Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cause-specific long-term mortality rates in patients recovered from community-acquired pneumonia as compared with the general Dutch population.

Insights into long-term mortality, especially into the cause of death after initial recovery from an episode of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), may help in determining optimal preventive measures in such patients. Prospective observational cohort studies were conducted to compare cause-specific long-term mortality rates for 356 patients who had recovered from CAP with those of the general Dutch population (16.3 million) between 2003 and 2007. The Dutch Municipal Public Records Database and death certificates were used to determine cause-specific mortality rates up to 7 years after discharge. In patients who had recovered from CAP, cumulative 1-year, 5-year and 7-year mortality rates were 17%, 43% and 53%, respectively, as compared with 4%, 19% and 24% for an age-matched and sex-matched population reference cohort. Overall, patients who had recovered from CAP had significantly higher long-term mortality than matched population controls (rate ratio (RR) 3.6; p <0.001). In the years after an episode of CAP, malignancy (27%), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) (19%) and cardiovascular disease (16%) were the most frequent causes of death. Only 6% died of pneumonia, as compared with 3.2% in the general population. After initial recovery from an episode of CAP, long-term mortality rates are more than three times as high as in the general population. The causes of long-term mortality were mostly comorbidity-related, and significantly different from those in the general population. After an episode of CAP, optimization of treatment of comorbidities, such as treatment for COPD, might improve long-term survival rates.
Diagnostic Utility of Neuropsychological Performance and Quantitative MRI-based Measurement in Alzheimer Disease

This study was designed to examine the roles of the characteristic cognitive indicators and specific MRI-based measurements in the differential diagnoses of Alzheimer disease (AD), vascular dementia (VaD), and normal aging. Fifty-two probable AD patients were recruited for the study. Twenty-seven VaD patients and 35 age-matched normal older adults (NC) were included as controls. All subjects underwent a battery of standardized neuropsychological tests. The MRI-based quantification technique was used to measure the volumes and T2 relaxation time (T2) of medial temporal lobe structures. Stepwise discriminant analyses showed cognitive indicators had a sensitivity ranging from 82% to 100% and specificity from 82% to 97% for differentiating AD from non-AD cases (VaD and normal controls), and the quantitative MRI-based measurements of medial temporal lobe structures correctly classified AD cases from non-AD cases with sensitivity from 80% to 96% and specificity from 83% to 97%. ROC curve analyses showed that the combination of cognitive and MRI measurements slightly increased the diagnostic accuracy of AD. The results suggest that both cognitive indicators and MRI-based medial temporal lobe measurements may be useful in differentiating AD from VaD and normal older adults. The combination of these possible indicators is promising in the early diagnosis of AD.
New capabilities for PCL system: 3D measurement for receiver in multidonors configuration

For more than 15 years, the interest for PCL (Passive Coherent Location) system has been growing. It began with the analog waveforms like TV [1] and FM [2,3]; now the interest for digital waveform has increased [2, 4] and especially for DVB-T (Digital Video Broadcasting-Terrestrial).
The Impact of High-Speed Rail Investment on Economic and Environmental Change in China: A Dynamic CGE Analysis

This study investigates the impact of high-speed rail investment on the economy and environment in China using a computable general equilibrium (CGE) model. The analysis is implemented in a dynamic recursive framework capturing long-run capital accumulation and labor market equilibrium. A national level impact was simulated through direct impact drivers including land use conversion, output expansion, cost reduction, productivity increase, transport demand substitution and induced demand. The results suggest that rail investment in China over the past decade has been a positive stimulus to the economy, while the effect on CO2 emissions generation has been large. Overall, the economic impacts of rail investment are achieved primarily through induced demand and output expansion, whereas the contribution from a reduction of rail transportation costs and rail productivity increases were modest. In addition, negligible negative impacts were found from land use for rail development and the substitution effect among other modes. Emissions reduction from substitution of rail for other modes was small and offset by output expansion due to lowered rail transport costs and induced demand.
Dietary fructose, salt absorption and hypertension in metabolic syndrome: towards a new paradigm

The worldwide increase in the incidence of metabolic syndrome correlates with marked increase in total fructose intake in the form of high‐fructose corn syrup, beverage and table sugar. Increased dietary fructose intake in rodents has been shown to recapitulate many aspects of metabolic syndrome by causing hypertension, insulin resistance and hyperlipidaemia. Recent studies demonstrated that increased dietary fructose intake stimulates salt absorption in the small intestine and kidney tubules, resulting in a state of salt overload and thus causing hypertension. The absorption of salt (sodium and chloride) in the small intestine is predominantly mediated via the chloride/base exchangers DRA (Down Regulated in Adenoma) (SLC26A3) and PAT1 (Putative Anion Transporter 1) (SLC26A6), and the Na+/H+ exchanger NHE3 (Sodium Hydrogen Exchanger3) (SLC9A3). PAT1 and NHE3 also co‐localize on the apical membrane of kidney proximal tubule. Luminal fructose stimulated salt absorption in the jejunum and kidney tubules, responses that were significantly diminished in PAT1 null mice. These studies further demonstrated that Glut5 (SLC2A5) is the major fructose‐absorbing transporter in the small intestine (and kidney proximal tubule) and plays an essential role in the systemic homeostasis of fructose. Increased dietary fructose intake for several weeks upregulated the expression of NHE3, PAT1 and Glut5 in the intestine and resulted in hypertension in wild‐type mice, a response that was almost abolished in PAT1 null mice and abrogated in Glut5 null mice. This article will discuss the interaction of Glut5 with salt‐absorbing transporters and review the role of dietary fructose in enhanced salt absorption in intestine and kidney as it relates to the pathogenesis of hypertension in metabolic syndrome.
Globalization and the transformation of the national political space: Six European countries compared

In this paper, we present the basic ideas, the design and some key results of an ongoing research project on the transformation of the national political space in Western Europe. We start from the assumption that the current process of globalization or denationaliza-tion leads to the formation of a new structural conflict in Western European countries, opposing those who benefit from this process to those who tend to loose in the course of the events. The structural opposition between globalization "winners" and "losers" is expected to constitute potentials for the political mobilization within national political contexts. The political mobilization of these potentials, in turn, is expected to give rise to two intimately related dynamics: the transformation of the basic structure of the na-tional political space and the strategic repositioning of the political parties within the transforming space. We present several hypotheses with regard to these two dynamics and test them empirically on the basis of newly collected data concerning the supply side of electoral politics from six Western European countries (Austria, Britain, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland). The results indicate that in all the countries, the new cleavage has been embedded into the existing two-dimensional national political spaces. In the process, the meaning of the original dimensions has been transformed. The configuration of the main parties has become triangular even in a country like France where it used to be bipolar.
Blockage of voltage‐gated calcium signaling impairs migration of glial cells in vivo

Migration of glial cells is an essential step in the development of the antennal lobe, the primary olfactory center of insects, to establish well‐defined borders between olfactory glomeruli required for odor discrimination. In the present study, we used two‐photon microscopy to visualize calcium signaling in developing antennal lobe glial cells of the sphinx moth Manduca sexta. We found a correlation between the upregulation of functional voltage‐gated calcium channels and the onset of glial cell migration. In addition, glial cells migrating into the center of the antennal lobe express larger voltage‐gated calcium transients than glial cells that remain at the periphery. Migration behavior and calcium signaling of glial cells in vivo were manipulated either by deafferentation, by injection of the calcium channel blockers diltiazem, verapamil, and flunarizine, or by injection of the calcium chelators BAPTA‐AM and Fluo‐4‐AM. In deafferented antennal lobes, glial cells failed to express functional voltage‐gated calcium channels and did not migrate. Calcium channel blockage or reducing glial calcium signals by calcium chelators prevented glial cell migration and resulted in antennal lobes lacking glial borders around glomeruli, indicating that voltage‐gated calcium signaling is required for the migration of antennal lobe glial cells and the development of mature olfactory glomeruli. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
What Can Big Data Tell Us About the Passthrough of Big Exchange Rate Changes?

Using a large data set of import volumes and values for goods imports from around 50 trading partners, and 3,000 goods type, this paper finds that the micro level, passthrough is non-linear in the exchange rate. The passthrough of larger bilateral exchange rate movements (ie more than 5%) is around four times larger than that of smaller changes. However, regressions on aggregate data indicate that passthrough at the macro level is close to full. The resolution to this apparent puzzle lies in the fact that larger bilateral movements account for the vast majority of variation in the exchange rate index, and hence the non-linearity at the micro level largely disappears at the macro level.
Sleep‐active neurons in the preoptic area project to the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus and perifornical lateral hypothalamus

The lamina terminalis consists of the organum vasculosum of the lamina terminalis (OVLT), median preoptic nucleus (MnPO) and subfornical organ. The MnPO and ventrolateral preoptic area (vlPOA) are known to contain high densities of neurons that are sleep active. The prevalence of sleep‐active neurons in the OVLT and subfornical organ is unknown. The vlPOA and subdivisions of the lamina terminalis project to hypothalamic regions involved in the control of behavioral, electrographic or autonomic arousal, including the lateral hypothalamic area (LHA) and paraventricular nucleus (PVN). The extent to which projection neurons are active during sleep is unknown. We quantified c‐Fos protein immunoreactivity (IR) in the lamina terminalis and vlPOA in sleeping and awake rats that received injections of retrograde tracer into either the LHA or PVN. Fos IR was also examined in lamina terminalis neurons following tracer injections into the vlPOA. Significantly more projection neurons from the MnPO, OVLT and vlPOA to the LHA were Fos‐immunoreactive in sleeping vs. awake animals. Waking Fos IR was more prevalent in lamina terminalis neurons projecting to the PVN although a subset of MnPO projection neurons in sleeping rats was Fos‐immunoreactive. Almost 50% of vlPOA‐PVN projection neurons expressed Fos IR during sleep, compared with 3% during waking. Significantly more neurons in the OVLT and MnPO projecting to the vlPOA were Fos‐immunoreactive in sleeping vs. awake rats. Inhibition of LHA and PVN neurons arising from OVLT, MnPO and vlPOA neurons may contribute to suppression of behavioral, electroencephalographic and sympathetic nervous system activation during sleep.
Mineração de emoções em textos multilíngues usando um corpus paralelo

Multilingual Opinion Mining deals with the analysis of opinions, regardless of the language in which they are written. Works in this area focus on the classification of the polarity of opinions extracted from texts, and less attention has been paid to the classification of emotions. This work proposes the use of Multilingual Opinion Mining techniques for emotion mining using parallel corpora. We developed experiments with two goals: 1) to compare two approaches for emotion classification: lexicon-based and machine learning-based; 2) to analyze whether a specific language produces better classification results. We developed experiments with a parallel corpus composed by lyrics in their original language (English) and their translations to Portuguese. The results show that machine learning is superior to the use of sentiment lexicon, and that there is no statistical difference regarding the languages used for classification. Resumo. A área de Mineração de Opinião Multilíngue surgiu para extrair e analisar opiniões em textos, independente do idioma no qual estão escritos. Os trabalhos na área concentram seus esforços em classificar a polaridade de opiniões extraídas de texto, mas a classificação das emoções ainda é pouco explorada. Este trabalho se propõe a usar técnicas de Mineração de Opinião Multilíngue para minerar emoções em corpora paralelos. Desenvolvemos experimentos com dois objetivos: 1) comparar duas abordagens de classificação de emoções, a saber, baseada em léxico de sentimentos e em aprendizado de máquina; 2) na classificação de emoções baseada em aprendizado de máquina, verificar se algum idioma produz melhores resultados em isolado ou combinado. Os experimentos utilizaram um corpus paralelo composto por letras de música no idioma original (inglês) e suas traduções para o português. Os resultados mostram que a abordagem aprendizado de máquina é superior ao uso de léxico de sentimento e que não há diferença estatística entre as classificações segundo os idiomas. 1. Introdução Com a expansão da Internet, é fácil para as pessoas expressarem seus sentimentos sobre diversos assuntos na rede, através de textos postados em blogs, redes sociais, fóruns, entre outros. Esses textos são uma fonte de dados rica para a Análise de Sentimentos (AS), também denominada Mineração de Opinião (MO), que tem como objetivo identificar, classificar e sumarizar sentimentos em textos a respeito de um alvo. Dentre as aplicações mais comuns de AS se encontram sumarização de revisões de produtos, análise de popularidade de marcas, organizações ou pessoas para relações públicas ou 29th SBBD – SBBD Proceedings – ISSN 2316-5170 October 6-9, 2014 – Curitiba, PR, Brazil
Bcl-2 Expression Enhances Myoblast Sheet Transplantation Therapy for Acute Myocardial Infarction

Myoblast sheet transplantation is a promising novel treatment modality for heart failure after an ischemic insult. However, low supply of blood and nutrients may compromise sheet survival. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of mitochondria-protective Bcl-2-modified myoblasts in cell sheet transplantation therapy. In the Bcl-2-expressing rat L6 myoblast sheets (L6-Bcl2), increased expression of myocyte markers and angiogenic mediators was evident compared to wild-type (L6-WT) sheets. The L6-Bcl2 sheets demonstrated significant resistance to apoptotic stimuli, and their differentiation capacity in vitro was increased. We evaluated the therapeutic effect of Bcl-2-modified myoblast sheets in a rat model of acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Sixty-four Wistar rats were divided into four groups. One group underwent AMI (n = 22), another AMI and L6-WT sheet transplantation (n = 17), and a third AMI and L6-Bcl2 sheet transplantation (n = 20). Five rats underwent a sham operation. Echocardiography was performed after 3, 10, and 28 days. Samples for histological analysis were collected at the end of the study. After AMI, the Bcl-2-expressing sheets survived longer on the infarcted myocardium, and significantly improved cardiac function. L6-Bcl2 sheet transplantation reduced myocardial fibrosis and increased vascular density in infarct and border areas. Moreover, the number of c-kit-positive and proliferating cells in the myocardium was increased in the L6-Bcl2 group. In conclusion, Bcl-2 prolongs survival of myoblast sheets, increases production of proangiogenic paracrine mediators, and enhances the therapeutic efficacy of cell sheet transplantation.
A novel influenza A H1N1 clinical manifestations in patients at Chiang Mai University Hospital.

OBJECTIVE To describe the clinical manifestations of patients affected with a novel influenza A (H1N1 2009) during the pandemic. MATERIAL AND METHOD A retrospective study was conducted in patients with influenza-like illness receiving care at Chiang Mai University Hospital between June 1 and September 30, 2009. The inclusion criteria were as follows 1) patients had influenza-like illness that was defined as fever, with cough and/or sore throat, 2) detection of influenza A H1N1 2009 by real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) from nasopharyngeal swabs or throat swabs. RESULTS Among 278 patients, 150 patients (54.0%) were male and the mean age was 21.4 +/- 13.1 years (range 1-74). Eighty-seven patients (31.3%) were in age group 15-19 years. Fifty-eight patients (20.9%) had underlying diseases and asthma was the most common health problem. The presenting symptoms were cough (dry or productive) (248 patients, 89.2%), fever > or = 38.0 degrees C (229 patients, 82.4%), sore throat (195 patients, 70.1%), rhinorrhea (126 patients, 45.3%) and myalgia (113 patients, 40.6%). Five patients had co-infection at admission, three patients had dengue hemorrhagic fever, one patient had mycoplasma infection, and the other one with Acinetobacter lwoffi bacteremia. One hundred forty four patients (51.8%) received oseltamivir. Two hundred seventy two patients (97.8%) recovered without complications. One pregnant-woman developed severe pre-eclampsia five days after the first symptom, one patient developed Guillain Barre syndrome 10 days after the first symptoms. Four patients died, all had pneumonia. CONCLUSION Younger people were more likely to be infected with influenza A H1N1 2009. The clinical manifestations were similar to the seasonal influenza. However, the mortality rate was much higher, particularly in patients who developed pneumonia. In this study, all patients who died had existing underlying medical conditions.
Electricity generation by Pyrococcus furiosus in microbial fuel cells operated at 90°C

Hyperthermophiles are microorganisms that thrive in extremely hot environments with temperatures near and even above 100°C. They are the most deeply rooted microorganisms on phylogenetic trees suggesting they may have evolved to survive in the early hostile earth. The simple respiratory systems of some of these hyperthermophiles make them potential candidates to develop microbial fuel cells (MFC) that can generate power at temperatures approaching the boiling point. We explored extracellular electron transfer in the hyperthermophilic archaeon Pyrococcus furiosus (Pf) by studying its ability to generate electricity in a two‐chamber MFC. Pf growing in defined medium functioned as an anolyte in a MFC operated at 90°C, generating a maximum current density of 2 A m−2 and a peak power density of 225 mW m−2 without the addition of any external redox mediator. Electron microscopy and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy of the anode with the attached Pf biofilm demonstrated bio‐electrochemical behavior that led to electricity generation in the MFC via direct electron transfer. This proof of concept study reveals for the first time that a hyperthermophile such as Pf can generate electricity in MFC at extreme temperatures. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2017;114: 1419–1427. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Utility of positron emission tomography for the detection of disease in residual neck nodes after (chemo)radiotherapy in head and neck cancer

This study evaluates the utility of fluorine‐18 fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG PET) in patients with a node‐positive mucosal head and neck squamous cell carcinoma who achieved a complete response at the primary site but had a residual mass in the neck 8 weeks or more after definitive (chemo)radiotherapy.
A Structural Linkage Model for Freight Rates

This paper examines the role of Capesize vessels in freight markets by proposing a continuous-time freight rate model based on the functional supply and demand curves. The model incorporates the market participant trading behavior in that high Capesize prices induce shipowners and charterers to switch from Capesize to Panamax vessels, resulting in the Panamax demand rise and high Capesize-Panamax price correlation, while high Panamax prices tend to reduce Panamax demand and Capesize-Panamax price correlation due to switching from Panamax to much smaller ships like Handysize vessels. The model can also represent the negative relationship between the price and volatility of freight rates, referred to as “leverage effect. ” An empirical study estimates the model parameters using the Baltic Capesize index and Baltic Panamax index given by the Baltic Exchange in the recent upward trend periods. We demonstrate that the Panamax demand increases in Capesize prices and decreases in Panamax prices, resulting in high and low Capesize-Panamax correlation, respectively which is consistent with the model we propose. It may imply that Capesize vessels have an important role in the other freight markets of Panamax markets. It is also shown that the switching from Capesize to Panamax vessels in high Capesize prices is not observed after the end of 2010. As the additional examination, it is shown that the economical alternative use of Panamax to Capesize is seen during the Capesize price boom periods just before the financial turmoil in 2008 while the switching is not significant rather the contagion, weak though, is observed during the financial turmoil periods. These results may support the view that the important role of Capesize markets in freight markets has been highlighted during Capesize price increasing periods, i.e., economic booming or recovering periods, but the Capesize’s role has recently been violated partly due to the recent market trends such that the market disintegration proceeds since the upsurge of Chinese and Indian trades need much smaller vessels than Capesize vessels. Finally we show the leverage effects in freight markets often observed in security markets during almost all of the sample periods.