Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Determinants of Breast Cancer Treatment Delay Differ for African American and White Women

Background: Timeliness of care may contribute to racial disparities in breast cancer mortality. African American women experience greater treatment delay than White women in most, but not all studies. Understanding these disparities is challenging as many studies lack patient-reported data and use administrative data sources that collect limited types of information. We used interview and medical record data from the Carolina Breast Cancer Study (CBCS) to identify determinants of delay and assess whether disparities exist between White and African American women (n = 601). Methods: The CBCS is a population-based study of North Carolina women. We investigated the association of demographic and socioeconomic characteristics, healthcare access, clinical factors, and measures of emotional and functional well-being with treatment delay. The association of race and selected characteristics with delays of more than 30 days was assessed using logistic regression. Results: Household size, losing a job due to one's diagnosis, and immediate reconstruction were associated with delay in the overall population and among White women. Immediate reconstruction and treatment type were associated with delay among African American women. Racial disparities in treatment delay were not evident in the overall population. In the adjusted models, African American women experienced greater delay than White women for younger age groups: OR, 3.34; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.07–10.38 for ages 20 to 39 years, and OR, 3.40; 95% CI, 1.76–6.54 for ages 40 to 49 years. Conclusions: Determinants of treatment delay vary by race. Racial disparities in treatment delay exist among women younger than 50 years. Impact: Specific populations need to be targeted when identifying and addressing determinants of treatment delay. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 22(7); 1227–38. ©2013 AACR.
Negative Intergroup Contact Makes Group Memberships Salient: Explaining Why Intergroup Conflict Endures

Drawing from the intergroup contact model and self-categorization theory, the authors advanced the novel hypothesis of a valence-salience effect, whereby negative contact causes higher category salience than positive contact. As predicted, in a laboratory experiment of interethnic contact, White Australians (N = 49) made more frequent and earlier reference to ethnicity when describing their ethnic contact partner if she had displayed negative (vs. positive, neutral) nonverbal behavior. In a two-wave experimental study of retrieved intergenerational contact, American young adults (N = 240) reported age to be more salient during negative (vs. positive) contact and negative contact predicted increased episodic and chronic category salience over time. Some evidence for the reverse salience-valence effect was also found. Because category salience facilitates contact generalization, these results suggest that intergroup contact is potentially biased toward worsening intergroup relations; further implications for theory and policy making are discussed.
Analysis and Characterization of a Wide-Angle Impedance Matching Metasurface for Dipole Phased Arrays

The effects of mutual coupling impact the performance of phased arrays as the beam is scanned off broadside. Wide-angle impedance matching (WAIM) alleviates this problem from a transmission-line impedance matching viewpoint, increasing the useable scan range of the array. Traditionally, a dielectric slab is placed at some distance above the array, resulting in a match at some given angle off broadside. We propose a simpler and more effective solution, replacing the dielectric slab with an ultra-thin metasurface composed of a sheet of split-ring resonators (SRRs) to improve the scanning characteristics of a dipole phased array. It is shown that the presence of the metasurface results in significant improvements in multiple scan planes. A generalized equivalent transmission-line model is introduced for the classical WAIM configuration and adapted for the metasurface. A quasianalytical model based on the equivalent transmission-line model and the extracted scattering parameters of the metasurface properly predicts the scan range of the full structure, and allows for an accelerated design process.
CRB1-Related Leber Congenital Amaurosis: Reporting Novel Pathogenic Variants and a Brief Review on Mutations Spectrum

Background: Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA) is a rare inherited retinal disease causing severe visual impairment in infancy. It has been reported that 9-15% of LCA cases have mutations in CRB1 gene. The complex of CRB1 protein with other associated proteins affects the determination of cell polarity, orientation, and morphogenesis of photoreceptors. Here, we report three novel pathogenic variants in CRB1 gene and then briefly review the types, prevalence, and correlation of reported mutations in CRB1 gene. Methods: Whole exome sequencing and targeted gene panel were employed. Then validation in the patient and segregation analysis in affected and unaffected members was performed. Results: Our detected novel pathogenic variants (p.Glu703*, c.2128+1G>A and p.Ser758SerfsX33) in CRB1 gene were validated by Sanger sequencing. Segregation analysis confirmed the inheritance pattern of the pathogenic variants. Conclusion: Our findings show that emerging the next-generation sequencing-based techniques is very efficient in identifying causative variants in disorders with locus heterogeneity.
Ras Isoforms Vary in Their Ability to Activate Raf-1 and Phosphoinositide 3-Kinase*

Ha-, N-, and Ki-Ras are ubiquitously expressed in mammalian cells and can all interact with the same set of effector proteins. We show here, however, that in vivo there are marked quantitative differences in the ability of Ki- and Ha-Ras to activate Raf-1 and phosphoinositide 3-kinase. Thus, Ki-Ras both recruits Raf-1 to the plasma membrane more efficiently than Ha-Ras and is a more potent activator of membrane-recruited Raf-1 than Ha-Ras. In contrast, Ha-Ras is a more potent activator of phosphoinositide 3-kinase than Ki-Ras. Interestingly, the ability of Ha-Ras to recruit Raf-1 to the plasma membrane is significantly increased when the Ha-Ras hypervariable region is shortened so that the spacing of the Ha-Ras GTPase domains from the inner surface of the plasma membrane mimicks that of Ki-Ras. Importantly, these data show for the first time that the activation of different Ras isoforms can have distinct biochemical consequences for the cell. The mutation of specific Ras isoforms in different human tumors can, therefore, also be rationalized.
Rigorous COM and P-matrix approaches to the simulation of third-order intermodulation distortion and triple beat in SAW filters

In this work a set of nonlinear coupled COM equations at interacting frequencies is derived on the basis of nonlinear electro-elasticity. The formalism is presented with the aim of describing intermodulation distortion of third-order (IMD3) and triple beat. The resulting COM equations are translated to the P-matrix formalism, where care is taken to obtain the correct frequency dependence. The scheme depends on two frequency-independent constants for an effective third-order nonlinearity. One of these two constants is negligibly small in the systems considered here. The P-matrix approach is applied to single filters and duplexers on LiTaO3 (YXl)/42° operating in different frequency ranges. Both IMD3 and triple beat show good agreement with measurement.
Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis Virus Disrupts STAT1 Signaling by Distinct Mechanisms Independent of Host Shutoff

ABSTRACT Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEEV) is an important human and veterinary pathogen causing sporadic epizootic outbreaks of potentially fatal encephalitis. The type I interferon (IFN) system plays a central role in controlling VEEV and other alphavirus infections, and IFN evasion is likely an important determinant of whether these viruses disseminate and cause disease within their hosts. Alphaviruses are thought to limit the induction of type I IFNs and IFN-stimulated genes by shutting off host cell macromolecular synthesis, which in the case of VEEV is partially mediated by the viral capsid protein. However, more specific strategies by which alphaviruses inhibit type I IFN signaling have not been characterized. Analyses of cells infected with VEEV and VEEV replicon particles (VRP) demonstrate that viral infection rapidly disrupts tyrosine phosphorylation and nuclear translocation of the transcription factor STAT1 in response to both IFN-β and IFN-γ. This effect was independent of host shutoff and expression of viral capsid, suggesting that VEEV uses novel mechanisms to interfere with type I and type II IFN signaling. Furthermore, at times when STAT1 activation was efficiently inhibited, VRP infection did not limit tyrosine phosphorylation of Jak1, Tyk2, or STAT2 after IFN-β treatment but did inhibit Jak1 and Jak2 activation in response to IFN-γ, suggesting that VEEV interferes with STAT1 activation by the type I and II receptor complexes through distinct mechanisms. Identification of the viral requirements for this novel STAT1 inhibition will further our understanding of alphavirus molecular pathogenesis and may provide insights into effective alphavirus-based vaccine design.
The rise in medical expenditures and long-run macroeconomic outcomes

In recent decades medical expenditure growth in the US has significantly outpaced output growth, threatening to crowd out investment, consumption, and discretionary government expenditures. Recent health care reforms, such as the Affordable Care Act, were instituted in part to curtail the growth of medical expenditures. However, the long-run economic ramifications of this sort of cost containment health care reform is still up for debate. This thesis is laid out as follows: In Chapter 2, I utilize a novel general equilibrium model with health capital accumulation and health insurance to analyze the long-run macroeconomic consequences of one-time shocks to the economy that are related to the growth in health care expenditures. Then, in Chapter 3, I develop a continuous time overlapping generations model with exogenous mortality to test the macroeconomic implications of various health care and fiscal policy reforms. This model is extended in Chapter 4 to allow for endogenous mortality. The analysis contained in Chapters 2-4 emphasizes the importance of accounting for changes to productivity and economic growth when evaluating the aggregate consequences of a particular health care reform.
Behavioral and pituitary adrenal-axis responses of dairy cows to social isolation and deprivation of lying down.

The behavior and plasma concentrations of ACTH and cortisol were studied in 30 Friesian cows kept in tie stalls and assigned to three treatments: control (C), deprivation of lying down from 0900 to 1600 and 2200 to 0500 (D), and social isolation (I). Behavior of the cows was observed before and after 4 and 8 wk of treatment. The D- and I-cows showed increased frequency of transitions between different behavioral activities (P < .05). In D- and I-cows the frequency of grooming (P < .01) and idling (P < .001), and the amount of leaning (P < .001) increased. In D-cows the frequency of eating was also increased. The behavior and cortisol response to two novel arena tests performed on two consecutive days after 22 d of treatment suggests that social isolation and deprivation of lying change cows' reactions to a novel environment. After 23 d of treatment, concentrations of ACTH and cortisol were measured during 7.5 h. On d 24, cortisol concentrations were determined at time -. 5, 0, . 5, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 h after i.v. administration of ACTH. Cortisol concentrations did not differ among treatment groups in the baseline series and after ACTH administration. In D-cows, ACTH concentration was increased in part of the baseline series (P < .05). The results suggest that the socially isolated cows were frustrated or tried to compensate for a lack of stimulation and that repeated deprivation of lying down is aversive to cows.
Blood supply and drug delivery to primary and secondary human liver cancers studied with in vivo bromodeoxyuridine labeling

Background. Because bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) is incorporated into DNA synthesizing (S‐phase) cells, the blood supply of liver tumors can be traced by injecting BrdU into either the hepatic artery or portal vein. It also is possible to study the delivery of anti‐cancer drugs acting during S‐phase when they are injected by these routes. The blood supply of and drug delivery to liver tumors were examined using BrdU in patients with 19 metastatic liver cancers and 8 hepatocellular carcinomas.
Effect of Vitamin C on Liver and Kidney Functions in Normal and Diabetic Rats

Abstract: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is recognized as one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in the world. About 5–6% of the world population suffers from this disease and the number of people diagnosed with diabetes is rapidly increasing. Diabetes has been demonstrated to be associated with oxidative stress and hyperglycemia, one of the most important indictors of oxidative stress. The endogenous mechanisms of enzymes and antioxidants are able to destroy the reactive species and create a balance between antioxidant and free radicals. In diabetes, the oxidative stress is increased because of the deficiency in the antioxidant defense. The intake of antioxidants, such as vitamin C, may reduce the oxidative stress associated with diabetes and hence help to restore the antioxidant defense system. The aim of this article was to investigate the effect of different doses of vitamin C on the biochemical parameters of normal and streptozotocin (STZ)‐induced diabetic rats. Biochemical analysis was used to study the effect of this vitamin on the biochemical parameters of normal and diabetic rats. Liver and kidney enzymes were elevated after the onset of diabetes. Moderate doses of vitamin C significantly (P < 0.0008) reduced plasma gamma‐glutamyl level in diabetic rats. Moreover, vitamin C significantly (P < 0.01) reduced the blood urea nitrogen level of diabetic rats. The plasma level of electrolytes, such as calcium and sodium, also changed significantly (P < 0.00001) after oral administration of vitamin C. Antioxidants, such as vitamin C, may ameliorate the biochemical parameters of diabetic rats.
Robust Tracking and Vibration Suppression for a Two-Inertia System by Combining Backstepping Approach With Disturbance Observer

In this paper, we consider the problem of designing a robust controller for a two-inertia system which contains arbitrarily large (but bounded) model uncertainties and disturbances. The research is motivated by the fact that a two-inertia system represents most of an industrial robot arm system that has a flexible joint, for which vibration suppression and robust control against model uncertainties and external disturbances are very important. The proposed controller consists of two parts: the outer-loop controller designed by the backstepping approach and the inner-loop controller by the new partial disturbance observer (DOB). The DOB is responsible for compensating the input-matched uncertainties and disturbances, while the backstepping controller is designed for dealing with the rest. The proposed controller makes tracking error and vibration of the system suppressed within an arbitrarily small bound during operation time when full states are measured. The results are verified by simulations and experiments with a Luenberger observer.
A comparison of liver transplantation outcomes in the pre‐ vs. post‐MELD eras

Background: The model for end stage liver disease (MELD)‐based organ allocation system is designed to prioritize orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) for patients with the most severe liver disease. However, there are no published data to confirm whether this goal has been achieved or whether the policy has affected long‐term post‐OLT survival.
A novel PUF-based encryption protocol for embedded System on Chip

This paper presents a novel security mechanism for sensitive data stored, acquired or processed by a complex electronic circuit implemented as System-on-Chip (SoC) on an FPGA reconfigurable device. Such circuits are increasingly used in embedded or cyber systems employed in civil and military applications. Managing security in the overarching SoC presents a challenge as part of the process of securing such systems. The proposed new method is based on encrypted and authenticated communications between the microprocessor cores, FPGA fabric and peripherals inside the SoC. The encryption resides in a key generated with Physically Unclonable Function (PUF) circuits and a pseudorandom generator. The conceptual design of the security circuit was validated through hardware implementation, testing and analysis of results.
Review Articles: Inflammation in End‐stage Renal Disease: Sources, Consequences, and Therapy

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the main cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with end‐stage renal disease (ESRD). Although traditional risk factors are common in ESRD patients, they alone may not be sufficient to account for the high prevalence of CVD in this condition. Recent evidence demonstrates that chronic inflammation, a nontraditional risk factor which is commonly observed in ESRD patients, may cause malnutrition and progressive atherosclerotic CVD by several pathogenetic mechanisms. The causes of inflammation in ESRD are multifactorial and, while it may reflect underlying CVD, an acute‐phase reaction may also be a direct cause of vascular injury by several pathogenetic mechanisms. Available data suggest that proinflammatory cytokines play a central role in the genesis of both malnutrition and CVD in ESRD. Thus it could be speculated that suppression of the vicious cycle of malnutrition, inflammation, and atherosclerosis (MIA syndrome) would improve survival in dialysis patients. Recent evidence has demonstrated strong associations between inflammation and both increased oxidative stress and endothelial dysfunction in ESRD patients. As there is not yet any recognized, or even proposed, treatment for ESRD patients with chronic inflammation, it would be of obvious interest to study the long‐term effect of various anti‐inflammatory treatment strategies on the nutritional and cardiovascular status as well as outcome in these patients.
Reconfiguration strategy for optimization of solar photovoltaic array under non-uniform illumination conditions

Performance of a solar photovoltaic (SPV) array is affected by variations in temperature, solar insolation and array configuration. At times, the SPV arrays are susceptible to non-uniform illumination due to shading caused by passing cloud, towers, trees etc. The effect of partial shading is critical; it can cause problems such as irregular P-V characteristics (multiple peaks) which makes power optimization difficult by the conventional power extraction techniques and results in significant loss of power. In most SPV systems, a DC-DC converter is connected at the SPV output to compensate for the drop in the PV output voltage. Under shaded conditions, a high gain DC-DC converter is needed to boost the low SPV voltage, which leads to additional power loss. Under such conditions, an appropriate reconfiguration scheme may prove to be beneficial as it ensures a certain minimum voltage for the next stage, obviating the need for high voltage gain, thereby reducing the power losses in the DC-DC converter. Under non-uniform illumination conditions, the P-V characteristics may exhibit multiple peaks. In the absence of reconfiguration, the conventional power optimization technique will get trapped at the local maxima and result in loss of power. While reconfiguration shows advantage in power as well as makes the P-V characteristics less irregular making the convergence to the maximum power point easier. This paper proposes a reconfiguration strategy which ensures a certain minimum deviation from the operating voltage with improvement in power. A reconfigurable 4×4 solar PV cell array is designed. The experimental results for a 4×4 cell array demonstrating the reconfiguration strategy showing improvement in power has been included. And simulation results of reconfiguration of flexible PV modules under non-uniform conditions are also provided.
Visual merchandising no varejo de moda e a experiência do consumidor: um estudo bibliométrico

As tecnicas de visual merchandising sao utilizadas no varejo de moda a fim de adquirir vantagem competitiva frente a um cenario cada vez mais dinâmico e desafiador. Ademais, os consumidores atuais nao almejam apenas o produto ideal, mas principalmente a experiencia advinda deste processo de busca e aquisicao O presente estudo investiga a producao cientifica referente a utilizacao das tecnicas de visual merchandising no varejo de moda associado a experiencia do consumidor. Para tal, realizou-se uma pesquisa bibliometrica em periodicos nacionais e internacionais com a utilizacao das bases de dados Ebsco, Scopus, Spell, Web of Science e Scielo, abrangendo o escopo dos ultimos sete anos (2010-2016). Apos a coleta dos dados, foi realizada a analise de conteudo, sendo esta uma pesquisa de abordagem mista (qualitativa e quantitativa). Dentre os resultados foi possivel identificar, alem das variaveis de visual merchandising mais pesquisadas, possiveis lacunas teoricas ainda a serem desenvolvidas, tais como as relacionadas ao varejo online , area em crescimento, mas ainda incipiente em termos de pesquisa academica, e as que associam as variaveis de visual merchandising com a experiencia de compra como um todo, sendo estas variaveis normalmente estudadas de forma isolada.