Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Ventricular Arrhythmias: Antiadrenergic Therapy for the Patient with Coronary Artery Disease

Patients who have had a recent myocardial infarction (MI) are at high risk of ventricular arrhythmias that often cause sudden cardiac death. It is believed that sympathetic overactivity in the peri-infarction period may alter the electrophysiology and structure of the myocardium, thus placing these patients at risk of developing rhythm disturbances. A number of pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic therapies have been shown to reduce the risk of post-MI mortality, including sudden cardiac death. β-Adrenergic blockers are recommended for all post-MI patients without contraindications because of overwhelming clinical evidence of their benefit in reducing mortality in this patient population. Recent clinical trials of implantable cardioverter defibrillators have provided compelling support that they are effective in both the primary and secondary prevention of sudden cardiac death. In addition, several studies have shown that combination therapy with β-blockers and implantable cardioverter defibrillators have synergistic effects that optimize the benefits of both therapies.
Issues in the development of a requirements traceability model

In the development of large-scale, real-time, complex computer intensive systems, it is essential to maintain traceability of requirements to various outputs to ensure that the system meets the current set of requirements. Based on an empirical study in a simulated systems development environment, several major issues that need to be considered in the development of a model of requirements traceability are addressed. <<ETX>>
Classification of Foreign Capital Flows of Insurance Companies

In economic literature, international private capital flows are classified into direct and portfolio investment. The distinction has a wide usage, and is employed not only by economists and students of business, but also by government policymakers when legislating in this area. Because of the financial nature of the insurance operation, there are problems in the application of the standard definition to the foreign investment decisions of insurance companies. The purpose of this paper is to suggest more detailed criteria for classifying these flows, which it is hoped will clarify the issues and permit a more careful delineation between the investment of the insurance industry and that of other enterprise abroad. Foreign private investment is usually classified into two main types: direct and portfolio investment. Foreign direct investment is usually reserved for the situations where the flows are basically undertaken to establish, maintain, or expand a branch or subsidiary or some otlher permanent interest abroad. In contrast, overseas portfolio investment is viewed as a purely financial phenomenon and undertaken without the desire for, or possibility of, management responsibility. Portfolio investment takes tlhe form of the acquisition of money claims against foreign governments or against persons engaged in the construction or operation of production facilities abroad, and in the purchase of equity shares in the property of production facilities, where the resultant holding is insufficient to represent a controlling interest. When an equity acquisition results in Gerard M. Dickinson, Ph.D., F.I. S. , is Assistant Professor of Finance in the University of British Columbia. From 1966 to 1969, Dr. Dickinson was a Research Fellow in the University of Sussex, England. Prior to that time, he was an investment analyst for a United Kingdom insurance company. This paper was submitted in April, 1970. a holding in excess of 50 percent of the total stock, there is no difficulty in making the distinction between direct and portfolio investment. In cases where the holding remains below 50 percent, problems arise in defining control, since control is not only a function of the actual percentage holding but also of the dispersion of the remaining interests. It is therefore impossible to state on this criterion, without a more detailed knowledge, what constitutes a direct or a portfolio investment. For statistical convenience, however, it is generally assumed that holdings of or over a certain percentage, usually 25 percent,' represent such a controlling
Glutathione‐associated enzymes in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma and response to cisplatin‐based neoadjuvant chemotherapy

Glutathione S‐transferases (GSTs) are metabolic phase II enzymes that promote reactive metabolite elimination by conjugating them to glutathione (GSH). Because of their important role in xenobiotic metabolism and detoxification, they have been implicated in carcinogenesis processes, especially epithelium transformation. Moreover, their influence on response to chemotherapy in cancer patients has been demonstrated. Genetic polymorphisms for GSTM1, GSTT1 and GSTP1 have been found in human populations and have been shown to have phenotypic consequences. To investigate the role of GST enzymes in carcinogenesis and in response to chemotherapy in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), GSTP1, GSTM1 and GSTT1 were studied prospectively in a large series of HNSCC patients. Correlations between GST alterations, p53 mutation status and clinical response to chemotherapy were investigated. We showed that the risk of developing laryngeal cancer was increased by 2.6‐fold [95% CI 1.6–6.1] in patients with the GSTM1 null genotype and by 2.8‐fold [95% CI 0.9–8.1] in patients with the homozygous GSTP1 val105 genotype. Furthermore, individuals with this latter genotype were over‐represented in the p53 mutation group (p = 0.05). After storage duration and hemolysis adjustement, a significantly lower plasmatic GSTP1 level was observed in complete responders compared with partial and non‐responders (mean: 4.4 ± 0.06 μg/l, 4.7 ± 0.06 μg/l and 4.7 ± 0.07 μg/l; p = 0.05), respectively. The prevalence of p53‐mutated tumors was significantly higher in the group of non‐responders (81%) compared with partial (60%) and complete responders (64%) (p = 0.05). Two types of multivariate analysis were performed including parameters that have been shown to influence response to chemotherapy significantly in univariate analysis. p53 mutations and high tumor stage are independent factors of non‐response to chemotherapy, whereas plasmatic GSTP1 levels and low tumor stage are independent factors of complete response. Our data suggest that GST enzymes are associated with larynx cancer and that their use as predictive factors and treatment targets should be further explored. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Reducing calling convention overhead in object-oriented programming on embedded ARM thumb-2 platforms

This paper examines the causes and extent of code size overhead caused by the ARM calling convention in Thumb-2 binaries. We show that binaries generated from C++ source files generally have higher amounts of calling convention overhead, and present a binary file optimizer to eliminate some of that overhead. Calling convention overhead can negatively impact power consumption, flash memory costs, and chip size in embedded or otherwise resource-constrained domains. This is particularly true on platforms using "compressed" instruction sets, such as the 16-bit ARM Thumb and Thumb-2 instruction sets, used in virtually all smartphones and in many other smaller-scale embedded devices. In this paper, we examine the extent of calling convention overhead in practical software, and compare the results of C and C++ programs, and find that C++ programs generally have a higher percentage of calling-convention overhead. Finally, we demonstrate a tool capable of eliminating some of this overhead, particularly in the case of C++ programs, by modifying the calling conventions on a per-procedure basis.
Adiponectin and E-selectin concentrations in relation to inflammation in obese type 2 diabetic patients with coronary heart disease(s).

AIM Adipose tissue is now regarded as a source of proinflammatory mediators which may contribute to vascular injury, insulin resistance (IR), and atherogenesis, however, some of them have a protective role against vascular inflammation and/or IR; namely adiponectin and nitric oxide (NO). Adiponectin is a fat derived hormone, which enhances insulin sensitivity. In experimental studies adiponectin was shown to have anti-atherogenic properties by suppressing endothelial expression of adhesion molecules as endothelial-selectin (E-selectin) and inflammatory cytokines as high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), and monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1). Therefore, the aim of the study was to evaluate plasma adiponectin, E-selectin, hsCRP, IL-1β, and MCP-1 concentrations in obese patients with and without coronary heart disease (CHD) having type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) and evaluation of their relationship with selected anthropometric, biochemical, and clinical parameters. METHODS The study group consisted of (N.=70) males, 20 of which served as healthy non-obese controls (group I) (mean age 38.5±3.7 years; mean BMI 28±1.2 kg/m2). Patients enrolled in the study were classified into the following groups: type 2 DM obese subjects without CHD (group II) (N.=25) (mean age 42.2±3 years; mean BMI 32.1±1.4 kg/m2) and type 2 DM obese subjects with CHD (group III) (N.=25) (mean age 40.6±3 years; mean BMI 31.5±1.2 kg/m2). Glucose and insulin estimation was performed and insulin resistance index (HOMA-IR) was calculated. In the fasting state, the plasma HbA1c, adiponectin, E-selectin, in comparison to hsCRP, IL-1β, MCP-1, and lipid parameters were estimated. RESULTS FBG, HbA 1c %, lipids, insulin, MDA, NO, hsCRP, IL-? , MCP-1, Adiponectin as well as E-selectin concentration were significantly different in patients with type 2 DM and CHD in comparison to patients without CHD and moreover, the healthy control group (P=0.01). There was a significant negative correlation between adiponectin and E-selectin (r=-0.642; P=0.0001). CONCLUSION Our study supports the hypothesis that decreased level of adipokine(s), together with increased oxidative stress, pro-inflammatory marker(s) as well as endothelial adhesion molecule(s) contributes to the complex process of atherosclerosis in type 2 diabetic obese patients that may lead eventually to CHD.
Classification by Linearity Assumption

Recently a classifier was proposed that was based on the assumption: the training samples for a particular class form a linear basis for any new test sample. This assumption is a generalization of the Nearest Neighbour classifier. In the previous work, the classifier was built upon this assumption required solving a complex optimisation problem. The optimisation method was time consuming and restrictive in application. In this work our proposed algorithm takes care of the previous problems keeping the basic assumption intact. We also offer generalisations of the basic assumption. Comparative experimental results on some UCI machine learning databases show that our proposed generalised classifier is performs as good as other well known techniques like Nearest Neighbour and Support Vector Machine.
A juvenile hormone agonist reveals distinct developmental pathways mediated by ecdysone-inducible broad complex transcription factors.

Juvenile hormone (JH) is an important regulator of insect development that, by unknown mechanisms, modifies molecular, cellular, and organismal responses to the molting hormone, 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E). In dipteran insects such as Drosophila, JH or JH agonists, administered at times near the onset of metamorphosis, cause lethality. We tested the hypothesis that the JH agonist methoprene acts by interfering with function of the Broad Complex (BRC), a 20E-regulated locus encoding BTB/POZ-zinc finger transcription factors essential for metamorphosis of many tissues. We found that methoprene, administered by feeding or by topical application, disrupts the metamorphic reorganization of the central nervous system, salivary glands, and musculature in a dose-dependent manner. As we predicted, methoprene phenocopies a subset of previously described BRC defects; it also phenocopies Deformed and produces abnormalities not associated with known mutations. Interestingly, methoprene specifically disrupts those metamorphic events dependent on the combined action of all BRC isoforms, while sparing those that require specific isoform subsets. Thus, our data provide independent pharmacological evidence for the model, originally based on genetic studies, that BRC proteins function in two developmental pathways. Mutations of Methoprene-tolerant (Met), a gene involved in the action of JH, protect against all features of the "methoprene syndrome. " These findings have allowed us to propose novel alternative models linking BRC, juvenile hormone, and MET.
The essential protein Fap7 is involved in the oxidative stress response of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Pos9 (Skn7) is an important transcription factor that, together with Yap1, induces the expression of oxidative stress target genes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The activation of Pos9 upon an oxidative stress signal occurs post‐translationally. In a mutant screen for factors involved in the activation of a Pos9‐dependent reporter gene upon oxidative stress, we identified the mutant fap7‐1 (for factor activating Pos9). This point mutant failed to activate a Gal4‐Pos9 hybrid transcription factor, assayed by hydrogen peroxide‐induced GAL1‐lacZ reporter gene activities. Additionally, the fap7‐1 mutant strain was sensitive to oxidative stress and revealed slow growth on glucose compared with the wild type. The fap7‐1 mutation also affected the induction of the Pos9 target gene TPX1 and of a synthetic promoter previously identified to be regulated in a Yap1‐ and Pos9‐dependent manner. This lack of induction was specific as the fap7‐1 mutant response to other stresses such as sodium chloride or co‐application of both hydrogen peroxide and sodium chloride was not affected, as tested with the Pos9‐independent expression pattern of a TPS2‐lacZ reporter system. We identified the gene YDL166c to be allelic to the FAP7 gene and to be essential. Fluorescence microscopy of Fap7–GFP fusion proteins indicated a nuclear localization of the Fap7 protein. Our data suggest that Fap7 is a nuclear factor important for Pos9‐dependent target gene transcription upon oxidative stress.
Role of Janus Kinase/Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription and Mitogen-activated Protein Kinase Cascades in Angiotensin II- and Platelet-derived Growth Factor-induced Vascular Smooth Muscle Cell Proliferation*

In vascular smooth muscle cells, the induction of early growth response genes involves the Janus kinase (JAK)/signal transducer and activators of transcription (STAT) and the Ras/Raf-1/mitogen-activated protein kinase cascades. In the present study, we found that electroporation of antibodies against MEK1 or ERK1 abolished vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation in response to either platelet-derived growth factor or angiotensin II. However, anti-STAT1 or -STAT3 antibody electroporation abolished proliferative responses only to angiotensin II and not to platelet-derived growth factor. AG-490, a specific inhibitor of the JAK2 tyrosine kinase, prevented proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells, complex formation between JAK2 and Raf-1, the tyrosine phosphorylation of Raf-1, and the activation of ERK1 in response to either angiotensin II or platelet-derived growth factor. However, AG-490 had no effect on angiotensin II- or platelet-derived growth factor-induced Ras/Raf-1 complex formation. Our results indicate that: 1) STAT proteins play an essential role in angiotensin II-induced vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation, 2) JAK2 plays an essential role in the tyrosine phosphorylation of Raf-1, and 3) convergent mitogenic signaling cascades involving the cytosolic kinases JAK2, MEK1, and ERK1 mediate vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation in response to both growth factor and G protein-coupled receptors.
Interleukin‐18‐deficient mice exhibit diminished chronic inflammation and airway remodelling in ovalbumin‐induced asthma model

Interleukin (IL)‐18, which is produced by activated monocytes/macrophages and airway epithelial cells, is suggested to contribute to the pathophysiology of asthma by modulating airway inflammation. However, the involvement of IL‐18 on modulating chronic airway inflammation and airway remodelling, which are characterized in a refractory asthma model exposed to long‐term antigen, has not been investigated sufficiently. We examined the role of IL‐18 in chronic airway inflammation and airway remodelling by long‐term antigen exposure. IL‐18‐deficient and C57BL/6‐wild‐type mice were sensitized by ovalbumin (OVA) and were then exposed to aerosolized OVA twice a week for 12 weeks. We assessed airway inflammation by assessing the infiltration of cells into the airspace and lung tissues, and airway remodelling by airway mucus expression, peribronchial fibrosis and smooth muscle thickness. In IL‐18‐deficient mice, when exposed to OVA, the total cells and neutrophils of the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) were diminished, as were the number of infiltrated cells in the lung tissues. IL‐18‐deficient mice exposed to OVA after 12 weeks showed significantly decreased levels of interferon (IFN)‐γ, IL‐13 and transforming growth factor (TGF)‐β1 in the BALF. The airway hyperresponsiveness to acetyl‐β‐methacholine chloride was inhibited in IL‐18‐deficient mice in comparison with wild‐type mice. In addition, IL‐18‐deficient mice exposed to OVA had fewer significant features of airway remodelling. These findings suggest that IL‐18 may enhance chronic airway inflammation and airway remodelling through the production of IFN‐γ, IL‐13 and TGF‐β1 in the OVA‐induced asthma mouse model.
Results of flexor tendon surgery in zone II.

In this article we have attempted to analyze the results of Zone II flexor tendon repair, staged flexor tendon reconstruction, and tenolysis based on cases taken from a single hand surgical practice. Formulas have been offered to determine the percentage return of motion at the PIP and DIP joints utilizing the total active and passive motion measurements. Variation in the formulas for each procedure are necessitated by the preoperative active and passive motion. A common classification system based on the percentage return following each procedure has also been utilized. By employing these assessment methods on digits of our patients who underwent flexor tendon repairs, we achieved the following results: Digits undergoing primary flexor tendon repair in Zone II with postoperative controlled passive motion techniques returned 56 per cent excellent or good function, with 13 per cent in the poor category and 4 per cent experiencing tendon rupture. Staged flexor tendon reconstruction returned 40 per cent excellent or good results with 66 per cent categorized as excellent, good, or fair. Twenty-eight per cent remained in the poor classification, with 7 per cent having ruptures. These results were substantially upgraded by tenolysis of the tendon grafts following Stage II in 47 per cent of all digits. Tenolysis was an effective procedure following a repair or graft and was found to return 67 per cent excellent or good results when carried out for adherent tendon repairs, with 10 per cent in the poor category and an 8 per cent rupture rate. A 65 per cent excellent or good return followed tenolysis of flexor tendon grafts, with 12 per cent judged poor and 8 per cent incidence of rupture. An analysis of the theoretical results of 100 consecutive Zone II flexor tendon repairs following multiple procedures for those digits that had unsatisfactory initial results indicated that, under ideal circumstances, as high as 96 per cent of all digits might be expected to return flexor performance in the excellent or good categories. I acknowledge that the results of flexor tendon procedures are strongly influenced by a wide array of factors, including the patient's age and motivation, the preoperative status of the digit, surgical technique, and postoperative management. An effort has been made here to minimize the variables by including patients taken from a single hand surgical practice and managed, to a large extent, by the same surgeon. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Use of polyvalent coagglutination reagents for serotyping of Streptococcus suis

Polyvalent coagglutination reagents (PRs) have been evaluated for the serotyping of Streptococcus suis. Monovalent antisera produced against 28 S. suis reference strains have been grouped to obtain five different pools. A total of 249 field isolates previously identified and belonging to different serotypes were tested with PRs prepared by two different procedures: (i) monovalent coagglutination reagents were individually prepared and mixed in equal proportions, and (ii) antisera were mixed in equal proportions before the addition of the Staphylococcus aureus suspension. Only antisera tested by a tube agglutination test with 2-mercaptoethanol and presenting titers of 1:32 or higher were used. Results obtained with PRs prepared by both procedures were similar, and there was a very good correlation between the capsular type of the isolate and the reaction obtained with PRs. Thus, from a practical viewpoint, it is suggested that PRs be prepared by the first procedure. To isolates, were tested in parallel with both the PRs and the monovalent coagglutination reagents over a 1-year period. Ninety-nine percent of the typeable and all of the untypeable isolates were correctly identified. Serotyping with PRs is suggested to be a very useful and reliable screening procedure, particularly when a large number of S. suis isolates have to be serotyped. In addition, the choice of antisera to be included in a given pool is facultative and should be oriented to the needs of a region or a country.
Placements of Shared Wavelength Converter Groups Inside a Cost-Effective Permuted Clos Network

The Clos network is used for optical cross-connect and optical packet switch node, and has a large number of cross-points if the number of wavelengths per fiber is more than that of fibers per node. In this letter, we propose a cost-effective permuted Clos network to reduce the number of crosspoints. We further investigate the placement of fixed wavelength converter groups (WCGs) shared inside the permuted Clos network. On the contrary, a normal Clos network has to be equipped with expensive tunable WCGs. The simulation result implies that equipment of about 50% WCGs achieves similar performance as the full wavelength interchanging node does.
Embryonic origin of the Arabidopsis primary root and root meristem initials

The embryonic origin of the Arabidopsis root and hypocotyl region has been investigated using histological techniques and clonal analysis. Our data reveal the pattern of cell division in the embryo giving rise to the various initials within the root promeristem. A small region of the root at its connection with the hypocotyl appears not to be derived from the promeristem initials. This region contains two cortical cell layer and [3H]thymidine incorporation data suggest that it lacks postembryonic cell divisions. Sectors marked by transposon excision from the beta-glucuronidase marker gene are used to investigate cell lineages giving rise to root and hypocotyl. The position of end points from sectors with embryonic origin show little variation and hence reveal preferred positions in the seedling for cells derived from different regions of the embryo. The radial extent of complete root sectors is consistent with the radial arrangement of root meristem initials at the heart stage of embryogenesis inferred from histological analysis. Using the clonal data, a fate map is constructed depicting the destiny of heart stage embryonic cell tiers, in the seedling root and hypocotyl. The variability in the sector end points indicates that distinct cell lineages are not restricted for root or hypocotyl fate. In contrast, derivatives of the hypophyseal cell do appear to be restricted to the columella and central cell region of the root.