Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cardiovascular hospitalization as a surrogate endpoint for mortality in studies of atrial fibrillation: report from the Stockholm Cohort Study of Atrial Fibrillation.

AIMS Cardiovascular (CV)-related hospitalization has been used as a surrogate endpoint for mortality in recent treatment studies on atrial fibrillation (AF), but our understanding of the relationship between CV-related hospitalization and death is incomplete. We aimed to investigate whether CV-related hospitalization is an independent risk factor and suitable as a surrogate endpoint for death in clinical studies of patients with AF. METHOD AND RESULTS All 2912 patients with a diagnosis of AF in 2002 at one of Sweden's largest hospitals were studied for 6.5 years using information about medication from the local medical records. In a sub-study of the last 2.5 years of the study period, we used detailed information about medication from the new National Prescription Register. Information about diagnoses, hospitalizations, and deaths was obtained from national registries. Patients who were re-admitted to hospital with a CV diagnosis within the first 3 months had higher mortality than those who were not (15.6 vs. 9.3 deaths per 100 patient-years at risk, P < 0.0001). Those who spent >2% of their time-at-risk in hospital with a CV diagnosis had higher mortality than those who had spent less time in hospital (36.0 vs. 8.2 deaths per 100 patient years, P < 0.0001). After adjustment for co-factors, mortality was still higher for patients who had been re-hospitalized for CV disease within 3 months than for those who had not [hazard ratio (HR) = 1.36; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.18-1.57]. When analyses were performed on patients who had survived for 3 years since inclusion, and with the use of detailed information about the exposure to medication, the association between CV-related hospitalization and death was highly significant (HR 2.69, CI 1.96-3.68). These results were virtually unchanged after propensity score matching, which was done in order to adjust further for residual unidentified confounding. CONCLUSION CV-related hospitalization is a marker for patients who are at increased risk of death, and may be used as a valid surrogate endpoint in studies of AF.
Shear-induced unfolding triggers adhesion of von Willebrand factor fibers

von Willebrand factor (VWF), a protein present in our circulatory system, is necessary to stop bleeding under high shear-stress conditions as found in small blood vessels. The results presented here help unravel how an increase in hydrodynamic shear stress activates VWF's adhesion potential, leading to the counterintuitive phenomena of enhanced adsorption rate under strong shear conditions. Using a microfluidic device, we were able to mimic a wide range of bloodflow conditions and directly visualize the conformational dynamics of this protein under shear flow. In particular, we find that VWF displays a reversible globule-stretch transition at a critical shear rate γ̇crit in the absence of any adsorbing surface. Computer simulations reproduce this sharp transition and identify the large size of VWF's repeating units as one of the keys for this unique hydrodynamic activation. In the presence of an adsorbing collagen substrate, we find a large increase in the protein adsorption at the same critical shear rate, suggesting that the globule unfolding in bulk triggers the surface adsorption in the case of a collagen substrate, which provides a sufficient density of binding sites. Monitoring the adsorption process of multiple VWF fibers, we were able to follow the formation of an immobilized network that constitutes a “sticky” grid necessary for blood platelet adhesion under high shear flow. Because areas of high shear stress coincide with a higher chance for vessel wall damage by mechanical forces, we identified the shear-induced increase in the binding probability of VWF as an effective self-regulating repair mechanism of our microvascular system.
Ordinary Differential Equation-Based Deadlock Detection

Deadlock detection for concurrent systems via static analysis is in general difficult because of state-space explosion; indeed it is PSPACE compete. This paper presents a new method to detect the deadlocks. A concurrent system consisting of several processes that communicate using a resource sharing mechanism is represented by a set of ordinary differential equations of a restricted type. The equations describe the system state changes, and their solutions, also called state measures, indicate the extent to which the state can be reached in execution. Based on the solutions, the resource deadlock can be detected. By taking into account the computation errors of numerical solution for the differential equations, the detection can be performed via a MATLAB solver, as shown in the experiments. The complexity of the proposed method is polynomial.
Body image and eating behavior in young adults born preterm.

OBJECTIVE Previous studies have suggested that people born preterm have increased rates of eating disorders (ED). However, a recent study suggested lower levels of ED-related symptoms in the extreme group of adults born preterm with very low birth weight (<1,500 g). We examined symptoms related to EDs in adults born early (<34 weeks of gestational age) or late (34 to <37 weeks of gestational age) preterm. METHODS We studied young adults (mean age 24.1 years) from two birth cohorts: ESTER (Northern Finland 1985-1989) and AYLS (Uusimaa, Finland, 1985-1986). Of the participants, 185 were born early preterm, 348 late preterm, and 637 were term-born controls (N = 1,170). They completed three subscales of the Eating Disorder Inventory (EDI)-2, including Drive for Thinness (DT), Body Dissatisfaction (BD), and Bulimia (B). Group differences were examined by linear regression. RESULTS Young women born early preterm scored 4.1 points (95% CI -8.0, -0.2, P =.04) lower in summed EDI subscale scores than women born at term, when adjusted for age and cohort. This difference was observed also in DT and BD but not for B subscales. The differences persisted after adjustments for current, pre- and neonatal characteristics. We did not observe differences in EDI scores among men or women born late preterm when compared to controls. DISCUSSION Women born early preterm have significantly fewer symptoms related to EDs in early adulthood when compared to their peers born at term, which may protect from developing an ED. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. (Int J Eat Disord 2016; 49:572-580).
A Study of Successful Educational Strategies in Three Entry-Level Graduate Programs

A naturalistic investigation in the area of Occupational Therapy (O.T.) graduate education was conducted. It examined the instructional strategies being employed at three existing graduate entry-level occupational therapy educational programs. The purpose of this study was to determine the educational strategies and approaches deemed most effective by the students and teachers at these institutions. On-site interviews were the key means of data collection. The results of the study show that students and faculty members value a number of facets and approaches to O.T. education. These include: (a) communication among students and faculty, (b) faculty clinical practice, (c) student participation and group experiences, (d) hands-on learning, (e) guest speakers, (f) fieldwork, (g) visual learning experiences, (h) theory, (i) purposeful activity, (j) research, and (k) medical/scientific knowledge.
Cholesterol 7&agr;-Hydroxylase Deficiency in Mice on an APOE*3-Leiden Background Impairs Very-Low-Density Lipoprotein Production

Objective—Cholesterol 7&agr;-hydroxylase (cyp7a1) catalyzes the rate-limiting step in conversion of cholesterol to bile acids. To study the relationship between bile acid biosynthesis and triglyceride metabolism, we cross-bred mice lacking cyp7a1 on a hyperlipidemic APOE*3-Leiden background. Methods and Results—Female mice received a chow or lipogenic diet. On both diets, fecal bile acid excretion was 70% decreased concomitantly with a 2-fold increased neutral sterol output. The differences in bile acid biosynthesis did not change plasma cholesterol levels. However, plasma triglyceride levels decreased by 41% and 38% in the cyp7a1−/−. APOE*3-Leiden mice as compared with APOE*3-Leiden mice on chow and lipogenic diet, respectively. Mechanistic studies showed that very-low-density lipoprotein (VLDL)–apolipoprotein B and VLDL–triglyceride production rates were reduced in cyp7a1−/−. APOE*3-Leiden mice as compared with APOE*3-Leiden mice (−34% and −35%, respectively). Cyp7a1 deficiency also increased the hepatic cholesteryl ester and triglyceride content (2.8-fold and 2.5-fold, respectively). In addition, hepatic anti-oxidative vitamin content, which can influence VLDL-production, was lower. Hepatic mRNA analysis showed decreased expression of genes involved in lipogenesis including srebf1. Conclusions—Cyp7a1 deficiency in APOE*3-Leiden mice decreases the VLDL particle production rate, as a consequence of a strongly reduced bile acid biosynthesis, leading to a decrease in plasma triglycerides. These data underscore the close relationship between bile acid biosynthesis and triglyceride levels.
Security and Privacy in Internet of Things with Crowd-Sensing

1Department of Cyber Security, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China 2Department of Electrical Engineering, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33620, USA 3School of Engineering and Computing Sciences, University of Durham, Durham DH1 3HP, UK 4Department of Computer Science, Boise State University, Boise, ID 83706, USA 5College of Information Science and Technology, Hainan University, Haikou 570100, China
Comparison of histopathological analysis, culture, and polymerase chain reaction assays to detect invasive mold infections from biopsy specimens.

BACKGROUND With the advent of new antifungal agents, the identification of a causative pathogen is crucial to guide the antifungal treatment of invasive mold infection. However, tissue cultures often fail to grow a fungal pathogen in cases of suspected mold infection. METHODS In a prospective multicenter study, we compared the results of histopathological analysis, culture, and 2 seminested polymerase chain reaction assays identifying Aspergillus species and Zygomycetes as causative agents of invasive mold infections using respiratory tract biopsy samples obtained from 56 immunocompromised patients who had suspected mold infection. RESULTS Mold hyphae were detected histopathologically in 27 (48%) of the tissue specimens. Hyphae corresponded to either aspergillosis (n=18) or zygomycosis (n=6) or could not be further specified (n=3). A mold was cultured from 14 of 18 samples with aspergillus hyphae, 2 of 6 samples with Zygomycetes hyphae, and 1 of 3 samples with unspecified hyphae. Polymerase chain reaction was superior to culture in detecting the infecting mold (26 of 27 samples vs. 17 of 27 samples, respectively; P=.006) from histopathologically positive samples. Genus or species identification by sequencing of the polymerase chain reaction products were in accordance with culture results in 16 of 18 culture-positive samples. Both polymerase chain reaction assays failed to detect fungal DNA in 1 sample that had unspecified hyphae and negative culture results. CONCLUSION The PCR assays offer a reliable etiologic diagnosis that is superior to culture in patients with proven invasive mold infection. This may improve patient management through tailored antifungal therapy when cultures fail to grow a pathogen.
The Effects of Elite Public Colleges on Primary and Secondary Schooling Markets in India

Abstract We present the first estimates of the effects of higher education investments on lower levels of schooling. Using the roll-out of elite public colleges in India, we show that investments in higher education increased educational attainment among school-age children. Private schools entered districts with new elite public colleges, and students switched from public to private schools. In addition, elite public colleges crowded in investments in electricity, roads, and water services. We find suggestive evidence that public investments in infrastructure may have reduced setup costs for private schools, and consequently, travel costs for school-going children.
Caveolin-1: A tumor-promoting role in human cancer

Purpose: Caveolae are non-clathrin, flask-shaped invaginations of the plasma membrane. Caveolin-1 is an essential constituent of caveolae and as such acts as a regulator of caveolae-dependent lipid trafficking and endocytosis. Caveolin-1 interacts with a variety of cellular proteins and regulates cell-signaling events. Caveolin-1 appears to act as a tumor suppressor protein at early stages of cancer progression. However, a growing body of evidence indicates that caveolin-1 is up-regulated in several multidrug-resistant and metastatic cancer cell lines and human tumor specimens. Furthermore, caveolin-1 levels are positively correlated with tumor stage and grade in numerous cancer types. Conclusion: The available experimental data support the tumor-promoting role of caveolin-1 in advanced-stage cancer.
Men's and women's patterns of substance use around pregnancy.

BACKGROUND Little is known about men's patterns of substance use around their partner's pregnancy, despite evidence from studies of pregnant women that men's substance use may reduce women's ability to desist from substance use during pregnancy, increase the probability that women will return to use postpartum, and increase the risk of adverse child outcomes. The purpose of this study was to describe the association between pregnancy or partner's pregnancy and month-by-month patterns of binge drinking, daily smoking, and marijuana use among young men and women. METHODS Data were drawn from the Seattle Social Development Project, which included 412 men and 396 women (age 24 yr) from a community sample of individuals who attended elementary school in the northwestern United States. Event history calendars were used to measure month-by-month patterns of binge drinking, daily smoking, marijuana use, and childbirth over a 3-year period from 1996 to 1999. RESULTS Births during the calendar period were reported by 131 women and 77 men. Hierarchical generalized linear modeling analyses showed that men's rates of binge drinking and marijuana use were unaffected by their partner's pregnancy. Pregnancy decreased the probability of substance use among women, but use returned to prepregnancy levels within 2 years postpartum. CONCLUSIONS Men's substance use was not affected by their partner's pregnancy. Pregnancy decreased the probability of substance use among women, but substantial proportions of women users of cigarettes and marijuana used these substances during pregnancy. Many of the women who desisted from substance use while pregnant returned to use after their child was born.
A simple microfluidic strategy for cell migration assay in an in vitro wound‐healing model

In vitro scratch wound assays are commonly used strategies to measure cell repair rate, facilitating the study of cell migration, tissue reorganization, and cell division. This work presented a simple and novel microfluidic device that allowed a quantitative investigation of the cell migration and cell proliferation behaviors in an in vitro wound‐healing model, especially focused on the scratch assay. The microfluidic device is composed of four units, which include cell growth regions and cell‐free regions created by micropillars. Using this device, we evaluated the proliferation and migration process of human gastric epithelial cells in the presence of different concentrations of the epidermal growth factor, and investigated the migration behavior of mesenchymal stem cells toward tumor cells as well. This approach has the unique capability to create localized cell‐free regions in parallel, and facilitate quantitative research on cell migration in the wound‐healing process, providing a powerful platform for elucidating the mechanism of cell migration in regeneration medicine.
Diversity is Strategy: The Effect of R&D Team Diversity on Innovative Performance

Diversity in the workplace has attracted significant interest in organisations that want to attract and retain talented employees. Breakthrough innovation requires a wider knowledge base, and organisations increasingly rely on multidisciplinary R&D teams to identify scientific developments that bridge gaps and reduce time to market. However, research on the performance implications of R&D team diversity remains limited and the empirical evidence inconsistent. This paper investigates the impact of surface and deep-level diversity on R&D teams’ innovative performance and how diversity dimensions interact to drive innovation. We find supportive evidence that R&D team characteristics influence innovation outcomes, confirming our hypothesising that diversity is a valuable strategy for an organisation to pursue as it provides greater cognitive ability. Each diversity facet however has its own distinct effects depending on the novelty of innovation and industry. Yet, diversity is not solely positive and excessive heterogeneity could be detrimental to R&D team performance. Our findings suggest that high diversity in gender or skills in cognitively diverse teams might be negative attributes to take into consideration. Senior managers and organisations should therefore consider the appropriate mix of capabilities to benefit from creativity in diverse R&D teams and avoid possible conflict and distrust associated with diversity.
What Is So New

Stories about firms being created, about firms dying, about new technologies replacing old technology, and about e-Business are all we hear. If you read the popular press it would seem that these things are characteristics of the so-called New Economy , but are they? The answer is clearly, no. The dynamic economic process we are experiencing has been going on at least since the industrial revolution. But what is different is the speed at which change occurs and the increasing level of environmental uncertainty that managers and entrepreneurs face. Being able to deal with speed and uncertainty may be the most important skills that entrepreneurs and managers can have in the current business environment. But how do you make that happen? Top management leadership is only way. In addition, a tolerance for failure must be recognized. This is a short opinion piece highlighting some of theses issues.
The pbgPE operon in Photorhabdus luminescens Is Required for Pathogenicity and Symbiosis

ABSTRACT Photorhabdus is a genus of gram-negative Enterobacteriaceae that is pathogenic to insect larvae while also maintaining a mutualistic relationship with nematodes from the family Heterorhabditis, where the bacteria occupy the gut of the infective juvenile (IJ) stage of the nematode. In this study we describe the identification and characterization of a mutation in the pbgE1 gene of Photorhabdus luminescens TT01, predicted to be the fifth gene in the pbgPE operon. We show that this mutant, BMM305, is strongly attenuated in virulence against larvae of the greater wax moth, Galleria mellonella, and we report that BMM305 is more sensitive to the cationic antimicrobial peptide, polymyxin B, and growth in mildly acidic pH than the parental strain of P. luminescens. Moreover, we also show that the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) present on the surface of BMM305 does not appear to contain any O antigen. Complementation studies reveal that the increased sensitivity to polymyxin B and growth in mildly acidic pH can be rescued by the in trans expression of pbgE1, while the defects in O-antigen assembly and pathogenicity require the in trans expression of pbgE1 and the downstream genes pbgE2 and pbgE3. Finally, we show that BMM305 is defective in symbiosis as this mutant is unable to colonize the gut of the IJ stage of the nematode. Therefore, we conclude that the pbgPE operon is required for both pathogenicity and symbiosis in P. luminescens.
Fibrinogen-like protein 2/fibroleukin prothrombinase contributes to tumor hypercoagulability via IL-2 and IFN-gamma.

AIM To examine the role of Fibrinogen-like protein 2 (fgl2)/fibroleukin in tumor development. Fgl2 has been reported to play a vital role in the pathogenesis in MHV-3 (mouse hepatitis virus) induced fulminant and severe hepatitis, spontaneous abortion, allo- and xeno- graft rejection by mediating "immune coagulation". METHODS Tumor tissues from 133 patients with six types of distinct cancers and the animal tumor tissues from human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) model on nude mice (established from high metastasis HCC cell line MHCC97LM6) were obtained. RESULTS Hfgl2 was detected in tumor tissues from 127 out of 133 patients as well as tumor tissues collected from human HCC nude mice. Hfgl2 was highly expressed both in cancer cells and interstitial inflammatory cells including macrophages, NK cells, and CD8(+) T lymphocytes and vascular endothelial cells. Hfgl2 mRNA was localized in cells that expressed hfgl2 protein. Fibrin (nogen) co-localization with hfgl2 expression was determined by dual immunohistochemical staining. In vitro, IL-2 and IFN-gamma increased hfgl2 mRNA by 10-100 folds and protein expression in both THP-1 and HUVEC cell lines. One-stage clotting assays demonstrated that THP-1 and HUVEC cells expressing hfgl2 had increased procoagulant activity following cytokines stimulation. CONCLUSION The hfg12 contributes to the hypercoagulability in cancer and may induce tumor angiogenesis and metastasis via cytokine induction.
Integrating special topics to a project management course in international construction

Due to credit-hour limitations, it is not always possible to create specialty courses on topics such as leadership, business development, and international construction. This paper covers the integration of international construction topics into a project management course. Each semester a considerable number of students mention they may consider working in international construction projects – indicating some awareness of the opportunities and advantages of having international work experience. A lecture given by the author included the definition, history, and reasons for international construction. It highlighted the global construction markets and their relationship with local construction industries, presenting trends affecting international construction are presented, and analyzing the characteristics of regions (types of projects, leading contractors etc). The students’ perceptions were surveyed at the beginning and end of the course, with results indicating that students developed a clearer understanding of international construction topics.
Foreign- and Swedish-born diabetic patients--medical situation and quality of life.

OBJECTIVE To study the medical situation and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in foreign- and Swedish-born diabetic patients. DESIGN A cross-sectional, questionnaire survey of diabetic patients registered with primary health services, compared with the general Swedish population. SETTING Three community health centres in Stockholm County. SUBJECTS 62 foreign- and 351 Swedish-born subjects, aged 18-84 years. Age- and sex-matched controls from a standard population sample of 2500 individuals. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Medical data extracted from the medical records. HRQOL assessed by the Swedish Health-Related Quality of Life Survey. RESULTS Differences were found for foreign- vs Swedish-bor patients regarding diabetes duration, 7.9 vs 10.9 years, p < 0.01; BMI, 31.9 vs 28.8, p < 0.05; tablet treatment, 64.5% vs 46.4%, p < 0.01; and diabetic complications, 37.5% vs 54.9%, p < 0.05. HRQOL was decreased on nine of the 13 scales in foreign-born patients, and eight in Swedish-born. Foreign-born patients were also at larger risk to be among the third with worst health at seven of the scales. CONCLUSIONS Foreign-born diabetic patients are at higher risk of experiencing bad health.