Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Lifestyle Interventions, Insulin Resistance, and Renal Artery Stiffness in Essential Hypertension

The study investigates lifestyle and effective anti-hypertensive intervention in overweight-obese patients can influence insulin-resistance (HOMA-IR) and US Renal-Resistive-Index (RRI). After a 1-year interventional program (including a personalized Mediterranean diet, physical activity increase, smoking withdrawal counseling), 156 Essential Hypertension (EH) patients still have abnormal HOMA-IR, significantly higher in comparison to 159 control group patients. Body mass index (BMI) and cholesterol-high-density-lipoprotein improvement are the best predictors of a HOMA-IR decrease; RRI improves in EH according to lifestyle interventions, but no predictor to RRI is identified. Persistence of IR can be tentatively assumed as a steady sign, persistent also after extended lifestyle intervention in EH, further warranting more intensive dietary interventions.
Arc of the Absent Author: Thomas Pynchon's Trajectory from Entropy to Grace

In the simplest of terms this dissertation draws on the work of Pierre Bourdieu to study Thomas Pynchon? s novel Againts the Day, to do so involves study of the US literary field, the history of positions that Pynchon has occupied, and the resultant trajectory that can be derived from that. This method analyzes the sociogenesis of the author? s habitus and thus the practice that produces the literary product being studied.
Identification of a Novel Gene, Anorexia, Regulating Feeding Activity via Insulin Signaling in Drosophila melanogaster

Background: Little is known about the molecular mechanisms underlying animal feeding behavior. Result: We identified a new gene, Anorexia (Anox), which encodes an acyl-CoA binding protein with an ankyrin repeat domain. Conclusion: Anox has an essential role in controlling feeding activities in Drosophila by regulating insulin signaling. Significance: Identification of Anox can develop a better knowledge of mechanisms underlying animal feeding behavior. Feeding activities of animals, including insects, are influenced by various signals from the external environment, internal energy status, and physiological conditions. Full understanding of how such signals are integrated to regulate feeding activities has, however, been hampered by a lack of knowledge about the genes involved. Here, we identified an anorexic Drosophila melanogaster mutant (GS1189) in which the expression of a newly identified gene, Anorexia (Anox), is mutated. In Drosophila larvae, Anox encodes an acyl-CoA binding protein with an ankyrin repeat domain that is expressed in the cephalic chemosensory organs and various neurons in the central nervous system (CNS). Loss of its expression or disturbance of neural transmission in Anox-expressing cells decreased feeding activity. Conversely, overexpression of Anox in the CNS increased food intake. We further found that Anox regulates expression of the insulin receptor gene (dInR); overexpression and knockdown of Anox in the CNS, respectively, elevated and repressed dInR expression, which altered larval feeding activity in parallel with Anox expression levels. Anox mutant adults also showed significant repression of sugar-induced nerve responses and feeding potencies. Although Anox expression levels did not depend on the fasting and feeding states cycle, stressors such as high temperature and desiccation significantly repressed its expression levels. These results strongly suggest that Anox is essential for gustatory sensation and food intake of Drosophila through regulation of the insulin signaling activity that is directly regulated by internal nutrition status. Therefore, the mutant strain lacking Anox expression cannot enhance feeding potencies even under starvation.
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN REWARDS AND EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE

Many studies have been conducted in the case of the effects of individual reward types on the performance of firms’ employees. However, there has never been a research which included all intrinsic and extrinsic rewards simultaneously in a comprehensive model. Here in this study, focusing on 77 filled up survey questionnaires by different employee types from two Malaysian tourism companies, there has been an attempt to examine the role of different reward types applying the Backward Multiple Regression technique. The study shows that internal rewards have more powerful effects on employees’ performance than the extrinsic rewards.
The bare lymphocyte syndrome and the regulation of MHC expression.

The bare lymphocyte syndrome (BLS) is a hereditary immunodeficiency resulting from the absence of major histocompatibility complex class II (MHCII) expression. Considering the central role of MHCII molecules in the development and activation of CD4(+) T cells, it is not surprising that the immune system of the patients is severely impaired. BLS is the prototype of a "disease of gene regulation. " The affected genes encode RFXANK, RFX5, RFXAP, and CIITA, four regulatory factors that are highly specific and essential for MHCII genes. The first three are subunits of RFX, a trimeric complex that binds to all MHCII promoters. CIITA is a non-DNA-binding coactivator that functions as the master control factor for MHCII expression. The study of RFX and CIITA has made major contributions to our comprehension of the molecular mechanisms controlling MHCII genes and has made this system into a textbook model for the regulation of gene expression.
Mobile and Wireless Technologies on Sphygmomanometers and Pulsimeters for Patients with Pacemakers and Those with Other Cardiovascular Diseases

© 2012 Wang and Wang, licensee InTech. This is an open access chapter distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Mobile and Wireless Technologies on Sphygmomanometers and Pulsimeters for Patients with Pacemakers and Those with Other Cardiovascular Diseases
Quantification Of RF-exposure of the Fetus Using Anatomical CAD-Models in Three Different Gestational Stages

Abstract This study analyzes the exposure of pregnant women and their fetuses in three different gestational stages to electromagnetic radiation in the radio frequency range in the near- and the far-field using numerical modeling. For far-field exposure, the power density at which the basic restriction for the whole body SAR is reached is calculated for both the mother and the fetus at whole body resonance and at frequencies between 450 MHz and 2,450 MHz. The near-field exposure is assessed at 450 MHz, 900 MHz, and 2,450 MHz using half wavelength dipoles as generic sources located at different locations around the abdomen of the mother. For the investigated cases, the exposure of the mother is always below or on the order of magnitude of the basic restriction for exposure at the reference level. When applying the reference levels for the general public, the fetus is sufficiently shielded by the mother. However, the basic restrictions for general public exposure can be exceeded in the fetus when the mother is exposed at reference levels for occupational conditions. For plane wave exposure at occupational levels, the whole body SAR in the fetus can exceed the basic restrictions for the general population by at least 1.8 dB, and in the near-field of professional devices, the 10 g SAR can be non-compliant with the product standard for the general public by > 3.5 dB.
The Representation of the Reinforcer and the Force of the Pigeon's Keypeck in First and Second-Order Conditioning

The aim of this study was to determine whether reinforcer-specific conditioned responding would occur in a situation in which responding was not thought to be mediated by a representation that encodes information about the specific properties of the reinforcer. The force of the pigeon's keypeck was monitored during first and second-order conditioning with either food or water as the unconditioned stimulus (US). Each pigeon was trained with four different stimuli: a first-order cue predicting that responding would be reinforced with grain (S1f), a first-order cue predicting water as the reinforcer (S1w), a second-order stimulus predicting the S1f (S2f), and a second-order cue predicting the S1w (S2w). Following conditioning, the pigeons were selectively satiated with one of the two reinforcers and presented with the first and second-order cues in an extinction test. At the end of training, the pigeon's keypecks were less forceful to the S1w than to the S1f. There was not, however, a reliable difference between the force of the pecks to the S2f and the S2w. These force differences are consistent with the conclusion that the topography of the keypecks was systematically related to the nature of the primary reinforcer during first but not during second-order conditioning. The results from the selective satiation test are difficult to interpret. There was no evidence to indicate that second-order responding was mediated by a detailed representation of the primary US, but a detailed representation of the reinforcer may have been mediating first-order responding. Taken together, these findings are consistent with the view that a representation of the reinforcer is an important determinant of the topography of conditioned responding.
Systèmes à base de connaissances pour des EIAH fondés sur le RàPC

Cet article presente tout d'abord comment nous nous sommes inspires d'un paradigme issu de l'Intelligence Artificielle, le Raisonnement a Partir de Cas, pour proposer un processus permettant l'apprentissage de methodes de resolution de problemes fondees sur une classification des problemes du domaine. Ce processus d'apprentissage ayant ete mis en œuvre dans un EIAH destine a enseigner la resolution de problemes arithmetiques a l'ecole primaire, nous decrivons egalement les bases de connaissances permettant au systeme de dia- gnostiquer les reponses de l'eleve et de lui fournir des explications.
Detection of Android malware: Combined with static analysis and dynamic analysis

This study combines static and dynamic types of analysis to design a malware detection system for Android. This system enables a user to apply static analysis to check an application on their mobile phone before setup; if there is problem, it will be uploaded to the server for dynamic analysis. The dynamic analysis runs the application in a sandbox simulator, and then uses the tool designed in this study to analyze the simulator record file, so as to determine whether there is suspicious action, and then inform the user of the result. In terms of dynamic analysis, this study aims to modify twelve important functions of the Android simulator, so that their related activities can be recorded in more detailed when these functions are activated, in order to help further determination. The static analysis proposed in this study can be executed on a mobile phone, while the dynamic analysis will be uploaded to the server, as it requires significant hardware resources.
Discussions about the Use of Life-Sustaining Treatments: A Literature Review of Physicians’ and Patients’ Attitudes and Practices

Our society places a premium on patients’ autonomy in making decisions about healthcare, and recognizes the patient’s right to accept or refuse medical therapy. This right includes the right to refuse or accept life-sustaining therapy (LST). However, researchers have reported that most patients (64 to 86 percent) do not participate in decisions about their own do-not-resuscitate (DNR) orders. 1 Consequently, a majority of the time, physicians and families make these decisions for patients. This situation would be acceptable if physicians and families could indeed make accurate substituted judgments for patients. Unfortunately, there are significant discrepancies among the decisions of patients, families, and physicians regarding the use of LST. 2 Families and physicians are correct in their assumptions only 52 to 90 percent of the time. 3 Clearly, physicians and families do not accurately predict patients’ preferences for LST. Therefore, if patients are to exercise their right to make decisions about the use of LST, they must communicate more
Modelado y simulación de la deposición de partículas en flujos bifásicos turbulentos dispersos en presencia de gradiente de temperatura: aplicación a enfriadores de gases de escape.

En la industria existen cientos de aplicaciones que requieren de algun proceso de intercambio termico, donde inevitablemente aparece en mayor o menor medida el proceso de ensuciamiento. Se entiende por ensuciamiento el proceso a traves del cual una capa de material extrano, no deseado, se deposita sobre una superficie de intercambio termico, provocando efectos negativos sobre la eficiencia termica y las perdidas de carga entre otros. En definitiva, implica un mayor coste de operacion, e incluso puede ser catastrofico para el funcionamiento del sistema. Dada la transcendencia del fenomeno, su estudio experimental nace practicamente con la revolucion industrial aunque hasta mediados del siglo XX no comenzo a estudiarse de un modo teorico. Desde entonces el numero de estudios asi como los modelos tanto fisicos como numericos propuestos ha crecido constantemente hasta la fecha, por lo que se considera una linea de investigacion todavia abierta. En esta tesis se propone un modelo Euler-0 de deposicion en flujos turbulentos dispersos gas-particula, aplicado al ensuciamiento producido en los sistemas de gases de escape de los motores diesel. Su formulacion se basa en el balance entre dos procesos opuestos: deposicion y erosion, que permite reproducir la evolucion temporal del crecimiento del residuo. Para ello se han incorporado los mecanismos de transporte, dispersion turbulenta, difusion Browniana y termoforesis, que gobiernan el movimiento de las particulas atravesando la capa limite hasta alcanzar la pared, y su posible reincorporacion al flujo. El modelo presentado ha sido adaptado para su integracion en el software numerico de Dinamica de Fluios Computacional Fluent. Se ha desarrollado una estrategia de acoplamiento entre el modelo fisico y numerico innovadora con la que se consiguen simulaciones mas realistas para evaluar los efectos de la suciedad depositada. Se ha disenado y desarrollado un banco sobre el que se han realizado tres tipos de ensayo: de caracterizacion de propiedades, de ajuste del modelo, y de validacion de flujo externo e interno. En base a los resultados obtenidos, se puede concluir que el modelo presentado permite estimar con precision el espesor del deposito que acumulara la superficie de intercambio en estudio a lo largo de su vida util, ayudando a determinar las actuaciones de mantenimiento basicas y aportando una informacion vital en la etapa de diseno de los intercambiadores. Se contrasta tambien la capacidad y versatilidad del modelo implementado, obteniendose unos resultados muy satisfactorios. Finalmente se proponen una serie de actuaciones futuras destinadas a mejorar el modelo presentado.
Co-conception de Robots Mobiles Commandés en réseaux sans fil

Cet article traite le probleme de la co-conception des systemes commandes a travers un reseau sans fil (WNCS). L'integration du reseau sans fil (WN) dans la boucle de commande influence la Qualite de Controle (QoC) du systeme en terme de la Qualite de Service (QoS) du reseau sans fil. Nous presentons une approche de co-conception basee sur des reseaux bayesiens distribues. Cette approche permet de prendre des decisions pour assurer une bonne QoC pour le robot et aussi faire en sorte que la QoS soit toujours suffisante pour maintenir une bonne QoC. Maintenir une QoS suffisante depend de la methode d'ordonnancement utilisee et donc l'approche proposee vise egalement a determiner une methode d'ordonnancement pour maintenir les performances du systeme.
Complications associated with the development of bacteremia with Staphylococcus aureus

Access‐related infections are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality among hemodialysis patients. Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia accounts for 25% of these episodes. Nissenson et al., found that 20.7% of the patients developing S. aureus bacteremia had infectious complications as well as hospital readmissions related to the S. aureus bacteremia. This retrospective analysis did not determine whether the S. aureus bacteremia was access related, nor how each episode was treated. We have prospectively collected a database of all access‐related S. aureus bacteremia developing in our unit between 1/1/03 and 8/31/05, including the management of the access. Episodes of S. aureus bacteremia with an identifiable source other than the vascular access were excluded. Seventy‐two episodes of S. aureus bacteremia were identified; 54 developed in patients using a catheter and 18 developed in patients using an arteriovenous graft/fistula. The mean age was 64±15 years, and 56% of the patients were Caucasian. All patients were treated with 4 weeks of antibiotics. A total of 6 (8%) deaths and 15 (20.8%) infectious complications related to the S. aureus bacteremia were identified. Infectious complications included endocarditis (4), metastatic infection (7), discitis (3), and a myocardial abscess (1). Seventeen (23.6%) of the patients were readmitted within 30 days of the episode of S. aureus bacteremia; 4 readmissions were related to the S. aureus bacteremia. Five of the 54 catheter patients who developed S. aureus bacteremia expired and 14 developed infectious complications despite the catheter being removed/exchanged in all but one patient. One of the arteriovenous graft patients who developed S. aureus bacteremia expired. We conclude that infectious complications from S. aureus bacteremia are common, as 23.6% of the patients in our study developed an infectious complication. Eight percent of the patients who developed S. aureus bacteremia expired. Strategies to avoid S. aureus bacteremia are needed.
Military Spending and Economic Growth in Pakistan: New Evidence from Rolling Window Approach

Abstract Purpose: This paper re-investigates causality between military spending and economic growth by applying autoregressive distributed lag model or ARDL bounds testing approach to cointegration. Furthermore, rolling window approach (RWA) to cointegration is also applied to confirm the established long run relation between the variables. The VECM Granger causality is used to detect the direction of causality between military spending and economic growth. Our empirical exercise indicated long run relationship between military spending and economic growth as confirmed by rolling window approach. Moreover, negative unidirectional causality is found running from defense spending to economic growth. This paper opens up new sights for policy-making authorities to sustain economic growth by curtailing defense spending.
Operative and Midterm Outcomes of the Fenestrated Anaconda Stent-Graft in the Endovascular Treatment of Juxtarenal, Suprarenal, and Type IV Thoracoabdominal Aortic Aneurysms

Purpose: To report operative and midterm outcomes of fenestrated endovascular aneurysm repair (FEVAR) with the Anaconda device. Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted of 39 consecutive patients (median age 74 years; 36 men) treated with the fenestrated Anaconda stent-graft between July 2011 and December 2015 at a single center. Indications for FEVAR were abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) with neck anatomy unsuitable for a standard stent-graft. Median infrarenal neck length was 4 mm (range 0–9). Four (10%) patients presented with type IV thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm (TAAA), 12 (31%) with suprarenal aneurysms, and 23 (59%) with juxtarenal aneurysms. Four (10%) patients had previous infrarenal aortic repair. Five (13%) patients had an infrarenal neck angulation >60°. A total of 106 fenestrations were incorporated into the stent-grafts (73 renal arteries, 25 superior mesenteric arteries, and 8 celiac trunks). Technical success, perioperative and midterm mortality and morbidity, target vessel patency, endoleaks, and reinterventions were documented. Results: Technical success was 95% (37/39). Three (8%) patients died in-hospital from mesenteric embolism in 2 and renal artery rupture with consequent multiorgan failure in 1. Two (5%) patients suffered an intraoperative embolic stroke. During a median follow-up of 33 months (range 4–55), adjunctive maneuvers were performed in 9 (23%) patients, including reintervention for type II endoleak with enlarged aneurysm sac in 2 (5%). Four additional patients died of causes unrelated to the aortic pathology (overall mortality 18%). In 34 (94%) of the 36 patients seen in follow-up, aneurysm sac size was stable or decreased. Target vessel stent patency was 99% (95/96). Conclusion: FEVAR with the Anaconda device delivers satisfactory short-term technical and clinical success rates in patients with juxtarenal, suprarenal, and type IV TAAA. Midterm efficacy and durability with respect to aneurysm sac regression and target vessel patency appear very good. Overall mortality and the need for reintervention were significant in this patient cohort.
Significance of Bronchial Washings Smear Negativity in ‘Suspect’ Pulmonary Tuberculosis

The role of bronchial washings in patients with ‘suspect’ pulmonary tuberculosis was studied in 55 patients. Bronchial washings increased the diagnostic yield of tuberculosis by 28%. It was also able to accurately exclude active tuberculosis in 94% patients. Hence it is inferred that absence of acid-fast bacilli in smears of bronchial washings is equally important to exclude active tuberculosis.
The Plk1 Polo Box Domain Mediates a Cell Cycle and DNA Damage Regulated Interaction with Chk2

Polo-like kinase 1 (Plk1) regulates multiple processes during mitosis. Chk2 is a tumorsuppressor that participates in DNA damage checkpoint signaling cascades. Plk1phosphorylates, co-localizes with, and interacts with Chk2, suggesting interconnection ofDNA damage checkpoints and mitotic regulation. However, the function of theirassociation is unknown. Here, we show that the interaction between Chk2 and Plk1 is cellcycle-regulated, with a peak in mitosis. DNA damage in G2 and M phases but not in Sphase induces dissociation of Plk1 and Chk2. In vitro, the Plk1 PBD bindsphosphorylated Chk2, and mediates an interaction independent of other eukaryoticproteins. Additionally, a phosphopeptide encompassing phosphoT68 of Chk2 binds Plk1in a PBD-dependent manner, and stimulates Plk1 activity. These results identify potentialmechanisms for interaction and inter-regulation of these two protein kinases.
4 A Sufficient Condition in Terms of Edit Degrees Theorem 5

Cluster Editing is the problem of turning a graph into a cluster graph, that is, a disjoint union of cliques, by a minimum number of edge edits. Cluster Deletion is similarly defined, with edge deletions only. We propose a local notion of edit-optimality: Informally, we say that a crown (a certain type of labeled graph) is edit-optimal if it yields a cluster in some optimal solution to Cluster Editing, in every graph containing this crown as a subgraph. Then we give sufficient conditions for edit-optimality, e.g., in terms of vertex degrees. A condition for Cluster Deletion applies a theorem of Landau (1953) on degree sequences of tournaments. The conditions are particularly suited for planted models of clusterings, and for networks that only partially exhibit a clear cluster structure.