Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Study of Human Aortic Distensibility With Relation To Atherosclerosis and Aging

In 1960 a comparative study on coronary atherosclerosis of Caucasians in Boston and of Japanese in Kyushu, Japan was done by Gore, Nakashima, Imai and Whitel by means of Gore Tejada’s atherosclerotic index [in 1960]. There was a remarkable difference between these two groups. Bostonian coronary atherosclerosis was much severer than that of the Japanese. Japanese 7th decade arteries, for instance, had the atherosclerosis comparable to that of 5th decade of Bostonians. We had thought since that time, Japanese arteries were much younger than American arteries. But, there is a question: &dquo;Is the atherosclerosis proportionate to the index of arterial senility? &dquo; Statisticians report the increase of cardiac death in Japan. Increasing fat intake and increasing environmental stress are thought to be main causes for this increase. According to Sumiyoshi, Tanaka, Gore and Hirst2 (1965), however, the frequency of myocardial infarction in autopsy cases of Kyushu University in Japan is still 2.3% and less than one-tenth of Bostonian cases. It can not be thought that the Japanese atherosclerosis had become so different in these 5 years. Now, let us come back to the first question: &dquo;Is the atherosclerosis proportionate to the index of arterial senility? &dquo; Burton3 reported that arterial distensibility diminished with aging, but did not relate it to atherosclerosis. It is very interesting, but it is not clear whether he thought the arterial distensibility had different meaning from the intimal change, because Burton cited the definition of arteriosclerosis seen in Stedman’s medical dictionary (1953): &dquo;fibrous overgrowth, mainly of the inner coat of an artery, associated with degenerative changes in the middle coat causing thickening of the arterial wall with loss of elasticity and contractility. &dquo; We would like to know whether these two pathologic changes, the intimal changes and the loss of elasticity, are in the same category or not.
Distributed Problem Solving

Distributed problem solving is a subfield within multiagent systems, where agents are assumed to be part of a team and collaborate with each other to reach a common goal. In this article, we illustrate the motivations for distributed problem solving and provide an overview of two distributed problem solving models, namely distributed constraint satisfaction problems (DCSPs) and distributed constraint optimization problems (DCOPs), and some of their algorithms.
Bisphenol A enhances kisspeptin neurons in anteroventral periventricular nucleus of female mice.

Bisphenol-A (BPA), an environmental estrogen, adversely affects female reproductive health. However, the underlying mechanisms remain largely unknown. We found that oral administration (p.o.) of BPA (20 μg/kg) to adult female mice at proestrus, but not at estrus or diestrus, significantly increased the levels of plasma E₂, LH and FSH, and Gnrh mRNA within 6 h. The administration of BPA at proestrus, but not at diestrus, could elevate the levels of Kiss1 mRNA and kisspeptin protein in anteroventral periventricular nucleus (AVPV) within 6 h. In contrast, the level of Kiss1 mRNA in arcuate nucleus (ARC) was hardly altered by BPA administration. In addition, at proestrus, a single injection (i.c.v.) of BPA dose-dependently enhanced the AVPV-kisspeptin expression within 6 h, this was sensitive to E₂ depletion by ovariectomy and an estrogen receptor α (ERα) antagonist. Similarly, the injection of BPA (i.c.v.) at proestrus could elevate the levels of plasma E₂, LH, and Gnrh mRNA within 6 h in a dose-dependent manner, which was blocked by antagonists of GPR54 or ERα. Injection of BPA (i.c.v.) at proestrus failed to alter the timing and peak concentration of LH-surge generation. In ovariectomized mice, the application of E₂ induced a dose-dependent increase in the AVPV-Kiss1 mRNA level, indicating 'E₂-induced positive feedback', which was enhanced by BPA injection (i.c.v.). The levels of Erα (Esr1) and Erβ (Esr2) mRNAs in AVPV and ARC did not differ significantly between vehicle-and BPA-treated groups. This study provides in vivo evidence that exposure of adult female mice to a low dose of BPA disrupts the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal reproductive endocrine system through enhancing AVPV-kisspeptin expression and release.
Extraction de motifs séquentiels contextuels

Les motifs sequentiels traditionnels ne tiennent generalement pas compte des informations contextuelles frequemment associees aux donnees sequentielles. Dans le cas des sequences d'achats de clients dans un magasin, l'extraction classique de motifs se focalise sur les achats des clients sans considerer leur categorie socio-professionnelle, leur sexe, leur âge. Or, en considerant le fait qu'un motif sequentiel est speciﬁque a un contexte donne, un expert pourra adapter sa strategie au type du client et prendre les decisions adequates. Dans cet article, nous proposons d'extraire des motifs de la forme " l'achat des produits A et B suivi de l'achat du produit C est speciﬁque aux jeunes clients ". En mettant en valeur les proprietes formelles de tels contextes, nous developpons un algorithme efﬁcace d'extraction de motifs sequentiels contextuels. Les experimentations effectuees sur un jeu de donnees reelles montrent les apports et l'efﬁcacite de l'approche proposee.
Indoor Localization System for Lighting Control

The localization of people and objects in different environments is an essential prerequisite for many applications in navigation, robotics, machine control and monitoring. The limiting factor for many applications is the indoor environment in which the Global Satellite Systems work only partially or cannot function at all. Currently radio frequency (RF) based methods are being increasingly implemented for indoor localization. They are relatively inexpensive to install, and are less subjected to the line-of-sight limitations affecting a significant number of other methods. The research presented in this paper aims to evaluate the possibility for using relatively low-cost and easily expandable RF-based localization techniques for lighting control in warehouse environments. The implementation of the localization system utilizes the RSS of a ZigBee-based sensor network.
A privacy-preserving multi-server authenticated key-agreement scheme based on Chebyshev chaotic maps

The paper presents a password-based authenticated key-agreement protocol for multi-server environments by using Chebyshev chaotic maps. The protocol allows a user to login to different servers via a single password. The proposed scheme has removed the weakness of multi-server authenticated key-agreement schemes, which adopt the architecture of two-level servers. After a user has finished the first login to a service providing server, the control server is not required to be online for the user's subsequent logins. Compared with the related multi-server authentication schemes, our scheme meets more security requirements, such as mutual authentication, perfect forward security, freedom of password change, scalability of login, resistance to the stolen verifier attacks, resistance to server spoofing attacks, and two-factor security. Detailed analysis shows that the proposed scheme can resist several kinds of attacks. The proposed scheme is provably secure under the CDH assumption of Chebyshev polynomials in the random oracle model. Furthermore, it offers the user and server with privacy-preserving, that is, anonymity and untraceability. Any adversary can neither figure out the identities of users or the identities of service providing servers nor link different sessions with a user or a server. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Are diuretics harmful in the management of acute kidney injury?

Purpose of reviewTo assess the role of diuretics in acute kidney injury (AKI) and their effectiveness in preventing AKI, achieving fluid balance, and decreasing progression to chronic kidney disease (CKD). Recent findingsDiuretics are associated with increased risk for AKI. The theoretical advantage of diuretic-induced preservation of renal medullary oxygenation to prevent AKI has not been proven. A higher cumulative diuretic dose during the dialysis period can cause hypotension and increase mortality in a dose-dependent manner. Data on the use of forced euvolemic diuresis to prevent AKI remains controversial. Positive fluid balance has emerged as an independent predictor of adverse outcomes. Post-AKI furosemide dose had a favorable effect on mortality due in part to the reduction of positive fluid balance. There are exciting experimental data suggesting that spironolactone may prevent AKI once an ischemic insult has occurred and thus prevent the progression to CKD. SummaryDiuretics are ineffective and even detrimental in the prevention and treatment of AKI, and neither shorten the duration of AKI, nor reduce the need for renal replacement therapy. Diuretics have an important role in volume management in AKI, but they are not recommended for the prevention of AKI. There is increased emphasis on the prevention of progression of AKI to CKD.
Why are Elderly People Not Using Advance Directives?

Although advance directives for health care are widely advocated, usage rates among the elderly are low. Reported is a study testing comparative educational strategies to increase the use of advance directives among elderly persons ages 65 to 93. Follow-up interviews (n = 293) with intervention participants and controls showed that only 1 of 6 different strategies increased use. Neither lack of information nor simple procrastination were found as primary barriers to completion of advance directives. Most intervention participants preferred to defer to family surrogates and avoid executing advance directives. Level of education was a factor in use. Proposed is a restructuring of the advance directives process to accommodate elderly persons' wishes to authorize family members for surrogate health decision making, a policy that would assist the majority of people, including those who either wish to avoid or fail to execute advance directives.
Use of fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) to assess effects of smoking, caffeine, and alcohol on aneuploidy load in sperm of healthy men

Aneuploidy is a common cause of poor reproductive outcomes in humans and is associated with severe medical problems in liveborn offspring, yet little is known about its underlying cause. A substantial amount of aneuploidy is known to be contributed by the father through cytogenetically abnormal sperm. The purpose of this cross‐sectional, observational study was to investigate the potential contribution of common lifestyle exposures (smoking, caffeine, and alcohol) to the aneuploidy load in sperm from 45 healthy male volunteers 19–35 years of age. Sperm FISH (fluorescence in situ hybridization) was used to determine aneuploidy and diploidy frequencies for chromosomes X, Y and 18 across varying exposure levels of smoking, caffeine, and alcohol. Caffeine was significantly associated with increased frequencies of sperm aneuploidy XX18 and XY18, diploidy XY18‐18 and the duplication phenotype YY18‐18 controlling for alcohol, smoking and donor age. Alcohol was significantly associated with increased frequencies of sperm aneuploidy XX18, diploidy XY18‐18 and the duplication phenotype XX18‐18 controlling for caffeine, smoking and donor age. There was a suggestive, but unstable, association between smoking and XX18. Even within our truncated age range, we were able to confirm an increased risk for XX18 aneuploidy with increasing donor age. Sperm FISH proved to be a useful biomarker to detect and compare numerical cytogenetic abnormalities in human sperm cells across differing levels of exposure to smoking, caffeine, and alcohol. Environ. Mol. Mutagen. 30:175–183, 1997. © 1997 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Predictive methodology for high-performance networking

Networking devices have to offer short processing latencies and flexibility concerning the supported networking protocols and applications. The input packet-processing flow in conventional networking node devices follows a serial or a layer-specific pseudo-parallel method, serialized by the data dependencies of the inherent layer protocol types. This article describes a new methodology, which is based on the principles of branch prediction and speculative execution in microprocessors, for latency reduced input packet processing in a networking device. Through the use of protocol stack prediction, in combination with speculative protocol layer processing, a networking system may realize a mean system processing time reduction of up to 40 percent in a real networking environment in comparison to conventional processing methodologies.
Assembly of dimeric myeloperoxidase during posttranslational maturation in human leukemic HL-60 cells.

Myeloperoxidase is a major protein component of the azurophilic granules (specialized lysosomes) of normal human neutrophils and serves as part of a potent bactericidal system in the host defense function of these cells. In normal, mature cells, myeloperoxidase occurs exclusively as a dimer of Mr 150,000 while in immature leukemia cells, there are both monomeric (Mr 80,000) as well as dimeric species. Like other lysosomal enzymes, myeloperoxidase is synthesized as a larger glycosylated precursor (Mr 91,000) that undergoes processing through single-chain intermediates (Mr 81,000 and 74,000) to yield mature heavy (Mr 60,000) and light (Mr 15,000) subunits. To study the assembly of dimeric myeloperoxidase, azurophilic granules were isolated from either unlabeled or pulse-labeled ([35S]methionine/cysteine) HL-60 cells, and myeloperoxidase was extracted and separated into monomeric and dimeric forms by FPLC gel filtration chromatography. Steady-state levels of dimeric and monomeric myeloperoxidase were found to account for 67% and 33%, respectively, of the total peroxidase activity and were correlated with the levels of associated heme as measured by absorption at 430 nm. Labeled myeloperoxidase polypeptides were immunoprecipitated using a monospecific rabbit antibody and were identified and quantitated by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis/fluorography and liquid scintillation counting. After a 2-h pulse, labeled myeloperoxidase species of Mr 74,000 and 60,000 were found in fractions coeluting with the monomeric form of myeloperoxidase. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Induced expression of CYP2A5 in inflamed trematode-infested mouse liver.

Trematode infections have long been associated with specific types of cancer. We investigated the ability of the liver fluke Fasciola hepatica to alter host enzymes in a manner that might provide insight into the phenomenon of biologically associated cancers. Our data demonstrate an increased activity of the CYP2A5 isozyme in male mouse liver infected with F.hepatica. Induction of this enzyme was further assessed immunohistochemically. The infection affected CYP2A5 distribution in hepatic tissue. Inflammation and proliferation in liver tissue were observed at the same time that CYP2A5 activity increased. This enzyme is known to participate in the metabolism of several carcinogens which are common contaminants in environments of developing countries where parasitic infections may be prevalent.
Proceedings of the Seventh Workshop on Patent and Scientific Literature Translation

The invited talk concentrates on recent developments in WIPO Translate. We will notably highlight our experience in using Neural Machine Translation (NMT) in production on PATENTSCOPE since September 2016. We describe the training and decoding pipeline, a first quality evaluation experiment (comparing automatic metrics with publically available commercial tools and the impact on post edition) and will demonstrate the use of NMT on fast GPU servers (publically available in 10 languages from September 2017).
Identification of 20 genes aberrantly methylated in human breast cancers

Aberrant methylation of CpG islands (CGI) not only plays a role in gene silencing, but is also a potential cancer biomarker. To identify more CGI aberrantly methylated in human breast cancers, we carried out a genome‐wide search for aberrant methylation, using methylation‐sensitive‐representational difference analysis. CGI in 5′ upstream regions of 20 genes, TSPAN‐2, AK5, LOC284999, HOXD11, FLJ25161, XT3, PCDH10, PCDHGB6, SIM1, LOC346978, COE2, TDH (FLJ25033), LOC346419, FLJ33790, GJB2, AMN, LOC201164, DLX4, DCC and FOXA2, were found to be methylated in at least one of 8 breast cancer cell lines. Fifteen of the 20 genes were methylated in more than one of 21 primary breast cancers in Stages I or II, and especially, those of LOC346978, HOXD11, SIM1, PCDHGB6 and FLJ25161 were methylated in more than 10 cancers. All the breast cancers had some aberrant methylation. Among the 13 genes whose CGI were completely methylated in one or more cell lines, FOXA2 and XT3 were expressed in normal human mammary epithelial cells (HMEC) and were not expressed in cancer cell lines with complete methylation. The other 11 genes examined were barely expressed, or not expressed even in HMEC. Our results showed that breast cancer cells accumulate aberrant methylation of the CGI identified here. This may serve as markers for early‐stage breast cancers and suggests that aberrant methylation targets transcriptionally inactive genes in vivo. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Having a Plan B for Robust Optimization

We extend the standard concept of robust optimization by the introduction of an alternative solution. In contrast to the classic concept, one is allowed to chose two solutions from which the best can be picked after the uncertain scenario has been revealed. We focus in this paper on the resulting robust problem for combinatorial problems with bounded uncertainty sets. We present a reformulation of the robust problem which decomposes it into polynomially many subproblems. In each subproblem one needs to find two solutions which are connected by a cost function which penalizes if the same element is part of both solutions. Using this reformulation, we show how the robust problem can be solved efficiently for the unconstrained combinatorial problem, the selection problem, and the minimum spanning tree problem. The robust problem corresponding to the shortest path problem turns out to be NP-complete on general graphs. However, for series-parallel graphs, the robust shortest path problem can be solved efficiently. Further, we show how approximation algorithms for the subproblem can be used to compute approximate solutions for the original problem.
ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANT PATTERNS IN MRSA ISOLATES FROM PATIENTS ADMITTED IN ICU AND INFECTIOUS WARD

Background: Methicillin- Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) has become one of the highest – ranking hospital acquired pathogens throughout the world, capable of causing a wide range of hospital infections. Staphylococcus aureus is a major nosocomial pathogen that causes a range of diseases, including endocarditis, osteomyelitis, pneumonia, toxic shock syndrome, food poisoning, carbuncles, and boils. Materials and Methods: One hundred S.aureus isolates recovered from patients in Loghman Hakim hospital were included in this study. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of strains for methicillin was determined by broth macrodilution method as recommended by NCCLS. Antibiotic susceptibility was tested by using the “disk diffusion technique on Mueller-Hinton Agar”. Nineteen antibiotics were tested including Ampicillin, Penicillin, Cephalexin, Cefepime, Gentamicin, Doxycycline, Erythromycin, Chloramphenicol, Tetracycline, Nitrofurantoin, Kanamycin, Amikacine, Cefotaxime, Clindamycin, Cefazolin, Amoxicillin, Sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim, Vancomycin, and Ciprofloxacin. Results: The MIC range for methicillin was from 1µg/ml to 1024µg/ml. Ninety percent of the isolated strains had methicillin MIC≥ 16µg/ml and were designated as resistant. Vancomycin and Chloramphenicol were the most effective antibiotics and only 7% and 14% of the isolates were resistant respectively. Forty-four percent hospital acquired MRSA strains were resistant to Co-trimoxazole. The high antibiotic resistance among MRSA strains could be originated due to widespread use of antibiotics. Conclusion: Out of 90 MRSA isolates characterized in this study, approximately half of them displayed resistance to one or more antimicrobial agents, including Penicillin, Cephalosporins, Tetracycline and aminoglycosides. These data are in accord with previous study suggesting use of these drugs was important in the emergence of antimicrobial resistance in MRSA. In addition, 66% of MRSA isolates were sensitive to Trimethoprim-Sulfamethoxazole (Co-Trimoxazole). Since this drug combination is recommended for treating a range of human infections, S.aureus isolates should be monitored for further
The immediate and short-term effects of a wrist extension orthosis on upper-extremity kinematics and range of shoulder motion.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to investigate upper-extremity kinematics and range of shoulder motion while wearing a wrist extension orthosis compared to the free hand at initial testing and after a week's wear. METHOD A convenience sample of healthy women, ages 20-50 years, performed a stacking task and a pouring task, freehanded and splinted, at two times, 1 week apart in this counterbalanced, repeated measures design. A Motion Analysis 3-D system measured quality of movement and range of motion variables. A 2 by 2 analysis of variance (splinted vs. freehanded by time of testing) was used to analyze each variable. RESULTS In both tasks, participants tended to move more slowly (p = 0.005) with less direct movements (p < .001) when wearing the orthosis. In stacking, splinted movements were also less smooth than when free-handed (p < .0001). When splinted both tasks required more shoulder abduction (p < .0001) and pouring required more shoulder flexion (p < .0001). Participants demonstrated several improvements in quality of movement and amount of shoulder motion used after a weeks' orthotic wear, indicating some adaptation to the orthosis with use. CONCLUSION In this study, a wrist extension orthosis interfered with the quality of upper-extremity movement and required more range of shoulder movement compared to the free hand. Future research is needed to determine whether persons with upper-extremity conditions (i.e., arthritis, carpal tunnel syndrome) respond similarly to wrist orthoses. Therapists should consider discussing with patients how their wrist splint could affect their hand performance and help patients learn techniques to reduce stress on their proximal joints.
A target‐mediated model to describe the pharmacokinetics and hemodynamic effects of recombinant human vascular endothelial growth factor in humans

The Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) in Ischemiafor Vascular Angiogenesis (VIVA) trial was a double‐blind, placebo‐controlled, phase II clinical trial designed to evaluate the safety, efficacy, and pharmacokinetics of combinedintracoronary and intravenous infusions of recombinant human vascular endothelial growth factor (rhVEGF165) for therapeutic angiogenesis. This study describes the use of a mechanism‐based model to characterize the nonlinear kinetics observed after intravenous administration of rhVEGF165. The model predicts that rhVEGF165 distribution occurs through both saturable binding to high‐affinity receptors and reversible interactions with low‐affinity binding sites.