Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Constant use of oral anticoagulants: implications in the control of their adequate levels.

BACKGROUND Inappropriate and subtherapeutic anticoagulants dosages may result in severe thromboembolic and bleeding complications. The use of this treatment requires special attention and strict clinical and laboratory follow-up. OBJECTIVE To identify factors associated with appropriate control of the oral anticoagulant use, assessing the patients' knowledge and perception of the treatment. METHODS A cross-sectional study which included 140 patients followed in the oral anticoagulation outpatient clinic from November 2005 to June 2006. A structured questionnaire was drafted and applied to obtain the clinical characteristics of the patients and their knowledge about the treatment, their compliance with the treatment (Morisky s test) and their perception of the treatment. RESULTS The main indications for the use of oral anticoagulation therapy were atrial fibrillation (61.4%) and a prosthetic heart valve (55%). The duration of anticoagulation ranged from 24 to 72 months, and phenprocoumon (58%) was the most commonly used anticoagulant. As to the perception of the treatment, 95% of the patients mentioned concern about daily use of this medication. Periodic blood tests (21.4%) and the strict intake of oral anticoagulant (12.8%) were considered limiting factors. Adequate knowledge was outstanding in patients with an international normalized ratio (INR) outside the therapeutic range (64%), compared to patients with an INR within the therapeutic range (62%), as well as compliance with treatment in patients with an INR within the therapeutic range (54%), but with no statistical significance. CONCLUSION The results of this study show a prevalence of patients using oral anticoagulant with an INR within optimal values, although a high percentage of patients do not comply with the treatment. In this population it is clearly seen that they do not fully understand the treatment.
Identification of osmoresponsive genes in Escherichia coli: evidence for participation of potassium and proline transport systems in osmoregulation

Mu d1(Ap lac)-generated operon fusions were used in the identification of genes in Escherichia coli whose transcriptional expression is altered by changes in the osmolarity of the growth medium. One such osmoresponsive gene, designated osrA, was induced 400-fold when the osmolarity of the medium was increased with the addition of either ionic or neutral impermeable solutes but was not induced with glycerol, which is freely permeable across the cell membrane. osrA was mapped to 57.5 min and was shown to be transcribed clockwise on the E. coli chromosome. The ability of small concentrations of L-proline to promote the growth of E. coli in high-osmolar medium was shown to have been specifically lost in osrA mutants; other lines of evidence were also obtained to support the notion that osrA codes for an osmoresponsive L-proline transport system and is homologus to proU in Salmonella typhimurium. A second osmoresponsive operon identified was kdp, which codes for an inducible K+-transport system in E. coli. kdp expression was elevated 12-fold when the osmolarity of the growth medium was increased with the addition of impermeable ionic solutes but not neutral solutes; furthermore, osmoresponsivity of kdp expression was demonstrable only in K+-limiting media. kdp mutants were able to grow normally in high-osmolar media, but strains defective in both kdp and trkA (a gene for a second major K+-transport system) displayed an osmosensitive phenotype. The results suggest that transport systems for L-proline and K+, specified by osrA (proU) and kdp, respectively, play independent and important roles in osmoregulation in E. coli. A third osmoresponsive gene that was identified was lamB, which codes for an outer membrane protein for maltodextrin transport and lambda phage adsorption; its expression was reduced fourfold with increase in the osmolarity of the growth medium.
Análise de correlações entre tremor, degeneração celular e idade

MANSUR, P. H. G. ; ANDRADE, A. O. ; PEREIRA, A. A. Analysis of Correlation Between Tremor, Cellular Degeneration and Aging. FEELT-UFU, Uberlândia, 2011, 72p. The main problem of tremor is the damage caused to the quality of the life of patients, especially those at more advanced ages. There is not a consensus yet about the origins of this disorder, but it can be examined in the correlations between the biological signs of aging and the tremor characteristics. This work sought correlations between the osmotic fragility of erythrocytes and features extracted from electromyographic (EMG) activity resulting from physiological tremor in healthy volunteers (N=44) at different age groups (24-87 years). The osmotic fragility was spectrophotometrically evaluated by the dependence of hemolysis, provided by the absorbance in 540 nm (A54o), on the concentration of NaCl. The data were adjusted to curves of sigmoidal regression and characterized by the half transition point (H50), amplitude of lysis transition (dx) and values of A540 in the curve regions that characterize the presence of lysed (A1) and preserved erythrocytes (A2). The amplitude, frequency and approximate entropy was estimated from EMG signals detected with surface electrodes fixed on the extensor carpi ulnaris muscle during the movement of the hand of subjects holding up a laser pen towards an Archimedes spiral, fixed in a whiteboard, and from an acelerometer fixed at the pen. The evaluations were carried out with the laser pen at rest, at the center of the spiral, and in movement from the center to the outside and from outside to the center. The correlations among the parameters of osmotic fragility, tremor, gender and age were tested. Negative correlations with age were found for A1 and dx. With the hand at rest, a positive correlation with H50 was found for the approximate entropy. Negative correlations with H50 were found for the entropy with the hand in movement, as from the center to the outside or from the outside to the center of the spiral. In neurological healthy individuals, the increase in the erythrocyte osmotic fragility was associated with a decrease in the approximate entropy for rest tremor and with an increase of the entropy for movement tremor. This suggests that the neuromuscular degeneration associated with tremor entails also the mechanisms involved in the breakdown of structural homeostasis of the erythrocyte membrane.
Microbiological and functional evaluation of an alternative device (OB®) for estrous synchronization in ewes

The use of synthetic progestagens released by vaginal devices is an important tool to overcome the reproductive seasonality in sheep, but cost and/or subsequent vaginitis are limiting factors for their use. To identify economic, simple and innocuous alternative vaginal devices for estrous synchronization/induction protocols in sheep, this study aimed to evaluate the microbiological and functional viability of the human vaginal tampons (OB®) impregnated with medroxyprogesterone acetate (MAP) on reproductive performance of ewes. The study compared them with commercial vaginal inserts (CIDR®) and polyurethane sponges impregnated with MAP. In Experiment 1, the device loss rate, the degree of vaginitis during the device removal, the count and identification of bacterial colonies at the device insertion and removal, and efficiency in estrous synchronization and estrus temporal distribution were evaluated. Pubertal ewes at the beginning of the breeding season were randomly allocated to three experimental groups: CIDR®, PSP (polyurethane sponge) and OB®. No device losses occurred in any group, but the use of OB® caused milder signs of vaginitis than polyurethane sponges, with a similar vaginal bacterial growth and microbiota than the CIDR group. The estrus distribution was more disperse in the CIDR than PSP or OB groups. In Experiment 2, pregnancy rates using CIDR® or OB® devices were compared, with estrus manifestation (85.4% and 89.8%) and pregnancy rates (58.3% and 49.0%) being similar between groups (P>0.05), respectively. In conclusion, the use of human intra-vaginal tampons (OB®) impregnated with MAP was proven highly hygienic, practical and effective as a low-cost alternative for estrous synchronization and AI in sheep.
Asynchronous Networked MPC With ISM for Uncertain Nonlinear Systems

A model-based event-triggered control scheme for nonlinear constrained continuous-time uncertain systems in networked configuration is presented in this paper. It is based on the combined use of model-predictive control (MPC) and integral sliding-mode (ISM) control, and it is oriented to reduce the packet transmission over the network both in the direct path and in the feedback path, in order to avoid network congestion. The key elements of the proposed control scheme are the ISM local control law, the MPC remote controller, a smart sensor, and a smart actuator, both containing a copy of the nominal model of the plant. The role of the ISM control law is to compensate matched uncertainties, without amplifying the unmatched ones. The MPC controller with tightened constraints generates the control component oriented to comply with state and control requirements and is asynchronous since the underlying constrained optimization problem is solved only when a triggering event occurs. In the paper, the robustness properties of the controlled system are theoretically analyzed, proving the regional input-to-state practical stability of the overall control scheme.
Relationships of walking at individual, interpersonal and environmental levels among seniors.

XV Resumo . XVII List of abbreviations . XIX General Introduction . 21 1. The ageing and sedentary population . 23 2. The role of regular physical activity preventing chronic diseases and disabling conditions . 24 3. Understanding older adults’ walking activity: an overview of social ecological models . 26 3.1 Relationships between walking and individual factors . 28 3.2 Relationships between walking and interpersonal factors . 29 3.3 Relationships between walking and environmental factors . 30 4. Measuring walking . 32 5. Promoting walking: the example of the Portuguese national walking and running program . 34 6. Objectives of this thesis . 37 Experimental Work . 39 Paper I: The experience of older adults in a walking program at individual, interpersonal and environmental levels. 45 Paper II: Ambulatory activity of older adults participants in the Portuguese national walking and running program. An analysis of the peak 30-minutes cadence and its relation with functional fitness. 63 Paper III: Walking as a mediator of the relationship of social support with vitality and psychological distress in older adults. 81 Paper IV: Perceptions of the neighborhood environment associated with walking at recommend intensity and volume levels in recreational senior walkers. 105 Discussion . 127
Transparent Checkpoint-Restart of Multiple Processes on Commodity Operating Systems

The ability to checkpoint a running application and restart it later can provide many useful benefits including fault recovery, advanced resources sharing, dynamic load balancing and improved service availability. However, applications often involve multiple processes which have dependencies through the operating system. We present a transparent mechanism for commodity operating systems that can checkpoint multiple processes in a consistent state so that they can be restarted correctly at a later time. We introduce an efficient algorithm for recording process relationships and correctly saving and restoring shared state in a manner that leverages existing operating system kernel functionality. We have implemented our system as a loadable kernel module and user-space utilities in Linux. We demonstrate its ability on real-world applications to provide transparent checkpoint-restart functionality without modifying, recompiling, or relinking applications, libraries, or the operating system kernel. Our results show checkpoint and restart times 3 to 55 times faster than OpenVZ and 5 to 1100 times faster than Xen.
Observations of H3+ in Dense Molecular Clouds

H+3 has been detected using infrared absorption spectroscopy along the lines of sight to six infrared sources in dense molecular clouds: AFGL 2136, W33A, Mon R2 IRS 3, AFGL 961E, AFGL 2591, and AFGL 490. Upper limits to the column densities of H+3 are reported for an additional nine sources. The column densities of CO toward Mon R2 IRS 3 and AFGL 961E have been determined from observations of the first-overtone lines of CO. For the six sources toward which H+3 was detected, a simple model of H+3 chemistry has been used together with column densities of H2 derived from infrared CO measurements to estimate column lengths, mean number densities, and temperatures of molecular clouds. The derived column lengths are on the order of a parsec, the number densities are 104-105 cm-3, and the temperatures are ~25-50 K.
A Functional Green Fluorescent Protein-tagged Erythropoietin Receptor Despite Physical Separation of JAK2 Binding Site and Tyrosine Residues*

Signaling through hematopoietic cytokine receptors such as the erythropoietin receptor (EpoR) depends on the activation of a receptor-bound Janus kinase (JAK) and tyrosine phosphorylation of the cytoplasmic domain. To visualize the EpoR and elucidate structural requirements coordinating signal transduction, we probed the EpoR by inserting the green fluorescent protein (GFP) at various positions. We show that insertion of GFP in proximity to the transmembrane domain, either in the extracellular or the cytoplasmic domain, results in EpoR-GFP receptors incompetent to elicit biological responses in a factor-dependent cell line or in erythroid progenitor cells. Surprisingly, a receptor harboring GFP insertion in the middle of the cytoplasmic domain, and thereby separating the JAK2 binding site from the tyrosine residues, is capable of supporting signal transduction in response to ligand binding. Comparable with the wild type EpoR, but more efficient than a C-terminal EpoR-GFP fusion, this chimeric receptor promotes the maturation of erythroid progenitor cells and is localized in punctated endosome-like structures. We conclude that the extracellular, transmembrane, and membrane-proximal segment of the cytoplasmic domain form a rigid structural entity whose precise orientation is essential for the initiation of signal transduction, whereas the cytoplasmic domain possesses flexibility in adopting an activated conformation.
Crystal Structures of the Laminarinase Catalytic Domain from Thermotoga maritima MSB8 in Complex with Inhibitors

Laminarinases hydrolyzing the β-1,3-linkage of glucans play essential roles in microbial saccharide degradation. Here we report the crystal structures at 1.65–1.82 Å resolution of the catalytic domain of laminarinase from the thermophile Thermotoga maritima with various space groups in the ligand-free form or in the presence of inhibitors gluconolactone and cetyltrimethylammonium. Ligands were bound at the cleft of the active site near an enclosure formed by Trp-232 and a flexible GASIG loop. A closed configuration at the active site cleft was observed in some molecules. The loop flexibility in the enzyme may contribute to the regulation of endo- or exo-activity of the enzyme and a preference to release laminaritrioses in long chain carbohydrate hydrolysis. Glu-137 and Glu-132 are proposed to serve as the proton donor and nucleophile, respectively, in the retaining catalysis of hydrolyzation. Calcium ions in the crystallization media are found to accelerate crystal growth. Comparison of laminarinase and endoglucanase structures revealed the subtle difference of key residues in the active site for the selection of β-1,3-glucan and β-1,4-glucan substrates, respectively. Arg-85 may be pivotal to β-1,3-glucan substrate selection. The similarity of the structures between the laminarinase catalytic domain and its carbohydrate-binding modules may have evolutionary relevance because of the similarities in their folds.
Directed Multicut is W[1]-hard, Even for Four Terminal Pairs

We prove that Multicut in directed graphs, parameterized by the size of the cutset, is W[1]-hard and hence unlikely to be fixed-parameter tractable even if restricted to instances with only four terminal pairs. This negative result almost completely resolves one of the central open problems in the area of parameterized complexity of graph separation problems, posted originally by Marx and Razgon [SIAM J. Comput. 43(2):355--388 (2014)], leaving only the case of three terminal pairs open. The case of two terminal pairs was shown to be FPT by Chitnis et al. [SIAM J. Comput. 42(4):1674--1696 (2013)]. Our gadget methodology also allows us to prove W[1]-hardness of the Steiner Orientation problem parameterized by the number of terminal pairs, resolving an open problem of Cygan, Kortsarz, and Nutov [SIAM J. Discrete Math. 27(3):1503-1513 (2013)].
Comparisons of methods for calculating retention of nutrients in cooked foods.

Six types of weight changes that occur when food is cooked by different methods are described. For five of these types, true retentions of nutrients (defined as calculations based on nutrient content of known weights of food before and after cooking) were compared with apparent retentions (defined as calculations based on nutrient content of moisture-free raw and cooked foods). Comparisons included retentions of proximate components, minerals, and vitamins. Apparent retentions overestimated the true retentions in nearly all instances. To avoid bias, true retentions should be reported whenever it is feasible to obtain data on weights of foods before and after cooking.
Things That Make Us Reminisce: Everyday Memory Cues as Opportunities for Interaction Design

Interactive devices can support personal remembering to benefit well-being. These designs require insight into what brings the past to mind, and how people relate to such cues. Prior work focused on mementos in the home; instead, this paper presents a diary and interview study of involuntary memory cueing in everyday life. Data was collected from fifteen adult individuals, using sentence completion diaries, combined with debriefing interviews. Qualitative analysis of the data showed that these participants were relying on everyday physical objects like food items for cueing memories during everyday life, locations and (repeated) activities, while digital items and photos were shown to be less frequent stimulants. Meaningful relations to memory cues can be partially explained from a memory cueing perspective. We discuss how design for remembering can benefit from our insights, through careful trade-offs in timing, exposure to cues, and supporting a process of personal attachment with items invoking memories.
Non-CPAP therapies in obstructive sleep apnoea

In view of the high prevalence and the relevant impairment of patients with obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome (OSAS) lots of methods are offered which promise definitive cures for or relevant improvement of OSAS. This report summarises the efficacy of alternative treatment options in OSAS. An interdisciplinary European Respiratory Society task force evaluated the scientific literature according to the standards of evidence-based medicine. Evidence supports the use of mandibular advancement devices in mild to moderate OSAS. Maxillomandibular osteotomy seems to be as efficient as continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) in patients who refuse conservative treatment. Distraction osteogenesis is usefully applied in congenital micrognathia or midface hypoplasia. There is a trend towards improvment after weight reduction. Positional therapy is clearly inferior to CPAP and long-term compliance is poor. Drugs, nasal dilators and apnoea triggered muscle stimulation cannot be recommended as effective treatments of OSAS at the moment. Nasal surgery, radiofrequency tonsil reduction, tongue base surgery, uvulopalatal flap, laser midline glossectomy, tongue suspension and genioglossus advancement cannot be recommended as single interventions. Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty, pillar implants and hyoid suspension should only be considered in selected patients and potential benefits should be weighed against the risk of long-term side-effects. Multilevel surgery is only a salvage procedure for OSA patients.
Design and optimization for distributed indexing scheme in switch-centric cloud storage system

The capacity of data management and the query performance are two main metrics for today's cloud storage system. In this paper, we design a two-layer indexing scheme of distributed secondary index on switch-centric data center network (DCN) topologies. We take advantage of the desirable features of switch-centric topologies, such as stability, scalability, and fault tolerance, and successfully improve the query efficiency for cloud storage system. We choose B+-tree as the local layer index to locate data in each local host, while implement segment tree as the global layer index to manage a portion of metadata published from local hosts. We also optimize the query processing protocols to reduce false positives and network cost. In addition, we propose a top-down index selection method for maintenance. We then analyze the efficiency of query processing theoretically and calculate the expected number of routing cost for each query precisely. Finally we validate the efficiency of our design by experiments and comparison with a previous work.
A Bayesian Approach for User Modeling in Dialogue Systems

User modeling is an important components of dialog systems. Most previous approaches are rule-based methods. In this paper, we propose to represent user models through Bayesian networks. Some advantages of the Bayesian approach over the rule-based approach are as follows. First, rules for updating user models are not necessary because updating is directly performed by the evaluation of the network based on probability theory; this provides us a more formal way of dealing with uncertainties. Second, the Bayesian network provides more detailed information of users' knowledge, because the degree of belief on each concept is provided in terms of probability. We prove these advantages through a preliminary experiment.
Moral Ambivalence: Modeling and Measuring Bivariate Evaluative Processes in Moral Judgment

Moral judgments often appear to arise from quick affectively toned intuitions rather than from conscious application of moral principles. Sometimes people feel that an action they observe or contemplate could be judged as either right or wrong. Models of moral intuition need to specify mechanisms that could account for such moral ambivalence. The basic implication of moral ambivalence is that right and wrong are regions of a bivariate scale rather than a bipolar scale. The former allows for equally strong positive and negative evaluations of a stimulus, but the latter requires one evaluation to get weaker as the other one gets stronger (Cacioppo & Berntson, 1994). Covariation of evaluative activations is supported by classic animal research on approach–avoidance conflict showing that when rats are both rewarded and punished in the goal region of a runway, their approach and avoidance tendencies both increase as they get closer to the goal. The relevance of this research to moral judgment is underscored by recent studies indicating that judgments of right and wrong are fundamentally expressions of approach and avoidance motivation. Experimental and historical analyses illustrate 2 potential effects of ambivalence on moral judgment, vacillation and suppression, and a proposed model shows how the bivariate scale can be applied to existing formulations, including Haidt's moral foundations theory. Studies of moral judgment that use rating scales, questionnaires, or interviews should give participants the option to express ambivalence (e.g., “can't decide,” “don't know”) instead of requiring definitive judgments, which is the current practice.