Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of some antihypertensive drugs on the metabolism and pharmacokinetics of indapamide in rats.

PURPOSE Indapamide, a non-thiazide antihypertensive diuretic agent, has been widely coadministered with other classes of antihypertensive agents to reach target systolic blood pressure. Indapamide is extensively metabolized by cytochromes P450. Interaction of indapamide and other antihypertensive drugs are unknown. We investigated the effects of other antihypertensive drugs on the metabolism and pharmacokinetics of indapamide in vitro and in vivo. METHODS Indapamide metabolism was studies in vitro using human liver microsomes pretreated with or without different concentrations of CYP-selective inhibitors and seven major antihypertensive drugs, felodipine, nifedipine, nitrendipine, telmisartan, irbesartan, valsartan and puerarin. Furthermore, the pharmacokinetics of indapamide was determined by HPLC-MS/MS to evaluate the effects of felodipine coadministered on the bioavailability of indapamide in rats in vivo. RESULTS The Km and Vmax of indapamide metabolism were 114.35 ± 3.47 μM and 23.13 ± 6.61 μmol/g/min. The metabolites of indapamide, hydroxyl-indapamide and dehydrogen-indapamide, were followed. CYP3A4 and CYP2C19 were involved in indapamide metabolism in human live microsomes. In addition, felodipine, nifedipine and nitrendipine significantly inhibited indapamide metabolism with the maximum inhibitory rates of 82.6%, 72% and 95%, respectively. Felodipine significantly elevated indapamide plasma concentration and prolonged its half-life. CONCLUSIONS Combination therapy of indapamide and felodipine might lead to the alteration of indapamide metabolism and pharmacokinetics. The consequence of such an interaction that may include increased effectiveness and side effect needs to be tudeis in human.
A Real-time Heuristic-based Unsupervised Method for Name Disambiguation in Digital Libraries

This paper addresses the problem of name disambiguation in the context of digital libraries that administer bibliographic citations. The problem occurs when multiple authors share a common name or when multiple name variations for an author appear in citation records. Name disambiguation is not a trivial task, and most digital libraries do not provide an ecient way to accurately identify the citation records for an author. Furthermore, lack of complete meta-data information in digital libraries hinders the development of a generic algorithm that can be applicable to any dataset. We propose a heuristic-based, unsupervised and adaptive method that also examines users’ interactions in order to include users’ feedback in the disambiguation process. Moreover, the method exploits important features associated with author and citation records, such as co-authors, aliation, publication title, venue, etc., creating a multilayered hierarchical clustering algorithm which transforms itself according to the available information, and forms clusters of unambiguous records. Our experiments on a set of researchers’ names considered to be highly ambiguous produced high precision and recall results, and decisively armed the viability of our algorithm.
Building the Oral Language of Young Hispanic Children Through Interactive Read Alouds and Vocabulary Games at Preschool and at Home

Abstract We conducted two studies to examine the effects of an interactive read aloud and vocabulary intervention on the vocabulary knowledge of Spanish-speaking preschoolers living in the U.S. In Study 1, 68 children (n = 34 in the treatment group) and 6 parents in the treatment group received the intervention in Spanish at home, and in Spanish and English in the preschool. Results indicated a significant effect of the intervention on children's receptive and expressive vocabulary knowledge in Spanish favoring the treatment group. Effect sizes were moderate to large. English outcomes were significant for the treatment group only on the receptive vocabulary measure. Children who participated in the Home plus Preschool intervention (n = 6) made significant gains on their Spanish vocabulary knowledge with large effect sizes. In Study 2 we conducted a single subject design study with four preschool children and their mothers. The intervention was provided at home. Results indicated a change from baseline to .
Implementing fast cloth simulation with collision response

The article details and implements efficient techniques for cloth simulation, both in the area of numerical simulation and the area of collision detection and response. Emphasis is put on the efficient implementation of implicit numerical methods with many improvements toward better realism, as well as computation simplicity. A constraint based collision response scheme is adapted to this scheme in order to provide an accurate and stable collision response.
Self-Reactive T Cell Receptor-Reactive CD8+ T Cells Inhibit T Cell Lymphoma Growth In Vivo1

Syngenic C57BL/6 mice (H-2b) vaccinated with mitomycin C-treated L12R4 T lymphoma cells develop protective immunity toward the MHC class II-negative tumor cells. In the present study, we characterize the nature, mode of function, and specificity of the effector cells in this immunity. These cells are TCR-specific CD8+ T lymphocytes with effector function in vitro as well as in vivo upon transfer to naive mice. They produce high levels of IFN-γ and TNF-α, but little or no IL-4. By means of TCRβ-negative variant L12R4 cells, P3.3, and TCR-Vβ2 cDNA-transfected and TCR-Vβ2-expressing P3.3 lymphoma cells, we found that a significant part of the effector T cells are specific for the Vβ12 region. The growth inhibition of L12R4 cells in vitro was inhibited by anti-H-2, anti-Kb, and anti-Db mAb. Furthermore, vaccination with Vβ12 peptide p67–78, which binds to both Kb and Db MHC class I molecules, induces partial protection against L12R4 T lymphoma cells. Thus, self-reactive TCR-Vβ-specific, Kb-, or Db-restricted CD8+ T cells mediate inhibition of T cell lymphoma growth in vitro and in vivo.
Towards Automatic Extraction and Modeling of Objects from Image Sequences

This paper exploits a simple but general technique to extract object models from arbitrary image sequences. Such object models can be used to structure and index the image sequence. The algorithm extracts and tracks homogenous regions, which may correspond to objects or object parts. By grouping similar moving regions the algorithm constructs models of potential objects. As such, the approach is model-free in the sense that it does not use a priori models to detect, track and segment objects. On the contrary, the ultimate goal of the approach is to build such models automatically from image sequences.
Clinical features of Parkinson disease patients with homozygous leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 G2019S mutations.

BACKGROUND The G2019S mutation is the most common pathogenic substitution in the leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2) gene, which has recently been identified in familial and sporadic Parkinson disease (PD). OBJECTIVES To report the clinical characteristics of PD patients with homozygous LRRK2 6055G>A (G2019S) mutations and to compare them with previously published descriptions of heterozygous patients. DESIGN Descriptive clinical report from an international consortium of studies. Subjects Patients with familial PD and homozygous LRRK2 mutations included 23 Tunisians, 2 Algerians, 2 US patients, 1 Canadian, and 1 Moroccan. RESULTS There were no observable differences between the homozygote and heterozygote phenotypes. CONCLUSIONS Parkinson disease related to LRRK2 is characterized by typical clinical features, and the similarities between patients with homozygous and heterozygous mutations do not support a gene dosage effect.
The CLP(  R  ) language and system

The CLP<inline-equation><f><fen lp="par"><rm><sc>R</sc></rm><rp post="par"></fen></f></inline-equation> programming language is defined, its underlyingphilosophy and programming methodology are discussed, importantimplementation issues are explored in detail, and finally, a prototypeinterpreter is described. CLP<inline-equation><f><fen lp="par"><sc>R</sc><rp post="par"></fen></f></inline-equation>is designed to be an instance of the Constraint LogicProgramming Scheme, a family of rule-based constraint programminglanguages defined by Jaffar and Lassez. The domain of computation<inline-equation><f><sc>R</sc></f></inline-equation>of this particular instance is the algebraic structureconsisting of uninterpreted functors over real numbers. An importantproperty of CLP<inline-equation><f><fen lp="par"><sc>R</sc><rp post="par"></fen></f></inline-equation>is that the constraints are treated uniformly in thesense that they are used to specify the input parameters to a program,they are the only primitives used in the execution of a program, andthey are used to describe the output of a program. Implementation of a CLP language, and of CLP<inline-equation><f><sc><fen lp="par">R<rp post="par"></fen></sc></f></inline-equation>in particular, raises new problems in the design of aconstraint-solver. For example, the constraint solver must be<? Pub Fmt italic>incremental<? Pub Fmt /italic> <? Pub Caret>in the sensethat solving additional constraints must not entail the resolving of oldconstraints. In our system, constraints are filtered through aninference engine, an engine/solver interface, an equation solver and aninequality solver. This sequence of modules reflects a classificationand prioritization of the classes of constraints. Modules solving higherpriority constraints are isolated from the complexities of modulessolving lower priority constraints. This multiple-phase solving ofconstraints, together with a set of associated algorithms, gives rise toa practical system.
TECHNIQUE OF FUZZY TUNED STOCHASTIC SCANPATHS FOR ROBOT VISION

The real-time processing of frame sequences obtained from cameras mounted on autonomous mobile robots and vehicles is a computationally intensive task. This paper is a review of the work carried out so far in the development of a procedure using fuzzy-tuned stochastic 'scanpaths' for efficiently scanning images in a frame sequence. A concise explanation of using fuzzy-tuned stochastic scanpaths is given here followed by a summary of the experimental work that has been undertaken to date and results achieved. The results show how the technique can reliably locate objects in scene whilst examining only a fraction of the image surface, e.g. 5%. The paper concludes with a discussion on research insofar accomplished and proposes ideas for future work.
Association between Adherence to Nutritional Guidelines, the Metabolic Syndrome and Adiposity Markers in a French Adult General Population

Introduction Few studies have focused on the association between diet quality scores and the Metabolic Syndrome (MetS), a multi-component condition predictive of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and death. The present study aims at investigating, in a cross-sectional design, the association between adherence to the French dietary guidelines through an a priori score – the French Nutrition and Health Program-Guideline Score (PNNS-GS) – and cardiovascular risk factors (CVRF) including the MetS and adiposity markers. Methods 7902 French adults participating in the NutriNet-Santé study (an on-going web-based cohort study) attended a clinical and biological examination between January 2011 and November 2012: a fasting blood sample was drawn, blood pressure and body composition (bio-impedance) were measured. Multivariate linear and logistic regression models were used to assess the association between PNNS-GS and CVRF or the MetS. Results An increase of PNNS-GS was significantly negatively associated with waist circumference (WC), systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP and DBP) and serum triglycerides concentrations. From bottom to top quartile of PNNS-GS, SBP decreased from 129.9 to 128.8 mm Hg, DBP from 76.7 to 75.9 mm Hg, serum triglycerides concentrations from 110.8 to 104.6 mg/dL and WC from 94.8 to 90.1 cm for men and 81.3 to 78.9 cm for women. All adiposity markers (waist and hip circumference, % body fat, % trunk fat, % leg fat) were markedly reduced across quartiles of PNNS-GS and linearly. Individuals with a better PNNS-GS (quartile 4 vs quartile 1) were less likely to have the MetS (OR=0.71, 95% CI: 0.56-0.89). Conclusion The negative association between a higher adherence to the French dietary guidelines and a number of CVRF, the MetS prevalence and regional adiposity supports the importance of promoting the PNNS dietary guidelines in the population for the prevention of cardiometabolic abnormalities and hence, cardiovascular diseases.
(Still) Up to No Good: Reconfiguring Worker Resistance and Misbehaviour in an Increasingly Unorganized World

The way worker resistance and misbehaviour have been analyzed has undergone significant transformation over the past few decades. While researchers have observed the quantitative decline of formal or organized forms of industrial relations conflict, others have highlighted the emergence of informal and individualized (mis)behaviours. There have been a range of reasons advanced to explain both the decline in industrial disputes and in the lineal approaches to analyze workplace conflict. This article cautions the increasing tendency to analyze resistance and misbehaviour in an institutional vacuum. Drawing on longitudinal research across multiple organizational settings in Australia and Britain, the article identifies the longevity of institutional and structural factors to explain workplace behaviours, particularly among weakly organized workers. The evidence presented in this paper emphasizes the need to analyze employee resistance within its institutional context. The range of behaviours identified here in many non- or anti-union settings were shaped by the changing structural and institutional workplace regime: by sector, size, structure or managerial strategy (among others). By recognizing the importance of context and place, we argue that what is often portrayed as types of misbehaviour substitute for more assertive forms of resistance by workers who are vulnerable in the labour market or denied access to traditional collective structures of representation.
T cell regulation of polyclonal B cell responsiveness. III. Overt T helper and latent T suppressor activities from distinct subpopulations of unstimulated splenic T cells

Polyclonal activation of murine splenic B lymphocytes by lipopolysaccharide was found to be subject to regulation by helper and suppressor influences from T lymphocytes. In the normal adult spleen, only helper influences were exercised over polyclonal B cell activation; this influence is a property of Lyt-l(+)23(-) slowly sedimenting T cells. Suppressive influence evidently is latent, for it exists at such a low level (or the cells are so few in number) that its effects are difficult to detect. Suppressor T cell function may be evoked by culturing spleen cells at high ratios of T:B cells, by activating splenic T cells with concanavalin A, or by sonicating unstimulated splenic T cells to liberate a suppressive potential that is not expressed by these unstimulated cells when intact. The soluble fraction of resident splenic T cell sonicates exerts both helper and suppressor regulatory influences. The soluble helper activity is derived from Lyt-l(+)23(-) slowly sedimenting T cells, whereas suppressor activity is generated from a distinct subpopulation of Lyt-l(-)23(+) rapidly sedimenting T cells. The thymus contains cells capable only of helping but not of suppressing polyclonal activation of splenic B cells. Helper and suppressor activities contained in splenic T cell sonicates were separated by gel chromatography; the suppressive activity was found to elute with a molecular weight between 68,000 and 84,000 and the helper activity eluted with a molecular weight between 15,000 and 23,000. The data indicate that helper and suppressor activities are distinct molecular entities derived from distinct splenic T lymphocyte subpopulations. The possibility that these molecules are precursors to or components of antigen- specific or nonspecific helper and suppressor factors described in the literature is discussed.
The labor force status of transgender men and women

ABSTRACT This study uses data from the National Transgender Discrimination Survey to explore the labor force status of transgender men and women. The data suggest that transgender individuals tend to have higher unemployment rates than those reported elsewhere for the general U.S. population. Differences in the distributions of labor force statuses of transgender men and women were found; women were more likely to be out of the labor force, while men were more likely to be employed. Multinomial logit analysis revealed both similarities and differences in the effects of characteristics that influence labor force status of transgender men and women. In particular, the ability of other people to identify transgender individuals as such increased the odds of both transgender men and women being out of the labor force rather than employed. State laws prohibiting employment discrimination against transgender individuals increased the odds of transgender men being out of the labor force rather than employed, while no significant effect of such laws on transgender women was found.
Numerical Simulation of the Complex Ginzburg-Landau Equation on GPUs with CUDA

The Time Dependent Ginzburg Landau(TDGL) equation models a complex scalar field and is used to study a variety of different physical systems and exhibits phase transitional behaviours that necessitate study using numerical simulation methods. We employ fast data-parallel simulation algorithms on Graphical Processing Units (GPUs) and report on performance data and stability tradeoffs from using various implementations of both 32-bit and 64-bit complex numbers. Using NVIDIA’s Compute Unified Device Architecture (CUDA) programming language running on a GTX480 GPU, we are able to simulate the TDGL with relatively large simulation system sizes of 256 cells and we discuss the relative computational tradeoffs between numerical accuracy and stability using different methods as well as different data precisions.
Modularization in Black-Box Design: Implications for Supplier-Buyer Partnerships

New business practices are forcing high-tech firms to reconsider their strategic thinking in R&D and supply chain management. How do these firms manage differing new product development strategies to facilitate collaboration with suppliers and customers? This paper examines the effects of modularization in black-box design and subsequent impacts on supplier-buyer partnerships by evaluating the opportunity for modularization at four different levels: component, module, subsystem, and system. The scope of modularization sensitivity is assessed in terms of the product’s architecture, interface compatibility effects, component customization, value inputs, and supplier-buyer interdependence. An example of windshield wipers controller for Chrysler Jeeps illustrates that, higher opportunities for modularization in black-box design can be attained through a more collaborative form of supplier-buyer partnerships.
NEST: Locality-aware approximate query service for cloud computing

Cloud computing applications face the challenges of dealing with a huge volume of data that needs the support of fast approximate queries to enhance system scalability and improve quality of service, especially when users are not aware of exact query inputs. Locality-Sensitive Hashing (LSH) can support the approximate queries that unfortunately suffer from imbalanced load and space inefficiency among distributed data servers, which severely limits the query accuracy and incurs long query latency between users and cloud servers. In this paper, we propose a novel scheme, called NEST, which offers ease-of-use and cost-effective approximate query service for cloud computing. The novelty of NEST is to leverage cuckoo-driven locality-sensitive hashing to find similar items that are further placed closely to obtain load-balancing buckets in hash tables. NEST hence carries out flat and manageable addressing in adjacent buckets, and obtains constant-scale query complexity even in the worst case. The benefits of NEST include the increments of space utilization and fast query response. Theoretical analysis and extensive experiments in a large-scale cloud testbed demonstrate the salient properties of NEST to meet the needs of approximate query service in cloud computing environments.
Training Older Adults to Improve their Episodic Memory: Three Different Approaches to Enhancing Numeric Memory

This chapter reviews the episodic memory difficulties typically encountered by older adults. It presents data that demonstrates that mnemonic interventions can improve episodic memory in the elderly, though such improvements often do not transfer broadly and do not result in improvements in the area of subjective memory assessment. It then presents three approaches to improving episodic memory for numeric information, each based upon a different approach. These approaches demonstrate: (a) that a mnemonic targeted at numeric information can improve number recall; (b) that self-generated strategies can improve recall at nearly the same level as a targeted mnemonic; and (c) that episodic memory can be converted into procedural memory, though this approach did not demonstrate improved episodic memory performance. Future directions for memory remediation are discussed, based upon research findings to date.
Improved target tracking with road network information

In this paper we consider the problem of tracking targets, which can move both on-road and off-road, with particle filters utilizing the road-network information. It is argued that the constraints like speed-limits and/or one-way roads generally incorporated into on-road motion models make it necessary to consider additional high-bandwidth off-road motion models. This is true even if the targets under consideration are only allowed to move on-road due to the possibility of imperfect road-map information and drivers violating the traffic rules. The particle filters currently used struggles during sharp mode transitions, with poor estimation quality as a result. This is due to the fact the number of particles allocated to each motion mode is varying according to the mode probabilities. A recently proposed interacting multiple model (IMM) particle filtering algorithm, which keeps the number of particles in each mode constant irrespective of the mode probabilities, is applied to this problem and its performance is compared to a previously existing algorithm. The results of the simulations on a challenging bearing-only tracking scenario show that the proposed algorithm, unlike the previously existing algorithm, can achieve good performance even under the sharpest mode transitions.