Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Peptide hormones and the regulation of sodium excretion.

TWENTY years ago, intensive research led to the delineation of the role played by alterations in blood composition in mediating the natriuresis that resulted from the infusion of colloidfree isotonic saline solutions into humans and experimental animals. Results of this research indicated that changes in renal hemodynamics (glomerular filtration rate [GFR], renal blood flow, renal vascular resistance, filtration fraction) and hematocrit and plasma protein concentration occurring in response to saline infusion led to inhibition of tubular sodium reabsorption through changes in hydrostatic and oncotic pressures in the peritubular capillary circulation, the socalled physical factor effects. Because of these findings, the view emerged that, regardless of the extrarenal consequences of saline expansion, the natriuresis resulted from strictly intrarenal mechanisms. ' This viewpoint was later strengthened by in vitro studies on isolated perfused rabbit proximal convoluted tubule segments that demonstrated a direct effect of bath protein concentration on fluid transport.
Hydrodynamic comparison of the Penumbra system and commonly available syringes in forced-suction thrombectomy

Background The Penumbra system uses a coaxial separator and continuous extracorporeal suction to remove a clot from a cerebral artery. Forced-suction thrombectomy (FST) involves aspirating clots through the same reperfusion catheter using only a syringe, decreasing the procedure time and supplies needed. Objective To evaluate multiple combinations of catheters and syringes to determine the optimal pairing for use in FST. Methods Tests were performed using both the Penumbra system and syringes to aspirate water through Penumbra 0.041 inch (041), 4Max, 0.054 inch (054) and 5Max reperfusion catheters and a shuttle sheath. Dynamic pressure and flow at the catheter tip were calculated from the fill times for each system. Static pressure and force for each aspiration source were determined with a vacuum gauge. Results All syringes provided significantly higher dynamic pressure at the catheter tip than the Penumbra system (p<0.001). Increasing syringe volume significantly increased static pressure (p<0.001). Both flow and aspiration force significantly increased with catheter size (p<0.001). Cases are presented to demonstrate the clinical value of the laboratory principles. Conclusions Maximizing static and dynamic pressure when performing FST is achieved by aspirating with a syringe possessing both the largest volume and the largest inlet diameter available. Maximizing aspiration force and flow rate is achieved by using the largest catheter possible.
A Novel Content-Aware Stitching Algorithm for Real-Time Video Sequences

The panorama image obtained by image stitching can have visible artifacts due to the limitation of alignment accuracy and defects of the optical systems. Moreover, conventional image stitching algorithms cannot be directly applied to a real-time video stitching due to its complexity and waving artifacts. In this paper, we propose a real-time content-aware stitching algorithm which not only finds a seam by using path searching based on the greedy method, but also adaptively updates the seam by detecting objects moving toward the seam. Experimental results show that the proposed algorithm can successfully produce stitched video sequences without the waving and ghost artifacts commonly found in conventional stitching algorithms.
Toward metrics of design automation research impact

Design automation (DA) research has for over fifty years been performed in academia, semiconductor and system companies, and EDA companies worldwide. This research has been enabling to continued scaling of design productivity and growth of the semiconductor industry. For product companies, funding program managers and individual researchers alike, a highly relevant question is: what DA research, and what DA research outcomes, ultimately have the greatest “impact”? In this paper, we present measurements and analyses of DA research outputs (papers, patents, EDA companies), upon which future metrics of DA research impact might be based. Our studies consider 47000+ conference and journal papers from 1964-2014; the inter-patent citation graph over 759000+ DA-related patents; abstracts of 1150+ U.S. NSF projects over a three-decade span; 36 research needs documents of the Semiconductor Research Corporation from 2000-2013; and market segmentation of hundreds of EDA companies. We identify several interesting correlations, but do not claim to identify causal relationships; indeed, connecting traditional measures of research output to real-world impacts seems quite challenging. We conclude with several directions and targets for future investigation.
Engenharia e desenvolvimento no Brasil: desafios e perspectivas

Este artigo apresenta uma analise sobre o desenvolvimento das engenharias no Brasil. Inicialmente sao discutidas as relacoes entre o desempenho do setor empresarial e o amadurecimento da engenharia no pais. A importância das engenharias para a operacao dos sistemas de producao e servicos e destacada. Sao tambem mostrados dados comparativos sobre a geracao de conhecimento nas diversas areas das engenharias no Brasil em relacao ao quadro mundial das mesmas areas. A geracao de conhecimento em engenharia no Brasil e entao comparada a Coreia e Taiwan. Conclui-se que a engenharia e um poderoso instrumento para promover o desenvolvimento social de uma nacao e sao apresentadas algumas indicacoes para uma orientacao sobre a estrategica brasileira no desenvolvimento das engenharias.
MPOpt-Cell: a high-performance data-flow programming environment for the CELL BE processor

We present MPOpt-Cell, an architecture-aware framework for high-productivity development and efficient execution of stream applications on the CELL BE Processor. It enables developers to quickly build Synchronous Data Flow (SDF) applications using a simple and intuitive programming interface based on a set of compiler directives that capture the key abstractions of SDF. The compiler backend and system runtime efficiently manage hardware resources.
A search for distant radio galaxies from SUMSS and NVSS – I. Sample definition, radio and K‐band imaging

We present the first results from a pilot study to search for distant radio galaxies in the southern hemisphere (δ 15 mJy. We observed 71 sources without bright optical or near-infrared counterparts at 1.385 GHz with the ATCA, providing ∼5 arcsec resolution images and subarcsec positional accuracy. To identify their host galaxies, we obtained near-infrared K-band images with IRIS2 at the AAT and Soft at the NTT. We identify 92 per cent of the USS sources down to K ∼ 20.5. The SUMSS-NVSS USS sources have a surface density more than 4 times higher than USS sources selected at lower frequencies. This is due to the higher effective selection frequency, and the well-matched resolutions of both surveys constructed using the same source fitting algorithm. The scattering of α > -1.3 sources into the USS sample due to spectral index uncertainties can account for only 35 per cent of the observed USS sources. Because our sample appears to contain a similar fraction of very distant (z > 3) galaxies, selecting USS sources from SUMSS-NVSS should allow us to identify large numbers of massive galaxies at high redshift.
Pregnancy as a major determinant for discontinuation of antidepressants: an analysis of data from The Health Improvement Network.

BACKGROUND Potential adverse effects of antidepressants during pregnancy have caused concern about their use. There are, however, very limited detailed data on patterns of antidepressant prescribing in pregnancy. OBJECTIVE To examine secular trends in prescribing during pregnancy, to assess whether pregnancy is a major determinant for stopping antidepressants, and to identify characteristics of those who stopped antidepressants during pregnancy. METHOD In this cohort study, we obtained data on 114,999 pregnant women (median age at delivery, 30.5 years [interquartile range, 26-34 years]) who had a live birth between 1992 and 2006 and 22,677 nonpregnant women from The Health Improvement Network primary care database, one of the largest sources of continuous anonymized primary care data in the United Kingdom and broadly representative of UK general practice. This database includes information on age, sex, medical diagnosis and symptoms, health promotion activities, referrals to secondary care, and prescriptions for each registered individual. The database also holds information about social deprivation as measured using quintiles of the Townsend score. We used Cox regression analysis to compare time to last prescription in pregnant versus nonpregnant women and to identify characteristics of those women who stopped antidepressants during pregnancy. RESULTS Antidepressant prescribing in pregnancy increased nearly 4-fold from 1992 to 2006 (relative risk = 3.87; 95% CI, 1.73-8.66; P < .001). Since 2001, approximately 3% of the cohort received antidepressants at some stage during pregnancy. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors accounted for approximately 80% of the prescribed antidepressants. Antidepressants were more likely to be stopped in pregnant than in nonpregnant women, in particular during the first 6 weeks of pregnancy (hazard ratio = 5.19; 95% CI, 4.85-5.56; P < .001). Only 10% of women treated before pregnancy still received antidepressants at the start of the third trimester. In contrast, 35% of nonpregnant women were still treated after a similar time period. CONCLUSIONS Although antidepressant prescribing in pregnancy increased nearly 4-fold from 1992 to 2006, pregnancy was a major determinant of cessation of antidepressant medication, and most women did not receive further antidepressant prescriptions beyond 6 weeks of gestation. This finding may be explained by concerns about potential adverse effects of the medications, even though these concerns need to be balanced against the potential harm of inadequate treatment of depression during pregnancy.
Long-Term Survival after Ischemic Stroke in Postmenopausal Women Is Affected by an Interaction between Smoking and Genetic Variation in Nitric Oxide Synthases

Background: We aimed to study whether variations in vasoregulatory endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS 4a/b) and tissue-injury-associated inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS R5/4) genes and smoking might explain gender differences in long-term survival after stroke. Methods: A total of 486 consecutive acute stroke patients, subjected to MRI, were followed up for a mean of 7.6 years. The eNOS 4a/b (n = 300) and iNOS R5/4 (n = 310) genotypes were determined by PCR. Of these patients, 213/300 (71.0%; eNOS 4a/b) and 223/310 (71.9%; iNOS R5/4) had died. Results: Despite the fact that women were older than men (72.3 vs. 69.5 years, p = 0.001) at recruitment, poor long-term survival was not sex-related, but instead predicted by age (p < 0.0001), cardiac failure (p = 0.004), smoking (p = 0.017), diabetes (p = 0.049), and variation in the eNOS gene locus (p = 0.033). Smoking and variations in both eNOS [hazard ratio (HR) = 1.53, p = 0.011] and iNOS loci (HR = 1.52, p = 0.073) were found to impact upon poor survival. We found a strong interaction between smoking, female sex, and the iNOS R5/4 genotype with the risk of death (HR = 3.23, CI = 1.51–6.90, p = 0.002). Compared with nonsmoking noncarriers, postmenopausal women who had been smokers and carried either the rare iNOS R5 allele (17.1%; HR = 4.23, CI = 1.84–9.75, p = 0.001) or the common eNOS 4b allele (71%; HR = 3.14, CI = 1.49–6.62, p = 0.003) were at a higher risk of death during the follow-up. These interactions were independent of each other, and were not found among men. Conclusions: The interaction between smoking and genetic variants of eNOS and iNOS predicts survival after stroke, especially among postmenopausal women.
Atelectasis in the perioperative patient

Purpose of review To report the impact of atelectasis on perioperative outcomes. Atelectasis occurs in the dependent parts of the lungs of most patients who are anesthetized. Development of atelectasis is associated with decreased lung compliance, impairment of oxygenation, increased pulmonary vascular resistance and development of lung injury. Here, we examine the etiology, contributing factors, consequences, diagnosis and treatment of atelectasis. Recent findings Atelectasis describes the state of absent air in alveoli attributable to collapse, but recent findings suggest that alveoli are filled with foam and fluid. It is now known that atelectasis plays an important role beyond abnormal gas exchange and that prevention or reversal of atelectasis in some populations of postoperative patients may improve outcome. Summary Atelectasis in the presence of preexisting lung disease or limited cardiopulmonary reserve may have significant consequences. Increasing understanding of the underlying nature of atelectasis and its contribution to acute lung injury will improve our approach to the prevention and management of atelectasis.
Why the United States Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) should not extend reimbursement indications for carotid artery angioplasty/stenting

In recent years, many important discoveries have been made to challenge current policy, guidelines, and practice regarding how best to prevent stroke associated with atherosclerotic stenosis of the origin of the internal carotid artery. The United States Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), for instance, is calling for expert advice as to whether its current policies should be modified. Using a thorough review of literature, 41 leading academic stroke‐prevention clinicians from the United States and other countries, have united to advise CMS not to extend current reimbursement indications for carotid angioplasty/stenting (CAS) to patients with asymptomatic carotid stenosis or to patients with symptomatic carotid stenosis considered to be at ``low or standard risk from carotid endarterectomy (CEA). '' It was concluded that such expansion of reimbursement indications would have disastrous health and economic consequences for the United States and any other country that may follow such inappropriate action. This was an international effort because the experts to best advise CMS are relatively few and scattered around the world. In addition, US health policy, practice, and research have tended to have strong influences on other countries.
Combining Multiple Approaches for the Secondary Prevention of Vascular Events After Stroke: A Quantitative Modeling Study

Background and Purpose— Numerous effective strategies for the secondary prevention of cardiovascular events in high-risk patients have now been established. We sought to calculate the cumulative benefit of combining multiple strategies for preventing recurrent events in patients with a history of ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack. Methods— A comprehensive literature search was undertaken to identify meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials reporting on the efficacy of secondary prevention strategies. The baseline incidence of vascular events was modeled from the Life Long After Cerebral Ischemia study. Strategies were combined on a multiplicative scale and cumulative risk reductions were computed over a 5-year interval. Results— The combination of 5 proven strategies applied to survivors of an initial stroke or transient ischemic attack—dietary modification, exercise, aspirin, a statin, and an antihypertensive agent—could result in a cumulative relative risk reduction of 80%. Given a 5-year major cardiovascular event rate of 24%, this translates to a number needed to treat of about 5. Further gains would result from applying multimodality therapy over longer intervals and enriching the base strategy with dual antiplatelet therapy, high-dose statins, and more intensive blood pressure–lowering. Even more benefit would be present in high-risk subgroups with the addition, where appropriate, of carotid endarterectomy, moderate intensity oral anticoagulants, glycemic control, and smoking cessation. Conclusions— At least four-fifths of recurrent vascular events in patients with cerebrovascular disease might be prevented by application of a comprehensive, multifactorial approach.
A fast decimation-in-image back-projection algorithm for SAR

Fast back-projection algorithms are required for new modalities of SAR, such as UWB SAR. In this paper we propose a novel algorithm which we call the fast decimation-in-image back-projection algorithm due to its relation to decimation-in-time FFT algorithms. It is the natural dual of existing fast back-projection algorithms which are related to decimation-in-frequency FFT algorithms. The proposed algorithm provides similar speed up to existing algorithms, however, it has additional advantages. The advantages relate to the way in which the algorithm manifests errors. The size and nature of the errors introduced in the proposed algorithm are more desirable than that of existing algorithms.
Human Macrophage-Induced Vascular Smooth Muscle Cell Apoptosis Requires NO Enhancement of Fas/Fas-L Interactions

Objective—We have previously shown that macrophages induce vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) apoptosis in vitro by cell-cell proximity and Fas-L/Fas interactions. Because NO is a short-range mediator, we tested whether NO mediates macrophage-induced VSMC apoptosis. Methods and Results—NO synthase (NOS) inhibitors markedly inhibited macrophage-induced apoptosis of carotid plaque VSMCs (apoptotic indices, 81±2.9% for control and 28.2±3.9% for NG-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester [L-NAME] treatment) and coronary medial VSMCs (apoptotic indices, 76±5.5% for control and 3.5±0.8% for L-NAME treatment). Inactive enantiomers were without effect (P >0.05). Cultured macrophages, but not VSMCs, expressed inducible NOS (but not neuronal NOS or endothelial NOS) concomitant with activation and secreted 1.51±0.3 fmol nitrite per cell, which was blocked by L-NAME (100 &mgr;mol/L). Diethylene triamine nitric oxide (DETA/NO) and sodium nitroprusside (NO donors) induced VSMC cell-surface Fas and enhanced plaque VSMC apoptosis induced by agonistic anti-Fas antibody (apoptotic indices, 6.6±1.8% for control, 6.3±1.5% for DETA/NO, 26±1.8% for Fas, and 44±6.9% for Fas+DETA/NO). In isolated macrophages, NOS inhibitors reduced and NO donors increased surface Fas-L, indicating an NO-dependent autocrine enhancement of macrophage surface Fas-L. Conclusions—Together, these data indicate that macrophage-derived NO is required for macrophage-induced VSMC apoptosis and that it acts by enhancing Fas-L/Fas interactions.
Leidt Afrikaanse democratisering tot etnische polarisatie

Etniciteit heeft altijd een centrale rol gespeeld in de Afrikaanse politiek. Politieke leiders hebben in het verleden hun machtsbasis steeds gevonden binnen hun eigen volk. Vanwege de etnische tegenstellingen zijn velen pessimistisch over het welslagen van de golf van democratisering die op dit moment Afrika overspoelt. Hoe 'etnisch' werd er bijvoorbeeld gestemd in Kenia en Kameroen tijdens de algemene verkiezingen in hun landen in 1992? Dit artikel gaat in op deze vraag. In etnische termen behoort Kameroen tot de meest gefragmenteerde landen van Afrika. In 1992 heeft president Biya gehoor gegeven aan de roep om politieke democratisering, hetgeen resulteerde in twee vrije verkiezingen: parlementsverkiezingen in maart en presidentsverkiezingen in oktober. Uit een analyse van de verkiezingsuitslagen blijkt dat regionale etnisch-religieuze tegenstellingen, alsmede lokale machts- en afhankelijkheidsrelaties, een bepalende rol hebben gespeeld in het stemgedrag van de bevolking. Ook in Kenia is de etnische versnippering groot. De bevolking van 25 miljoen mensen is verdeeld in ongeveer 40 etnische groepen. Geen enkele groep heeft een numeriek overwicht. Ook hier weerspiegelt de uitslag van de verkiezingen voor het presidentschap en voor het parlement van december 1992 de realiteit van de etnische politiek in Kenia. Bibliogr
EventEye: Monitoring Evolving Events from Tweet Streams

With the rapid growth in popularity of social websites, social event detection has become one of the hottest research topics. However, continuously monitoring social events has not been well studied. In this demo, we present a novel system called EventEye to effectively monitor evolving events and visualize their evolving paths, which are discovered from tweet streams. In particular, four event operations are defined for our proposed stream clustering algorithm to capture the evolutions over time and a multi-layer indexing structure is designed to support efficient event search from large-scale event databases. In our system, events are visualized in different views, including evolution graph, timeline, map view, etc.
Precise Control for Gimbal System of Double Gimbal Control Moment Gyro Based on Cascade Extended State Observer

Coupling torque, nonlinear friction, and unmodeled dynamics are the main constraints that influence the angular speed precision of the gimbal systems in double gimbal control moment gyros (DGCMGs). This paper explores a novel angular speed tracking control method based on the cascade extended state observer (CESO). The coupling torque, nonlinear friction, and unmodeled dynamics are considered as the system's lumped disturbance, which is estimated by the designed CESO. By introducing a state feedback controller, the disturbances can be eliminated from the output channel of the system. Both simulation and experimental results confirmed the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed method.
Amelioration of Angina Pectoris in Idiopathic Hypertrophic Subaortic Stenosis with Beta‐Adrenergic Blockade

Beta-adrenergic receptor blockade has been demonstrated to reduce obstruction of the left ventricular outflow tract in patients with idiopathic hypertrophic subaortic stenosis (IHSS) and has also proved helpful in reducing angina pectoris due to ischemic heart disease. Accordingly, the effects of oral propranolol on the level and duration of exercise required to produce angina in seven patients with IHSS were compared with a placebo. Improvement in exercise performance was observed in six patients taking propranolol orally in doses ranging from 80 mg to 480 mg daily. Clinical improvement was sustained in the four patients given propranolol since discharge from the hospital for periods up to 15 months, and in three it has been possible to obviate corrective operations. The mechanism by which propranolol is efficacious in this disease is probably related to the diminution of myocardial O2 requirements resulting from the reduction of wall tension, velocity of contraction, and heart rate induced by beta-adrenergic receptor blockade.
Protein Interaction Mapping of Translational Regulators Affecting Expression of the Critical Stem Cell Factor Nos

ABSTRACT The germline stem cells of the Drosophila ovary continuously produce eggs throughout the life- span. Intricate regulation of stemness and differentiation is critical to this continuous production. The translational regulator Nos is an intrinsic factor that is required for maintenance of stemness in germline stem cells. Nos expression is reduced in differentiating cells at the post-transcriptional level by diverse translational regulators. However, molecular mechanisms underlying Nos repression are not completely understood. Through three distinct protein-protein interaction experiments, we identified specific molecular interactions between translational regulators involved in Nos repression. Our findings suggest a model in which protein complexes assemble on the 3’ untranslated region of Nos mRNA in order to regulate Nos expression at the post-transcriptional level.