Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Causes of Death in Patients with Aortic Aneurysmal Disease (1987-2014)

Introduction: This study examined the cause of death of patients with aortic aneurysms treated for this disease between 1987 and 2014 to understand the current natural history of this condition. Methods: This study results from analysis of a prospectively maintained data base of patients treated by the author. Data points were obtained from practice records and supplemented by data made available through CHeRL (Centre for electronic Health Record Linkage). Six hundred and twenty two patients were treated consecutively between 1987 and 2014. At closure of the study in 2014, 402 patients had died and date of death was available. Cause of death was available by ICD (International Classification of Diseases) 9 or 10 in 89% of patients. Method of treatment of aneurysmal disease was available in all patients. Ethics approval for this study was obtained from the Centre for Health Research, Cancer Institute, New South Wales Department of Health. Statistical analysis was conducted by comparison of mean ±95% conference interval. Where appropriate contingency table analysis was constructed. Statistical significance was accepted at P < 0.05. Results: Mean age at presentation was 75.6 years (95%C.I. 74.8 - 76.3). Mean age at death was 81 years (95%C.I. 80.2 - 81.7). Predicted age at death based on Australian Bureau of Statistics life tables was 86.25 years (95%C.I. 85.8 - 86.8). Between 1987 and 1999, mean age at presentation was 74.5 years (95%C.I. 73.3 - 75, n = 304, Females = 78). Between 2000 and 2014, mean age at presentation was 75.3 years (95%C.I. 74.1 - 75, n = 318, females = 54). The difference for females presenting 1987 to 1999 compared 2000 to 2014 was significant, p < 0.01. Death was due to the following causes unknown 11%, cardiovascular disease 27.7%, pulmonary related disease 9.7% and aortic related disease 20.6%. Patients died of aortic related causes significantly earlier (within 2 years) compared to patients with other causes of death (5 to 8 years) due to presentation with ruptured aortic aneurysm. Cardiovascular related causes of death, malignancy and pulmonary related causes of death accounted for the majority of deaths post-treatment. There was no significant difference in length of survival among patients dying from these causes. Conclusion: Patients with successfully treated aneurysmal disease can expect to survive 5 - 8 years post-treatment. Presentation with aortic aneurysm rupture results in significantly shortened life expectancy. Patients presenting in the ninth decade of life and with less than 5 years life expectancy may not benefit from elective repair of aortic aneurysm.
Hymenolepis diminuta: the microbial fauna, nutritional gradients, and physicochemical characteristics of the small intestine of uninfected and parasitized rats.

In uninfected rats the amount of trichloroacetic acid (TCA) soluble and insoluble carbohydrate in the small intestine declined steadily from duodenum to ileum. In rats infected with 10 16-day-old Hymenolepis diminuta these gradients were reversed and there was a 54% increase in the amount of TCA-soluble carbohydrate, and a 110% increase in the amount of glucose present in the luminal contents.In uninfected rats the amounts of TCA-soluble and -insoluble nitrogen and of total lipid in the small intestine were considerably more than in the intestine of infected rats. The differences may represent utilization by the worms of these nutrients.In parasitized rats the concentrations and molar ratios of the amino acids of the intestinal amino acid pool were significantly different (P < 0.001) in every region of the gut from those in uninfected animals.The intestinal pH of parasitized rats was lower than that in uninfected rats, and the pH gradient showed an inverse correlation with worm biomass and lactic acid dis.
An assessment of postcranial indices, ratios, and body mass versus eco‐geographical variables of prehistoric Jomon, Yayoi agriculturalists, and Kumejima Islanders of Japan

We explore variations in body and limb proportions of the Jomon hunter‐gatherers (14,000–2500 BP), the Yayoi agriculturalists (2500–1700 BP) of Japan, and the Kumejima Islanders of the Ryukyus (1600–1800 AD) with 11 geographically diverse skeletal postcranial samples from Africa, Europe, Asia, Australia, and North America using brachial‐crural indices, femur head‐breadth‐to‐femur length ratio, femur head‐breadth‐to‐lower‐limb‐length ratio, and body mass as indicators of phenotypic climatic adaptation. Specifically, we test the hypothesis that variation in limb proportions seen in Jomon, Yayoi, and Kumejima is a complex interaction of genetic adaptation; development and allometric constraints; selection, gene flow and genetic drift with changing cultural factors (i.e., nutrition) and climate.
Extensin: repetitive motifs, functional sites, post-translational codes, and phylogeny.

Homologous hydroxyproline-rich glycoproteins (HRGPs) of the plant extracellular matrix include extensins, repetitive proline-rich proteins (RPRPs), some nodulins, gum arabic glycoprotein (GAGP), arabinogalactan-proteins (AGPs), and chimeric proteins such as potato lectin which contain an extensin module fused to a lectin. The key to the role of HRGPs in cell wall self-assembly and cell extension lies in their chemistry, which is dependent on extensive post-translational modifications (PTMs): hydroxylation, glycosylation, and cross-linking. Repetitive peptide motifs characterize HRGPs. One or more repetitive peptide motifs and their variants, singly or in combination, may constitute functional sites involved in various aspects of cell wall assembly, as follows: (i) X-Hypn including Ser-Hyp4 (arabinosylation site, molecular rigidity, and reptation). (ii) Pro-Hyp-Val-Tyr-Lys and variants (putative intermolecular cross-links, adhesion, cohesion, and possible beta-turns). (iii) Tyr-X-Tyr-Lys (intramolecular isodityrosine [IDT] cross-links increase molecular rigidity and hydrophobicity). (iv) (Glyco)peptide palindromes (centrosymmetric domains: putative self-assembly nucleation sites). (v) Ionic interaction sites (protein-protein and protein-carbohydrate cross-links). (vi) Hyp and Ser glycosylation sites (enhance conformational stability and molecular recognition). (vii) Extensin modules in chimeric proteins (e.g. solanaceous lectins). Rules for the post-translational modifications are emerging: (i) Hydroxylation of proline residues may depend on multiple, sequence-specific prolyl hydroxylases rather than on a single (polyproline-II) conformation-dependent enzyme. Furthermore, Lys-Pro, Tyr-Pro, and Phe-Pro are not hydroxylated, while Pro-Val is always. (ii) Contiguity of Hyp residues probably determines the extent of Hyp glycosylation, blocks of tetrahydroxyproline (Hyp4) being the most highly arabinosylated, while single non-contiguous Hyp residues are rarely arabinosylated, although they are likely attachment sites for the larger arabinogalactan substituents of gum arabic glycoprotein and arabinogalactan-proteins. (iii) While intramolecular cross-links involve IDT, unidentified intermolecular cross-links most likely involve the Val-Tyr-Lys motif (perhaps also Val-Lys-Pro-Tyr-His-Pro), probably as an adduct between Tyr and Lys catalyzed in vitro by a pI 4.6 extensin cross-linking peroxidase. Thus, we can classify HRGPs functionally as either cross-linking or non-cross-linking, i.e. CL- or NCL-extensins. Their protistan origin obscures the phylogenetic affinities of a single extensin-HRGP family due to their sequence divergence. We propose a phylogenetic series ranging from the minimally glycosylated basic RPRPs to the highly glycosylated acidic AGPs. Furthermore, based on similarities between dicots and gymnosperm extensins, and their marked difference from graminaceous monocot extensins, graminaceous monocot and dicot lines may have diverged as early as the progymnosperms. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Single-phase SEPIC rectifier with double voltage gain provided by a switched capacitor cell

This paper proposes a novel single-phase PWM rectifier topology based on a DCM SEPIC integrated to a switched capacitor cell. A comparison with the classic SEPIC shows that the proposed converter might either provide reduced voltage stress on the semiconductors to the same output voltage level, or it might supply double the gain in the output voltage with the same voltage stress. As results, the proposed structure can be applied in order to improve the static gain of the DCM SEPIC rectifier and thus make it suitable for high voltage applications. The paper also proposes a modified switched capacitor cell, which does not change the operation of the storage capacitor structure. The paper presents the complete theoretical analysis and experimental verification, according to the following specification: 500W output power; 220V input voltage; 400V output voltage and 50 kHz switching frequency.
Quantitative relationships between microstructure and effective transport properties based on virtual materials testing

The microstructure influence on conductive transport processes is described in terms of volume fraction e, tortuosity τ, and constrictivity β. Virtual microstructures with different parameter constellations are produced using methods from stochastic geometry. Effective conductivities σeff are obtained from solving the diffusion equation in a finite element model. In this way, a large database is generated which is used to test expressions describing different micro–macro relationships such as Archie's law, tortuosity, and constrictivity equations. It turns out that the constrictivity equation has the highest accuracy indicating that all three parameters (e,τ,β) are necessary to capture the microstructure influence correctly. The predictive capability of the constrictivity equation is improved by introducing modifications of it and using error-minimization, which leads to the following expression: σeff =σ02. 03e1. 57β0. 72/τ2 with intrinsic conductivity σ0. The equation is important for future studies in, for example, batteries, fuel cells, and for transport processes in porous materials. © 2014 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 60: 1983–1999, 2014
A monolithically integrated 1-Gb/s silicon photoreceiver

We report a monolithically integrated optical receiver consisting of a silicon NMOS transimpedance preamplifier paired with a lateral, interdigitated p-i-n photodiode. The preamplifier achieved a bandwidth of 500 MHz, a transimpedance of 51.4 dB-/spl Omega/ and dissipated only 10.8 mW of power at a power supply voltage of 1.8 V. At a bit-error rate of 10/sup -9/, the receiver exhibited sensitivities of -22.8, -15, and -9.3 dBm at bit rates of 622 Mb/s, 900 Mb/s, and 1 Gb/s, respectively. To the best of the authors' knowledge this is the highest sensitivity at 1 Gb/s reported for a silicon monolithically integrated optical receiver.
Effects of Low-Dose Recombinant Human Growth Hormone on Bone Densities of Radius, Tibia and 4th Lumbar Vertebrae in Rabbits

Objective- To determine the effects of growth hormone (GH) therapy on bone density in controlled conditions in healthy adult rabbits. Design- Experimental in vivo study. Animal- 20 healthy, adult New Zealand White rabbits. Procedures- The rabbits were divided into 2 groups; receiving Human GH (0.006 mg/kg/d) and controls; receiving placebo for 3 months. The density of radius and tibia was measured in the proximal epiphysis, mid-shaft, and distal epiphysis while the density of vertebral column was measured in the fourth lumbar vertebra (L4) using aluminum step-wedge and appropriate software. Measurements were performed in 5 stages, one before the start of therapy and 4 times after the administration of GH or placebo, with 3 weeks interval. Results- The mean level of serum insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) was increased significantly after GH therapy (p<0.05) in the test group (222 ± 51 vs. 270 ± 64 ng/l). The mean level of IGF-I did not change significantly in control group. Densitometric measures in midshaft of radius was increased significantly in test group after GH therapy while it did not have any significant variation in control group (p<0.05). Conclusion and Clinical Relevance- The difference between the long bones and vertebrae in terms of GH responsiveness is similar to what was reported in human acromegaly. Decrease in density in the second stage in some regions that followed by increasing in the next stages was similar to what was reported in treatment of patients with growth hormone deficiency (GHD). This study suggests that rabbits might be a useful model to assay GH effects on bone density in acromegaly, GHD, or healthy human adult.
Engineering of Carbonate Apatite Bone Substitute Based on Composition-Transformation of Gypsum and Calcium Hydroxide

Even though a lot of research has been carried out concerning the preparation of carbonate apatite (CHA), they were related to CHA in the form of powder. In the present study, macroporous CHA bone substitutes were prepared through composition-transformation of gypsum and Ca-hydroxide. Here, we investigated the effect of added Ca-hydroxide to gypsum, carbonation periods, and hydrothermal temperatures for phosphatization to understand the basic principle of composition-transformation of gypsum added Ca-hydroxide to fabricate CHA bone substitutes. The specimens were characterized in terms of chemical and physical properties, such as extent of transformation of macroporous gypsum added Ca-hydroxide into CHA body, type and content of carbonate, and crystal morphology. It was observed that the transformation was faster with higher hydrothermal temperature. However, higher hydrothermal temperature caused de-carbonation phenomena which resulted in the lack of carbonate ions of the product. Moreover, the higher the percentage of Ca-hydroxide added to gypsum, caused the complete transformation of gypsum into CHA to be slower. These findings have been applied to the standard fabrication procedure of carbonate apatite, which in turn will allow scaling up process, and will be provided for biomedical purposes for the Indonesian community.
Simian Immunodeficiency Virus Infects Follicular Helper CD4 T Cells in Lymphoid Tissues during Pathogenic Infection of Pigtail Macaques

ABSTRACT T follicular helper (Tfh) cells are a specialized subset of memory CD4+ T cells that are found exclusively within the germinal centers of secondary lymphoid tissues and are important for adaptive antibody responses and B cell memory. Tfh cells do not express CCR5, the primary entry coreceptor for both human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) and simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV), and therefore, we hypothesized that these cells would avoid infection. We studied lymph nodes and spleens from pigtail macaques infected with pathogenic strain SIVmac239 or SIVmac251, to investigate the susceptibility of Tfh cells to SIV infection. Pigtail macaque PD-1high CD127low memory CD4+ T cells have a phenotype comparable to that of human Tfh cells, expressing high levels of CXCR5, interleukin-21 (IL-21), Bcl-6, and inducible T cell costimulator (ICOS). As judged by either proviral DNA or cell-associated viral RNA measurements, macaque Tfh cells were infected with SIV at levels comparable to those in other CD4+ memory T cells. Infection of macaque Tfh cells was evident within weeks of inoculation, yet we confirmed that Tfh cells do not express CCR5 or either of the well-known alternative SIV coreceptors, CXCR6 and GPR15. Mutations in the SIV envelope gp120 region occurred in chronically infected macaques but were uniform across each T cell subset investigated, indicating that the viruses used the same coreceptors to enter different cell subsets. Early infection of Tfh cells represents an unexpected focus of viral infection. Infection of Tfh cells does not interrupt antibody production but may be a factor that limits the quality of antibody responses and has implications for assessing the size of the viral reservoir.
Sistemas Regionais de Inovação em Tecnologias Ambientais: A Experiência de North-Rhine Westphalia, Alemanha

Ha um certo consenso na literatura economica acerca da importância da dimensao local/regional no processo de desenvolvimento economico, uma vez que as atividades economicas buscam incessantemente locais de maior lucratividade, o que gera uma continua reconstrucao do local e uma crescente competicao regional. Na realidade, as condicoes de desenvolvimento sao efetivadas localmente, residindo o sucesso economico destas localidades na sua capacidade de especializacao em algo que tenha vantagens comparativas dinâmicas, que nada mais sao do que o resultado do seu estoque de atributos e, principalmente, da sua capacidade de inovacao. De fato, o processo inovativo e um aspecto primordial na vantagem competitiva local na medida em que ele esta diretamente relacionado tanto a capacidade empresarial na promocao de Pesquisa e Desenvolvimento (P&D) e na identificacao de novos produtos ou processos que garantam o retorno financeiro das firmas, quanto a capacidade de aprendizagem local. A inovacao ocorre na dimensao local, atraves da interacao direta entre os atores locais. Embora as novas tecnologias de comunicacao tenham eliminado os obstaculos criados pela distância, a construcao de vinculos de confianca e o aprendizado mais refinado ainda dependem fundamentalmente do contato direto e pessoal. De acordo com esta concepcao, de matiz economica neo-schumpteriana, a regiao e compreendida como sendo constituida por um conglomerado de instituicoes (empresas, instituicoes de ensino e pesquisa, etc.) que obtem experiencias positivas para se desenvolverem no decorrer do processo interativo, o que na literatura se convencionou denominar aprendizado por interacao (learning region). E dentro desta concepcao que se situa a abordagem dos Sistemas Regionais de Inovacao (SRI), fruto do arcabouco teorico dos Sistemas Nacionais de Inovacao (SNI), que tem como principal caracteristica o tratamento da inovacao de maneira localizada e evolutiva, considerando os aspectos institucionais e sociais em que a inovacao surge. Diferentemente da abordagem do SNI, que leva em conta os aspectos gerais de ciencia e tecnologia dos paises, a
Endothelial stem and progenitor cells (stem cells): (2017 Grover Conference Series)

The capacity of existing blood vessels to give rise to new blood vessels via endothelial cell sprouting is called angiogenesis and is a well-studied biologic process. In contrast, little is known about the mechanisms for endothelial cell replacement or regeneration within established blood vessels. Since clear definitions exist for identifying cells with stem and progenitor cell properties in many tissues and organs of the body, several groups have begun to accumulate evidence that endothelial stem and progenitor cells exist within the endothelial intima of existing blood vessels. This paper will review stem and progenitor cell definitions and highlight several recent papers purporting to have identified resident vascular endothelial stem and progenitor cells.
Antigen-antibody complexes in the immune response. I. Analysis of the effectiveness of complexes on the primary antibody response.

Soluble crystalline bacterial α-amylase (BαA)-mouse anti-BαA antibody complexes (Ag—Ab complexes) elicited a primary antibody response in mice with a single intravenous injection, while free BαA could not. The response was dose dependent. Ag—Ab complexes were not only phagocytosed but also degraded more rapidly than free BαA in vivo and in vitro but these characteristics themselves were not important for immunogencity of the complexes. The Ag—Ab complexes phagocytosed by cells in normal spleen and lymph node elicited a primary antibody response when injected into non-irradiated mice but the response was suppressed when anti-BαA antibody was simultaneously injected. On the other hand, free BαA phagocytosed by cells could not elicit the response. The degraded products of complexes phagocytosed by normal spleen and lymph node cells were highly immunogenic and probably retain antigenic fragments. They elicited an even higher primary antibody response than the original complexes and were also more effective in eliciting a secondary response from primed cells than the original complexes or free BαA. The degraded products of free BαA, however, were ineffective not only for the primary response but also for primed cells. Ag—Ab complexes prepared with heterologous rabbit antibody were ineffective for the primary antibody response.
Development of printed sensors for taste sensing

The paper presents an idea of developing taste sensors using novel printed sensors. The raw materials used for developing the sensors were commercial polymer films. Powered graphene was produced using laser induction technique. This powder was separately transferred to Kapton tapes to developed flexible graphene sensors. The fabricated sensors were tested with different chemicals having specific attributes with the idea to develop a taste sensor. Three different types of chemicals were tested and analyzed to verify the ability of the developed sensor patch to differentiate between the individual chemicals. The initial results have provided a significant platform in the process of developing a fully functionalized taste sensing system.
The Organization of a West African Grain Market

In this study I reconsider some widespread views on African grain marketing by providing a description of Burkina Faso on the basis of extended field observations and interviews. The collection and distribution of grain are largely achieved by a network of agents working for major merchants and by a large number of independent smaller traders. The complex mechanisms involved reveal that competition is severely restricted both at village and national levels. Most traders operate with very small funds while most farmers have little withholding capacity. Despite the large number of actors involved interseasonal storage of market grain is concentrated. High urban grain prices do not benefit most producers because linkages are seasonal. Existing institutions such as Village Groups may benefit some farmers when they are properly funded. Their impact shows that greater access by farmers to national capital resources may improve marketing structures.
Single- and Three-Phase PHEV Onboard Battery Charger Using Small Link Capacitor

This paper suggests a new onboard charger for plug-in hybrid electric vehicle. It has a cascade structure of a high-frequency resonant converter with a constant switching frequency for electrical isolation and discontinuous-conduction-mode buck-boost converter for charge control and harmonic regulation of input current under universal line input. This structure uses small link capacitors so that high-voltage electrolytic capacitors that are not preferable to be used in automotive applications due to its short lifetime can be removed. The feasibility of the proposed charger has been verified with single-phase and three-phase prototypes.