Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Serum Basal Paraoxonase 1 Activity as an Additional Liver Function Test for the Evaluation of Patients with Chronic Hepatitis.

BACKGROUND The diagnostic accuracy of currently available standard panel of liver function tests is not satisfactory for the reliable diagnosis of chronic liver disorders. Earlier studies have reported that serum basal paraoxonase 1 (PON1) activity measurement may add a significant contribution to the liver function tests. AIM To assess whether the measurement of serum basal paraoxonase 1 (PON1) activity would be useful as an index of liver function status in chronic hepatitis patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS The study included 50 chronic hepatitis patients and 50 apparently healthy controls based on inclusion & exclusion criteria. In all the subjects, standard liver function tests were analysed by using standard methods. Basal PON1 activity was estimated using spectrophotometric method by the hydrolysis of p-nitrophenylacetate. Student t-test, Pearson's correlation coefficient, diagnostic validity tests and ROC curve analysis were the methods used for the statistical analysis of the data. RESULTS The serum basal PON1 activity was significantly decreased in chronic hepatitis cases when compared to controls (p< 0.001). Also basal PON1 activity was positively correlated with serum total protein and albumin, and negatively correlated with serum total bilirubin, alanine amino transferase (ALT), and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) (p< 0.001) in chronic hepatitis cases but not in healthy controls. Diagnostic validity tests showed, basal PON1 activity was a better discriminator of chronic hepatitis than total protein, albumin and ALP with sensitivity of 68%, specificity of 100%, positive predictive value of 100% and negative predictive value of 75%. ROC curve analysis demonstrated highest diagnostic accuracy for ALT (AUC = 0.999) followed by PON1 (AUC = 0.990), total bilirubin (AUC = 0.977), ALP (AUC = 0.904), total protein (AUC = 0.790) and albumin (AUC = 0.595). CONCLUSION Diagnostic accuracy of serum PON1 activity is better than total bilirubin, total protein, albumin and ALP. PON1 activity measurement could significantly improve the current efficiency of a laboratory's evaluation of patients with suspected chronic hepatitis.
Spinal Mechanisms May Provide a Combination of Intermittent and Continuous Control of Human Posture: Predictions from a Biologically Based Neuromusculoskeletal Model

Several models have been employed to study human postural control during upright quiet stance. Most have adopted an inverted pendulum approximation to the standing human and theoretical models to account for the neural feedback necessary to keep balance. The present study adds to the previous efforts in focusing more closely on modelling the physiological mechanisms of important elements associated with the control of human posture. This paper studies neuromuscular mechanisms behind upright stance control by means of a biologically based large-scale neuromusculoskeletal (NMS) model. It encompasses: i) conductance-based spinal neuron models (motor neurons and interneurons); ii) muscle proprioceptor models (spindle and Golgi tendon organ) providing sensory afferent feedback; iii) Hill-type muscle models of the leg plantar and dorsiflexors; and iv) an inverted pendulum model for the body biomechanics during upright stance. The motor neuron pools are driven by stochastic spike trains. Simulation results showed that the neuromechanical outputs generated by the NMS model resemble experimental data from subjects standing on a stable surface. Interesting findings were that: i) an intermittent pattern of muscle activation emerged from this posture control model for two of the leg muscles (Medial and Lateral Gastrocnemius); and ii) the Soleus muscle was mostly activated in a continuous manner. These results suggest that the spinal cord anatomy and neurophysiology (e.g., motor unit types, synaptic connectivities, ordered recruitment), along with the modulation of afferent activity, may account for the mixture of intermittent and continuous control that has been a subject of debate in recent studies on postural control. Another finding was the occurrence of the so-called “paradoxical” behaviour of muscle fibre lengths as a function of postural sway. The simulations confirmed previous conjectures that reciprocal inhibition is possibly contributing to this effect, but on the other hand showed that this effect may arise without any anticipatory neural control mechanism.
Cooperative mobile positioning based on Received Signal Strength

Among different techniques that provide mobile positioning, using the Received Signal Strength (RSS) is regarded as a low-cost solution which is applicable in a wide range of wireless networks. In this paper, we propose a cooperative RSS-based positioning algorithm that utilizes the additional RSS data of the short range communications between mobile stations (MSpsilas). We use a nonlinear least square optimization approach, to estimate the location of the adjacent mobile stations. Simulation results indicate that cooperation between mobile stations enhances the location accuracy of the RSS-based positioning algorithms.
Transcriptional Regulation of the Urokinase Receptor (u-PAR) – A Central Molecule of Invasion and Metastasis

Abstract The phenomenon of tumor-associated proteolysis has been acknowledged as a decisive step in the progression of cancer. This short review focuses on the urokinase receptor (u-PAR), a central molecule involved in tumorassociated invasion and metastasis, and summarizes the transcriptional regulation of u-PAR. The urokinase receptor (u-PAR) is a heavily glycosylated cell surface protein and binds the serine protease urokinase specifically and with high affinity. It consists of three similar cysteinerich repeats and is anchored to the cell membrane via a GPI-anchor. The u-PAR gene comprises 7 exons and is located on chromosome 19q13. Transcriptional activation of the u-PAR promoter region can be induced by binding of transcription factors (Sp1, AP-1, AP-2, NF-κB). One current study gives an example for transcriptional downregulation of u-PAR through a PEA3/ets transcriptional silencing element. Knowledge of the molecular regulation of this molecule in tumor cells could be very important for diagnosis and therapy in the near future.
Effect of neighbourhood income and maternal education on birth outcomes: a population-based study

Background: Maternal socioeconomic status (SES) is an important determinant of inequity in maternal and fetal health. We sought to determine the extent to which associations between adverse birth outcomes and SES can be identified using individual-level measures (maternal level of education) and community-level measures (neighbourhood income). Methods: In Quebec, the birth registration form includes a field for the mother's years of education. Using data from birth registration certificates, we identified all births from 1991 to 2000. Using maternal postal codes that can be linked to census enumeration areas, we determined neighbourhood income levels that reflect SES. Results: Lower levels of both maternal education and neighbourhood income were associated with elevated crude risks of preterm birth, small-for-gestational-age (SGA) birth, stillbirth and neonatal and postneonatal death. The effects of maternal education were stronger than, and independent of, those of neighbourhood income. Compared with women in the highest neighbourhood income quintile, women in the lowest quintile were significantly more likely to have a preterm birth (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 1.14, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.10–1.17), SGA birth (OR 1.18, 95% CI 1.15–1.21) or stillbirth (OR 1.30, 95% CI 1.13–1.48); compared with mothers who had completed community college or at least some university, mothers who had not completed high school were significantly more likely to have a preterm birth (adjusted OR 1.48, 95% CI 1.44–1.52), SGA birth (OR 1.86, 95% CI 1.82–1.91) or stillbirth (OR 1.54, 95% CI 1.36–1.74). Interpretation: Individual and, to a lesser extent, neighbourhood-level SES measures are independent indicators for subpopulations at risk of adverse birth outcomes. Women with lower education levels and those living in poorer neighbourhoods are more vulnerable to adverse birth outcomes and may benefit from heightened clinical vigilance and counselling.
Shape-Memory Polymers—A Class of Novel Smart Materials

Shape-memory polymers (SMPs) offer a number of potential technical advantages that surpass other shape-memory materials such as shape-memory metallic alloys and shape-memory ceramics. The advantages include high recoverable strain (up to 400%), low density, ease of processing and the ability to tailor the recovery temperature, programmable and controllable recovery behavior, and more importantly, low cost. This article presents the state-of-the-art regarding SMPs. First, the architecture, type, and main properties of the traditional and recently developed SMPs are introduced. Second, structural and multifunctional SMP composites are summarized and discussed. These composites greatly enhance the performance of the SMPs and widen their potential applications. Finally, current applications of SMP materials in aerospace engineering, textiles, automobiles, and medicine are presented.
Ocular and Iris Recognition Baseline Algorithm

Due to its distinctiveness, the human eye is a popular biometric feature used to identity a person with high accuracy. The “Grand Challenge” in biometrics is to have an effective algorithm for subject verification or identification under a broad range of image and environmental conditions. As a response to the challenge, this paper presents baseline performance results derived from an enhanced version of VASIR (Video-based Automated System for Iris Recognition), as well as initial performance results based on a broader ocular recognition system. We describe the details of the VASIR procedure and demonstrate its superiority over the IrisBEE (Iris Biometric Evaluation Environment) baseline algorithm. We examine the relationship between VASIR performance and image quality scores. Finally, for less-constrained imaging conditions, we provide a comparison of iris and ocular recognition results.
Optimization of a variable-stiffness skin for morphing high-lift devices

One of the possibilities for the next generation of smart high-lift devices is to use a seamless morphing structure. A passive composite variable-stiffness skin as a solution to the dilemma of designing the structure to have high enough stiffness to withstand aerodynamic loading and low stiffness to enable morphing is proposed. The variable-stiffness skin is achieved by allowing for a spatial fibre angle and skin thickness variation on a morphing high-lift system. The stiffness distribution is tailored to influence the deformation of the structure beneficially. To design a realistic stiffness distribution, it is important to take aerodynamic and actuation loads into account during the optimization. A two-dimensional aero-servo-elastic framework is created for this purpose. Skin optimization is performed using a gradient-based optimizer, where sensitivity information is found through application of the adjoint method. The implementation of the aero-servo-elastic environment is addressed and initial optimization results presented. The results indicate that a variable-stiffness skin increases the design space. Moreover, the importance of taking the change in aerodynamic loads due to morphing skin deformation into account during optimization is demonstrated.
Incremental Preference Elicitation for Decision Making Under Risk with the Rank-Dependent Utility Model

This work concerns decision making under risk with the rank-dependent utility model (RDU), a generalization of expected utility providing enhanced descriptive possibilities. We introduce a new incremental decision procedure, involving monotone regression spline functions to model both components of RDU, namely the probability weighting function and the utility function. First, assuming the utility function is known, we propose an elicitation procedure that incrementally collects preference information in order to progressively specify the probability weighting function until the optimal choice can be identified. Then, we present two elicitation procedures for the construction of a utility function as a monotone spline. Finally, numerical tests are provided to show the practical efficiency of the proposed methods.
Shock Occurrence and Survival in 241 Patients With Implantable Cardioverter‐ Defibrillator Therapy

BackgroundThe purpose of this study was to determine the influence of clinical characteristics on shock occurrence and survival in 241 patients with implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) therapy Methods and ResultsTwo hundred forty-one consecutive patients underwent ICD implantation between November 1982 and November 1991 and were subsequently followed for 26±22 months (intention-to-treat analysis). Actuarial incidence of “appropriate” shocks was 13%, 42%, and 63%, and the incidence of any spontaneous shocks was 15%, 51%, and 76% at 1, 3, and 5 years of follow-up, respectively. Poor left ventricular function (ejection fraction $30%) was associated with an earlier occurrence of both appropriate and any spontaneous ICD shocks (p=0.001). Appropriate and any spontaneous shocks occurred significantly later in patients who presented with cardiac arrest and in patients in whom only ventricular fibrillation but no uniform ventricular tachycardia was induced during preoperative programmed stimulation. In addition, amiodarone treatment at implant was associated with later occurrence of any spontaneous shocks. Cumulative survival from all-cause mortality including perioperative mortality was 84%, 62%, and 57%, and survival from arrhythmic death was 97%, 89%o, and 83% at 1, 3, and 5 years, respectively. Ejection fraction $30% was the best predictor of both total arrhythmic death (p=0.019) and total mortality (p=0.003). Antiarrhythmic therapy with class 1 agents at implant was also associated with a higher total mortality during follow-up (p=0.023) but not with total arrhythmic death. Age, sex, underlying heart disease, clinical presentation, and preoperative response to programmed stimulation did not predict long-term survival. In addition, survival curves were similar for patients with and without spontaneous shocks. ConclusionThe majority of patients receive shocks during long-term follow-up. The occurrence of appropriate or any spontaneous shocks during follow-up is not associated with increased arrhythmic or total mortality consistent with effective prevention of sudden cardiac death with ICD therapy in this high-risk patient population. Although low ejection fraction is the strongest predictor of both shock occurrence and mortality during follow-up, no easy algorithm can be derived from the analyzed clinical characteristics to predict which patients will benefit most from ICD implantation.
Pesticide residues in conventional, integrated pest management (IPM)-grown and organic foods: insights from three US data sets

An analysis of pesticide residue data was performed to describe and quantify differences between organically grown and non-organic fresh fruits and vegetables. Data on residues in foods from three different market categories (conventionally grown, integrated pest management (IPM)-grown/no detectable residues (NDR), and organically grown) were compared using data from three test programmes: The Pesticide Data Program of the US Department of Agriculture; the Marketplace Surveillance Program of the California Department of Pesticide Regulation; and private tests by the Consumers Union, an independent testing organization. Organically grown foods consistently had about one-third as many residues as conventionally grown foods, and about one-half as many residues as found in IPM/NDR samples. Conventionally grown and IPM/NDR samples were also far more likely to contain multiple pesticide residues than were organically grown samples. Comparison of specific residues on specific crops found that residue concentrations in organic samples were consistently lower than in the other two categories, across all three data sets. The IPM/NDR category, based on data from two of the test programmes, had residues higher than those in organic samples but lower than those in conventionally grown foods.
Abductive logic programming for Datalog +/- ontologies

Ontologies are a fundamental component of the Semantic Web since they provide a formal and machine manipulable model of a domain. Description Logics (DLs) are often the languages of choice for modeling ontologies. Great effort has been spent in identifying decidable or even tractable fragments of DLs. Conversely, for knowledge representation and reasoning, integration with rules and rule-based reasoning is crucial in the so-called Semantic Web stack vision. Datalog± is an extension of Datalog which can be used for representing lightweight ontologies, and is able to express the DL-Lite family of ontology languages, with tractable query answering under certain language restrictions. In this work, we show that Abductive Logic Programming (ALP) is also a suitable framework for representing Datalog± ontologies, supporting query answering through an abductive proof procedure, and smoothly achieving the integration of ontologies and rule-based reasoning. In particular, we consider an Abductive Logic Programming framework named SCIFF and derived from the IFF abductive framework, able to deal with existentially (and universally) quantified variables in rule heads, and Constraint Logic Programming constraints. Forward and backward reasoning is naturally supported in the ALP framework. The SCIFF language smoothly supports the integration of rules, expressed in a Logic Programming language, with Datalog± ontologies, mapped into SCIFF (forward) integrity constraints. The main advantage is that this integration is achieved within a single language, grounded on abduction in computational logic.
Using Control Charts to Monitor Process and Product Quality Profiles

In most statistical process control (SPC) applications, it is assumed that the quality of a process or product can be adequately represented by the distribution of a univariate quality characteristic or by the general multivariate distribution of a vector consisting of several correlated quality characteristics. In many practical situations, however, the quality of a process or product is better characterized and summarized by a relationship between a response variable and one or more explanatory variables. Thus, at each sampling stage, one observes a collection of data points that can be represented by a curve (or profile). In some calibration applications, the profile can be represented adequately by a simple straight-line model, while in other applications, more complicated models are needed. In this expository paper, we discuss some of the general issues involved in using control charts to monitor such process- and product-quality profiles and review the SPC literature on the topic. We relate this application to functional data analysis and review applications involving linear profiles, nonlinear profiles, and the use of splines and wavelets. We strongly encourage research in profile monitoring and provide some research ideas.
Role of Omega-3 Fatty Acids in the Treatment of Depressive Disorders: A Comprehensive Meta-Analysis of Randomized Clinical Trials

Background Despite omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) supplementation in depressed patients have been suggested to improve depressive symptomatology, previous findings are not univocal. Objectives To conduct an updated meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of omega-3 PUFA treatment of depressive disorders, taking into account the clinical differences among patients included in the studies. Methods A search on MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycInfo, and the Cochrane Database of RCTs using omega-3 PUFA on patients with depressive symptoms published up to August 2013 was performed. Standardized mean difference in clinical measure of depression severity was primary outcome. Type of omega-3 used (particularly eicosapentaenoic acid [EPA] and docosahexaenoic acid [DHA]) and omega-3 as mono- or adjuvant therapy was also examined. Meta-regression analyses assessed the effects of study size, baseline depression severity, trial duration, dose of omega-3, and age of patients. Results Meta-analysis of 11 and 8 trials conducted respectively on patients with a DSM-defined diagnosis of major depressive disorder (MDD) and patients with depressive symptomatology but no diagnosis of MDD demonstrated significant clinical benefit of omega-3 PUFA treatment compared to placebo (standardized difference in random-effects model 0.56 SD [95% CI: 0.20, 0.92] and 0.22 SD [95% CI: 0.01, 0.43], respectively; pooled analysis was 0.38 SD [95% CI: 0.18, 0.59]). Use of mainly EPA within the preparation, rather than DHA, influenced final clinical efficacy. Significant clinical efficacy had the use of omega-3 PUFA as adjuvant rather than mono-therapy. No relation between efficacy and study size, baseline depression severity, trial duration, age of patients, and study quality was found. Omega-3 PUFA resulted effective in RCTs on patients with bipolar disorder, whereas no evidence was found for those exploring their efficacy on depressive symptoms in young populations, perinatal depression, primary disease other than depression and healthy subjects. Conclusions The use of omega-3 PUFA is effective in patients with diagnosis of MDD and on depressive patients without diagnosis of MDD.
The myogenic regulatory factors: critical determinants of muscle identity in development, growth and regeneration

© 2012 Sweetman, licensee InTech. This is an open access chapter distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. The Myogenic Regulatory Factors: Critical Determinants of Muscle Identity in Development, Growth and Regeneration
Efficient Route Planning in Flight Networks

We present a set of three new time-dependent models with increasing flexibility for realistic route planning in flight networks. By these means, we obtain small graph sizes while modeling airport procedures in a realistic way. With these graphs, we are able to efficiently compute a set of best connections with multiple criteria over a full day. It even turns out that due to the very limited graph sizes it is feasible to precompute full distance tables between all airports. As a result, best connections can be retrieved in a few microseconds on real world data.
The Responsiveness of Private Savings to Medicaid Long Term Care Policies

This paper examines the extent to which private savings responds to the availability of a social insurance program. We focus on the Medicaid nursing home assistance program and uses variation in state Medicaid policies in the 1960s and 1990s to identify whether household wealth correlates negatively with access to public insurance coverage. We use data from the 1962 and 1970 Survey of Consumer Finances and the 1992 through 2002 Health and Retirement Study. We find that household savings in 1970 was substantially lower in states with easier access to Medicaid assistance and that household savings in the 1990s was lower when access to the Medicaid program was lower.
Mobility-Aware QoS Provisioning in LED-ID Networks

Quality of service (QoS) provisioning is an important issue in wireless networks. The less interruption time or packet loss of a communication session is, the better quality of service is. In this paper, we propose a new link switching scheme for LED-ID networks based on the history of location of mobile devices (as known as readers). Our proposed scheme is based on the standpoint that in indoor environments people tendentiously move in restricted trajectories. The simulation results show that our proposed scheme outperforms the conventional scheme.