Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A rosetta stone for coronary calcium risk stratification: agatston, volume, and mass scores in 11,490 individuals.

OBJECTIVE We introduce stratification data for three methods (Agatston, volume, mass) obtained from one single patient population. MATERIALS AND METHODS Measurements in 11,490 individuals scanned from 1999 to 2002 with electron-beam CT were used for this study. RESULTS Our Agatston score ranges agree reasonably well with the Kondos values except for measurements in patients at the extreme ages, at which we sampled a wider age range and consequently had different biases of averages. Neither method is preferable because except for a small percentage of individuals near the dividing lines, stratification is the same for the three methods. When we matched them against a known "lesion" phantom, the Agatston and volume scores behave nonlinearly, and the latter grossly overestimates volume. The mass method is linear except for lesions near the edge of detectability and matches known volumes to within a small percentage. CONCLUSION We provide validated risk stratification data for use with mass scoring methods.
The implementation of low latency communication primitives in the SNOW prototype

This paper describes the implementation of a low latency protected message passing facility and a low latency barrier synchronization mechanism for an experimental, tightly-coupled network of workstations called SNOW: SNOW uses multiprocessing SPARC 20s, running Solaris 2.4, as computing nodes, and uses semi-custom network interface cards (NICs) that connect these nodes in a 212 Mbits/sec. unidirectional ring. The NICs include field-programmable gate array logic devices that allow for experimentation with the nature and level of hardware support for tight coupling. The one way protected message passing latency on the SNOW prototype for a 64-byte message is about 9 /spl mu/secs. , comparable to latencies of low-end to medium range multiprocessors.
Correlation between changes in nuclear magnetic resonance order parameters and conformational entropy: Molecular dynamics simulations of native and denatured staphylococcal nuclease

Recent work has suggested that changes in NMR order parameters may quantitatively reflect changes in the conformational entropy of a protein ensemble. The extent of the mathematical relationship between local entropy changes as seen by NMR order parameters and the full protein entropy change is a complex issue. As a step towards a fuller understanding of this problem, molecular dynamics calculations of both native and denatured staphylococcal nuclease were performed. The N‐H bond vector motion, in both explicit and implicit solvent, was analyzed to estimate local and global entropy changes. The calculated N‐H bond vector order parameters from simulation agreed on average with experimental values for both native and denatured structures. However, the inverted‐U profile of order parameters versus residue number observed experimentally for denatured nuclease was only partially reproduced by simulation of compact denatured structures. Comparisons made across the full set of simulations revealed a correlation between the N‐H order parameter‐based conformational entropy change and the total quasiharmonic‐based conformational entropy change between the native and denatured structures. The calculations showed that about 25% of the total entropy change was reflected by changes in simulated S2 values. This result suggests that NMR‐derived order parameters may be used to provide a reasonable estimate of the total conformational entropy change on protein folding. Proteins 2000;38:123–133. © 2000 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Evaluation of Intellectual Capital and Its Importance

The concept of capital is one of the most rich explanatory framework considerations contemporary of sociological, economic and managerial. Intellectual capital is set of knowledge, information and intellectual assets, experience, competition and organizational learning that can be used for creating wealth. The concept of intellectual capital in 1969 was coined by economist named John Kenneth Galbrais. Intellectual capital is includes human capital, structure capital, and customer capital. Management of Intellectual Capital has closely relationship with knowledge management to the extent that for organizations proper communicating between intellectual capital and knowledge management is critical. In this article be deal to expression of the intellectual capital and also will discuss about dimensions of intellectual capital.
Optimizing Join Queries in Distributed Databases

A reduced cover set of the set of full reducer semijoin programs for an acyclic query graph for a distributed database system is given. An algorithm is presented that determines the minimum cost full reducer program. The computational complexity of finding the optimal full reducer for a single relation is of the same order as that of finding the optimal full reducer for all relations. The optimization algorithm is able to handle query graphs where more than one attribute is common between the relations. A method for determining the optimum profitable semijoin program is presented. A low-cost algorithm which determines a near-optimal profitable semijoin program is outlined. This is done by converting a semijoin program into a partial order graph. This graph also allows one to maximize the concurrent processing of the semijoins. It is shown that the minimum response time is given by the largest cost path of the partial order graph. This reducibility is used as a post optimizer for the SSD-1 query optimization algorithm. It is shown that the least upper bound on the length of any profitable semijoin program is N(N-1) for a query graph of N nodes. >
Chromosomal Evolution of Delena cancerides

The huntsman spider Delena cancerides (Sparassidae, Walckenaer) encompasses a number of chromosomally distinct populations (karyomorphs), including forms with entirely telocentric chromosomes, and many populations saturated for centric fusions resulting in metacentric chromosomes. Where these fusions are sex-linked, males are fi xed heterozygotes, carrying one or two sex-linked chains of chromosomes of various lengths, while females carry normal bivalents at meiosis. In the absence of X-autosome fusions however, all fusions are homozygous meaning both sexes carry metacentric bivalents. During a broad scale survey of this polytypism, a fi fth category of chromosomal confi guration was observed, where individuals were found to carry rings of various even numbers of autosomes at meiosis. Unlike the chains seen in other populations, these rings are not sex linked and so are observed as fl oating polymorphism, probably occurring in females as well as males. Rings were found at only two locations, both within the distribution of the metacentric bivalent (mII) population. One of these locations was sampled intensively, revealing six different ring types co-distributed in an area of less than 20 km2, mixed with about 50% mII individuals, and surrounded by pure mII populations. This polymorphism is interpreted as resulting from hybridization between differentiated mII forms carrying different fusion combinations. This hybrid zone appears to have tension zone dynamics, possibly resulting from malsegregation of large rings. The chromosomal diversity observed within the zone is greater than expected for a simple contact between two populations. Several models are proposed to account for this excess diversity.
Découverte des dépendances fonctionnelles conditionnelles fréquentes

Les Dependances Fonctionnelles Conditionnelles (DFC) ont ete introduites en 2007 pour le nettoyage des donnees. Elles peuvent etre considerees comme une unification de Dependances Fonctionnelles (DF) classiques et de Regles d’Association (RA) puisqu’elles permettent de specifier des dependances mixant des attributs et des couples de la forme attribut/valeur. Dans cet article, nous traitons le probleme de la decouverte des DFC, i.e. determiner une couverture de l’ensemble des DFC satisfaites par une relation r. Nous montrons comment une technique connue pour la decouverte des DF (exactes et approximatives) peut etre etendue aux DFC. Cette technique a ete implementee et des experiences ont ete menees pour montrer la faisabilite et le passage a l’echelle de notre proposition.
Incorporation of LPS in Liposomes Diminishes Its Ability to Induce Tumoricidal Activity and Tumor Necrosis Factor Secretion in Murine Macrophages

We investigated the effect of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) incorporated into phospholipid vesicles (liposomes) on the induction of macrophage‐mediated tumor cytotoxicity and tumor necrosis factor (TNF) secretion. The incorporation of Salmonella minnesota rough (Re)‐LPS into multilamellar or small unilamellar vesicles (liposomes) resulted in an 100‐to 1,000‐fold reduction in its potency to activate both the macrophage cell line RAW 264.7 and murine thioglycolate elicited peritoneal macrophages to become cytotoxic for L929 and P815 tumor cells. Liposomal LPS was also a 100‐ to 1,000‐fold less potent inducer of TNF secretion from RAW 264.7 cells. Cytokines secreted by the activated macrophages contributed to the cytotoxic effect on the L929 cells but not the P815 cell line. Human recombinant TNF was not cytotoxic for either cell line but was cytostatic for the L929 cell line. Morphological examination of the cells after uptake of fluorescent, free, and liposomal LPS revealed that both forms were internalized by the endocytic pathway. This, together with the considerably reduced potency of liposomal LPS to induce tumor cytotoxicity and TNF secretion, suggests that the interaction of the hydrophobic part of the lipid A moiety of LPS with the macrophage plasma membrane is needed to optimally activate these cells. Incorporation of LPS into liposomes effectively abrogates this interaction.
Transgenerational epigenetic inheritance of diabetes risk as a consequence of early nutritional imbalances

In today's world, there is an unprecedented rise in the prevalence of chronic metabolic diseases, including obesity, insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes (T2D). The pathogenesis of T2D includes both genetic and environmental factors, such as excessive energy intake and physical inactivity. It has recently been suggested that environmental factors experienced during early stages of development, including the intrauterine and neonatal periods, might play a major role in predisposing individuals to T2D. Furthermore, several studies have shown that such early environmental conditions might even contribute to disease risk in further generations. In this review, we summarise recent data describing how parental nutrition during development increases the risk of diabetes in the offspring. We also discuss the potential mechanisms underlying transgenerational inheritance of metabolic disease, with particular emphasis on epigenetic mechanisms.
Differential activation of the influenza virus polymerase via template RNA binding

Primary transcripts synthesized by the influenza virus polymerase contain the capped 5' ends of eukaryotic mRNAs. These sequences are derived from host mRNA and scavenged by the viral polymerase as a prerequisite to transcription. The first step in this reaction is the specific binding of the viral polymerase to the cap structure of the host RNA. The role that template RNA plays in this RNA binding reaction was examined in quantitative capped mRNA binding and endonuclease assays. Capped RNA binding was shown to be a template-dependent property of the influenza virus polymerase. Addition of only the 5' end of viral RNA stimulates capped mRNA binding by the viral polymerase, but endonuclease activity requires the addition of the 3' end. The addition of template RNA corresponding to the positive-sense complementary RNA replicative intermediate was also able to stimulate capped mRNA binding but was not able to efficiently activate the viral endonuclease. Thus, regulation of endonuclease activity by the influenza virus polymerase can be dependent on template RNA binding.
2S-SOM : une méthode de soft-subspace clustering pour données multi-blocs basée sur les cartes topologiques auto-organisées

Résumé. Nous proposons une méthode de soft subspace clustering basée sur les cartes topologiques pour la classification d’individus décrits par des variables structurées en blocs homogènes. L’algorithme nommé Soft Subspace SOM (2SSOM) consiste à optimiser la fonction de coût de SOM modifiée en introduisant des poids adaptatifs sur les blocs et sur les variables de chaque bloc. Cette double pondération permet de distinguer les blocs les plus importants prenant ainsi en compte la structuration en blocs, et d’identifier pour chaque bloc les variables les plus informatives pour les classes. La méthode permet alors de déterminer simultanément les groupes d’individus et leurs sous espaces caractéristiques optimaux. La méthode est illustrée sur des données réelles issues des bases de l’UCI repository of machine learning et sur des données simulées.
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolated from a veterinary surgeon and five dogs in one practice

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) was isolated from five dogs with wound discharges after surgical procedures at a veterinary practice, and MRSA with similar molecular and phenotypic characteristics was isolated from the nares of one veterinary surgeon in the practice. The pulsed-field gel electrophoresis patterns of all the isolates were indistinguishable from each other and from the most common human isolates of MRSA in Ireland.
Using Devices for Physiologic Monitoring in Heart Failure

Heart failure (HF) is a complex and costly disease process associated with high morbidity and mortality. Implanted cardiac rhythm management devices are increasingly used in the HF population to provide therapies such as protection from sudden death and cardiac resynchronization therapy. Device-based diagnostic monitoring provides clinicians with information that can assist in identifying patients at risk for HF decompensation and subsequent hospitalization. This article will review the evidence for using diagnostic information from cardiac rhythm management devices in the management of HF patients. Future advanced monitoring devices will also be discussed.
Neural networks and the mathematics of chaos-an investigation of these methodologies as accurate predictors of corporate bankruptcy

Research is given which investigates the use of neural networks as a classification tool to predict corporate bankruptcy. It also examines if a branch of chaos theory could be used as a forecasting tool. It compares neural networks with an alternative corporate bankruptcy prediction model Altman's Z-score model (1977) on a small data sample and illustrates that neural networks can yield superior results. <<ETX>>
Joint immobilization prevents murine osteoarthritis and reveals the highly mechanosensitive nature of protease expression in vivo.

OBJECTIVE Mechanical joint loading is critical for the development of osteoarthritis (OA). Although once regarded as a disease of cartilage attrition, OA is now known to be controlled by the expression and activity of key proteases, such as ADAMTS-5, that drive matrix degradation. This study was undertaken to investigate the link between protease expression and mechanical joint loading in vivo. METHODS We performed a microarray analysis of genes expressed in the whole joint following surgical induction of murine OA (by cutting the medial meniscotibial ligament). Gene expression changes were validated by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction in whole joints and microdissected tissues of the joint, including the articular cartilage, meniscus, and epiphysis. Following surgery, mouse joints were immobilized, either by prolonged anesthesia or by sciatic neurectomy. RESULTS Many genes were regulated in the whole joint within 6 hours of surgical induction of OA in the mouse. These included Arg1, Ccl2, Il6, Tsg6, Mmp3, Il1b, Adamts5, Adamts4, and Adamts1. All of these were significantly regulated in the articular cartilage. When joints were immobilized by prolonged anesthesia, regulation of the vast majority of genes was abrogated. When joints were immobilized by sciatic neurectomy, regulation of selected genes was abrogated, and OA was prevented up to 12 weeks postsurgery. CONCLUSION These findings indicate that gene expression in the mouse joint following the induction of OA is rapid and highly mechanosensitive. Regulated genes include the known pathogenic protease ADAMTS-5. Targeting the mechanosensing mechanisms of joint tissue may offer new strategies for disease modification.
Emissions of Organic Compounds and Trace Metals in Fine Particulate Matter from Motor Vehicles: A Tunnel Study in Houston, Texas

Abstract Fine particulate matter (PM) samples collected in a highway tunnel in Houston, TX, were analyzed to quantify the concentrations of 14 n-alkanes, 12 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and nine petroleum biomarkers, as well as 21 metals, with the ultimate aim of identifying appropriate tracers for diesel engines. First, an exploratory multivariate dimensionality reduction technique called principal component analysis (PCA) was employed to identify all potential candidates for tracers. Next, emission indices were calculated to interpret PCA results physically. Emission indices of n-heneicosane, n-docosane, n-tricosane, n-tetracosane, n-pentacosane, fluoranthene, and pyrene were correlated highly and increased strongly with percentage carbon present in the tunnel emanating from diesel vehicles. This suggests that these organic compounds are useful molecular markers to separate emissions from diesel and gasoline engines. Additionally, the results are the first quantification of the metal composition of PM with aerodynamic diameters smaller than 2.5 [H9262]m (PM2.5) emissions from mobile sources in Houston. PCA of trace metal concentrations followed by emission index calculations revealed that barium in fine airborne particles can be linked quantitatively to diesel engine emissions, demonstrating its role as an elemental tracer for heavy-duty trucks.
Characterization of H5N2 Influenza A Viruses Isolated from Chickens in Japan

Abstract A low pathogenic avian influenza virus of the H5N2 subtype was isolated for the first time from layer chickens in Japan in 2005. Surveillance in trading restriction zones and epidemiologically related farms revealed 41 seropositive farms, and 16 H5N2 viruses were isolated and characterized from nine of these farms. That these viruses were genetically and antigenically similar to each other suggested that these isolates were derived from a common origin. Complete genomic characterization of all eight gene segments showed that these H5N2 isolates in Japan had high homology to the H5N2 strains prevalent in Central America since 1994. The virus was reisolated from tracheal and cloacal swabs of experimentally inoculated chickens and efficiently transmitted to sentinel chickens in adjacent cages.
Thermally Dominated Carbon Monoxide Emission in the Taurus Molecular Cloud Complex

We analyze the structure of a region of the Taurus molecular cloud containing star-forming dense cores, as traced by emission from the J = 1-0 rotational transition of the carbon monoxide isotopomer, C18O. While the spatial structure of the velocity-integrated emission is rather featureless, there is substantial structure in the emission integrated over small velocity widths, and the entire three-dimensional data set (right ascension, declination, and velocity) can be broken into a collection of nearly discrete components. We construct a cloud model consisting of nine individual Gaussian components and find that the data are best replicated when these components have sizes of ~0.1 pc and velocity dispersions comparable to or smaller than the thermal velocity dispersion of molecular hydrogen at a temperature of 10 K. We find that nearly all of the molecular mass of the cloud is contained within these quiescent structures. At least two of the structures are detected in observations in the J = 4-3 line of HC3N; these two structures are likely associated with the two forming stars in the region. Our results suggest that thermally dominated structures may be common in regions containing dense cores, but that many of these structures are insufficiently dense to be detected with dense gas tracers.
Stent-Graft Migration after Endovascular Repair of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm

Purpose: To report the incidence of graft migration in patients after endovascular repair of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) and assess the significance of neck diameter changes in patients with and without suprarenal stent implantation. Methods: The medical records and imaging studies of 176 consecutive patients (175 men; median age 71 years, range 48–88) who had endovascular AAA repair with the Nottingham aortomonoiliac system were reviewed. The following parameters were recorded: preoperative neck diameter and length, presence of intraoperative and late graft migrations, time to onset of late migration, length of late migration, and neck diameter changes in patients with documented late graft migration. The patients were divided into 2 groups based on the placement of an endograft with or without suprarenal bare stent fixation. Median follow-up was 15 months (range 1–48). Results: There were 15 (8.5%) graft migrations (6 intraoperative and 9 late). Of those, 14 (10.9%) were in the 128-patient infrarenal fixation group and 1 (2.1%) in the 48-patient suprarenal stent group. Median neck diameters on preoperative and postoperative computed tomography scans in patients with late migration were 22.2 mm and 23.0 mm, respectively (p>0.05). The median time to graft migration was 14 months after the original operation (range 6–36). Conclusions: Distal device migration occurred frequently with the Nottingham system. Late graft migration was not associated with neck enlargement. Endografts with a suprarenal stent may have a decreased incidence of graft migration.
Absence of a Putative Mannose-Specific Phosphotransferase System Enzyme IIAB Component in a Leucocin A-Resistant Strain ofListeria monocytogenes, as Shown by Two-Dimensional Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate-Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis

ABSTRACT Leucocin A is a class IIa bacteriocin produced byLeuconostoc spp. that has previously been shown to inhibit the growth of Listeria monocytogenes. A spontaneous resistant mutant of L. monocytogenes was isolated and found to be resistant to leucocin A at levels in excess of 2 mg/ml. The mutant showed no significant cross-resistance to nontype IIa bacteriocins including nisaplin and ESF1-7GR. However, there were no inhibition zones found on a lawn of the mutant when challenged with an extract containing 51,200 AU of pediocin PA-2 per ml as determined by a simultaneous assay on the sensitive wild-type strain. DNA and protein analysis of the resistant and susceptible strains were carried out using silver-stained amplified fragment length polymorphism (ssAFLP) and one- and two-dimensional sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), respectively. Two-dimensional SDS-PAGE clearly showed a 35-kDa protein which was present in the sensitive but absent from the resistant strain. The N-terminal end of the 35-kDa protein was sequenced and found to have an 83% homology to the mannose-specific phosphotransferase system enzyme IIAB of Streptococcus salivarius.