Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Alcohol Intake, Cigarette Smoking, and Body Mass Index in Patients with Alcohol-associated Pancreatitis

The differential diagnosis between acute and chronic alcohol-associated pancreatitis is often difficult or impossible at onset of the disease. A study was conducted to determine possible relationships between patients suffering from a first episode of acute alcoholic pancreatitis and patients with unequivocal chronic alcoholic pancreatitis, comparing age, drinking and smoking habits, and body mass index (BMI). Two groups of men were considered. The first group consisted of 67 patients with a diagnosis of acute alcohol-associated pancreatitis in the absence of other potential pathogenic factors; in this group, 48 of the 56 patients surviving the acute attack were submitted to imaging studies for a median period of 9 years. The second group consisted of 396 patients with chronic alcoholic pancreatitis with a median follow-up period of 12 years. The variables that differed significantly in the two groups were BMI (p < 0.009) and number of smokers (p < 0.001). Logistic regression analysis selected only BMI with an odds ratio of 1.19 (95% CI, 1.07–1.33;p < 0.00015) in favor of acute alcoholic pancreatitis. In male patients, from an epidemiologic standpoint, only smoking habits and BMI are significant differences at clinical onset between the two types of pancreatitis.
Design and Performance Analysis of LQR Controller for Stabilizing Double Inverted Pendulum System

Double inverted pendulum (DIP) is a nonlinear, multivariable and unstable system. The inverted pendulum which continually moves toward an uncontrolled state represents a challenging control problem. The problem is to balance the pendulum vertically upward on a mobile platform that can move in only two directions (left or right) when it is offset from zero stat. The aim is to determine the control strategy that deliver better performance with respect to pendulum's angles and cart's position. A Linear-Quadratic-Regulator (LQR) technique for controlling the linearized system of double inverted pendulum model is presented. Simulation studies conducted in MATLAB environment show that the LQR controller are capable of controlling the multi output double inverted pendulum system. Also better performance results are obtained for controlling heavy driven part DIP system.
A Feasibility Study of Bevacizumab plus Dose-Dense Doxorubicin–Cyclophosphamide (AC) Followed by Nanoparticle Albumin–Bound Paclitaxel in Early-Stage Breast Cancer

Purpose: Bevacizumab confers benefits in metastatic breast cancer but may be more effective as adjuvant therapy. We evaluated the cardiac safety of bevacizumab plus dose-dense doxorubicin–cyclophosphamide (ddAC) → nanoparticle albumin–bound (nab)-paclitaxel in human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 normal early-stage breast cancer. Experimental Design: Eighty patients with normal left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) were enrolled. Bevacizumab was administered for 1 year, concurrently with ddAC → nab-paclitaxel then as a single agent. LVEF was evaluated at months 0, 2, 6, 9, and 18. This regimen was considered safe if fewer than three cardiac events or fewer than two deaths from left ventricular dysfunction occurred. Correlative studies of cardiac troponin (cTn) and plasma renin activity (PRA) were conducted. Results: The median age was 48 years (range, 27–75 years), and baseline LVEF was 68% (53%–82%). After 39 months' median follow-up (5–45 months): median LVEF was 68% (53%–80%) at 2 months (n = 78), 64% (51%–77%) at 6 months (n = 66), 63% (48%–77%) at 9 months (n = 61), and 66% (42%–76%) at 18 months (n = 54). One patient developed symptomatic LV dysfunction at month 15. Common toxicities necessitating treatment discontinuation were hypertension (HTN, 4%), wound-healing complications (4%), and asymptomatic LVEF declines (4%). Neither cTn nor PRA predicted congestive heart failure (CHF) or HTN, respectively. Conclusions: Bevacizumab with ddAC → nab-paclitaxel had a low rate of cardiac events; cTn and PRA levels are not predictive of CHF or HTN, respectively. The efficacy of bevacizumab as adjuvant treatment will be established in several ongoing phase III trials. Clin Cancer Res; 17(10); 3398–407. ©2011 AACR.
Pregnant Teenagers' Reasons for Seeking or Delaying Prenatal Care

The purpose of this descriptive study was to explore the reasons that pregnant teenagers do or do not seek prenatal care during the first trimester of pregnancy. Interviews were conducted with a volunteer sample of 49 pregnant adolescent girls, 13 to 18 years old, in primary care settings. The informants' self-reported reasons for seeking early prenatal care included feeling ill, being worried about themselves, wanting a pregnancy test, and the teen's mother insisting that she begin prenatal care. Reasons for delaying care included not recognizing pregnancy symptoms, denying being pregnant; fear of parents' response to the pregnancy, and lack of financial resources. The findings suggest that pregnant adolescents who sought early prenatal care had adequate family support and a stronger knowledge base about pregnancy than those who delayed care. Nurses and other health care personnel in clinical practice should provide information about the symptoms and signs of pregnancy and about the importance of initiating early prenatal care, in all encounters with preadolescent and adolescent girls and their mothers, to increase the likelihood that teens will seek early prenatal care if they become pregnant.
Telomeres and Telomerase in Human Health and Disease

Epigenetics refers to the durable changes affecting the genome of an individual during development and aging, but which are not necessarily passed on to subsequent generations. Among the best studied of these epigenetic changes is the shortening of chromosome ends or telomeres. Telomeres are specialized structures, consisting of characteristic DNA repeat sequences and the complex of associated proteins, which cap and protect chromosome ends and serve to preserve genome integrity. In most somatic cells, progressive rounds of cell division are associated with telomere shortening. Such progressive attrition of telomere length eventuates in loss of replicative capacity (cellular senescence). In order to protect the germline and the subpopulation of stem cells from senescence, mechanisms have evolved to prevent telomere attrition in these cellular compartments. The most common and best studied mechanism involves the activation of a ribonucleoprotein enzyme complex, known as telomerase. Activity of telomerase circumvents loss of replicative capacity, by preserving telomere length and chromosome integrity. Hence the detailed mechanisms governing the expression and activity of telomerase have been intensively studied in development and differentiation. Early embryonic development and cellular differentiation are associated with a progressive diminution in telomerase activity. This decrease in activity is principally mediated at the level of the promoter for the gene encoding the catalytic unit of the telomerase complex. Unraveling the detailed mechanisms involved in the regulation of telomere length and telomerase activity will have important and far-reaching implications in understanding many aspects of human health and disease, ranging from accelerated aging syndromes to cancer pathogenesis, among others. Furthermore, insights gleaned from continuing research in this area will likely be applicable to the development of strategies to circumvent cellular senescence in regenerative medicine and stem cell therapeutics in the years to come.
The impact of job satisfaction on the risk of disability pension. A 15-year prospective study

Objectives: To identify the impact of job satisfaction on the risk of disability pension. Methods: A total of 8,338 employees were sampled from the total working population in Denmark. They were interviewed regarding age, gender, job satisfaction and health behaviour. Interview data were merged with national register data on granted disability pension for up to 15 years after baseline data collection. Results: The study found a statistically significant association between low job satisfaction and disability pension for women when adjusted for age, smoking status and BMI. Conclusions: Based on the results, investing in giving workers a satisfying work environment could be a low-cost way of improving employee health and prolonging labour market participation.
Physiological Differences between Ethiopian and Caucasian Distance Runners and Their Effects on 10 km Running Performance

Objective: Ethiopian athletes currently dominate long distance running events in Israel. In an attempt to explain the apparently superior running ability of Israeli Ethiopian athletes at distances >5 km, we compared anatomical and physiological measurements in the fastest 21 Israeli Caucasian (CA) and 22 Israeli Ethiopian (ET) long distance runners with similar mean age, years of training, and weekly volume of training. Methods: Two to six months prior to or following official 10 km track race, subjects underwent an incremental maximal and sub-maximal exercise testing in an attempt to identify which of the measured anatomical and/or physiological variable/s explain best the success of the of Israeli Ethiopian long distance runners. Results: The ET runners were significantly shorter and lighter and possessed a lower BMI than the CA runners. Whereas mean VO2peak (ml/kg/min) was 10.3% lower in the Ethiopian runners (p = 0.007), their mean 10,000 m run time was 6.2% faster than their Caucasian counterparts (p 2sub = 40.3 vs. 45.5 ml/kg/min in the ET and CA respectively) (p > 0.001). Conclusion: The results suggest that factors associated with running cost, independent of body size, play a crucial role in the performance of 10 km running. The results also suggest, though indirectly, that genetic and early life phenotypic factors are more dominant than later-life environmental factors (including training) at the 10 km performance level.
Saturated-core resonant fault current limiter

In this paper, a new design of a series-type resonant fault current limiter (ReFCL), based on saturation effects, called a saturated-core ReFCL is presented. The saturable core used in the ReFCL plays two key roles, detector and limiter. The proposed ReFCL could be considered as a serious competitor of superconducting FCLs (SFCLs). Series and parallel-type of ReFCL equipped with a saturable core are simulated and compared using MATLAB/SIMULINK to identify which one is more effective. The results prove that the saturable core enhances the effectiveness of the ReFCL during and after the fault.
Stress Redistribution Explains Anti-correlated Subglacial Pressure Variations

We used a finite element model to interpret anti-correlated pressure variations at the base of a glacier to show the importance of stress redistribution in the basal ice. Two pairs of load cells are installed 20 m apart at the base of the 210 m thick Engabreen glacier in Northern Norway. Pressurisation of a subglacial channel located over one pair led to anti-correlation in pressure between them. A full Stokes 3D model of a 210 m thick and 25-200 m wide glacier with a pressurised subglacial channel represented as a pressure boundary condition was used to investigate the anti-correlated response at the bed. The model reproduced the anti-correlated pressure response at the glacier bed and variations in pressure of the same order of magnitude as the load cell observations. The anti-correlation pattern was shown to depend on the bed/surface slope such that the anti-correlated pressure variations were reproduced at a distance greater than 10-20 m from the channel when the bed slope was zero, whereas anti-correlation occurred within 10 m of the channel when the bed was inclined by 5 degrees. Pressurisation of the channel led to lateral or vertical ice flow away from the channel, support of the overlying ice and reduction of the normal stress on the bed. If the modelled cross-section was laterally constrained and the bed flat, the resulting bridging effect diverted some of the normal forces acting on the bed to the sides. In contrast, if the bed was inclined, then channel support was vertical only. The model showed that the effect of stress redistribution depends on the slope as well as the geometry of the subglacial channel and glacier, and can lead to an opposite response in pressure at the same distance from the channel.
Draft Genome Sequence of Marine-Derived Aeromonas caviae CHZ306, a Potential Chitinase Producer Strain

ABSTRACT We report here a draft genome sequence of Aeromonas caviae CHZ306, a marine-derived bacterium with the ability to hydrolyze chitin and express high levels of chitinases. The assembly resulted in 65 scaffolds with approximately 4.78 Mb. Genomic analysis revealed different genes encoding chitin-degrading enzymes that can be used for chitin derivative production.
Recombinant Interleukin-2 Significantly Augments Activity of Rituximab in Human Tumor Xenograft Models of B-cell Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma

Recombinant interleukin-2 (rIL-2) is a pleiotropic cytokine that activates select immune effector cell responses associated with antitumor activity, including antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC). Rituximab is an anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody that activates ADCC in non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). The ability of rIL-2 to augment rituximab-dependent tumor responses was investigated. The efficacy of rIL-2 in combination with rituximab was evaluated in 2 NHL tumor xenograft models: the CD20hi, rituximab-sensitive, low-grade Daudi model and the CD20lo, aggressive, rituximab-resistant Namalwa model. Combination of rIL-2 plus rituximab was synergistic in a rituximab-sensitive Daudi tumor model, as evidenced by significant tumor regressions and increased time to tumor progression, compared with rIL-2 and rituximab single agents. In contrast, rituximab-resistant Namalwa tumors were responsive to single-agent rIL-2 and showed an increased response when combined with rituximab. Using in vitro killing assays, rIL-2 was shown to enhance activity of rituximab by activating ADCC and lymphokine-activated killer activity. Additionally, the activity of rIL-2 plus rituximab F(ab′)2 was similar to that of rIL-2 alone, indicating a critical role for immunoglobulin G1 Fc-FcγR-effector responses in mediating ADCC. Antiproliferative and apoptotic tumor responses, along with an influx of immune effector cells, were observed by immunohistochemistry. Collectively, the data suggest that rIL-2 mediates potent tumoricidal activity against NHL tumors, in part, through activation and trafficking of monocytes and natural killer cells to tumors. These data support the mechanistic and therapeutic rationale for combination of rIL-2 with rituximab in NHL clinical trials and for single-agent rIL-2 in rituximab-resistant NHL patients.
Beaconing in MIMO broadcast channels

There is a need to broadcast identical information to multiple users in a network. Examples include sending a beacon signal from an UAV to multiple sensors in a surveillance region and, in the context of ad hoc networks, multicasting. This paper studies the information theoretic aspects of multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) beaconing where multiple antenna elements are available at the transmitter. A MAXMIN formulation is proposed to exploit the channel state information assumed to be available at the transmitter. A solution which applies linear programming is presented, along with numerical examples demonstrating the performance gain over the channel blind transmission scheme.
Cnidarians: An evolutionarily conserved model system for regeneration?

Cnidarians are among the simplest metazoan animals and are well known for their remarkable regeneration capacity. They can regenerate any amputated head or foot, and when dissociated into single cells, even intact animals will regenerate from reaggregates. This extensive regeneration capacity is mediated by epithelial stem cells, and it is based on the restoration of a signaling center, i.e., an organizer. Organizers secrete growth factors that act as long‐range regulators in axis formation and cell differentiation. In Hydra, Wnt and TGF‐beta/Bmp signaling pathways are transcriptionally up‐regulated early during head regeneration and also define the Hydra head organizer created by de novo pattern formation in aggregates. The signaling molecules identified in Cnidarian regeneration also act in early embryogenesis of higher animals. We suppose that they represent a core network of molecular interactions, which could explain at least some of the mechanisms underlying regeneration in vertebrates. Developmental Dynamics 226:257–267, 2003. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Time Series Analysis by State Space Methods

This excellent text provides a comprehensive treatment of the state space approach to time series analysis. The distinguishing feature of state space time series models is that observations are regarded as made up of distinct components such as trend, seasonal, regression elements and disturbence terms, each of which is modelled separately. The techniques that emerge from this approach are very flexible and are capable of handling a much wider range of problems than the main analytical system currently in use for time series analysis, the Box-Jenkins ARIMA system. The book provides an excellent source for the development of practical courses on time series analysis.
Transjugular intrahepatic portal systemic shunt for the management of symptomatic cirrhotic hydrothorax.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the safety and effectiveness of performing transjugular intrahepatic portal systemic shunt (TIPS) for the management of symptomatic cirrhotic hydrothorax in patients with advanced cirrhosis. METHODS TIPS was performed by standard technique after portal vein patency had been established by ultrasound. Portal-hepatic vein pressure gradient was determined before and after placement of the shunt. A portal-hepatic vein gradient of less than 12 mm Hg was the treatment goal. RESULTS Five patients underwent TIPS placement over an 11-month period. Despite use of diuretics, the patients had required a median of seven thoracenteses (range 2-11) for control of symptoms preceding placement of the shunt. A TIPS was placed without serious complications in all five patients. In two patients, insertion of the shunt was associated with no further need for thoracentesis. The other three patients had recurrent need for thoracentesis. These three patients were found to have occluded shunts which were rendered patent by angioplasty and/or urokinase. Subsequently, two required no further thoracentesis, whereas, in the other patient, the need for thoracentesis was decreased dramatically. CONCLUSIONS TIPS appears to be a safe and useful technique for the management of patients with symptomatic cirrhotic hydrothorax that is refractory to medical therapy. Recurrence of the pleural effusion after placement of TIPS may be an indication of shunt occlusion.
Warnings and Recommendation System for an E-Learning Platform

A warning messages and recommendation system for an E-Learning system is proposed, the goal is to identify which students are likely to have a poor academic performance, and give them timely feedback by showing alerts and recommended material. The proposed system uses a set of profiles previously identified by a student profiling model, using socio-economic (age and gender) and web navigation data on the system (number of accesses to resources, percentage of accesses in class, average absence time and average session length). Each profile is analyzed and a warning message is assigned to each one; also, the sequences of consultations performed by students with a high academic performance are recognized and used to choose which resources are recommended. Based on the sequence performed by a student in a current session, the platform may recommend access specific resources
The Kv2.1 C Terminus Can Autonomously Transfer Kv2.1-Like Phosphorylation-Dependent Localization, Voltage-Dependent Gating, and Muscarinic Modulation to Diverse Kv Channels

Modulation of K+ channels is widely used to dynamically regulate neuronal membrane excitability. The voltage-gated K+ channel Kv2.1 is an abundant delayed rectifier K+ (IK) channel expressed at high levels in many types of mammalian central neurons where it regulates diverse aspects of membrane excitability. Neuronal Kv2.1 is constitutively phosphorylated, localized in high-density somatodendritic clusters, and has a relatively depolarized voltage dependence of activation. Here, we show that the clustering and voltage-dependent gating of endogenous Kv2.1 in cultured rat hippocampal neurons are modulated by cholinergic stimulation, a common form of neuromodulation. The properties of neuronal Kv2.1 are recapitulated in recombinant Kv2.1 expressed in human embryonic kidney 293 (HEK293) cells, but not COS-1 cells, because of cell background-specific differences in Kv2.1 phosphorylation. As in neurons, Kv2.1 in HEK293 cells is dynamically regulated by cholinergic stimulation, which leads to Ca2+/calcineurin-dependent dephosphorylation of Kv2.1, dispersion of channel clusters, and hyperpolarizing shifts in the voltage-dependent gating properties of the channel. Immunocytochemical, biochemical, and biophysical analyses of chimeric Kv channels show that the Kv2.1 cytoplasmic C-terminal domain can act as an autonomous domain sufficient to transfer Kv2.1-like clustering, voltage-dependent activation, and cholinergic modulation to diverse Kv channels. These findings provide novel mechanistic insights into cholinergic modulation of ion channels and regulation of the localization and voltage-dependent gating properties of the abundant neuronal Kv2.1 channel by cholinergic and other neuromodulatory stimuli.
Diagnosis of renal artery stenosis in transplanted kidneys: value of Doppler waveform analysis of the intrarenal arteries.

OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to determine in renal transplant patients if the acceleration time and subjective assessment of dampening of the waveforms from the intrarenal arteries improves the accuracy of detecting a hemodynamically significant (> or = 50%) proximal arterial stenosis compared with measurements of peak systolic velocity from a main renal artery. MATERIALS AND METHODS In 15 patients, the findings of 19 Doppler sonograms and corresponding arteriograms of their renal transplants were reviewed, with arteriography serving as the gold standard. Four patients had a significant proximal arterial stenosis; three were of the main renal artery and one was of the adjacent external iliac artery proximal to the anastomosis with the renal artery. RESULTS We found a significant prolongation of the acceleration time in patients with a significant proximal arterial stenosis (p = .0004). Use of a threshold acceleration time of 0.10 sec or subjective assessment of dampening of the waveforms resulted in an accuracy of 95% in detecting a significant proximal arterial stenosis. This compared with an accuracy of 62% in detecting a significant proximal arterial stenosis using a peak systolic velocity threshold of 2.0 m/sec as the sole criterion. Using intrarenal arterial Doppler waveform parameters alone would have spared arteriography in 11 patients and would have detected three of four significant proximal arterial stenoses. CONCLUSION In this study, Doppler waveform analysis of the intrarenal arteries improved the accuracy of screening for a significant proximal arterial stenosis. The results suggest that such analyses can be used to spare many patients with suspected renal vascular hypertension from unnecessary arteriography.