Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Prevalence of selected chronic diseases in Israel.

BACKGROUND Knowledge of the prevalence of chronic disease in the population is essential for health planners and providers. OBJECTIVES To present the results of a concentrated effort by the largest health maintenance organization in Israel (Clalit Health Services) in order to develop a comprehensive register of chronic diseases. METHODS In 1998, all 2,704 primary care physicians in Israel's largest health provider were requested to report on all patients with selected chronic diseases. In addition, all the filled prescriptions for medications relevant to the investigated diseases and all relevant hospitalization events were added to the database. Prevalence rates were calculated based on the reporting practices only (1,653 physicians responsible for a total of 1,409,725 adults). RESULTS Hypertension (10.2/100), diabetes (6.1/100), hyperlipidemia (5.7/100), peptic ulcer (4.7/100) and ischemic heart disease (4.3/100) were the most prevalent. Females had significantly higher rates of hypothyroidism, psychoses, neuroses and malignancies, and lower rates of ischemic heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, heart failure and asthma. Arabs had higher rates of diabetes mellitus and lower rates of ischemic heart disease, hypertension and hyperlipidemia than Jews. About 20% of the adult population had one or more of the selected chronic diseases. CONCLUSIONS Differences in rates noted between physicians, not explainable by population characteristics, may reflect differences in the quality and delivery of health services. Rate differences between demographic subgroups call for further studies on the etiology, susceptibility and natural history of these diseases.
An Optimized Resistance Characterization Technique for the Next Generation Magnetic Random Access Memory

This paper presents an accurate resistance characterization technique for magnetic random access memory (MRAM), such as STT-MRAM. By annulling the mismatch effect of CMOS transistors, this technique produces a resistance distribution profile of MRAM devices in a large array that reflects the actual device statistics. A 1 Kb array of MTJs with an intrinsic 3σ low resistance state distribution modeled with Verilog-A provides the reference device statistics. Monte Carlo simulation results of popular array configurations show the method's generic advantages of tightened distributions of the mean resistance value and standard deviation (SD) of the characterized 1 Kb devices than the reference method. Technology scaling study shows the sustainability of the proposed method with an improvement of the SD of the mean resistance distribution by at least 37.6%. The mean and SD of the standard deviation distribution were improved by at least 25.1% and 67.2% as compared to the reference method, respectively.
Effect of hyperlipidemia on QT dispersion in patients without ischemic heart disease.

BACKGROUND Lipoproteins are known to exert direct and indirect effects on cardiovascular function, but their effects on ventricular repolarization have not yet been clearly elucidated. OBJECTIVES To assess the effect of hyperlipidemia on the longest QT interval (QTmax) of the 12-lead surface electrocardiogram (ECG) and on QT dispersion (QTd) in type IIb hyperlipidemic patients without myocardial ischemia, and to compare these patients with healthy control subjects. METHODS Ninety-six hyperlipidemic patients (44 men and 52 women; mean age 53+/-13 years) and 101 healthy control subjects (43 men and 58 women; mean age 46+/-16 years) were examined. Total cholesterol, high density lipoprotein cholesterol, low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), triglyceride, apolipoprotein (apo) A1, apo B, lipoprotein(a), QTmax and QTd were measured. According to heart rate, corrected QTmax and corrected QTd were also determined. RESULTS A significant difference was observed between the two groups of subjects with respect to serum cholesterol, LDL-C, triglyceride, apo B, QTmax, corrected QTmax, QTd and corrected QTd. A positive significant correlation was found between cholesterol, triglyceride, LDL-C and all of the studied ECG parameters, between high density lipoprotein cholesterol and QTmax, apo B and QTd, and between body mass index and all of the studied ECG markers. CONCLUSIONS Hyperlipidemia may have a direct effect on the studied ECG markers.
Physiological and biochemical responses of Quercus pubescens to air warming and drought on acidic and calcareous soils.

The drought- and thermo-tolerant Quercus pubescens, a tree species growing on both acidic and calcareous soils in the sub-Mediterranean region, was exposed to soil drought (-60% to -80% soil water content) and air warming (+1.2 °C daytime temperature), singly and in combination. The experiment was conducted on two natural forest soils with similar texture but different pH (acidic and calcareous soils). The physiological (photosynthesis) and biochemical (antioxidant system) responses of Q. pubescens were investigated. On acidic soil, Q. pubescens had a higher reactive oxygen species (ROS) content than on calcareous soil, confirming that this species is better adapted to the latter soil type. A down-regulation of ascorbate-glutathione cycle enzymes suggests that ROS were used as signalling molecules. Air warming stimulated stomatal opening, while soil drought induced stomatal closure in the late afternoon and reduced Rubisco carboxylation efficiency. Photosynthetic performance in the combined treatment was higher than under single drought stress and similar to control and air warming. Q. pubescens biochemical responses depended on soil pH. On acidic soil, Q. pubescens trees exposed to air warming used ROS as signalling molecules. On calcareous soil, these trees were able to balance both soil drought and air warming stress, avoiding ROS toxic effects by increasing antioxidant enzyme activitiy and maintaining a high enzymatic antioxidant defence. When combined, drought and air warming induced either more severe (higher oxidative pressure and impairment of the light-harvesting complex) or different responses (decline of the thermal energy dissipation capacity) relative to the single stressors. Overall, however, Q. pubescens preserved the functionality of the photosynthetic apparatus and controlled the antioxidant system response, thus confirming its drought and thermo-tolerance and therefore its potential to adapt to the ongoing climate change.
Antibody responses to the capsular polysaccharide of Neisseria meningitidis serogroup B in patients with meningococcal disease

We measured antibody responses to meningococcal serogroup B (MenB) polysaccharide (PS) by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in sera from 94 patients from The Netherlands with disease caused by Neisseria meningitidis group B. The patients ranged in age from 3 to 73 years (mean age, 18.8 years). In initial studies we showed that the binding of a panel of MenB PS-reactive human immunoglobulin M (IgM) paraproteins to biotinylated MenB PS bound to avidin-coated microtiter wells was inhibited > 90% by the addition of soluble MenB PS or encapsulated group B meningococci. In contrast, inhibition of IgM anti-MenB PS antibody-binding activity in many of the patient sera was less than 50% (range, 20 to 94%). These data suggested a high frequency of nonspecific binding in the patient sera. Therefore, all serum samples were assayed in replicate in the presence or absence of soluble MenB PS, and only the inhibitable fraction of the binding signal was used to calculate the anti-MenB PS antibody concentrations. In 17 control patients with meningococcal disease caused by serogroup A or C strains, there was no significant difference in the respective IgM or IgG anti-MenB PS antibody concentrations in paired acute- and convalescent-phase sera. In contrast, in patients with MenB disease, the geometric mean IgM anti-MenB PS antibody concentration increased from 3.9 units/ml in acute-phase serum to 10.5 units/ml in convalescent-phase serum (P < 0.001). The corresponding geometric mean IgG anti-MenB PS antibody titers were 1:27 and 1:36 (P < 0.05). There was only a weak relationship between age and the magnitude of the logarithm of the antibody concentrations in convalescent-phase sera (for IgM, r2 = 0.06 and P < 0.05; for IgG, r2 = 0.08 and P < 0.01). Our data indicate that precautions are needed to avoid nonspecificity in measuring serum antibody responses to MenB PS by ELISA. Furthermore, although this PS is thought to be a poor immunogen, patients as young as 3 years of age recovering from MenB disease demonstrate both ImG and IgG antibody responses in serum.
An improved aVLSI axon with programmable delay using spike timing dependent delay plasticity

We present a voltage domain implementation of a programmable delay axon circuit together with measurements from it. It was designed to be a building block for a polychronous spiking neural network. The axonal delay can be programmed by presenting an input spike followed by a post-synaptic spike at the desired delay. An analogue memory was used to store this value. We also use spike timing dependent delay plasticity (STDDP) to reduce the errors in delay that result from the delay programming step. Measurements show that the proposed circuit is capable of learning and retaining delays in the range of 2 ms to 50 ms for many minutes.
Signaling between Chloroplasts and the Nucleus: Can a Systems Biology Approach Bring Clarity to a Complex and Highly Regulated Pathway?

Plastids are organelles found in photosynthetic eukaryotes and are best known as sites of photosynthesis. In addition to this role, plastids manufacture and store a myriad of biomolecules, including carbohydrates, amino acids, fatty acids, plant hormones, and nucleotides ([Buchanan and Gruissem,
Nested analysis of genetic diversity in northwestern North American char, Dolly Varden (Salvelinus malma) and bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus)

Partitioning within-species genetic diversity is fundamental to conservation of the bioheritage, current viabil- ity, and evolutionary potential of individual taxa. We conducted a hierarchical analysis of genetic diversity in Dolly Varden (Salvelinus malma) and bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus) involving analysis of hybrid zones between Dolly Varden and bull trout, analysis of phylogenetic structure within species across their native ranges using mitochondrial DNA, and a microsatellite DNA survey of population subdivision of bull trout within single watersheds. Our analyses documented hybridization and some introgression between Dolly Varden and bull trout across a geographically wide- spread zone of secondary contact between the two species. Both species were subdivided into two major mtDNA lin- eages, and one lineage in Dolly Varden may have arisen through introgression with bull trout. Bull trout have low levels of microsatellite diversity within populations, but there was substantial interpopulation variation in allele frequen- cies. Allele frequency distributions suggested that recent, severe bottlenecks occur frequently in some bull trout popula- tions. Our results illustrate partitioning of genetic variation at distinct levels of biological organization (species, phylogeographic lineages, local populations), and we address how such nested variation is fundamental to conservation of biodiversity.
Affordance-based ontology design for ubiquitous robots

Affordance concept is very powerful in coupling perception and action. However, this concept originally came from ecological approach and it is suitable for living creatures such as animals, therefore itpsilas difficult to identify and apply in practice for robots. In order for a robot to get benefits from this concept, this paper proposes ontology approach based affordance theory for ubiquitous robots. The goal of this affordance-based ontology effort is to develop and begin to populate a knowledge representation capturing relevant information about robots capabilities and what the environment afford to assist human life in ubiquitous robots environment.
An Oldie but Goodie: Lithium in the Treatment of Bipolar Disorder through Neuroprotective and Neurotrophic Mechanisms

Lithium has been used for the treatment of bipolar disorder (BD) for the last sixty or more years, and recent studies with more reliable designs and updated guidelines have recommended lithium to be the treatment of choice for acute manic, mixed and depressive episodes of BD, along with long-term prophylaxis. Lithium’s specific mechanism of action in mood regulation is progressively being clarified, such as the direct inhibition on glycogen synthase kinase 3β, and its various effects on neurotrophic factors, neurotransmitters, oxidative metabolism, apoptosis, second messenger systems, and biological systems are also being revealed. Furthermore, lithium has been proposed to exert its treatment effects through mechanisms associated with neuronal plasticity. In this review, we have overviewed the clinical aspects of lithium use for BD, and have focused on the neuroprotective and neurotrophic effects of lithium.
Stock market index prediction using deep neural network ensemble

In this paper, we put forward deep neural network ensemble to model and predict Chinese stock market index (including Shanghai composite index and SZSE component index), based on the input indices of recent days. A set of component networks are trained by historical data for this task, where Backpropagation and Adam algorithm are used to train each network efficiently. Bagging approach combines these component networks to generate ensemble, which reduces the generalization error. Indices of test examples are predicted with the model, and the trend predictions is calculated based on the predicted indices. Finally, relative errors between actual indices and predicted indices, as well as accuracy of trend predictions are computed to measure the performance of predictions. It turns out that the model proposed in this paper can partially model and predict the Chinese stock market. The accuracy of trend predictions of the daily barycenter, high, low are 71.34%, 74.15%, 74.15% respectively for Shanghai composite index and 75.95%, 73.95%, 72.34% respectively for SZSE component index. But the predictions on close are unsatisfactory.
Rapid and Facile Purification of Apolipoprotein A-I from Human Plasma Using Thermoresponsive Nanoparticles

Nanoparticles can be used to purify proteins from plasma. We report here the purification of apolipoprotein A-I (apoA-I) with high specificity from human plasma using copolymeric nanoparticles. We present an optimized protocol using 50:50 NiPAM:BAM copolymer nanoparticles with thermo-responsive properties as an affinity resin. Repeated pelleting and washing of nanoparticle-captured apoA-I is achieved through temperature cycling. The protein is then eluted using urea followed by an ion exchange step for protein concentration and depletion of nanoparticles.
Seasonal reproductive inefficiency in large pig breeding units in Britain

The reproductive performance of five large, intensive pig breeding units was monitored over a period of 930 days. During this time three periods of reproductive inefficiency were noted, these mainly involving animals served during the summer months of July and August. Manifestations of this inefficiency were returns of oestrus, abortions and animals reaching 95 days of presumed gestation not-in-pig. It is suggested that ambient temperature stress, a hitherto unidentified arbortifacient factor, and a seasonal tendency towards suboestrus may have been contributory factors.
Molecular and Physiological Responses of Two Classes of Marine Chromophytic Phytoplankton (Diatoms and Prymnesiophytes) during the Development of Nutrient-Stimulated Blooms

ABSTRACT Generic taxon-specific DNA probes that target an internal region of the gene (rbcL) encoding the large subunit of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (RubisCO) were developed for two groups of marine phytoplankton (diatoms and prymnesiophytes). The specificity and utility of the probes were evaluated in the laboratory and also during a 1-month mesocosm experiment in which we investigated the temporal variability in RubisCO gene expression and primary production in response to inorganic nutrient enrichment. We found that the onset of successive bloom events dominated by each of the two classes of chromophyte algae was associated with marked taxon-specific increases in rbcLtranscription rates. These observations suggest that measurements of RubisCO gene expression can provide an early indicator of the development of phytoplankton blooms and may also be useful in predicting which taxa are likely to dominate a bloom.
Identification of power system model parameters for sliding mode based load-frequency control

The most studies of load-frequency control in power systems are done using linearized power system models. Those models may have nonlinearities within turbines and their governors, but generator dynamics and nonlinearities in tie-lines are mostly neglected. Generally, those models are only valid in the vicinity of the system's operating point. In this paper, the behavior of an advanced load-frequency controller is tested on nonlinear power system model. The following procedure is used: firstly, by analyzing structure and response signals of the nonlinear model, parameters of the substitute linear model are obtained. Then, from the substitute linear model, sliding mode based load-frequency controller is synthesized. Finally, the controller's behavior is validated on the nonlinear model.
Régulation nutritionnelle de la lipogenèse : comparaison entre foie et tissu adipeux et entre homme et rat

La lipogenese de novo represente la synthese de nouvelles molecules d'AG a partir de substrats non lipidiques, particulierement le glucose. Les deux sites lipogeniques principaux sont le foie et le tissu adipeux. Chez l'homme la lipogenese hepatique est modulable par l'alimentation, mais reste faibles. La lipogenese adipocytaire est peu connue mais est consideree comme mineure. Chez le rat, la lipogenese adipocytaire est plus active que chez l'home. Cependant, les alimentations entre les deux especes sont differentes (glucidique pour l'animal et plus lipidique pour l'homme). Nous avons donc compare la capacite lipogenique adipocytaire chez l'homme et le rat dans des conditions nutritionnelles comparables, chaque espece recevant une alimentation soit hyperlipidique (HL), soit hyperglucidique (HG). Des sujets humains controles et obeses consommant leur alimentation habituelle ont egalement ete inclus. Il en ressort que la capacite lipogenique du tissu adipeux est plus faible chez les sujets humains controles que chez le rat, et est encore plus reduite chez les sujets obeses. Cette difference n'est pas due a des variations du rapport lipides/glucides dans l'alimentation. Il est apparu que le tissu adipeux n'etait pas sensible a ces variations alors que le foie l'etait. Nous avons donc dans un second temps compare les responses du foie et du tissu adipeux a des varations nutritionnelles. Chez l'homme, nous avons etudie la reponse de la voie lipogenique dans ces deux tissus lors d'un regime HG/hypercalorique ainsi que lors d'un regime HG supplemente en glucides non-digestibles. Il est apparu que le foie etait sensible a ces deux regimes : la lipogenese hepatique etait augmentee au cours du premier regime et diminuee au cours du second. En revanche la lipogenese adipocytaire n'etait modifiee par aucun de ces deux regimes. Chez l'animal, nous avons etudie des rats recevant une alimentation soit Hg soit HL a l'etat nourri et a jeun. L'expression de la voie lipogenique dans le foie etait diminuee lors du regime HL et effondree au cours du jeune. Les variations etaient moins marquees dans le tissu adipeux. Cette baisse d'expression des genes lipogeniques semblait plus due aux variations de l'expression de SREBP-1c qu'a celles de ChREBP. Son expression n'est modifiee in vitro qu'en presence de concentrations elevees de glucose. Afin de mimer ces conditions, nous avons mesure l'expression de ChREBP et des genes lipogeniques dans le tissu adipeux de souris surexprimant (SE) ou invalidees (KO) pour GLUT4. L'expression de FAS et d'ACC1 etait augmentee chez les souris SE et diminuee chez les souris KO. Ces variations etaient paralleles a celles de CrREBP mais pas de SREBp-1c, confortant ainsi l'idee que ChREBP est un mediateur de l'action du glucose sur la lipogenese
Millennial Leadership: The Oppositional Relationship between Leadership Type and the Quality of Database System's Development in Virtual Environments

The development of information systems is a difficult process that often ends in failing to meet the project's initial goals. Typical outcomes for information systems development projects include delivering promised products & services on time and within budget. These pressures are now compounded by the use of virtual teams that present a new set of challenges related to the cohesion, organization, and functioning of the team process. Specifically, virtual teams must contend with problems in team formation, the organizational environment in which the team operates, and the technology used for collaboration and communication. As more organizations use virtual teams, these problems present real and pressing obstacles to the successful completion of database systems development. The goal of the study was to determine whether leadership type, transformational, transactional, or management-by-exception was significantly related to leadership effectiveness in a virtual team tasked with developing a database management system. This study targeted millennial students at the Maine Business School who were assigned to virtual teams tasked with developing a database management system. Specifically, this study sought to answer three hypotheses: 1 what is the effect of leadership type, as self-reported through the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire on the quality of completed team projects? ; 2 What is the impact of type of leadership on virtual team effectiveness as measured by the Virtual Teams Survey? ; and, 3 Are there interactions between leadership style and virtual team effectiveness on the quality and uniqueness of the completed team project? Findings suggest leadership style and virtual team effectiveness did predict project quality, Transformational and Management-by-exception leadership styles had a negative relationship with virtual team effectiveness. Findings further suggest that Transactional leadership style influenced project quality directly, while transformational and management-by-exception styles influenced project quality indirectly through their direct influence on virtual team effectiveness. These findings suggest that traditionally effective leadership types do not work well for Millennial Generation teams in virtual environments
Improved voluntary cough immediately following office‐based vocal fold medialization injections

This study examined changes in voluntary cough airflow measures immediately following in‐office injection of Radiesse in patients diagnosed with glottic insufficiency. Due to significant comorbidities, these patients were poor candidates for medialization under general anesthesia. Each patient presented with dysphonia and dysphagia and ineffective voluntary cough, resulting in a poor clearing of secretions and a presence of ingested fluids on examination.