Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Early Detection of Regional and Global Left Ventricular Myocardial Function Using Strain and Strain-rate Imaging in Patients with Metabolic Syndrome

Background: Strain and strain-rate imaging (SRI) have been found clinically useful in the assessment of cardiac systolic and diastolic function as well as providing new insights in deciphering cardiac physiology and mechanics in cardiomyopathies, and identifying early subclinical changes in various pathologies. The aim of this study was to evaluate the regional and global left ventricular (LV) myocardial function in metabolic syndrome (MS) with SRI so that we can provide more myocardial small lesions in patients with MS, which is robust and reliable basis for early detection of LV function. Methods: Thirty-nine adults with MS were enrolled in the study. There was a control group of 39 healthy adults. In addition to classic echocardiographic assessment of LV global functional changes, SRI was used to evaluate regional and global LV function. Including: Peak systolic strain (S), peak systolic strain-rate (SR-s), peak diastolic strain-rate (SR-e). Results: There were no statistically significant differences between MS and controls in all traditional parameters of LV systolic function. On the other hand, significant differences were observed between MS and the control group in most of the parameters of S, SR-s, SR-e in regional LV function. Multiple stepwise regression analyses revealed that S and SR significantly were negatively correlated with blood pressure, waist circumference, fasting plasma glucose, uric acid, suggesting that risk factories were relevant to regional systolic dysfunction. Conclusion: In MS with normal LV ejection fraction, there was regional myocardial dysfunction, risk factors contributed to the impairment of systolic and diastolic function of the regional myocardium. Assessment of myocardial function using SRI could be more accurate in MS patient evaluation than conventional echocardiography alone.
Prevalence of lifetime depression in a large hemiplegic migraine cohort

Objective: To determine the prevalence of depression and determinants associated with depression in a large population of hemiplegic migraine (HM) patients. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional, validated questionnaire study among 89 well-defined HM patients and 235 headache-free controls. The prevalence of lifetime depression and its relation to migraine characteristics was assessed. Results: HM patients had increased odds for lifetime depression (odds ratio 3.73, 95% confidence interval 2.18–6.38) compared with controls. Use of acute antimigraine medication was associated with lifetime depression. Conclusions: Depression is part of the monogenic hemiplegic migraine phenotype. Further studies are needed to elucidate the pathophysiologic role of HM genes in comorbid depression. For now, clinicians should take comorbid depression into consideration when starting prophylactic treatment of HM.
The DNA-dependent Protein Kinase Catalytic Subunit Phosphorylation Sites in Human Artemis*

Artemis protein has irreplaceable functions in V(D)J recombination and nonhomologous end joining (NHEJ) as a hairpin and 5′ and 3′ overhang endonuclease. The kinase activity of the DNA-dependent protein kinase catalytic subunit (DNA-PKcs) is necessary in activating Artemis as an endonuclease. Here we report that three basal phosphorylation sites and 11 DNA-PKcs phosphorylation sites within the mammalian Artemis are all located in the C-terminal domain. All but one of these phosphorylation sites deviate from the SQ or TQ motif of DNA-PKcs that was predicted previously from in vitro phosphorylation studies. Phosphatase-treated mammalian Artemis and Artemis that is mutated at the three basal phosphorylation sites still retain DNA-PKcs-dependent endonucleolytic activities, indicating that basal phosphorylation is not required for the activation. In vivo studies of Artemis lacking the C-terminal domain have been reported to be sufficient to complement V(D)J recombination in Artemis null cells. Therefore, the C-terminal domain may have a negative regulatory effect on the Artemis endonucleolytic activities, and phosphorylation by DNA-PKcs in the C-terminal domain may relieve this inhibition.
Prenatal diagnosis of hydrocephalus‐stenosis of the aqueduct of Sylvius by ultrasound in the first trimester of pregnancy. Report of two cases

Hydrocephalus‐stenosis of the acqueduct of Sylvius sequence (HSAS) is characterized by hydrocephalus, macrocephaly, adducted thumbs, spasticity, agenesis of the corpus callosum and mental retardation. X‐linked hydrocephalus is known to be due to mutations in the gene coding for the neural cell adhesion molecule L1 (L1‐CAM) and diagnosis is made by identification of a mutation in the L1‐CAM gene. Prenatal diagnosis of HSAS is usually suggested on ultrasound examination showing hydrocephalus in a male fetus associated with bilateral adducted thumbs. Mutation screening of the L1‐CAM gene is indicated when neuropathological examination shows hypoplasia of the corticospinal tract associated with aqueductal stenosis. We report here two cases of HSAS diagnosed within the same family by ultrasound examination in the first trimester of pregnancy when bilateral adducted thumbs were the only early ultrasound marker. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A Study of All-Convolutional Encoders for Connectionist Temporal Classification

Connectionist temporal classification (CTC) is a popular sequence prediction approach for automatic speech recognition that is typically used with models based on recurrent neural networks (RNNs). We explore whether deep convolutional neural networks (CNNs) can be used effectively instead of RNNs as the “encoder” in CTC. CNNs lack an explicit representation of the entire sequence, but have the advantage that they are much faster to train. We present an exploration of CNN s as encoders for CTC models, in the context of character-based (lexicon-free) automatic speech recognition. In particular, we explore a range of one-dimensional convolutionallayers, which are particularly efficient. We compare the performance of our CNN-based models against typical RNN-based models in terms of training time, decoding time, model size and word error rate (WER) on the Switchboard Eva12000 corpus. We find that our CNN-based models are close in performance to LSTMs, while not matching them, and are much faster to train and decode.
Modeling and Simulation of Three Phase High Power Factor PWM Rectifier

Numerical simulation methodology based on high frequency mathematical model of high power factor PWM rectifier is proposed in this paper. And input to output transform function is deduced. With the help of input to output transform function, the design method of voltage regulator has been presented. The simulation for three-phase PWM rectifier is implemented with Runge-Kutta, thus comprehensive simulation can be achieved with M file in MATLAB. Finally, the simulation results and experimental results are given. The complete agreement with the results of simulation and experiment manifests that the proposed simulation method in this paper is effective. Of course, the design period of three-phase high power factor PWM rectifier can be shortened by virtue of proposed simulation methodology
Activation of Phosphoinositide 3-Kinases by the CCR4 Ligand Macrophage-Derived Chemokine Is a Dispensable Signal for T Lymphocyte Chemotaxis1

Macrophage-derived chemokine (MDC/CC chemokine ligand 22 (CCL22)) mediates its cellular effects principally by binding to its receptor CCR4, and together they constitute a multifunctional chemokine/receptor system with homeostatic and inflammatory roles in the body. We report the CCL22-induced accumulation of phosphatidylinositol-(3,4,5)-trisphosphate (PI(3,4,5)P3) in the leukemic T cell line CEM. CCL22 also had the ability to chemoattract human Th2 cells and CEM cells in a pertussis toxin-sensitive manner. Although the PI(3,4,5)P3 accumulation along with the pertussis toxin-susceptible phosphorylation of protein kinase B were sensitive to the two phosphoinositide 3-kinase inhibitors, LY294002 and wortmannin, cell migration was unaffected. However, cell migration was abrogated with the Rho-dependent kinase inhibitor, Y-27632. These data demonstrate that although there is PI(3,4,5)P3 accumulation downstream of CCR4, phosphoinositide 3-kinase activity is a dispensable signal for CCR4-stimulated chemotaxis of Th2 cells and the CEM T cell line.
Group power through the lens of the 21st century and beyond: further validation of the Sieloff-King Assessment of Group Power within Organizations.

AIM The purpose was to determine the content validity of a semantic revision of items on a reliable and valid instrument, the Sieloff-King Assessment of Group Power within Organizations (SKAGPO). BACKGROUND Research participants expressed negative perceptions regarding the use of the concept of 'power' in SKAGPO items. The SKAGPO is the only instrument measuring a nursing group's power or outcome attainment. METHOD Using a survey method, the instrument and grading scale were sent to 12 expert judges. Six participants completed the grading scale. RESULTS The Content Validity Index (CVI) for seven questions was at or above 83% agreement. Overall, the CVI for the eight revised questions was 93.75%. Subsequently, the instrument was renamed the Sieloff-King Assessment of Group Outcome Attainment within Organizations (SKAGOAO). CONCLUSIONS The semantic revision demonstrated content validity for the revised SKAGOAO. When used by nursing groups to assess their level of outcome attainment, the instrument should continue to be psychometrically evaluated. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT A nursing group of any size can use the SKAGOAO to both assess the group's level of outcome attainment or empowerment and direct plans to further improve that level.
Distribution of Influenza Virus Type A in Infected Eggs and the Survival of Virus under Certain Conditions of Storage

The question of the relationship of the hemagglutinating activity of influenza virus to the properties of infectivity and immunogenic capacity is of considerable interest from the biologic standpoint as well as a matter of practical importance in relation to the production and evaluation of vaccines. Various workers (Smith, Andrewes and Laidlaw, 1935; Fairbrother and Martin, 1939; Stock and Francis, 1940; Eaton, 1940; Salk, Lavin and Francis, 1940; Hirst et al., 1942; Hirst, 1942) have demonstrated that the infectivity of virus preparations may be removed by physical or chemical methods with slight or no effect on the immunizing or on the hemagglutinating properties. The relation of hemagglutinating to immunizing potency has not been evaluated. Although several reports (Nigg et at., 1941; Henle and Chambers, 1941; Henle and Henle, 1943; Miller, 1944) have appeared of studies which were made of the distribution of virus in embryonated eggs infected with influenza virus, comparative data for the previously mentioned properties of the virus are not available. The work to be described here was concerned with a study of the relative rate of appearance and quantity of infecting, hemagglutinating and immunizing activities in the embryonated hen's egg. The effect of storage under various conditions of time and temperature in regard to the stability of these factors was also determined.
The Prevalence of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease among Danes Aged 45–84 Years: Population-based Study

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is one of the leading causes of disability and death in the world. Many people with disease are undiagnosed or untreated due to lack of consensus about the definition of COPD. The objective was to estimate the prevalence of COPD in the Danish population aged 45–84 years and to identify the proportion of persons not receiving appropriate medical treatment. A population-based study in the two Danish counties (population aged 45–84 years = 299,000 persons) based on data from 155 general practices in the 2004–2006 period. Stratified sampling was used to select 4,757 subjects from the Danish Civil Registration System and the National Health Service databases. The diagnosis of COPD was defined as FEV1/FVC < 0.70 after bronchodilator. The classification of disease severity was based on criteria developed by the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Diseases (GOLD) criteria. COPD prevalence was associated with sex, age, and smoking status. We found an overall COPD prevalence of 12% (95% CI 11%-13%). Standardized to the Danish population, the true prevalence of COPD is 9% (95% CI 8%-10%). The highest prevalence was observed among current smokers (23%) and former smokers (17%) as well as in the older age group (total = 18%; men = 21%; women = 15%). Most subjects with COPD had mild-to-moderate disease. Among subjects with severe and very severe COPD, 25% were not treated with bronchodilator or inhaled corticosteroids. In conclusion we found that the population prevalence of COPD is high among smokers. A large proportion of persons with COPD did not receive appropriate medical treatment.
Plant‐extract‐induced changes in the proteome of the soil‐borne pathogenic fungus Thielaviopsis basicola

Thielaviopsis basicola is a hemibiotroph fungus that causes black root rot disease in diverse plants with significant impact on cotton production in Australia. To elucidate how T. basicola growth and proteome are influenced by interactions with natural sources, this fungus was cultured in the presence of root extracts from non‐host (wheat, hairy vetch) and susceptible host (cotton, lupin) plants. We found that T. basicola growth was significantly favored in the presence of host extracts, while hierarchical clustering analysis of 2‐DE protein profiles of T. basicola showed plant species had a larger effect on the proteome than host/non‐host status. Analysis by LC‐MS/MS of unique and differentially expressed spots and identification using cross‐species similarity searching and de novo sequencing allowed successful identification of 41 spots. These proteins were principally involved in primary metabolism with smaller numbers implicated in other diverse functions. Identification of several “morpho” proteins suggested morphological differences that were further microscopically investigated. Identification of several highly expressed spots suggested that vitamin B6 is important in the T. basicola response to components present in hairy vetch extract, and finally, three spots, induced in the presence of lupin extract, may correspond to malic enzyme and be involved in lipid accumulation.
The utility of a protection motivation theory framework for understanding sedentary behavior

ABSTRACT Multilevel determinants of sedentary behavior (SB), including constructs couched within evidence-based psychological frameworks, can contribute to more efficacious interventions designed to decrease sitting time. This study aimed to: (1) examine the factor structure and composition of sedentary-derived protection motivation theory (PMT) constructs and (2) determine the utility of these constructs in predicting general and leisure sedentary goal intention (GI), implementation intention (II), and self-reported SB. Sedentary-derived PMT (perceived severity, PS; perceived vulnerability, PV; response efficacy, RE; self-efficacy, SE), GI, and II constructs, and a modified SB questionnaire were completed by undergraduate students (n = 596). SE was broken into three psychological (productive, focused, tired), and two situational (studying, leisure) constructs to capture the main barriers to reducing sitting time. After completing socio-demographics and the PMT items, participants were randomized to complete general or leisure GI and II. Based on model assignment, they completed either the general or leisure SB questionnaire one week later. Irrespective of model, exploratory followed by confirmatory factor analysis revealed that the PMT items grouped into eight coherent and interpretable factors consistent with the theory's threat and coping appraisal tenets: PV, PS, RE, and five scheduling SE constructs (tired, productive/focused, TV/video games/computer, studying at home, studying in library/Wi-Fi area). Using linear regression, general and leisure models predicted 5% and 1% of the variance in GI, 10% and 16% of the variance in II, and 3% and 1% of the variance in SB, respectively. Variables that made unique and significant contributions were: RE (general) and SE (leisure) for goal intention; PV and RE (general), PV, RE, and SE (leisure) for implementation intention; and only goal intention (leisure) for SB. Support now exists for the tenability of an eight-factor PMT sedentary model and its utility in predicting II and to a lesser extent GI and behavior.
Important quality aspects in the transfer process.

PURPOSE Admission to and transfer from an intensive care unit affects not only the patient but also his or her relatives. The authors aimed to investigate relatives' perceptions of quality of care during a patient's transfer process from an intensive care unit to a general ward. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH The study had a mixed method design that included quantitative data and answers to open questions. The participants were 65 relatives of patients who received care in an ICU. They were recruited from two hospitals in Sweden. FINDINGS A majority perceived the transfer process as important, but analysis also showed that the participants rated it as an area for improvements. The relatives wanted participation, personal insight and control, respectful encounters, proximity, reassurance, continuous quality, reconnection and feedback. The relatives' participation in the transfer process was perceived as inadequate by 61 per cent, and the support that was received after the ICU discharge was perceived as inadequate by 53 per cent. The patients' length of stay in the ICU affected the relatives' perceptions of the quality of care. Overall, the relatives seemed to desire that the transfer process includes a continuous care, a competent staff, available information throughout the transfer process and personal involvement in the care, both before and after the transfer from the ICU. RESEARCH LIMITATIONS/IMPLICATIONS The conclusion of this study is that relatives' needs and seeking for a well-planned ICU transitional process organisation with continuous quality before and after transfer, informational strategies that encourage the relatives to be involved and an organisation with competence throughout the healthcare chain are vital for quality. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS The conclusion of this study is that relatives' needs and seeking for a well-planned ICU transitional process organisation with continuous quality before and after transfer, informational strategies that encourage the relatives to be involved and an organisation with competence throughout the healthcare chain are vital for quality. ORIGINALITY/VALUE The findings have important implications for nursing and nursing management. A relative's perception of the quality of care before and after transfer from ICU may be a valuable source to evaluate the ICU transitional care.
Uptake of ferrous iron by cultured rat astrocytes

Astrocytes are considered to play an important role in iron homeostasis of the brain, yet the mechanisms involved in the uptake of iron into astrocytes remain elusive. To investigate the uptake of iron into astrocytes, we have applied ferric ammonium citrate (FAC) to rat astrocyte‐rich primary cultures. These cultures express the mRNAs of two membrane‐bound ferric reductases, Dcytb and SDR2, and reduce extracellular ferric iron (100 μM) with a rate of 3.2 ± 0.4 nmol/(hr × mg). This reduction rate is substantially lower than the rate of cellular iron accumulation from 100 μM FAC [24.7 ± 8.9 nmol/(hr × mg)], which suggests that iron accumulation from FAC does at best partially depend on extracellular ferric reduction. Nonetheless, when the iron in FAC was almost completely reduced by an excess of exogenous ascorbate, astrocytes accumulated iron in a time‐ and concentration‐dependent manner with specific iron accumulation rates that increased linearly for concentrations of up to 100 μM ferrous iron. This accumulation was attenuated by lowering the incubation temperature, by the presence of ferrous iron chelators, or by lowering the pH from 7.4 to 6.8. These data indicate that, in addition to the DMT1‐mediated uptake of ferrous iron, astrocytes can accumulate ferric and ferrous iron by mechanisms that are independent of DMT1 or transferrin. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Continuing medical education: the link between physician learning and health care outcomes.

The past century has seen spectacular gains in the breadth and depth of biomedical knowledge, but the potential of these gains has been limited by inadequate, inequitable, and inefficient translation of knowledge and skills to the health care workplace. We propose that a radically transformed continuing medical education (CME) system is essential to realize biomedicine’s everexpanding potential to improve the health of patients and populations.
Measuring the Uncertainty of RFID Location Streams Based on Optimal Estimation Particle Filter

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology is widely used in object tracking and tracing, especially in real-time locating system (RTLS). Due to the external and internal influence of RFID systems, a lot of redundant and uncertain location streams could be generated in RFID-based RTLS applications, which could seriously affect the accuracy of estimation for RFID mobile object position and cause great difficulties in RFID-based RTLS applications. In this paper, we systematically analyzed the characteristics of RFID location streams. We then derived the optimal weight for the attributes of RFID location streams by applying information entropy based methods and used probability matrix to optimize weight attributes in location streams. We also proposed an optimal estimation particle filter algorithm (OEPF) based on traditional particle filter, which greatly reduced the data redundancy and realized online measurement for the uncertainty of RFID location streams. Finally, the experimental results showed that, compared to the existing algorithms, our algorithm effectively improved the accuracy of location estimation in ensuring the premise of real-time.
On the relative sample size required for multiple comparisons.

Multiple comparisons are commonly made in epidemiologic and genetic research. How to appropriately adjust for multiple comparisons remains a controversial issue. This note demonstrates, however, that large increases in the number of comparisons has a limited effect on the sample size required to maintain an experimentwise alpha-level. In particular, the relative sample size required increases only linearly with the logarithm of the number of comparisons made.
Superior VLBR video coding using pattern template for moving objects instead of variable block-size in H.264

The latest digital video coding standard AVC/H.264 introduced tree structured variable-block size (from 16/spl times/16 to 4/spl times/4) motion estimation and compensation to approximate the shape of the moving objects within the macroblock more accurately. The choice of different size blocks is varied as target bit rate varied. In this paper we investigate the changes of different block size for various target bit rates. Experimental results show that relatively larger blocks are selected at very low bit rate and smaller blocks are selected at higher bit rate. We also concluded that in the context of very low bit rate video coding, pattern based video coding using pattern template representations of moving objects in block-based motion estimation and compensation exhibits the superior result compare to H.264 standard.