Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Impact of inflammation on anemia of hemodialysis patients who were under treatment of recombinant human erythropoietin

The aim of this study was to investigate the association between serum C-reactive protein (CRP) as the marker of inflammation with serum ferritin level and its role in the severity of anemia of hemodialysis (HD) patients. A cross-sectional study was conducted on a group of stable hemodialysis patients. There were 36 patients overall, 25 of which were non-diabetic and 11 were diabetic mean patients’ age was 53 (±15.8) years. In this study, there was a significant inverse correlation between serum ferritin and hematocrit level (r=-0.34, p=0.044) (adjusted for age). Also a significant positive correlation between serum CRP and serum iron (r=0.44, p=0.008) (adjusted for age too) was observed. Moreover, in male HD patients, a significant positive correlation between serum CRP and serum ferritin (r=0.56, p=0.009) was found. Malnutrition and inflammation in hemodialysis may increase serum ferritin concentration apart from iron status, and needs more attention during iron therapy for the treatment of anemia in HD patients.
Smooth classification of Cartan actions of higher rank semisimple Lie groups and their lattices

Let G be a connected semisimple Lie group without compact factors whose real rank is at least 2, and let ⊂ G be an irreducible lattice. We provide a C ∞ classification for volume-preserving Cartan actions of an d G. Also, if G has real rank at least 3, we provide a C ∞ classification for volume-preserving, multiplicity free, trellised, Anosov actions on compact manifolds.
Rapid and Accurate Latch Characterization via Direct Newton Solution of Setup/Hold Times

Characterizing setup/hold times of latches and registers, a crucial component for achieving timing closure of large digital designs, typically occupies months of computation in industries such as Intel and IBM. We present a novel approach to speed up latch characterization by formulating the setup/hold time problem as a scalar nonlinear equation h(tau) = 0 derived using state-transition functions, and then solving this equation by Newton-Raphson (NR). The local quadratic convergence of NR results in rapid improvements in accuracy at every iteration, thereby significantly reducing the computation needed for accurate determination of setup/hold times. We validate the fast convergence and computational advantage of the new method on transmission gate and C2MOS latch/register structures, obtaining speedups of 4-10times over the current standard of binary search
Influence of nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations and ratios on Lemna gibba growth responses to triclosan in laboratory and stream mesocosm experiments

The effects of co‐occurring nutrient and contaminant stressors are very likely to interact in aquatic systems, particularly at the level of primary producers. Site‐specific nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) concentrations are often much lower and differ in relative availability than those used in nutrient‐saturated laboratory assays for aquatic plants, which can introduce uncertainty in prospective ecological hazard and risk assessments. Because triclosan, an antimicrobial agent included in personal care products, potentially presents high relative risk among antimicrobial agents to aquatic plants and algae, we performed laboratory experiments with the model aquatic macrophyte Lemna gibba across a gradient of environmentally relevant N:P levels with and without triclosan co‐exposure. Frond numbers (7 d) were significantly higher in N:P treatments of 16 and 23 but were lower in N:P of 937 and 2,500 treatments relative to standardized control media (N:P = 3). When triclosan co‐exposure occurred at high nutrient concentrations, frond number median effective concentration values at N:P 0.75, 3, and 16 were more than twofold lower than triclosan median effective concentration values in low nutrient media N:P ratios. However, a triclosan median effective concentration for frond number was twofold lower at N:P of 2,500 than at other N:P ratios in low concentration media. Influences of P enrichment on triclosan toxicity to L. gibba were further explored during a 14‐d outdoor experimental stream mesocosm study. Effects of 2.6 and 20.8 μg L−1 triclosan on L. gibba growth rates were more pronounced with increasing P treatment levels, which was generally consistent with our laboratory observations. Findings from these laboratory and field studies indicate that site‐specific nutrient concentrations and ratios should be considered during assessments of primary producer responses to chemical stressors.
Sensitive males: inbreeding depression in an endangered bird

Attempts to conserve threatened species by establishing new populations via reintroduction are controversial. Theory predicts that genetic bottlenecks result in increased mating between relatives and inbreeding depression. However, few studies of wild sourced reintroductions have carefully examined these genetic consequences. Our study assesses inbreeding and inbreeding depression in a free-living reintroduced population of an endangered New Zealand bird, the hihi (Notiomystis cincta). Using molecular sexing and marker-based inbreeding coefficients estimated from 19 autosomal microsatellite loci, we show that (i) inbreeding depresses offspring survival, (ii) male embryos are more inbred on average than female embryos, (iii) the effect of inbreeding depression is male-biased and (iv) this population has a substantial genetic load. Male susceptibility to inbreeding during embryo and nestling development may be due to size dimorphism, resulting in faster growth rates and more stressful development for male embryos and nestlings compared with females. This work highlights the effects of inbreeding at early life-history stages and the repercussions for the long-term population viability of threatened species.
100-Year Lower Mississippi Floods in a Global Climate Model: Characteristics and Future Changes

Floods in the Mississippi basin can have large negative societal, natural, and economic impacts. Understanding the drivers of floods, now and in the future, is relevant for risk management and infrastructure-planning purposes. We investigate the drivers of 100-yr-return lower Mississippi River floods using a global coupled climate model with an integrated surface water module. The model provides 3400 years of physically consistent data from a static climate, in contrast to available observational data (relatively short records, incomplete land surface data, transient climate). In the months preceding the model’s 100-yr floods, as indicated by extreme monthly discharge, above-average rain and snowfall lead to moist subsurface conditions and the buildup of snowpack, making the river system prone to these major flooding events. The meltwater from snowpack in the northern Missouri and upper Mississippi catchments primes the river system, sensitizing it to subsequent above-average precipitation in the Ohio and Tennessee catchments. An ensemble of transient forcing experiments is used to investigate the impacts of past and projected anthropogenic climate change on extreme floods. There is no statistically significant projected trend in the occurrence of 100-yr floods in the model ensemble, despite significant increases in extreme precipitation, significant decreases in extreme snowmelt, and significant decreases in less extreme floods. The results emphasize the importance of considering the fully coupled land–atmosphere system for extreme floods. This initial analysis provides avenues for further investigation, including comparison to characteristics of less extreme floods, the sensitivity to model configuration, the role of human water management, and implications for future flood-risk management.
Quality of life in adults with congenital heart disease: what matters?

Advances in medical treatments for adults with congenital heart disease (ACHD) has resulted in reduced mortality, i.e., an increase in patients’ life expectancy. Consequentially, questions concerning quality of life (QoL) and its determinants paralleled this medical progress. The development of standardized and validated questionnaires facilitates the measurement of factors differentially influencing QoL.
Quantitative measurement of virtual vs. physical object embodiment through kinesthetic figural after effects

Over the past decade, multi-touch surfaces have become commonplace, with many researchers and practitioners describing the benefits of their natural, physical-like interactions. We present a pair of studies that empirically investigates the psychophysical effects of direct interaction with both physical and virtual artefacts. We use the phenomenon of Kinesthetic Figural After Effects-a change in understanding of the physical size of an object after a period of exposure to an object of different size. Our studies show that, while this effect is robustly reproducible when using physical artefacts, this same effect does not manifest when manipulating virtual artefacts on a direct, multi-touch tabletop display. We contribute quantitative evidence suggesting a psychophysical difference in our response to physical vs. virtual objects, and discuss future research directions to explore measurable phenomena to evaluate the presence of physical-like changes from virtual on-screen objects.
Online Auctions in IaaS Clouds

Auction design has recently been studied for dynamic resource bundling and VM provisioning in IaaS clouds, but is mostly restricted to the one-shot or offline setting. This work targets a more realistic case of online VM auction design, where: (i) cloud users bid for resources into the future to assemble customized VMs with desired occupation durations; (ii) the cloud provider dynamically packs multiple types of resources on heterogeneous physical machines (servers) into the requested VMs; (iii) the operational costs of servers are considered in resource allocation; (iv) both social welfare and the cloud provider's net profit are to be maximized over the system running span. We design truthful, polynomial time auctions to achieve social welfare maximization and/or the provider's profit maximization with good competitive ratios. Our mechanisms consist of two main modules: (1) an online primal-dual optimization framework for VM allocation to maximize the social welfare with server costs, and for revealing the payments through the dual variables to guarantee truthfulness; and (2) a randomized reduction algorithm to convert the social welfare maximizing auctions to ones that provide a maximal expected profit for the provider, with competitive ratios comparable to those for social welfare. We adopt a new application of Fenchel duality in our primal-dual framework, which provides richer structures for convex programs than the commonly used Lagrangian duality, and our optimization framework is general and expressive enough to handle various convex server cost functions. The efficacy of the online auctions is validated through careful theoretical analysis and trace-driven simulation studies.
ANTI-HUMAN IMMUNODEFICIENCY VIRUS AGENT D 4 T-5 *-[ P-BROMOPHENYL METHOXYALANINYL PHOSPHATE ] ( SAMPIDINE ) IN MICE

d4T-5*-[p-Sampidine, bromophenyl methoxyalaninyl phosphate] (HI-113), a novel aryl phosphate derivative of stavudine (d4T), exhibits substantially more potent anti-human immunodeficiency virus activity than d4T. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the in vivo pharmacokinetics and metabolism of this promising new anti-HIV agent in mice. Here, we report that HI-113 forms two active metabolites with favorable pharmacokinetics after systemic administration. Plasma HI-113 concentrations were measured by analytical high-performance liquid chromatography and the pharmacokinetic parameters were estimated using the WinNonlin program. After intravenous administration, the elimination half-life (t1/2) of HI-113 was 3.6 min with a systemic clearance of 174.5 ml/min/kg. HI-113 was converted to the active metabolites alaninyl-d4T-monophosphate (ala-d4T-MP) and d4T. The Tmax values for ala-d4T-MP and d4T derived from intravenously administered HI-113 were 5.1 and 17.4 min, respectively. The elimination half-life for synthetic ala-d4T-MP was 38.9 min after intravenous administration. Ala-d4T-MP was metabolized to form d4T (Tmax 5 5.0 min). The elimination half-life of d4T derived from intravenously administered ala-d4T-MP (32.4 min) was similar to the elimination half-life of intravenously administered d4T (26.6 min). In contrast, the elimination half-life of d4T derived from HI-113 was substantially longer (116.2 min). Similarly, the elimination half-life of alad4T-MP derived from HI-113 (138.8 min) was markedly longer than the elimination half-life of ala-d4T-MP given intravenously (38.9 min). Following oral administration of HI-113, the elimination halflives of ala-d4T-MP (56.1 min) and d4T (102.6 min) were also pro-
Conceptual design and recovery stroke mode of a mechanical pectoral fin

This work presents a conceptual mechanical design of pectoral fin apparatus and an innovation of its recovery stroke mode, for underwater biomimetic robot Motion of pectoral fin apparatus was detailed analyzed, simulating natural fish's 3 kinds motion manners of pectoral fin, and the function of driven pole length was deduced, which could be used for actuators driving. Based on the conceptual design, a new recovery stroke mode was proposed By contrast of the projected area perpendicular to the oncoming flow, between mechanical pectoral fin and fish's, the fact was found, that recovery stroke mode of the pectoral fin apparatus has less projected area than fish. That may result in less fluid drag during recovery stroke.
Grid Representation for Efficient Similarity Search in Time Series Databases

Widespread interest in time-series similarity search has made more in need of efficient technique, which can reduce dimensionality of the data and then to index it easily using a multidimensional structure. In this paper, we introduce a new technique, which we called grid representation, based on a grid approximation of the data. We propose a lower bounding distance measure that enables a bitmap approach for fast computation and searching. We also show how grid representation can be indexed with a multidimensional index structure, and demonstrate its superiority.
Improved quality multiple description 3D mesh coding with optimal filtering

A wavelet subdivision surfaces based multiple description 3D model coding with optimal reconstruction filtering approach is proposed in this paper to transmit 3D models over mediums with possible packet loss with higher quality. The proposed method is based on the wavelet subdivision surfaces strategy for 3D model coding and introduces optimal reconstruction filtering. Initially, remeshing is performed for any 3D model to obtain a semi-regular mesh structure which includes an irregular base mesh and regular wavelet (detail) coefficients of finer levels. Next, multiple descriptions of detail coefficients are obtained using Multiple Description Scalar Quantization (MDSQ) to be encoded using SPIHT. In the proposed approach, reconstructed multiple descriptions are applied to optimal filters, that are obtained at the encoder so as to reduce the reconstruction error between the original model and encoded model. Each transmitted description therefore includes encoded 3D data as well as optimal reconstruction filter coefficients. Experimental results show that the optimal reconstruction filtering approach reduces the distortion of standard MDSQ based 3D model coding.
Visual hallucinations and agitation in Alzheimer’s disease due to memantine: report of three cases

Memantine, a non-competitive N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist, is currently the only drug proposed for the treatment of moderate to severe Alzheimer’s disease.1 It has been shown to have neuroprotective effects by inhibiting the excitotoxic effect of NMDA glutamate receptors.2 Memantine has a tolerability profile similar to placebo.1 However, the worsening of psychotic symptoms in patients with Lewy body dementia (LBD) treated with memantine has been recently reported.3 We describe three patients with probable Alzheimer’s disease who developed worsening or de novo visual hallucinations and agitation after memantine treatment. Patient 1 was a 65-year-old woman with a 2-year history of slowly progressive cognitive decline, affecting episodic memory, naming and executive-attentive skills. Functional abilities of daily living were impaired. Physical and neurological examination, routine blood tests and electrocardiogram (ECG) were normal. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain showed a bilateral frontotemporal atrophy. A diagnosis of probable Alzheimer’s disease was made, and she was treated initially with rivastigmine, then 2 years later with donepezil (10 mg/day) for a further 2 years. Because the patient’s Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) score was 14/30 at 69 years, she was prescribed a combination treatment with memantine. Her other drugs included vitamin E supplements, citalopram and quetiapine for mild agitation. One week after the starting …
The circulation in patients with chronic bronchitis and emphysema at rest and during exercise, with special reference to the influence of changes in blood viscosity and blood volume on the pulmonary circulation.

It is widely held that increased blood viscosity due to polycythemia is an important factor contributing to pulmonary hypertension in patients with chronic bronchitis (1-5). An increase in the viscosity factor in -Poiseuille's equation will increase the pressure drop across a vascular bed proportionately, provided volume flow and the dimensions of the vessels remain constant. Roos (6) showed, in the isolated lung of a dog, that increasing packed cell volume is associated with an increase in the pressure drop across the pulmonary vascular bed, blood flow being maintained constant. However, the effects of alterations in blood viscosity upon pulmonary intravascular pressures in man have not been established. Baldwin, Cournand, and Richards (7) noted that the association of polycythemia with chronic bronchitis is rare. It has been shown that red cell volume is often slightly increased in patients with chronic bronchitis who have arterial desaturation (8, 9), but judging by the hematocrit or hemoglobin values in other reports of large numbers of patients (10-12), substantial polycythemia is an uncommon complication. The present investigation is concerned with a highly selected group of patients with chronic bronchitis complicated by marked secondary polycythemia. They were drawn from a large population of patients with chronic bronchitis who were seen in an area where
The role of antecedent groundwater heads in controlling transient aquifer storage and flood peak attenuation in karst watersheds

Transient storage of floodwaters in aquifers is known to attenuate peak flows in rivers and drive subsurface dissolution. Transient aquifer storage could be enhanced in watersheds overlying karst aquifers where caves facilitate surface and groundwater exchange. Few studies, however, have examined controls on, or magnitudes of, transient aquifer storage or flood peak attenuation in karstic watersheds. Here we evaluate flood peak attenuation with multiple linear regression analyses of 10 years of river and groundwater data from the Suwannee River, which flows over the karstic upper Floridan aquifer in north‐central Florida and experiences frequent flooding. Regressions show antecedent river stage exerts the dominant control on magnitudes of transient aquifer storage, with recharge and time to peak having secondary controls. Specifically, low antecedent stages result in larger magnitudes of transient aquifer storage and thus greater flood attenuation than conditions of elevated antecedent stage. These findings suggest subsurface weathering, including cave formation and enlargement, caused by transient aquifer storage could occur on a more frequent basis in aquifers where groundwater table elevation is lowered due to anthropogenic or climatic influences. Our work also shows that measures of groundwater table elevation prior to an event could be used to improve predictive flood models. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Morphometric analysis of the prefrontal cortex in Huntington's disease

We performed a morphometric analysis of cresyl violet-stained sections from the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex of 81 patients with Huntington's disease (HD) (grades 2, 3, and 4) and 23 age-matched normal controls. We counted large pyramidal neurons, small neurons, astrocytes, oligodendroglia, and microglia under the guidance of a specifically predefined set of morphologic criteria for each cell type and recorded the thickness of each cortical layer. Our results demonstrate a selective and progressive loss of a subset of the large pyramidal neurons in cortical layers III, V, and VI of HD patients, and a decrease in the thickness of the respective cortical laminae. A genetically determined, cell-autonomous degeneration of cortical neurons could constitute the primary pathologic process. However, the loss of only a fraction of pyramidal cells suggests a parallel, or an alternative, possibility of a retrograde degeneration of cortical neurons that project solely, or principally, to the site of primary degeneration in caudate nuclei.
DNA information: from digital code to analogue structure

The digital linear coding carried by the base pairs in the DNA double helix is now known to have an important component that acts by altering, along its length, the natural shape and stiffness of the molecule. In this way, one region of DNA is structurally distinguished from another, constituting an additional form of encoded information manifest in three-dimensional space. These shape and stiffness variations help in guiding and facilitating the DNA during its three-dimensional spatial interactions. Such interactions with itself allow communication between genes and enhanced wrapping and histone–octamer binding within the nucleosome core particle. Meanwhile, interactions with proteins can have a reduced entropic binding penalty owing to advantageous sequence-dependent bending anisotropy. Sequence periodicity within the DNA, giving a corresponding structural periodicity of shape and stiffness, also influences the supercoiling of the molecule, which, in turn, plays an important facilitating role. In effect, the super-helical density acts as an analogue regulatory mode in contrast to the more commonly acknowledged purely digital mode. Many of these ideas are still poorly understood, and represent a fundamental and outstanding biological question. This review gives an overview of very recent developments, and hopefully identifies promising future lines of enquiry.
Human-Specific Changes of Genome Structure Detected by Genomic Triangulation

Knowledge of the rhesus macaque genome sequence enables reconstruction of the ancestral state of the human genome before the divergence of chimpanzees. However, the draft quality of nonhuman primate genome assemblies challenges the ability of current methods to detect insertions, deletions, and copy-number variations between humans, chimpanzees, and rhesus macaques and hinders the identification of evolutionary changes between these species. Because of the abundance of segmental duplications, genome comparisons require the integration of genomic assemblies and data from large-insert clones, linkage maps, and radiation hybrid maps. With genomic triangulation, an integrative method that reconstructs ancestral states and the structural evolution of genomes, we identified 130 human-specific breakpoints in genome structure due to rearrangements at an intermediate scale (10 kilobases to 4 megabases), including 64 insertions affecting 58 genes. Comparison with a human structural polymorphism database indicates that many of the rearrangements are polymorphic.