Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Serum Fatty Acids and Incidence of Ischemic Stroke Among Postmenopausal Women

Background and Purpose— Although studies have linked types of fatty acids with coronary heart disease, data on individual fatty acids and risk of ischemic stroke are limited. We aimed to examine the associations between serum fatty acid concentrations and incidence of ischemic stroke and its subtypes. Methods— We conducted a prospective case–control study nested in the Women’s Health Initiative Observational Study cohort of postmenopausal US women aged 50 to 79 years. Between 1993 and 2003, incident cases of ischemic stroke were matched 1:1 to controls on age, race, and length of follow-up (964 matched pairs). Conditional logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios and 99.9% confidence intervals (CI) for ischemic stroke and its subtypes. Results— The multivariable-adjusted odds ratios and 99.9% CI of ischemic stroke associated with a 1-SD increment in serum fatty acid concentration were 1.38 (99.9% CI, 1.05–1.83) for linoelaidic acid (18:2tt, SD=0.04%), 1.27 (99.9% CI, 1.06–1.51) for palmitic acid (16:0, SD=2.74%), 1.20 (99.9% CI, 1.01–1.43) for oleic acid (18:1n9, SD=2.32%), 0.72 (99.9% CI, 0.59–0.87) for docosapentaenoic acid (22:5n3, SD=0.18%), 0.72 (99.9% CI, 0.59–0.87) for docosahexaenoic acid (22:6n3, SD=0.91%), and 0.81 (99.9% CI, 0.67–0.98) for arachidonic acid (20:4n6, SD=2.02%). These associations were generally consistent for atherothrombotic and lacunar stroke but not cardioembolic stroke. Conclusions— These findings suggest that individual serum trans, saturated, and monounsaturated fatty acids are positively associated with particular ischemic stroke subtypes, whereas individual n3 and n6 polyunsaturated fatty acids are inversely associated.
CB1 – Cannabinoid Receptor Antagonist Effects on Cortisol in Cannabis-Dependent Men

Background: The endocannabinoid system modulates the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis, but the effect of cannabinoid type 1 (CB1) receptor antagonism following chronic CB1 receptor stimulation in humans is unknown. Objectives: To evaluate effects of the CB1 receptor antagonist rimonabant on the HPA axis in cannabis-dependent individuals. Methods: Fourteen daily cannabis smokers received increasingly frequent 20 mg oral Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) doses (60–120 mg/day) over 8 days to standardize cannabis tolerance. Concurrent with the last THC dose, double-blind placebo or rimonabant (20 or 40 mg) was administered. Cannabinoid, rimonabant, and cortisol plasma concentrations were measured 1.5 hours prior to rimonabant administration and 2.0, 5.5, and 12.5 hours post-dose. Results: Ten participants completed before premature study termination due to rimonabant’s withdrawal from development. Five participants received 20 mg, three received 40 mg, and two placebo. There was a significant positive association between rimonabant concentration and change in cortisol concentration from baseline (r = .53, p < .01). There also was a borderline significant association between rimonabant dose and cortisol concentrations when the dose-by-time interaction was included. Four of eight participants receiving rimonabant (none of two receiving placebo) had greater cortisol concentrations 2 hours after dosing (at 11:30) than at 08:00, while normal diurnal variation should have peak concentrations at 08:00. Conclusion: Rimonabant 20 or 40 mg did not significantly increase plasma cortisol concentrations, consistent with an absence of antagonist-elicited cannabis withdrawal. Scientific Significance: Rimonabant doses >40 mg might elicit cortisol changes, confirming a role for CB1 receptors in modulating the HPA axis in humans.
Tolerance of the newborn to antiretroviral drug exposure in utero

Introduction: The prevention of mother-to-child HIV-1 transmission by antiretroviral drug treatment is remarkably effective. The risk of transmission to the child is now almost zero for women optimally treated during pregnancy. The rapid expansion of this prophylactic treatment has led the World Health Organization to aspire to the virtual elimination of mother-to-child transmission and pediatric AIDS over the next few years. In 2014, more than 900,000 women worldwide were treated with antiretroviral drugs during pregnancy. The issue of fetal and neonatal antiretroviral drug tolerance is therefore extremely important. Areas covered: This review focuses on the possible impact of in utero exposure to antiretroviral drug on newborn health. To restrict analysis to this period is justified by the specificities of transplacental drug exposure and fetal vulnerability. Relevant data are available from trials and observational cohorts. The significance of various bio-markers detectable at birth is still unresolved, but merits a careful evaluation. Long-term assessment is associated with various logistical difficulties. Expert opinion: The health of ‘exposed but not infected’ children poses no major problem in the immense majority of cases, but a series of biological, clinical and imaging-based warning signs have emerged indicating the need for careful attention to be paid to this issue. Some effects that are straightforward to manage in industrialized countries may have more severe consequences in countries in which access to effective healthcare is limited. Nucleoside/nucleotide analogs are potentially genotoxic to mitochondrial and nuclear DNA, and the principal question to be addressed concerns their potential long-term effects.
The Sinorhizobium meliloti Lon Protease Is Involved in Regulating Exopolysaccharide Synthesis and Is Required for Nodulation of Alfalfa

ABSTRACT While screening for Sinorhizobium meliloti Pho regulatory mutants, a transposon mutant was isolated that constitutively expressed higher levels of acid and alkaline phosphatase enzymes. This mutant was also found to form pseudonodules on alfalfa that were delayed in appearance relative to those formed by the wild-type strain, it contained few bacteroids, and it did not fix nitrogen. Sequence analysis of the transposon insertion site revealed the affected gene to have high homology to Lon proteases from a number of organisms. In minimal succinate medium, the mutant strain was found to grow more slowly, reach lower maximal optical density, and produce more extracellular polysaccharide (EPS) than the wild-type strain. The mutant fluoresced brightly on minimal succinate agar containing calcofluor (which binds to EPSI, a constitutively expressed succinoglycan), and gas chromotographic analysis of purified total EPS showed that the glucose-to-galactose ratio in the lonmutant total EPS was 5.0 ± 0.2 (mean ± standard error), whereas the glucose-to-galactose ratio in the wild-type strain was 7.1 ± 0.5. These data suggested that in addition to EPSI, thelon mutant also constitutively synthesized EPSII, a galactoglucan which is the second major EPS known to be produced byS. meliloti, but typically is expressed only under conditions of phosphate limitation. 13C nuclear magnetic resonance analysis showed no major differences between EPS purified from the mutant and wild-type strains. Normal growth, EPS production, and the symbiotic phenotype were restored in the mutant strain when the wild-type lon gene was present intrans. The results of this study suggest that the S. meliloti Lon protease is important for controlling turnover of a constitutively expressed protein(s) that, when unregulated, disrupts normal nodule formation and normal growth.
Relationship between gastrointestinal and extra-gastrointestinal symptoms and delayed gastric emptying in functional dyspeptic patients.

AIM Delayed gastric emptying and an enlarged fasting gastric antrum are common findings in functional dyspepsia but their relationship with gastrointestinal (GI), and the frequently associated extra-GI symptoms remains unclear. This study evaluated the relationship between GI and extra-GI symptoms, fasting antral volume and delayed gastric emptying in functional dyspepsia. METHODS In 108 functional dyspeptic patients antral volume and gastric emptying were assessed with ultrasonography (US). Symptoms were assessed with standardized questionnaire. The association of symptoms and fasting antral volume with delayed gastric emptying was estimated with logistic regression analysis. RESULTS Delayed gastric emptying was detected in 39.8% of the patients. Postprandial drowsiness (AOR 11.25; 95%CI 2.75-45.93), nausea (AOR 3.51; 95%CI 1.19-10.32), fasting antral volume (AOR 1.93; 95%CI 1.22-3.05), were significantly associated with delayed gastric emptying. Symptoms, mainly the extra-GI ones as postprandial drowsiness and nausea, combined with fasting antral volume predicted the modality of gastric emptying with a sensitivity and specificity of 78%. CONCLUSION In functional dyspeptic patients, (1) an analysis of fasting antral volume and of symptoms can offer valuable indication on the modality of gastric emptying, and (2) it seems appropriate to inquire on postprandial drowsiness that showed the best correlation with delayed gastric emptying.
Repair of DNA Strand Breaks in a Minichromosome In Vivo: Kinetics, Modeling, and Effects of Inhibitors

To obtain an overall picture of the repair of DNA single and double strand breaks in a defined region of chromatin in vivo, we studied their repair in a ∼170 kb circular minichromosome whose length and topology are analogous to those of the closed loops in genomic chromatin. The rate of repair of single strand breaks in cells irradiated with γ photons was quantitated by determining the sensitivity of the minichromosome DNA to nuclease S1, and that of double strand breaks by assaying the reformation of supercoiled DNA using pulsed field electrophoresis. Reformation of supercoiled DNA, which requires that all single strand breaks have been repaired, was not slowed detectably by the inhibitors of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 NU1025 or 1,5-IQD. Repair of double strand breaks was slowed by 20–30% when homologous recombination was supressed by KU55933, caffeine, or siRNA-mediated depletion of Rad51 but was completely arrested by the inhibitors of nonhomologous end-joining wortmannin or NU7441, responses interpreted as reflecting competition between these repair pathways similar to that seen in genomic DNA. The reformation of supercoiled DNA was unaffected when topoisomerases I or II, whose participation in repair of strand breaks has been controversial, were inhibited by the catalytic inhibitors ICRF-193 or F11782. Modeling of the kinetics of repair provided rate constants and showed that repair of single strand breaks in minichromosome DNA proceeded independently of repair of double strand breaks. The simplicity of quantitating strand breaks in this minichromosome provides a usefull system for testing the efficiency of new inhibitors of their repair, and since the sequence and structural features of its DNA and its transcription pattern have been studied extensively it offers a good model for examining other aspects of DNA breakage and repair.
An Assessment of the Model of Concentration Addition for Predicting the Estrogenic Activity of Chemical Mixtures in Wastewater Treatment Works Effluents

The effects of simple mixtures of chemicals, with similar mechanisms of action, can be predicted using the concentration addition model (CA). The ability of this model to predict the estrogenic effects of more complex mixtures such as effluent discharges, however, has yet to be established. Effluents from 43 U.K. wastewater treatment works were analyzed for the presence of the principal estrogenic chemical contaminants, estradiol, estrone, ethinylestradiol, and nonylphenol. The measured concentrations were used to predict the estrogenic activity of each effluent, employing the model of CA, based on the relative potencies of the individual chemicals in an in vitro recombinant yeast estrogen screen (rYES) and a short-term (14-day) in vivo rainbow trout vitellogenin induction assay. Based on the measured concentrations of the four chemicals in the effluents and their relative potencies in each assay, the calculated in vitro and in vivo responses compared well and ranged between 3.5 and 87 ng/L of estradiol equivalents (E2 EQ) for the different effluents. In the rYES, however, the measured E2 EQ concentrations in the effluents ranged between 0.65 and 43 ng E2 EQ/L, and they varied against those predicted by the CA model. Deviations in the estimation of the estrogenic potency of the effluents by the CA model, compared with the measured responses in the rYES, are likely to have resulted from inaccuracies associated with the measurement of the chemicals in the extracts derived from the complex effluents. Such deviations could also result as a consequence of interactions between chemicals present in the extracts that disrupted the activation of the estrogen response elements in the rYES. E2 EQ concentrations derived from the vitellogenic response in fathead minnows exposed to a series of effluent dilutions were highly comparable with the E2 EQ concentrations derived from assessments of the estrogenic potency of these dilutions in the rYES. Together these data support the use of bioassays for determining the estrogenic potency of WwTW effluents, and they highlight the associated problems for modeling approaches that are reliant on measured concentrations of estrogenic chemicals.
SLHAR: A supervised learning approach for homophone ambiguity reduction from speech recognition system

An automatic Speech to Text (STT) conversion technology has been developed for making a visual text layout of the Speech Input for advancement of Science and Technology. This technology enables people an alternative way to understand voice communication, and pursue instruction using their visual ability. The visual ability becomes more powerful than the listening ability some time more than even in remote communication, and STT conversion plays a role as an important tool in such cases. The system faces many kind of ambiguity during STT. The research focuses on the Homophone Ambiguity and with the help of the Classified Supervised learning it tries to improve it partially. In the proposed Supervised learning based Homophone Ambiguity Reduction (SLHAR), a large dataset are taken as homophones and Homophone Sets are assembled by Hierarchical Clustering Method. The proposed system communicates with the user in case of Homophones and converts them to the text format.
Sowing the seeds of self: a socio-pragmatic penetration of the web artefact

This paper analyses the concept of the information technology artefact in a pragmatic web context with a special focus on its user interface. Assuming a communicative socio-pragmatic view of the use of Web artefacts, a distinction is made between explicit performance of essential communication actions and "give offs"; our sometimes unintentional traces left on the Web, which we may even be unaware of. It is argued that both aspects are key to understanding the role of IT artefacts and user interfaces in the Web context.
Temporal-spatial gait analysis by use of a portable walkway system in healthy Labrador Retrievers at a walk.

OBJECTIVE To establish a protocol to collect temporal-spatial gait analysis variables by use of a portable walkway system in Labrador Retrievers at a walk and to determine reference values. ANIMALS 56 healthy Labrador Retrievers. PROCEDURES 6 passes across the walkway (3 passes in each direction) were recorded. Inclusion criteria for a pass were that the dog was at a walk (velocity, 60.0 to 90.0 cm/s) and had minimal head turning. The first 3 passes that met the inclusion criteria were analyzed for each dog. RESULTS Mean stride length was 88.4 cm. Mean stance time (ST) of forelimbs and hind limbs was 0.62 and 0.56 seconds, respectively. Mean stance time percentage (ST%; proportion of stance time to total gait cycle time) for forelimbs and hind limbs was 55.6% and 50.2%, respectively. Mean total pressure index (TPI) of forelimbs and hind limbs was 27.1 and 17.4, respectively. Mean number of sensors (NS) activated by each paw strike of forelimbs and hind limbs was 17 and 13, respectively. Mean forelimb-to-hind limb symmetry ratios were 1.11 (ST), 1.10 (ST%), 1.62 (TPI), and 1.37 (NS). Symmetry ratios for left limbs to right limbs, left forelimb to right forelimb, and left hind limb to right hind limb were 1.00. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE A protocol for collection of temporal-spatial gait analysis variables with a portable walkway system in Labrador Retrievers at a walk was developed, and reference values for variables and symmetry ratios were reported. Further research will determine the extent to which symmetry ratios differ in dogs with orthopedic disorders.
Variable forgetting factor recursive least square algorithm applied to multi-station passive location

Study on the technology of direction finding (DF) and localization technology is of vital significance nowadays. For real target, the direction parameter becomes one of the most reliable radiation parameters. This paper proposed a new method of multi-station passive location, which is based on the variable forgetting factor recursive least square algorithm. First, establish the mathematical model of the algorithm for multi-station positioning; secondly, show the mathematical derivation of the algorithm and iteration formula; and then the implementation steps of the algorithm are proposed; finally the simulation comparison with least squares algorithm is discussed. The simulation results demonstrate that, when each measurement error meets with mean 0 and the same variance, this algorithm performs better no matter how the variances of measurement errors are chosen. Moreover, it is much more simplified compared to the least squares in the amount of calculation.
Fabrication of fibrous microfiltration membrane by pore filling of nanofibers into poly(ethylene terephthalate) nonwoven scaffold

A nanofibrous microfiltration membrane with high flux, low pressure drop, and high retention capacity was fabricated by pore filling of copolyetherester nanofibers (low-melting-point polyester; melting point of 110℃) into a poly(ethylene terephthalate) nonwoven scaffold. Short low-melting-point polyester nanofibers were anchored on the surface of the poly(ethylene terephthalate) fibers by heat treatment to form a crosslinked nanostructured mesh with very high porosity and high specific surface area. The pore size and distribution of the membranes can be adjusted by varying the loading amount of nanofibers. The resulting membrane not only possessed good interception ability for 5, 3, and 1.3 µm polystyrene microspheres but also exhibited desirable water permeability. In the circulating filtration test, with the accumulation of membrane fouling in the filtration, the membrane was also effective in retaining particulate matter while improving the antipollution ability. These properties are desirable for the effective removal of pollutants on the membrane and restoration of the membrane flux.
PRIMARY MYOCARDIAL DISEASE Results Clinical Observations

DURING the past few years we have observed several patients who demonstrated cardiac enlargement and clinical symptoms and signs of congestive heart failure without convincing evidence of hypertension, coronary artery disease, or valvular heart disease. When death occurred, sometimes after years of chronic congestive heart failure, autopsy revealed none of the usual causes of heart disease. These patients were considered to have primary myocardial disease. In this paper is described a group of 17 such patients who have been subjected to postmortem examination at the Cincinnati General Hospital, the Cincinnati Veterans Hospital, or the Cincinnati Children's Hospital, and one patient from personal observation at the Brooklyn Hospital, Brooklyn, New York. Five of the patients were personally examined by one of the authors, and rightsided heart catheterization was performed in four of the patients.
Effect of Al doping on the magnetic and elastic properties of Fe65Ni35Invar alloys

Invar alloys have great importance due to their low thermal expansion coefficient. The effect of Al doping on Fe65 Ni35 Invar alloy was investigated by temperature-dependent magnetization and elastic modulus measurements. First, 0.44 at% and 2.24 at% of Al were substituted for Ni. Then X-ray diffraction measurements, Rietveld refinements, and scanning electron microscopy studies were performed to understand the effect of Al-doping on the face-centered cubic structure. The elastic modulus of Fe65 Ni35 and the Al-doped samples were measured in the temperature range 300 ≤ T ≤ 870 K using impulse excitation. The temperature dependence of magnetization and elastic modulus results for the Al-doped Invar alloys were compared with those of nondoped Invar alloy. Al doping to Fe65 Ni35 Invar alloy led to volume shrinkage and decreasing Curie temperature as seen in the effect of hydrostatic pressure application.
Refinement of depth maps by fusion of multiple estimates

Abstract. Computing depth maps from a stereo pair is a well-studied problem of computer vision, and a large number of methods and cost functions have been proposed. The methods have different strengths and weaknesses and different error characteristics. That is, a pixel could be assigned an erroneous depth value by some methods, but other methods could assign the correct depth value to the same pixel. We describe a method that can make use of multiple depth estimates of low quality and fuse them, by trying to retain the correct depth values and rejecting the incorrect depth values, in order to obtain a more accurate result. We observe that depth values of pixels located in smooth areas of a depth estimate and depth values which survive left-right cross validation tend to be more accurate. Our method makes use of a reliability criterion-based upon the smoothness and cross-validation of the depth estimates that allows us to patch the estimates together and obtain a higher quality result.
Molecular basis of defective anion transport in L cells expressing recombinant forms of CFTR.

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is caused by mutations in the gene encoding a chloride channel called the CF transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR). A single mutation in this gene, deletion of three nucleotides that leads to the absence of phenylalanine 508 (i.e., delta F508), is found on 70% of all CF chromosomes. To explore the molecular mechanism(s) responsible for defective chloride transport in patients with CF, we have studied the processing, localization, and function of wild type (W.T.), delta F508 and G551D CFTR (a G-->D missense mutation at position 551) in retrovirus transduced L cells. Cell transduced with W.T. CFTR expressed a 170 kd CFTR protein that was endoglycosidase H (Endo H) resistant, localized to the plasma membrane, and generated a cAMP-mediated anion conductance (GCl) when stimulated with standard concentrations of forskolin (5 microM), cpt cAMP (400 microM) and IBMX (100 microM). The G551D CFTR was indistinguishable from W.T. CFTR with respect to post-translational processing and localization, but it did not produce a cAMP-activated GCl in response to the standard stimulation cocktail. However, raising the IBMX concentration to 4 mM produced GCl in G551D expressing cells. Cells transduced with delta F508 CFTR expressed an Endo H sensitive CFTR protein (approximately 140 kd) that was found in a cytosolic, perinuclear location. These cells did not respond to the standard cocktail, but approximately 20% of cells increased GCl when the cocktail contained 4 mM IBMX. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)