Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
High-Temperature Deformability of a Fe-Cr-Mn-Ni Austenite Stainless Steel with High Nitrogen and High Carbon Contents

High temperature deformability and fracture behavior of deformation-processed high nitrogen high carbon Fe-Cr-Mn-Ni stainless steel rods were studied. The effective fracture elongation increased rapidly from 1000 °C, and reached high values (>45%) at 1100–1200 °C, accompanied by strain softening and stress serrations, supporting periodic dynamic recrystallization (DRX). Dynamically recrystallized grains were observed close to the fracture surface, suggesting that active DRX worked until its fracture. Pre-deformation-annealing of Fe-Cr-Mn-Ni stainless steel rods at 1200 °C was found to deteriorate in deformability above 1000 °C, while it enhanced ductility below 950 °C. Pre-deformation annealing had a negative effect on the deformability above 1000 °C due to the reduction of driving forces for DRX, but it exhibited a beneficial effect on the ductility at lower temperatures because of the ease of slip in large-grained structures. The fracture surface at 1250 °C exhibited intergranular fractures due to partial melting at grain boundaries, supported by the thermodynamic calculation of the solidus temperature of Fe-Cr-Mn-Ni austenite stainless steel. In this study, effective fracture elongation, defined based on the assumption that the effective gage length decreases with straining, was found to be an accurate measure of hot deformability.
Levodopa: Effect on cell death and the natural history of Parkinson's disease

This review article considers the question of whether or not levodopa is toxic in Parkinson's disease (PD). l‐dopa is the most effective symptomatic treatment for PD and has provided benefit for millions of patients. However, there has been a longstanding concern that l‐dopa might be toxic and accelerate neuronal degeneration and clinical progression as a consequence of reactive oxygen species generated by the drug's oxidative metabolism. In vitro, l‐dopa can induce degeneration of dopaminergic neurons, but it is not clear that the effects of the drug on cultured dopamine neurons reflect what happens in the PD brain. In vivo, l‐dopa has not been demonstrated to have toxic effects on dopamine neurons in normal, dopamine‐lesioned, or oxidatively stressed animal models, but none of these models precisely replicates the PD condition. Clinical trials have tested the effect of l‐dopa on clinical progression and have not demonstrated any findings indicative of toxicity. However, the symptomatic and long‐duration effects of the drug could mask ongoing neuronal degeneration. Furthermore, l‐dopa induces a greater decline in imaging measures of dopaminergic function than placebo or dopamine agonists, consistent with toxicity. Pathological studies have not demonstrated evidence of accelerated loss of dopamine neurons, but prospective and properly controlled studies with stereological unbiased counting have not been performed. Thus, although there is no hard evidence to suggest that l‐dopa is toxic in PD patients, the issue has not been fully resolved. It is generally recommended that physicians continue to use l‐dopa, but in the lowest dose that provides satisfactory clinical control. © 2014 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society
Kidney Disease and Pregnancy

The course of 41 pregnancies was studied in 25 patients with renal disease. Histological classification of the disease in each patient was made by renal biopsy. The analysis suggests that the course of pregnancy in women with coexistent renal disease correlates with the underlying renal lesion and probably with the glomerular filtration rate and blood pressure. In patients with heavy proteinuria there is increased oedema formation, making the nephrotic syndrome a frequent complication.
Is Sex Like Driving? Risk Compensation Associated with Male Circumcision in Kisumu, Kenya

Mass adult male circumcision campaigns for HIV prevention are underway across much of Sub-Saharan Africa. However, concern remains about risk compensation associated with the reduction in the probability of HIV transmission per risky act. This paper examines the be- havioral response to male circumcision in Kisumu, Kenya. Contrary to the presumption of risk compensation, we find that the response due to the perceived reduction in HIV transmission appears to have been a reduction in risky sexual behavior. We suggest a mechanism for this finding: circumcision reduces fatalism about acquiring HIV/AIDS and increases the salience of the tradeoff between engaging in additional risky behavior and avoiding acquiring HIV. We also find what appears to be a competing effect that does not operate through the circumcision recipient's belief about the reduction in the risk of acquiring HIV.
Anaemia in haemodialysis patients of five European countries: association with morbidity and mortality in the Dialysis Outcomes and Practice Patterns Study (DOPPS).

BACKGROUND The Dialysis Outcomes and Practice Patterns Study (DOPPS) is a prospective, observational study based on data collected from nationally representative samples of haemodialysis facilities. The burden of anaemia in haemodialysis patients is substantial, leading to considerable morbidity, mortality and reduced quality of life. This study examines anaemia management and outcomes based on data from five European countries participating in the DOPPS: France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK. METHODS Baseline data on demographics, co-morbidities and anaemia management in 4591 haemodialysis patients from 101 nephrology facilities were collected in 1998-2000. Using multivariate Cox survival analyses to adjust for patient characteristics, relationships between haemoglobin concentration at study entry and rates of mortality and hospitalization were evaluated. RESULTS For a year 2000 sample of prevalent patients on haemodialysis >180 days, mean haemoglobin concentration was 11.0 g/dl; 53% had a haemoglobin concentration > or = 11 g/dl [1998-1999 = 44% (P < 0.05)]. In 2000, 84% of prevalent patients were prescribed recombinant human erythropoietin (rHuEpo). Higher haemoglobin concentrations were associated with decreased relative risk (RR) for mortality (RR = 0.95 for every 1 g/dl higher haemoglobin, P = 0.03) and hospitalization (RR = 0.96, P = 0.02). Patients with haemoglobin <10 g/dl were 29% more likely to be hospitalized than patients with haemoglobin 11-12 g/dl (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION Even after adjustment, lower haemoglobin concentrations were associated with higher morbidity and mortality in European haemodialysis patients. A trend to increased haemoglobin concentrations was observed following publication of the European Best Practice Guidelines (EBPG) on anaemia management for chronic kidney disease patients, but efforts must continue to achieve EBPG goals.
Qualitative age interactions in breast cancer studies: mind the gap.

NOTE. Qualitative age interactions are expressed as RRs where one characteristic is compared with a referent characteristic with an assigned RR of 1.0. RR 1.0 shows increased breast cancer risk or harmful effect while RR 1.0 shows reduced breast cancer risk or protection compared with the referent characteristic. The crossover age reflects the approximate age of the crossover where RR switches from 1.0 to 1.0 or vice versa. RRs in the Table refer to the RR prior to the age of crossover. For example, RRbefore 30-44 years 1.0 for parity compared with nulliparity; whereas after age 44 years, RR 1.0 for parity compared with nulliparity. Parity increases breast cancer risk before ages 30-44 years but is protective thereafter. 7,12 Obese BMI (body mass index) is protective for premenopausal women before age 50 years but increases risk for postmenopausal women. 8 Age-specific incidence rates are higher for blacks than whites prior to age 40 years but higher for whites after age 40 years. 9 Poor prognostic factor characteristics (tumor sizes 2.0 centimeters, positive axillary lymph nodes, high tumor grade, estrogen and progesterone receptor negative expression) are more common among women before age 50 years, whereas good prognostic factors are more common after age 50 years. 10 Breast cancer outcome (overall recurrence rate and greater risk for developing metastatic disease) is worse among younger (before age 35 years) than older patients, and this difference is not fully explained by greater frequency of adverse prognostic factors. 38 Adjuvant systemic therapy is associated with higher rates of relapse for ER breast cancers among women before age 35 years than older women. 4 NSABP B18 showed that neoadjuvant (preoperative) chemotherapy was marginally beneficial among women before age 50 years and the reverse was true for older women. 5 Fenretinide chemoprevention demonstrated borderline protective effects (P .045) for premenopausal women before age 51 years and harmful effects for postmenopausal women. 6 Abbreviations: RR, relative risk; BMI, body mass index; ER, estrogen receptor; PR, progesterone receptor; Rx, treatment; NSABP, National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project; AC, doxorubicin and cytoxan.
Low-dose Chemotherapeutic Agents Regulate Small Rho GTPase Activity in Dendritic Cells

Conventional chemotherapy targets dividing tumor cells and might support antitumor immunity by providing tumor antigens from dying tumor cells to antigen-presenting dendritic cells (DCs). Despite emerging evidence to suggest that phagocytosis of dying tumor cells by DCs requires membrane targeting of specific small Rho guanosine triphosphatases (GTPases), nothing is known with regard to the direct effect of chemotherapeutic agents on low molecular weight Rho GTPases in DCs. Prompted by a recent observation that low-dose chemotherapeutic drug paclitaxel could up-regulate DC maturation and function, here we studied putative regulatory roles for various chemotherapeutic agents in modulating small Rho GTPases in DC. Our results demonstrate that different classes of chemotherapeutic drugs at low nontoxic concentrations regulate activity of Rac, RhoA, and RhoE in murine DC, suggesting that small Rho GTPases might serve as new targets for modulating functional activity of DC vaccines or endogenous DCs in various immunotherapeutic or chemoimmunotherapeutic strategies.
Oscillometric Carotid to Femoral Pulse Wave Velocity Estimated With the Vicorder Device

Carotid to femoral pulse wave velocity (PWV) is associated with an increase in cardiovascular morbidity and all‐cause mortality. Noninvasive approach has made this method applicable for the examination of larger populations. This study aimed to obtain reference values of PWV measured with the Vicorder device. PWV was obtained using the oscillometric Vicorder in 318 healthy, normotensive patients (165 women, 28.7±17.6 years, range 6–83 years). A plethysmographic sensor was placed over the right carotid region to pick up the carotid pulse wave and a blood pressure cuff was placed around the upper thigh to trace the femoral pulse wave. Path length was defined as the distance from the suprasternal notch to the top of the thigh cuff. Mean PWV was 6.1±1.4 m/s and significantly increased with age (r=.842; P<.0001). PWV was associated with mean arterial pressure (r=.546; P<.0001) and body mass index (r=.396; P<.0001). In a multiple linear regression model, age, mean arterial pressure, and body height emerged as independent markers for PWV. This study established reference values for carotid to femoral PWV derived by oscillometric measures that can now be used for risk stratification. J Clin Hypertens (Greenwich). 2012; 00:00–00 ©2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Probabilistic Reasoning for Plan Robustness

A planning system must reason about the uncertainty of continuous variables in order to accurately project the possible system state over time. A method is devised for directly reasoning about the uncertainty in continuous activity duration and resource usage for planning problems. By representing random variables as parametric distributions, computing projected system state can be simplified. Common approximations and novel methods are compared for over-constrained and lightly constrained domains within an iterative repair planner. Results show improvements in robustness over the conventional non-probabilistic representation by reducing the number of constraint violations during execution. The improvement is more significant for larger problems and those with higher resource subscription levels but diminishes as the system is allowed to accept higher risk levels.
A 247 µW 800 Mb/s/pin DLL-Based Data Self-Aligner for Through Silicon via (TSV) Interface

Among the stacked dies using through silicon via (TSV), data conflictions occur due to process mismatches, which decrease the data valid window and consume unwanted power due to the short circuit current. This paper presents the DLL-based data self-aligner (DBDA), which reduces data conflictions among stacked dies. The stacked dies employing the proposed DBDAs automatically align their data output timings without relying on any control signals from the master die or an extra signal among the stacked die. The DBDA reduces the data confliction time (tDC) due to process, voltage and temperature (PVT) variations from 500 ps to 50 ps and thereby reduces the short current from 3.62 mA to 0.41 mA. The proposed DBDA has two operation modes: the synchronous self-align mode (SSAM), in which the data is aligned in the external clock domain and the asynchronous self-align mode (ASAM). The lock time of DBDA is less than 20 cycles in SSAM. Additionally, the lock detector (LD) and proposed re-calibrator help the DBDA to find the optimal calibration period under temperature variation. They also reduce the calibration current of DBDA by 45.5%. A prototype DBDA implemented in 130 nm CMOS technology dissipates 247 μW for 800 Mb/s/pin. For reduction of the leakage current during the power down mode or the self-refresh mode, this paper proposes a leakage current controller, which reduces the leakage power by 90.5%.
On the robust disturbance attenuation problem

This paper concerns the feedback problem of attenuating the effect of a disturbance on the output of a plant which is not precisely known. The problem is studied in the context of linear time-invariant systems, in which case the transfer function from disturbance to output is the sensitivity function S. A weighting function W is introduced, and then the performance objective is to minimize the H,norm of the weighted sensitivity function WS . This problem was formulated by Zames (1981). If the plant were fixed and known, this problem would be a special case of the standard H, problem (Francis and Doyle, 1986). The latter problem reduces to a certain model-matching problem. The set-up is depicted in Figure 1, where the plant and controller transfer functions are P + A P and C respectively; P represents the nominal plant, A P an unknown perturbation. The robust disturbance attenuation problem (RDAP) is this: minimize
Grounded Fixpoints and Active Integrity Constraints

The formalism of active integrity constraints was introduced as a way to specify particular classes of integrity constraints over relational databases together with preferences on how to repair existing inconsistencies. The rule-based syntax of such integrity constraints also provides algorithms for finding such repairs that achieve the best asymptotic complexity. However, the different semantics that have been proposed for these integrity constraints all exhibit some counter-intuitive examples. In this work, we look at active integrity constraints using ideas from algebraic fixpoint theory. We show how database repairs can be modeled as fixpoints of particular operators on databases, and study how the notion of grounded fixpoint induces a corresponding notion of grounded database repair that captures several natural intuitions, and in particular avoids the problems of previous alternative semantics. In order to study grounded repairs in their full generality, we need to generalize the notion of grounded fixpoint to non-deterministic operators. We propose such a definition and illustrate its plausibility in the database context.
Age- and sex-related differences in clinical manifestations in patients with congenital long-QT syndrome: findings from the International LQTS Registry.

BACKGROUND Unexplained female predominance is observed in long-QT syndrome (LQTS), a congenital autosomal disorder with prolonged repolarization and syncope or sudden death due to ventricular tachyarrhythmias. Our objectives were to evaluate age- and sex-related differences in events among LQTS patients referred to the LQTS International Registry. METHODS AND RESULTS Age- and sex-related occurrence of events was analyzed in 479 probands (70% females) and 1041 affected family members (QTc >440 ms, 58% females). LQTS-gene mutations were identified in 162 patients: 69 LQT1 carriers (KVLQT1 on 11p15.5), 62 LQT2 carriers (HERG on 7q35-36), and 31 LQT3 carriers (SCN5A on 3p21-24). Females predominated among 366 probands (71% females) and 230 symptomatic family members (62% females). Male probands were younger than females at first event (8+/-7 versus 14+/-10 years, P<0.0001) and had higher event rates by age 15 years than females (74% versus 51%, P<0.0001). Affected family members had similar findings. By Cox analysis adjusting for QTc duration, the hazard ratio for female probands of experiencing events by age 15 years was 0.48 (P<0.001), and it was 1.87 (P=0.09) by age 15 to 40 years. In female family members, the hazard ratio was 0.58 (P<0.001) by age 15 years, and it was 3.25 (P<0.001) by age 15 to 40 years. The event rate was higher in male than female LQT1 carriers (69% versus 32%, P=0.001). No age-sex difference in event rate was detected in LQT2 and LQT3 carriers. CONCLUSIONS Among LQTS patients, the risk of cardiac events was higher in males until puberty and higher in females during adulthood. The same pattern was evident among LQT1 gene carriers. Unknown sex factors modulate QT duration and arrhythmic events, with preliminary evidence of gene-specific differences in age-sex modulation.
Discovering machine translation strategies beyond word-for-word translation: a laboratory assignment

It is a common mispreconception to say that machine translation programs translate word-for-word, but real systems follow strategies which are much more complex. This paper proposes a laboratory assignment to study the way in which some commercial machine translation programs translate whole sentences and how the translation differs from a word-for-word translation. Students are expected to infer some of these extra strategies by observing the outcome of real systems when translating a set of sentences designed on purpose. The assignment also makes students aware of the difficulty of constructing such programs while bringing some technological light into the apparent “magic” of machine translation.
Therapy with antibodies against CD40L (CD154) and CD44-variant isoforms reduces experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis induced by a proteolipid protein peptide

Interactions between mononuclear cells are required for the formation of inflammatory infiltrates in the CNS and the activation of cellular effector functions provoking demyelination in MS. Membrane-expressed costimulatory molecules are crucial to such interactions. We therefore investigated whether two costimulatory molecules, CD40L (CD154, expressed on activated CD4-possible T cells) and selected CD44-variant isoforms (expressed on activated CD4-positive T cells), are targets for immunotherapy in MS. The model of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) induced in SJL-mice by immunization with a peptide derived from the proteolipid protein (PLP139-151) was optimized to address these questions. A previous observation that anti-CD40L (CD154) monoclonal antibodies can effectively prevent EAE in this model was confirmed, and extended by demonstrating that CD40 is expressed by cells of the monocytic lineage infiltrating the spinal cord. In vivo treatment with antibody against the standard isoform of CD44 (CD44s or CD44H) did not affect disease burden. In contrast, combined treatment with antibodies against the isoforms CD44v6, v7 and v10, which are thought to be involved in inflammatory processes, reduced the disease burden considerably. In addition, CD44v10- expressing cells were detected in the spinal cord. These data support the idea that CD40-CD40L interactions form a target for immunotherapy of MS, and indicate that cells expressing CD44v6, v7 and/or v10-containing isoforms have such potential as well.
Molecular Basis of Aluminium Toxicity in Plants: A Review

Aluminium toxicity in acid soils having pH below 5.5, affects the production of staple food crops, vegetables and cash crops worldwide. About 50% of the world’s potentially arable lands are acidic. It is trivalent cationic form i.e. Al3+ that limits the plant’s growth. Absorbed Aluminium inhibits root elongation and adversely affects plant growth. Recently researches have been conducted to understand the mechanism of Aluminium toxicity and resistance which is important for stable food production in future. Aluminium resistance depends on the ability of the plant to tolerate Aluminium in symplast or to exclude it to soil. Physiological and molecular basis of Aluminium toxicity and resistance mechanism are important to understand for developing genetically engineered plants for Al toxicity resistance. This paper provides an overview of the state of art in this field.
Characterization of Tannin-Based Resins from the Barks of Ficus platyphylla and of Vitellaria paradoxa : Composites’ Performances and Applications

This work investigates the physico-chemical and mechanical properties of tannins extracted from wood for composite materials manufacturing. Sustainable knowledge (in terms of physico-chemical properties and behaviours) of the material is needed to further enhance its applications. The condensed tannins extracted from the Bark of Ficus platyphylla (BFP) and the Bark of Vitellaria paradoxa (BVP) were analyzed using Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization Time-Of-Flight (MALDI-TOF), Mass Spectroscopy and Attenuated Total Reflectance Fourier Transform Mid-InfraRed (ATR-FT MIR) spectra in the ranges 1800 cm-1 and 600 cm-1, as well as using CP MAS 13C-NMR. It was found that, these two tannins are procyanidin/prodelphinidin and made up of catechin/epicatechin, gallocatechin/epigallocatechin units, fisetinidin, galloyl and carbohydrates residues. Furthermore, BFP and BVP tannin bonded particleboard densities lie in the range recommended by NF EN 326-1994 standard. The resins also yielded good internal bond strength results of the panels, above relevant international standard specifications minimum requirements for interior-grade panels. The Transmission Electron Microscopy with Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy Analysis (TEM/ EDXA) are showing the ultrastructure and reveal that most of the resin material appears to be in an amorphous phase mainly composed of carbon/oxygen with small amounts of K, Ca and Mg. These particles have a very irregular morphology.