapt the inter-frame constraints between every two consecutive frames to obtain coherent temporal segmentation. An HMM-based border tracking method is also proposed in which the emission probability is derived from both the classification-based cost function and the shape prior model. The optimal sequence of the hidden states is computed using the Viterbi algorithm. Both qualitative and quantitative results on thousands of images show superior performance of the proposed methods compared to a number of state-of-the-art segmentation methods.
Design of LISP-based Processors, or SCHEME: A Dielectric LISP, or Finite Memories Considered Harmful, or LAMBDA: The Ultimate Opcode

1979: Design of LISP-based Processors, or SCHEME: A Dielectric LISP, or Finite Memories Considered Harmful, or LAMBDA: The Ultimate Opcode. 1980: Compiler Optimization Based on Viewing LAMBDA as RENAME + GOTO. 1980: Design of a Lisp-based Processor. Influence. Scheme was the first dialect of Lisp to choose lexical Advanced Search Search Within This Collection DSpace@MIT Search (Ex: crystalline silicon solar)
Can the Amount of Corn Acreage Predict Fall Armyworm (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) Infestation Levels in Nearby Cotton?

ABSTRACT Fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), is a major pest of corn, Zea mays L. , and a significant, but more sporadic, pest of cotton, Gossypium hirsutum L. , in the Western Hemisphere. Previous studies showed that the cotton infestations primarily involve a fall armyworm subpopulation known as the “corn-strain” for which corn is the preferred host plant. It was suggested that the fall armyworm infesting cotton originated in corn and spread into secondary hosts as their numbers increased. In this study, high positive correlations were found between corn acreage and fall armyworm infestation levels in cotton. These occurred between areas that are either geographically close or along plausible migration pathways. Formulae were derived from scatter plot and linear regression analysis that can predict infestation levels in cotton based on corn acreage. The implications of these results for describing and predicting fall armyworm population movements are discussed.
Diverse effects of the MalE-LacZ hybrid protein on Escherichia coli cell physiology

The hybrid protein between the periplasmic maltose-binding protein and the cytoplasmic beta-galactosidase (the MalE-LacZ hybrid protein) was previously shown to block the export of envelope proteins when synthesized in large amounts. Now we show that the hybrid protein exerts another major effect on the cell, that is, induction of the heat shock proteins. This latter effect was dependent on the htpR gene product but independent of the function of the signal sequence on the hybrid protein. On the other hand, the previously reported induction of the SecA protein by the hybrid protein was independent of htpR and may be caused by the reduced protein export ability of the cell. The functional htpR gene is essential for viability of the cell in which the basal level of the hybrid protein is synthesized, whereas in the absence of the hybrid protein htpR is dispensable at low temperature. These results indicate that the hybrid protein somehow generates a signal or stress that is similar to what the cell experiences at elevated temperatures.
An investigation of threshold properties among cat spinal alpha‐motoneurones.

In anaesthetized cats, thresholds for long (rheobase) and brief duration current pulses have been obtained from spinal motoneurones and compared with other cell parameters and membrane properties. Rheobase showed only weak over‐all relationships with conduction velocity and with cell size, estimated as the total capacitance of individual motoneuronal equivalent cylinders. Rheobase showed a clear tendency to vary inversely with after‐hyperpolarization (a.h.p.) duration and was strongly correlated with the input conductance and with the inverse of the membrane time constant. However, the range of rheobase current exceeded that of input conductance by almost a factor of 2. Part of this range discrepancy arose because threshold depolarization tended to increase with rheobase current. Thus, among motoneurones grouped according to rheobase magnitude (three groups), those within the lowest rheobase group had threshold depolarizations about 6 mV on average lower than those within the highest rheobase group. Even though this difference was not directly related to resting potential differences between the groups, further analysis suggested that it may have arisen secondarily to impalement‐induced depolarization. The finding that experimentally estimated threshold depolarizations in individual motoneurones were generally larger than those predicted by the product of input resistance and rheobase indicated that a subthreshold rectification process also contributed to the range of rheobase. The difference was largest in the low‐rheobase group and smallest in the high‐rheobase group. Because these differences were proportional to the differences in input resistance between the separate motoneurone groups, it is suggested that the magnitude of the current underlying the rectification process does not differ systematically among motoneurones. Within groups of motoneurones classified on the basis of rheobase or a.h. p. duration, significant correlations existed between rheobase current and input conductance. An analysis of variance indicated that even within such functional subgroups of motoneurones, rheobase was appreciably better correlated with membrane time constant than with estimated cell size. Although showing a range approximately half that of rheobase, the brief current threshold was similar to rheobase in its relations with total cell capacitance, a.h. p. duration and the inverse of membrane time constant. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
The Brief Memory and Executive Test (BMET): A cognitive screening tool to detect and differentiate vascular cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease

While there are several cognitive screening tests available for the detection of cortical dementias such as Alzheimer's disease (AD), these are rarely designed to be sensitive to vascular cognitive impairment (VCI). The Brief Memory and Executive Test (BMET) is a screening measure designed to be sensitive to the cognitive profile of both VCI and AD. This study investigated the ability of the BMET to detect AD, and to differentiate between VCI and AD.
Parallel operation of micro hydro power plants

This paper analyzes two micro-grid (MG) topologies based on micro hydro power plants (MHPP). The first MG topology is based on a classical synchronous generator (SG) and on an induction generator (IG), while the second one contains two induction generators. The goal is to compare each topology capability to ensure a stable micro-grid operation in autonomous mode and comply with the power quality standards. Simulations are carried out in order to highlight the reliability of both MG structures.
Developing a configuration management capability model for the medical device industry

Software is becoming an increasingly important aspect of medical devices and medical device regulation. Software enables highly complex systems to be built. However, complexity is the enemy of safety, therefore strict adherence to well documented processes is important within the domain of medical device software. Medical devices can only be marketed if compliance and approval from the appropriate regulatory bodies of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is achieved. This paper outlines the development of a Configuration Management Capability Model (CMCM). The CMCM is a Software Process Improvement (SPI) model specifically dedicated to Configuration Management (CM) for the medical device industry. This paper details how medical device regulations may be satisfied by adopting relevant practices from the Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI®) CM process area. It also investigates how the CMMI® CM process area may be extended with additional practices that are outside the remit of the CMMI®, but are required in order to satisfy Medical Device Regulatory (MDR) guidelines.
MPPT algorithm for grid-connected photovoltaic generation systems via model predictive controller

This paper presents a grid-tied photovoltaic generation system (PVGS) combined with a maximum powerpoint tracking (MPPT) technique. Perturbation and observation (P&O) MPPT algorithm is applied to a solar array for MPPT and to reduce the steady state oscillations. Proportional-integral (PI) controller combined with the phase-locked loop (PLL) are usually used to tie three-phase systems to the grid utility. Model predictive control (MPC), as a fast operating controller, is used to tie the solar system to the grid for real and reactive powers decoupling. A MATLAB/SIMULINK software is applied to establish the PV system, the MPPT controller, and the model predictive controller. The PVGS is simulated under an imitated one day of irradiance change. Results reveal that the MPPT controller efficiently tracks the MPP and the MPC connects the PVGS to the grid efficiently.