Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Mortality Experience of Individuals on the Salford Psychiatric Case Register

Background Several studies, mainly non-UK based, have reported higher than expected mortality for individuals with mental illness. This investigation in Salford (England) was undertaken to determine local experiences. Method An historical cohort design was employed with record linkage to determine status at study end: maximum follow-up was 18 years. All 6952 individuals with schizophrenia, neuroses, affective or personality disorders, enrolled on the psychiatric case register between 1 January 1968 and 31 December 1975 were recruited: there were 199 exclusions. Death was the study end-point. Results Observed mortality was 65% higher than expected and elevated throughout the whole of follow-up. Mortality was highest in younger ages, females and subjects born locally. Circulatory disorders, injury and poisoning each caused approximately one-third of the excess deaths. Conclusions Documenting mortality risk has important applications for prioritisation, resource allocation, developing control programmes, evaluating service effectiveness, disease forecasting and future research.
BMP4 Signaling Is Able to Induce an Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition-Like Phenotype in Barrett’s Esophagus and Esophageal Adenocarcinoma through Induction of SNAIL2

Background Bone morphogenetic protein 4 (BMP4) signaling is involved in the development of Barrett’s esophagus (BE), a precursor of esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC). In various cancers, BMP4 has been found to induce epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) but its function in the development of EAC is currently unclear. Aim To investigate the expression of BMP4 and several members of the BMP4 pathway in EAC. Additionally, to determine the effect of BMP4 signaling in a human Barrett’s esophagus (BAR-T) and adenocarcinoma (OE33) cell line. Methods Expression of BMP4, its downstream target ID2 and members of the BMP4 pathway were determined by Q-RT-PCR, immunohistochemistry and Western blot analysis using biopsy samples from EAC patients. BAR-T and OE33 cells were incubated with BMP4 or the BMP4 antagonist, Noggin, and cell viability and migration assays were performed. In addition, expression of factors associated with EMT (SNAIL2, CDH1, CDH2 and Vimentin) was evaluated by Q-RT-PCR and Western blot analysis. Results Compared to squamous epithelium (SQ), BMP4 expression was significantly upregulated in EAC and BE. In addition, the expression of ID2 was significantly upregulated in EAC and BE compared to SQ. Western blot analysis confirmed our results, showing an upregulated expression of BMP4 and ID2 in both BE and EAC. In addition, more phosphorylation of SMAD1/5/8 was observed. BMP4 incubation inhibited cell viability, but induced cell migration in both BAR-T and OE33 cells. Upon BMP4 incubation, SNAIL2 expression was significantly upregulated in BAR-T and OE33 cells while CDH1 expression was significantly downregulated. These results were confirmed by Western blot analysis. Conclusion Our results indicate active BMP4 signaling in BE and EAC and suggest that this results in an invasive phenotype by inducing an EMT-like response through upregulation of SNAIL2 and subsequent downregulation of CDH1.
Quercetin protects radiation-induced DNA damage and apoptosis in kidney and bladder tissues of rats

Abstract Ionizing radiation (IR) can induce cell damage and cell death through the reactive oxygen species generated by radiolytic hydrolysis. The present study was aimed to determine the possible protective effects of quercetin, a well-known antioxidant agent, against IR-induced bladder and kidney damage in rats. Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed to 8-Gy whole-abdominal IR and given either vehicle or quercetin (20 mg/kg, ip). Rats were decapitated at either 36 h or 10 days following IR, where quercetin or vehicle injections were repeated once daily, and kidney and bladder samples were obtained for the determination of myeloperoxidase and caspase-3 activities, an index of tissue neutrophil infiltration and apoptosis, respectively. Radiation-induced inflammation was evaluated through tissue cytokine, TNF-α levels. In order to examine oxidative DNA damage, tissue 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) levels were measured. All tissues were also examined microscopically. In the saline-treated irradiation groups, myeloperoxidase and caspase-3 activities, 8-OHdG and TNF-α levels were found to be increased in both tissues (p < 0.05). In the quercetin-treated-IR groups, all these oxidant responses were prevented significantly (p < 0.05). The present data demonstrate that quercetin, through its free radical scavenging and antioxidant properties, attenuates irradiation-induced oxidative organ injury, suggesting that quercetin may have a potential benefit in radiotherapy by minimizing the adverse effects and will improve patient care.
Effectiveness of Combination Antimicrobial Therapy for Pseudomonas aeruginosa Bacteremia

ABSTRACT It remains controversial whether combination therapy, given empirically or as definitive treatment, for Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteremia is associated with a better outcome than monotherapy. The aim of the present study was to compare the rates of survival among patients who received either combination therapy or monotherapy for P. aeruginosa bacteremia. We assembled a historical cohort of 115 episodes of P. aeruginosa bacteremia treated with empirical antipseudomonal therapy between 1988 and 1998. On the basis of susceptibility testing of the bacteremic P. aeruginosa isolate, we defined categories of empirical treatment, including adequate combination therapy, adequate monotherapy, and inadequate therapy, as well as corresponding categories of definitive therapy. Neither the adequacy of the empirical treatment nor the use of combination therapy predicted survival until receipt of the antibiogram. However, the risk of death from the date of receipt of the antibiogram to day 30 was higher for both adequate empirical monotherapy (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 3.7; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.0 to 14.1) and inadequate empirical therapy (aHR, 5.0; 95% CI, 1.2 to 20.4) than for adequate empirical combination therapy. Compared to adequate definitive combination therapy, the risk of death at 30 days was also higher with inadequate definitive therapy (aHR, 2.6; 95% CI, 1.1 to 6.7) but not with adequate definitive monotherapy (aHR, 0.70; 95% CI, 0.30 to 1.7). In this retrospective analysis the use of adequate combination antimicrobial therapy as empirical treatment until receipt of the antibiogram was associated with a better rate of survival at 30 days than the use of monotherapy. However, adequate combination antimicrobial therapy given as definitive treatment for P. aeruginosa bacteremia did not improve the rate of survival compared to that from the provision of adequate definitive monotherapy.
Dynamic Acclimation of Photosynthesis Increases Plant Fitness in Changing Environments1[C][W][OA]

Plants growing in different environments develop with different photosynthetic capacities—developmental acclimation of photosynthesis. It is also possible for fully developed leaves to change their photosynthetic capacity—dynamic acclimation. The importance of acclimation has not previously been demonstrated. Here, we show that developmental and dynamic acclimation are distinct processes. Furthermore, we demonstrate that dynamic acclimation plays an important role in increasing the fitness of plants in natural environments. Plants of Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) were grown at low light and then transferred to high light for up to 9 d. This resulted in an increase in photosynthetic capacity of approximately 40%. A microarray analysis showed that transfer to high light resulted in a substantial but transient increase in expression of a gene, At1g61800, encoding a glucose-6-phosphate/phosphate translocator GPT2. Plants where this gene was disrupted were unable to undergo dynamic acclimation. They were, however, still able to acclimate developmentally. When grown under controlled conditions, fitness, measured as seed output and germination, was identical, regardless of GPT2 expression. Under naturally variable conditions, however, fitness was substantially reduced in plants lacking the ability to acclimate. Seed production was halved in gpt2− plants, relative to wild type, and germination of the seed produced substantially less. Dynamic acclimation of photosynthesis is thus shown to play a crucial and previously unrecognized role in determining the fitness of plants growing in changing environments.
Survey on Threats and Attacks on Mobile Networks

Since the 1G of mobile technology, mobile wireless communication systems have continued to evolve, bringing into the network architecture new interfaces and protocols, as well as unified services, high data capacity of data transmission, and packet-based transmission (4G). This evolution has also introduced new vulnerabilities and threats, which can be used to launch attacks on different network components, such as the access network and the core network. These drawbacks stand as a major concern for the security and the performance of mobile networks, since various types of attacks can take down the whole network and cause a denial of service, or perform malicious activities. In this survey, we review the main security issues in the access and core network (vulnerabilities and threats) and provide a classification and categorization of attacks in mobile network. In addition, we analyze major attacks on 4G mobile networks and corresponding countermeasures and current mitigation solutions, discuss limits of current solutions, and highlight open research areas.
Mechanisms of Gastrointestinal CD4+ T-Cell Depletion during Acuteand Early Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Infection

ABSTRACT During acute and early human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection (AEI) more than 50% of CD4+ T cells are preferentially depleted from the gastrointestinal (GI) lamina propria. To better understand the underlying mechanisms, we studied virological and immunological events within the peripheral blood (PB) and GI tract during AEI. A total of 32 AEI subjects and 18 uninfected controls underwent colonic biopsy. HIV-1 viral DNA and RNA levels were quantified in CD4+ T cells derived from the GI tract and PB by using real-time PCR. The phenotype of infected cells was characterized by using combinations of immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization. Markers of immunological memory, activation, and proliferation were examined by flow cytometry and immunohistochemistry, and the host-derived cytotoxic cellular response was examined by using immunohistochemistry. GI CD4+ T cells harbored, on average, 13-fold higher HIV-1 viral DNA levels and 10-fold higher HIV-1 RNA levels than PB CD4+ T cells during AEI. HIV-1 RNA was detected in both “activated” and“ nonactivated” mucosal CD4+ T cells. A significantly higher number of activated and proliferating T cells were detected in the GI tract compared to the PB, and a robust cytotoxic response (HIV-1 specificity not determined) was detected in the GI tract as early as 18 days postinfection. Mucosal CD4+ T-cell depletion is multifactorial. Direct viral infection likely accounts for the earliest loss of CD4+ T cells. Subsequently, ongoing infection of susceptible CD4+ T cells, along with activation-induced cellular death and host cytotoxic cellular response, are responsible for the persistence of the lesion.
A General Framework for Analyzing the Genetic Architecture of Developmental Characteristics

The genetic architecture of growth traits plays a central role in shaping the growth, development, and evolution of organisms. While a limited number of models have been devised to estimate genetic effects on complex phenotypes, no model has been available to examine how gene actions and interactions alter the ontogenetic development of an organism and transform the altered ontogeny into descendants. In this article, we present a novel statistical model for mapping quantitative trait loci (QTL) determining the developmental process of complex traits. Our model is constructed within the traditional maximum-likelihood framework implemented with the EM algorithm. We employ biologically meaningful growth curve equations to model time-specific expected genetic values and the AR(1) model to structure the residual variance-covariance matrix among different time points. Because of a reduced number of parameters being estimated and the incorporation of biological principles, the new model displays increased statistical power to detect QTL exerting an effect on the shape of ontogenetic growth and development. The model allows for the tests of a number of biological hypotheses regarding the role of epistasis in determining biological growth, form, and shape and for the resolution of developmental problems at the interface with evolution. Using our newly developed model, we have successfully detected significant additive × additive epistatic effects on stem height growth trajectories in a forest tree.
La continuidad y el desempeño exportador de la empresa peruana: el caso de las agroexportadoras y de las empresas de prendas de vestir

En el Peru, los estudios referidos a la internacionalizacion de las empresas son escasos. El presente trabajo analiza la continuidad de la empresa exportadora en los mercados internacionales como uno de los elementos que explican el desempeno exportador, medido en terminos de ventas de exportacion. Para ello, se basa en los marcos conceptuales tanto del desempeno exportador (export performance) como en la teoria de los recursos y capacidades que influyen en los resultados obtenidos, para lo cual se trabajo la siguiente hipotesis: A mayor continuidad de las empresas en los mercados internacionales, mejor su desempeno exportador y mayor su probabilidad de permanencia en los mercados internacionales. Para demostrar esta hipotesis se trabajo con los resultados obtenidos por las empresas exportadoras de los sectores agro y de prendas de vestir durante el periodo 2000-2008, lapso en el cual el Peru registro una tasa continua de crecimiento. Asimismo, se desarrollo un modelo probabilistico logistico binario. Los resultados indican que la continuidad de una empresa en la actividad exportadora es fundamental para su exito futuro. Esta afirmacion ratifica lo mencionado por Alonso y Donoso (2000), y lo sostenido por la teoria de los recursos, acerca de que la acumulacion de experiencia en los mercados exteriores reduce los costos generados en dichos mercados y genera economias de aprendizaje. Ademas, por cada ano que la empresa permanece exportando, la probabilidad de mantenerse en los mercados se incrementa en relacion a la probabilidad de que deje de hacerlo. Finalmente, los resultados obtenidos, aunque de naturaleza preliminar, demuestran que es necesario continuar con este tipo de estudios que abarquen a todos los sectores, a efecto de mejorar el analisis de la empresa exportadora y de disenar politicas y estrategias que busquen la sostenibilidad de la empresa en los mercados internacionales.
Analysis method of MIMO MRC systems under nakagami m fading environment

This paper presents an analysis method of i.i. d. (independent and identically distributed) MIMO (multiple input multiple output) channels under Nakagami m fading environment based on statistical distributions of the largest eigenvalue which is useful for the analysis of MRC (maximal ratio combining) communication systems. Given distribution formulae are introduced utilizing the conversion of MIMO channels into equivalent SIMO models with the same number of diversity branches and total power equal to the per-branch largest eigenvalue mean. The derived density function has a simple monomial form which is suitable for calculations of various performance indices of MIMO systems. Through computer simulations, the effectiveness of the proposed approximated formulae is demonstrated. Impact of antenna number and Nakagami factor representing the depth of fading on the approximation precision is also investigated. In addition, exact eigenvalue distribution of MIMO Nakagami m pinhole channel is described from the theoretical viewpoint.
Is Worker Age a Simple Demographic Variable?

Birth-date-based chronological age is often used as a measure of worker ability. In the near future, employers will be required to improve their ability to assess the impact of aging on workers. The literature suggests a number of ways one might do this. Personal perceived age and work ability assessment are two promising alternative ways to assess worker age changes. In support of these alternatives and as a preface to the other papers presented in this journal, this paper suggests that personal perceived age reports differ from chronological age, are reliable, and appear to be worthy of further consideration.
Integrated adaptive-robust control of robot manipulators

In this article, an integrand adaptive-robust approach along with a smooth adaptiverobust friction compensation strategy are applied to tracking control of robot manipulators with joint stick-slip friction. The designed controller takes advantage of both adaptive and robust approaches. It has the ability to learn and the ability to reject disturbance and to handle various uncertainties including stick-slip friction. The uncertainties due to unknown robot link parameters, unknown viscous friction coefficient, and unknown maximum static friction, which are linear in parameters, are compensated by the integrated adaptive-robust control method. On the other hand, Ž the exponential friction used to model the Stribeck effect: the downward bend of . friction torque at low velocities , which are nonlinear in parameters, and external disturbances, are compensated by a robust compensator with a self-learning upper bounding function when no a priori knowledge on the exponential friction and disturbances are available. The employed robust compensators produce smooth con-
Diagnostic Accuracy of Xpert Test in Tuberculosis Detection: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Background: World Health Organization (WHO) recommends the use of Xpert MTB/RIF assay for rapid diagnosis of tuberculosis (TB) and detection of rifampicin resistance. This systematic review was done to know about the diagnostic accuracy and cost-effectiveness of the Xpert MTB/RIF assay. Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted in following databases: Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, MEDLINE, PUBMED, Scopus, Science Direct and Google Scholar for relevant studies for studies published between 2010 and December 2014. Studies given in the systematic reviews were accessed separately and used for analysis. Selection of studies, data extraction and assessment of quality of included studies was performed independently by two reviewers. Studies evaluating the diagnostic accuracy of Xpert MTB/RIF assay among adult or predominantly adult patients (≥14 years), presumed to have pulmonary TB with or without HIV infection were included in the review. Also, studies that had assessed the diagnostic accuracy of Xpert MTB/RIF assay using sputum and other respiratory specimens were included. Results: The included studies had a low risk of any form of bias, showing that findings are of high scientific validity and credibility. Quantitative analysis of 37 included studies shows that Xpert MTB/RIF is an accurate diagnostic test for TB and detection of rifampicin resistance. Conclusion: Xpert MTB/RIF assay is a robust, sensitive and specific test for accurate diagnosis of tuberculosis as compared to conventional tests like culture and microscopic examination.
Biofilm On Dental Implants-A Review

: Mouth provides a congenial environment for the growth of the microorganisms as compared to any other part of the human body by exhibiting an ideal nonshedding surface. Dental plaque happens to be a diverse community of the microorganisms found on the tooth surface. Periodontal disease and the peri-implant disease are specific infections that are originating from these resident microbial species when the balance between the host and the microbial pathogenicity gets disrupted.As more implants are nowadays being placed, clinicians may encounter more complications. Therefore, understanding the etiology is warranted to establish adequate diagnosis and provide proper treatment. This review discusses the biofilms in relation to the peri-implant region, factors affecting its presence, and the associated treatment to manage this complex microbial colony.
Impact of Intensive Care Practices on Short-Term and Long-term Outcomes for Extremely Preterm Infants: Comparison Between the British Isles and France

OBJECTIVES. The objective of this study was to compare practices of care and outcomes of infants who were born between 23 and 25 weeks’ gestation in 1995 in the British Isles and in 1997–1998 in France. METHODS. We examined 2 population-based cohorts in the British Isles (1892 births included) and in France (456 births): the EPICure and EPIPAGE studies. The rate of follow-up was 90% at 30 months and 86% at 2 years. At 5 to 6 years, the cognitive function of 64% of the children without severe disability was assessed in the EPICure study and 57% in the EPIPAGE study. RESULTS. The mortality rate of live-born infants was lower in the EPICure study (25%) than in the EPIPAGE study (34%) before admission to a NICU but higher in the NICU (45% vs 29%, respectively), such that there was no difference in the proportions of survivors at discharge after adjustment for gestational age. The risk for severe brain lesions was 24% among infants who were admitted to a NICU in both studies, 41% in the EPICure study versus 67% in the epidemiologic study on great prematurity (EPIPAGE) among infants who died after discontinued treatment in NICU, and 17% vs 11% among survivors at discharge. The risk for cerebral palsy at 24 to 30 months was 20% in the EPICure study versus 16% in the EPIPAGE study, whereas the risk for overall cognitive score of <70 at 5 to 6 years was 10% vs 14%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS. Despite apparent differences in the modalities of limitation of intensive care, the outcomes of infants who were born at 23 to 25 weeks’ gestation in the EPICure and EPIPAGE studies were not significantly different.
A Bluetooth low energy implantable glucose monitoring system

This paper presents a novel framework on a remotely powered implantable glucose monitoring system. The RF signal interaction with the biological tissue under investigation has been characterized. The implantable unit is remotely powered by an external unit through inductive coupling. The novelty of this work resides in the design of two efficient class E Power Amplifiers (PAs) with power efficiency of 76% and 73% for the external power unit and the implantable unit respectively. The implantable wireless transmitter utilizes low power communication protocol, Bluetooth low energy, to transmit the measured glucose data to patient's mobile phone or PDA.