Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Higher aldosterone and lower N-terminal proatrial natriuretic peptide as biomarkers of salt sensitivity in the community

Background: Salt sensitivity, a trait characterized by a pressor blood pressure response to increased dietary salt intake, has been associated with higher rates of cardiovascular target organ damage and cardiovascular disease events. Recent experimental studies have highlighted the potential role of the natriuretic peptides and aldosterone in mediating salt sensitivity. Design: Prospective cohort study. Methods: We evaluated 1575 non-hypertensive Framingham Offspring cohort participants (mean age 55 ± 9 years, 58% women) who underwent routine measurements of circulating aldosterone and N-terminal proatrial natriuretic peptide (NT-ANP) and assessment of dietary sodium intake. Participants were categorized as potentially ‘salt sensitive’ if their serum aldosterone was >sex-specific median but plasma NT-ANP was ≤sex-specific median value. Dietary sodium intake was categorized as lower versus higher (dichotomized at the sex-specific median). We used multivariable linear regression to relate presence of salt sensitivity (as defined above) to longitudinal changes (Δ) in systolic and diastolic blood pressure on follow-up (median four years). Results: Participants who were ‘salt sensitive’ (N = 437) experienced significantly greater increases in blood pressure (Δ systolic, +4.4 and +2.3 mmHg; Δ diastolic, +1.9 and −0.3 mmHg; on a higher versus lower sodium diet, respectively) as compared to the other participants (Δ systolic, +2.8 and +1.0 mmHg; Δ diastolic, +0.5 and −0.2 mmHg; on higher versus lower sodium diet, respectively; P = 0.033 and P = 0.0127 for differences between groups in Δ systolic and Δ diastolic blood pressure, respectively). Conclusions: Our observational data suggest that higher circulating aldosterone and lower NT-ANP concentrations may be markers of salt sensitivity in the community. Additional studies are warranted to confirm these observations.
Socioeconomic Predictors of Subjective Age.

ABSTRACT While a number of studies have documented a variety of attitudinal correlates of the subjective dimension of age, some writers have suggested that, especially at the older end of the, life cycle, subjective age is but a surrogate for measures of disadvantaged social status. Specifically, this alternative view is that only the poor or retired or widowed or lower social class individuals are likely to identify themselves (and, hence, their problems) in terms of age. This paper, directly tests the 'proposition that variation in subjective identification is mainly a statistical function of measures of socioeconomic factors. The study is based on the 725 respondents over the age of 50 sample4 in a national survey of the American adult population taken in 1972; the study included measures of subjective age identification, as well as a number of social and economic indicators. The results indicated that subjective age is substantially related to chronological age, but that within groupings of chronological age (50-64, 64-75, 75 +), the following factors do not measurably influence variations in subjective age: income, education, occupational status, subjective social class, sex, widowhood, retirement. A multiple' regression analysis including all of these variables plus chronological age combined to explain only 8.6% of the variance in subjective age identification among the over-50 respondents. It is therefore concluded that subjective age is not simply a reflection of socioeconomic variables. (Authcir)
Computed Tomographic Angiography under Sedation in the Diagnosis of Suspected Canine Pancreatitis: A Pilot Study

Background Computed tomography (CT) is highly accurate for diagnosing pancreatitis in humans. The diagnosis of pancreatitis in dogs is based on clinical signs, laboratory findings, and ultrasonographic (US) changes. There are, however, inherent limitations in relying on laboratory and ultrasound findings for the clinical diagnosis of pancreatitis in dogs. Hypothesis/Objectives We hypothesized that CT angiography would be a rapid and reliable method to confirm pancreatitis in dogs compared to ultrasonography. The aim was to describe the CT characteristics and compare them to ultrasound findings and correlate the CT appearance to the severity of the patients' clinical course. Animals A prospective pilot case series; 10 dogs with pancreatitis were enrolled if the history, clinical signs, laboratory, and ultrasonographic findings were indicative of pancreatitis. Methods A 3‐phase angiographic CT was performed under sedation. Afterward, each dog had US‐guided aspirates of the pancreas collected and blood drawn for cPLi assay. Images were evaluated for portion of visible pancreas, pancreatic size and margin, pancreatic parenchyma, presence of peripancreatic changes and contrast enhancement pattern. The results were compared with outcome. Results An enlarged, homogeneously to heterogeneously attenuating and contrast‐enhancing pancreas with ill‐defined borders was identified in all dogs. CT identified more features characterizing pancreatic abnormalities compared to US. Thrombi were found in 3/10 dogs. Three dogs with heterogeneous contrast enhancement had an overall poorer outcome than those with homogenous enhancement. Conclusions and Clinical Importance CT angiography under sedation was used in dogs to confirm clinically suspected pancreatitis and identified clinically relevant and potentially prognostic features of pancreatitis in dogs.
Fully silicided NiSi and germanided NiGe dual gates on SiO2 n- and p-MOSFETs

We have fabricated the fully silicided NiSi and germanided NiGe dual gates n- and p-MOSFETs on 1.9 nm thick SiO/sub 2/ gate dielectric. The extracted work functions of fully NiSi and NiGe gates from thickness-dependent flat band voltage were 4.55 and 5.2 eV respectively, which may provide possible wide work function tuning using NiSi/sub t-x/Ge/sub x/. In additional to the lower gate current than Al gate n- and p-MOSFETs, the fully silicided NiSi and germanided NiGe gates MOSFETs show electron and hole mobilities close to universal mobility values with special advantage of process compatible to current VLSI fabrication line.
DETERMINACIÓN DE LOS NIVELES DE FUERZA MÁXIMA APLICADA, VELOCIDAD Y POTENCIA POR MEDIO DE UN TEST CRECIENTE EN PRES DE BANCA PLANO, EN LEVANTADORES ESPAÑOLES.

Se evaluaron 9 levantadores que realizaron 2 test en el ejercicio de pres debanca: a) Progresivo con pesos ligeros a maximos (MRPr) b) Maxima Repeticion (MRD). Semidio la fuerza (FN), velocidad (V) y potencia (W) con cada peso movilizado,determinandose el maximo peso factible de movilizar 1 vez y no dos (MR) Se observaroncorrelaciones significativas entre la MR del test MRPr y la del MRD, la W maxima, absolutay relativa al peso corporal y la MR absoluta y relativa al peso corporal, no se produjerondiferencias significativas (p<0,05) entre la MR obtenidas en el test MRPr y MRD. Se aceptala aplicacion del test MRPr para determinar los niveles de FN, V, W, y MR, localizar losniveles de W maxima, con relacion al % MR, y determinar el perfil de rendimiento asi comolos cambios inducidos por los entrenamientos de fuerza. Palabras Clave: Fuerza Maxima, Velocidad, potencia
Neither state nor market: early welfare benefits in Britain

This is the original unpublished English language text of the paper published in French as "Ni etat ni marche: Les premieres prestations sociales en Grande-Bretagne". An earlier version was presented at the conference "Comparer les systemes de protection sociales en Europe"organised by MIRE at the Maison Francaise, Oxford in May 1994.
The motivation of working practitioners seeking a doctoral education: From the perspectives of Confucian learning philosophy

This doctoral study explores the motivational orientations of working practitioners pursuing a professional doctoral program who are former and current DPS-IM program students at Syracuse University, School of Information Studies. The found motivational orientations are compared to Confucian philosophy principles of selfcultivation illustrated in The Great Learning (DaXue《大學》) which is considered the first of a set of Four Books (Sishu《四書》). The manuscript's structure consists of a brief of three principles, followed by eight steps that promote individual selfcultivation. Researchers frequently utilize these steps as a connection between civil conduct applied to social and political order (e.g. Keenan, 2011, p. 37). This study uses this Confucian philosophical framework to reveal self-cultivation components related to the motives and aspirations of this select group; Western older adult learners. This study also aims to bridge Eastern motivation theory with Western approaches, making a contribution to both motivational theory and adult education fields of study. This research utilized semi-structured interviews of twenty one DPS-IM students (80.77% participation). Collected data revealed that the majority of the participants were working professionals who have been in their field for at least 10 years. The interview data revealed that self-cultivation was found to be the greatest motivational factor for this study group followed by self-improvement, selftransformation, and sense of responsibility; which are all supported by Confucian learning philosophy found in The Great Learning. This study suggests that even though in modern times, a 2000 year-old Eastern philosophy of learning is synonymous with the motives of adults seeking further education regardless of their cultural background. THE MOTIVATION OF WORKING PRACTITIONERS SEEKING A DOCTORAL EDUCATION: FROM THE PERSPECTIVES OF CONFUCIAN LEARNING PHILOSOPHY
A holistic approach to concurrent engineering and its application to robotics

This article details a holistic concurrent design framework, based on fuzzy logic, which is suitable for multidisciplinary systems. The methodology attempts to enhance communication and collaboration between different disciplines through introducing the universal notion of satisfaction and expressing the holistic behavior of multidisciplinary systems using the notion of energy. Throughout the design process, it uses fuzzy logic to formalize subjective aspects of design including the impact of the designer’s attitude, resulting in the simplification of the multi-objective constrained optimization process. In the final phase, the methodology adjusts the designer’s subjective attitude based on a holistic system performance by utilizing an energy-based model of multidisciplinary systems. The efficiency of the resulting design framework is illustrated by improving the design of a 5-degree-of-freedom industrial robot manipulator.
Dynamic Branch Prediction Study Combining Perceptrons and Bit-Counter Predictors

Current processors use two bit counters for branch prediction; however, recent literature has established that the perceptron learning algorithm, a supervised learning technique, render more accurate predictions. We attempt to integrate both approaches to improve prediction accuracy through four hybrid predictors based on the 2bc-gskew predictor. In all configurations, a single perceptron predictor is still more accurate leading to an analysis of how the technologies behind perceptrons and bit counters interact.
N-gram pattern recognition using multivariate-Bernoulli model with smoothing methods for text classification

In this paper, we mainly study on n-gram models on text classification domain. In order to measure impact of n-gram models on the classification performance, we carry out Naïve Bayes classifier with various smoothing methods. Naïve Bayes classifier has generally used two main event models for text classification which are Bernoulli and multinomial models. Researchers usually address multinomial model and Laplace smoothing on text classification and similar domains. The objective of this study is to demonstrate the classification performance of event models of Naïve Bayes by analyzing both event models with different smoothing methods and using n-gram models from a different perspective. In order to find various patterns between two event models, we carry on experiments a large Turkish dataset. Experiment results indicate that Bernoulli event model with an appropriate smoothing method can outperform on most of the n-gram models.
Anisotropy , inhomogeneity and inertial range scalings in turbulent convection

This paper provides a detailed study of turbulent statistics and scale-by-scale budgets in turbulent Rayleigh-Bénard convection. It aims at testing the applicability of Kolmogorov (1941) and Bolgiano (1959) theories in the case of turbulent convection and at improving the understanding of the underlying inertial range scalings, for which a general agreement is still lacking. Particular emphasis is laid on anisotropic and inho-mogeneous effects, which are often observed in turbulent convection between two differentially heated plates. For this purpose, the SO(3) decomposition of structure functions (Arad, L'vov & Procaccia 1999b) and a method of description of inhomogeneities proposed by Danaila et al. (2001) are used to derive inhomogeneous and anisotropic generalizations of Kolmogorov and Yaglom equations applying to Rayleigh-Bénard convection, which can be extended easily to other types of anisotropic and/or inhomogeneous flows. The various contributions to these equations are computed in and off the central plane of a convection cell using data produced by a Direct Numerical Simulation of turbulent Boussinesq convection at Ra = 10 6 and P r = 1 with aspect ratio A = 5. The analysis of the isotropic part of the Kolmogorov equation demonstrates that the shape of the third-order velocity structure function is significantly influenced by buoyancy forcing and large-scale inhomogeneities, while the isotropic part of the mixed third-order structure function (∆θ) 2 ∆u appearing in Yaglom equation exhibits a clear scaling exponent 1 in a small range of scales. The magnitudes of the various low ℓ degree anisotropic components of the equations are also estimated and are shown to be comparable to their isotropic counterparts at moderate to large scales. The analysis of anisotropies notably reveals that computing reduced structure functions (structure functions computed at fixed depth for correlation vectors r lying in specific planes only) in order to reveal scaling exponents predicted by isotropic theories is misleading in the case of fully three-dimensional turbulence in the bulk of a convection cell, since such quantities involve linear combinations of different ℓ components which are not negligible in the flow. This observation also indicates that using single points measurements together with the Taylor hypothesis in the particular direction of a mean flow to test the predictions of asymptotic dimensional isotropic theories of turbulence or to calculate intermittency corrections to these theories may lead to significant biases for mildly anisotropic three-dimensional flows. A qualitative analysis is finally used to show that the influence of buoyancy …
La quimioterapia neoadyuvante en el tratamiento del cáncer de mama localmente avanzado

In the first stages of cancer treatment, it was believed that it spreaded by continuity, so the first strategies to treat locally advanced breast cancer were highly aggressive, as well as mutilating. A deeper knowledge of the biology of cancer later resulted in important changes in its treatment, such as the use of neoadyuvant chemotherapy, administered prior to surgical treatment, as an alternative therapy. Initially described by the University of Milan, neoadyuvant chemotherapy has proven to be a better alternative than surgical treatment alone, adjuvant (or postsurgical) chemotherapy and radiotherapy alone or in combination with the previously mentioned techniques. Among its advantages we find an increase in the rate of breast-conserving surgeries and a reduction in the ipsilateral breast tumor recurrence rate. Furthermore, it facilitates breast cancer control and follow-up. On the other hand, its main disadvantage is that it cannot modify some of the disease’s prognostic factors, such as the tumor breast relation, multicentric disease, scattered microcalcifications and the coexistence of medical elements which contraindicate radiation therapy. Currently, neoadyuvant chemotherapy is a pillar of the treatment of locally advanced breast cancer and is recommended in order to guarantee a more conservative evolution of the disease.
Interleukin 15 expression in the CNS: Blockade of its activity prevents glial activation after an inflammatory injury

Although reactive glia formation after neuronal degeneration or traumatic damage is one of the hallmarks of central nervous system (CNS) injury, we have little information on the signals that direct activation of resting glia. IL‐15, a pro‐inflammatory cytokine involved in regulating the response of T and B cells, may be also key for the regulation of early inflammatory events in the nervous system. IL‐15 was expressed in the CNS, most abundantly in cerebellum and hippocampus, mainly in astrocytes and in some projection neurons. Using a rodent model of acute inflammatory injury [lipopolysaccharide (LPS) injection], we found enhanced expression of IL‐15 in both reactive astroglia and microglia, soon after CNS injury. Blockade of IL‐15 activity with an antibody to the cytokine, reversed activation of both glial types, suggesting that IL‐15 has a major role in the generation of gliotic tissue and in the regulation of neuroimmune responses. Because IL‐15 appears to modulate the inflammatory environment acutely generated after CNS injury, regulating IL‐15 expression seems a clear antiinflammatory therapy to improve the outcome of neurodegenerative diseases and CNS trauma. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Application of Hepatic Segmental Staining in Anatomic S8 Segmentectomy Under Intra-Operative Ultrasonography

Objective The purpose of this study was to investigate the clinical value of hepatic segmental staining under intra-operative ultrasonography guidance in anatomic segment 8 (S8) segmentectomy. Method This was a retrospective study of 31 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) whose lesions were located in S8. Under intra-operative ultrasonography guidance, the hepatic portal vein branch of S8 was dyed and then the resection line was marked with an electric knife on the stained area of the liver surface, in preparation for the anatomic S8 segmentectomy. The liver section exposed the right hepatic vein, the middle hepatic vein trunk side wall and the hepatic pedicle of S8. Results The average operation time of 31 cases of anatomic S8 segmentectomy was (230±76) min, the average surgical blood loss was (305±235) ml, the incidence of post-operative complications was 26% (8/31), average post-operative hospitalization time was (13±3) d, with a 1-year recurrence rate of 19% (6/31) and a 1-year survival rate of 94% (29/31). Conclusion Under the guidance of intra-operative ultrasonography, hepatic segmental staining can improve the precision of an anatomic S8 segmentectomy, maximally reducing the post-operative complications and improving the safety of liver resection.
Active leader tracking control of multi-agent systems with quantized measurements

This paper discusses tracking control problem with a discrete-time multi-agent system with active leader and quantized communication constraints. For the active leader in a general linear form, we give a distributed design for each discrete-time agent in the leader tracking control problem and analyze the tracking convergence with the help of Riccati equation and common Lyapunov function when the communication channel is perfect. Then a stochastic quantization strategy is applied to model the information transmission in the agent coordination and the corresponding solution is also given, even if the interconnection topology is switching.
Polymerization of Recombinant Hb S-Kempsey (Deoxy-R State) and Hb S-Kansas (Oxy-T State) (*)

In order to investigate the role of the R (relaxed) to T (tense) structural transition in facilitating polymerization of deoxy-Hb S, we have engineered and expressed two Hb S variants which destabilize either T state (Hb S-Kempsey, αβ) or R state structures (Hb S-Kansas, αβ). Polymerization of deoxy-Hb S-Kempsey, which shows high oxygen affinity and increased dimer dissociation, required about 2- and 6-fold higher hemoglobin concentrations than deoxy-Hb S for polymerization in low and high phosphate concentrations, and its kinetic pattern of polymerization was biphasic. In contrast, oxy- or CO Hb S-Kansas, which shows low oxygen affinity and increased dimer dissociation, polymerized at a slightly higher critical concentration than that required for polymerization of deoxy-Hb S in both low and high phosphate buffers. Polymerization of oxy- and CO Hb S-Kansas was linear and showed no delay time, which is similar to oversaturated oxy- or CO Hb S. These results suggest that nuclei formation, which occurs during the delay time prior to deoxy-Hb S polymerization, does not occur in T state oxy-Hb S-Kansas, even though the critical concentration for polymerization of T state oxy-Hb S-Kansas is similar to that of T state deoxy-Hb S.
Downregulation of estrogen‐metabolizing 17β‐hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase Type 2 expression correlates inversely with Ki67 proliferation marker in colon‐cancer development

The 17HSDs are a group of isozymes that catalyze the interconversion between high‐activity 17β‐hydroxysteroids and low‐activity 17‐ketosteroids. In the present study, we characterized the expression of 17HSD types 1 and 2 in normal and malignant gastrointestinal tissues and cells. Using the colon as a model for cancer of the gastrointestinal tract, expression of the 17HSD enzymes in cancer development was studied and correlated with proliferation and differentiation markers as assessed by Ki67 and mucin staining, respectively. In normal colon and small intestine, 17HSD type 2 mRNA was expressed in the surface epithelial cells and, to a lesser extent, in the cryptal epithelial cells. In colon‐cancer specimens, 17HSD type 2 expression was downregulated both in the tissues and in the cell lines and correlated inversely with the proliferation marker. No expression for the 17HSD type 1 enzyme was observed in normal or cancerous gastrointestinal tract tissues. In line with the expression studies, 17HSD activity measurements with colon cells showed that only the oxidative conversion of E2 to E1 was present, and Northern blot analysis showed the signal only for 17HSD type 2. Localization of the ERs α and β, assessed by immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization, showed the presence of ERβ in the lamina propria of the colon. Our study shows that 17HSD type 2 expression is associated with the functional integrity of the gastrointestinal tract. The decrease in expression of the type 2 enzyme may increase estrogen influence in colon cancer. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.