Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Orbital and Cranial Nerve Presentations and Sequelae are Hallmarks of Invasive Fungal Sinusitis caused by Mucor in Contrast to Aspergillus

Background Acute fulminant invasive fungal sinusitis (IFS) is a rapidly progressing, destructive process almost exclusively affecting immunocompromised patients. Outcome differences have been found in patients with Mucor and Aspergillus. We performed this study to compare the presenting symptoms and long-term morbidity with IFS caused by Mucor versus Aspergillus species. Methods Retrospective chart review was performed of 48 patients with 49 cases of acute fulminant IFS over a 19-year period. Presenting symptoms and long-term morbidity related to the orbits and cranial nerves were evaluated. Results Mucor was found in 22 cases and Aspergillus was found in 27 cases. Orbital (proptosis, periorbital edema, and ophthalmoplegia) and cranial nerve symptoms were seen at presentation more often in Mucor (6 [27%] and 9 [41%]) than in Aspergillus patients (3 [11%] and 7 [26%]; p = 0.079). Long-term orbital and cranial nerve sequelae occurred in 16 (72%) Mucor cases and 10 (37%) Aspergillus cases (p = 0.0210). The IFS-related mortality was 32% (7) in the Mucor group and 11% (3) in the Aspergillus group (p = 0.089). Conclusion Patients with acute fulminant IFS present with similar sinus symptoms; however, there is a trend toward a greater prevalence of orbital and neurological symptoms in patients with Mucor versus Aspergillus. Long-term orbital and neurological morbidity is more prevalent in patients with Mucor compared with Aspergillus. These data suggest that the presence of orbital and neurological symptoms at presentation warrants more aggressive surgical intervention because of the likelihood of Mucor.
A new numerical approach to dense polymer brushes and surface instabilities.

We present a numerical self-consistent field (SCF) method which describes freely jointed chains of spherical monomers applied to densely grafted polymer brushes. We discuss both the Flory-Huggins model and the Carnahan-Starling equation of state and show the latter being preferable within our model at polymer volume fractions above 10%. We compare the results of our numerical method with data from molecular dynamics (MD) simulations [G. -L. He, H. Merlitz, J.-U. Sommer, and C. -X. Wu, Macromolecules 40, 6721 (2007)] and analytical SCF calculations [P. M. Biesheuvel, W. M. de Vos, and V. M. Amoskov, Macromolecules 41, 6254 (2008)] and obtain close agreement between the density profiles up to high grafting densities. In contrast to prior numerical and analytical studies of densely grafted polymer brushes our method provides detailed information about chain configurations including fluctuation, depletion, and packing effects. Using our model we could study the recently discovered instability of densely grafted polymer brushes with respect to slight variations of individual chain lengths, driven by fluctuation effects [H. Merlitz, G. -L. He, C. -X. Wu, and J.-U. Sommer, Macromolecules 41, 5070 (2008)]. The obtained results are in very close agreement with corresponding MD simulations.
Neurosecretory control of pigmentary effectors in crustaceans.

A general summary of the current status of the control of crustacean pigmentary effectors is followed by a detailed description of recent experiments with the chromatophores of fiddler crabs. Under appropriate experimental conditions eyestalkless fiddler crabs, Uca pugilator , can exhibit an overt daily rhythm of melanin dispersion. Otherwise, the melanin of eyestalkless crabs remains maximally concentrated. Electrophoretic analysis revealed three peaks of melanin-dispersing activity for sinus glands of Uca pugilator , two for the supraesophageal ganglia, one for the circumesophageal connectives, and one for blood. What appeared to be the same electronegative substance was found in every electrophorogram regardless of whether one, two, or three peaks were present. In addition, a melanin-concentrating substance was found after electrophoresis of circumesophageal connectives. The morphology of postcommissural organs from two species of fiddler crabs is described also. Extracts of post-commissural organs from Uca pugilator were chromatophorotropically active. The extracts were most effective in concentrating red pigment but could also disperse the red and black pigments. Post-commissural organs of crabs had not been assayed previously on any system. Finally, the role that post-commissural organs might have in regulating chromatophores of fiddler crabs during different portions of the daily rhythm of color change is discussed.
Effect of assistance on peritonitis risk in diabetic patients treated by peritoneal dialysis: report from the French Language Peritoneal Dialysis Registry.

BACKGROUND Diabetic patients treated by peritoneal dialysis (PD) have been reported to be at an increased risk of peritonitis. This has been attributed to impairment in host defense, visual impairment, disability and muscle wasting, which could compromise ability to safely perform catheter connections. This study aimed to evaluate whether assisted PD is associated with a lower risk of peritonitis in diabetic patients. METHODS This was a retrospective study based on data from the French Language Peritoneal Dialysis Registry. We included diabetic patients starting PD between 1 January 2002 and 31 December 2012. The end of the observation period was 31 December 2013. Using complementary regression analysis (Fine and Gray, Hurdle models), we assessed the relationship between peritonitis occurrence, peritonitis number over time and the type of assisted PD. RESULTS Of the 3598 diabetic patients, there were 2040 patients on nurse-assisted PD. These patients were older, more comorbid and more frequently on continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD). In the multivariate analysis, nurse assistance was associated with a reduced risk of peritonitis in the Fine and Gray [subdistribution hazard ratio: 0.78 (95% confidence interval, CI, 0.68-0.89)] and in the first component of the Hurdle models [rate ratio: 0.82 (95% CI 0.71-0.93)], but not a lower incidence of peritonitis after an initial episode [rate ratio: 0.82 (95% CI 0.95-1.38)]. Transplant failure, glomerulonephritis and CAPD were associated with an increased risk. CONCLUSIONS In France, nurse-assisted PD is associated with a lower risk of peritonitis in diabetic patients treated by PD but not a lower incidence of peritonitis.
TNF-α mediated apoptosis plays an important role in the development of early diabetic retinopathy and long-term histopathological alterations

Purpose The pathophysiology of diabetic retinopathy involves leukocyte adhesion to retinal vasculature, early blood-retinal barrier breakdown, capillary nonperfusion, and endothelial cell death. We investigated the involvement of tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) in diabetes-related histopathological changes in two relevant rodent models. Methods In short-term studies, Long-Evans rats with streptozotocin–induced diabetes were treated with or without the TNF-α inhibitor, etanercept. For long-term studies, tumor necrosis factor receptor I (TNF-RI)-deficient mice and TNF-RII-deficient mice, as well as C57/Bl6 wild-type mice, were fed 30% galactose for up to 20 months. The retinal histopathological alterations of hypergalactosemia were analyzed in trypsin digest preparations. Endothelial cell injury and apoptosis in rat retinas were evaluated by propidium iodide, TUNEL, CytoDeath staining, and DNA fragmentation ELISA. Caspase 3 and 8 activity was evaluated by immunoblotting and quantitative enzymatic activity assay. Results Etanercept suppressed caspase activation, retinal cell injury, and apoptosis in short-term diabetic rats. Pericyte and endothelial cell loss were also reduced in long-term hypergalactosemic mice. Long-term studies demonstrated that pericyte loss and endothelial cell loss were reduced in comparison to wild-type diabetic controls. Conclusions Our study identifies an important role for TNF-α in the pathogenesis of signature diabetic retinopathy pathologies and demonstrates that etanercept can inhibit retinal cell death and long-term complication of diabetes. Taken together, our results suggest that etanercept could prove beneficial in preventing both early and late vascular diabetic complications.
Pairwise subcarriers weighting for suppressing out‐of‐band radiation of OFDM

This paper proposes a subcarrier weighting technique to suppress the out‐of‐band radiation of OFDM signals. By mapping and weighting the same data on an adjacent pair of subcarriers, the spectrum sidelobes are suppressed perfectly through sidelobes mutual cancellation. The optimum weighting factor is derived based on a rectangular pulse‐shaped OFDM spectrum model. Compared with existing out‐of‐band suppression schemes, the proposed scheme not only requires less computational burden but also achieves better spectral roll‐off. For example, when the cyclic prefix of a one‐eighth OFDM‐block length is added, the proposed scheme suppresses the 10‐dB radiation at the center frequency between two subbands which are using cognitive radio. Analytical and simulation results also show that the proposed scheme improves the system carrier‐to‐interference ratio by 10 dB at a normalized frequency offset above 0.1, which leads to the performance improvement in terms of the BER on AWGN channel and multipath fading channel. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
M-PSK and M-QAM BER computation using signal-space concepts

In this paper, we introduce a simple geometric approach that is based on signal-space concepts to efficiently evaluate the performance of M-ary phase-shift keying (M-PSK) and M-ary quadrature amplitude modulation (M-QAM) schemes over an additive white Gaussian noise channel. In particular, new bit error rate approximations are derived and shown to be in excellent agreement with Monte Carlo simulation results.
Determination of total antioxidant capacity of milk by CUPRAC and ABTS methods with separate characterisation of milk protein fractions

Most milk-applied antioxidant assays in literature are based on the isolation and quantification of individual antioxidative compounds, whereas total antioxidant capacity (TAC) gives a more holistic picture due to cooperative action of antioxidants. Recently, the cupric reducing antioxidant capacity (CUPRAC) method has been modified to measure the antioxidant capacities of thiol-containing proteins, where the classical ammonium acetate buffer – that may otherwise precipitate proteins– was replaced with concentrated urea buffer (able to expose embedded thiol groups of proteins to oxidative attack) adjusted to pH 7.0. Thus, antioxidant capacity of milk was investigated with two competing TAC assays, namely CUPRAC and ABTS (2,2′-azinobis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid))/persulphate, because only these assays were capable of evaluating protein contribution to the observed TAC value. As milk fat caused turbidity, experiments were carried out with skim milk or defatted milk samples. To determine TAC, modified CUPRAC method was applied to whole milk, separated and redissolved protein fractions, and the remaining liquid phase after necessary operations. Both TAC methods were investigated for their dilution sensitivity and antioxidant power assessment of separate milk fractions such as casein and whey. Proteins like β-lactoglobulin and casein (but not simple thiols) exhibited enhanced CUPRAC reactivity with surfactant (SDS) addition. Addition of milk protein fractions to whole skim milk produced significant ‘negative-biased’ deviations (up to −26% relative standard error) from TAC absorbance additivity in the application of the ABTS method, as opposed to that of the CUPRAC method less affected by chemical deviations from Beer's law thereby producing much smaller deviations from additivity (i.e. the property of additivity is valid when the measured TAC of a mixture is equal to the sum of individual antioxidant capacities of its constituents).
Acrania associated with amniotic bands in a fetus

agement would not be the optimal management for our case, as there was parametrial involvement which was associated with severe bleeding, so we proceeded to an extended total abdominal hysterectomy. Multidisciplinary input has been shown to be an eff ective approach in managing this potentially lethal condition (Shawish et al. 2007). Th e value of MRI in the diagnosis of placenta percreta invading bladder has been described in another case report (Th orp et al. 1997). However, due to the small number of cases reported in medical literature, it is diffi cult to evaluate the best technique to diagnose this condition. In conclusion, we described the fi rst case of placenta percreta with bladder and parametrium invasion. Antenatal screening for placenta percreta invading bladder using MRI in highly suspicious cases has proven to be a useful tool in detecting this condition, allowing for proper preoperative planning of a multidisciplinary approach to reduce maternal morbidity and mortality.
Behavioral Responses of Cattle to Naturally Occurring Seasonal Populations of Horn Flies (Diptera: Muscidae) Under Rangeland Conditions

ABSTRACT The behavioral responses of cattle under the influence of naturally occurring seasonal horn fly, Haematobia irritans (L.), populations were evaluated under rangeland conditions. This study was replicated four times using 10 cows as the subsampling unit equipped with GPS collars scheduled to receive locational fixes every 5 min for 6 d prior to, and 6 d following horn fly insecticidal control application. Data derived from GPS collars were used to evaluate potential horn fly-induced behavioral modifications expressed during predawn, daytime, and nighttime periods. These data were used to analyze variables, which included distance travelled, daily area explored, vertical and horizontal head movements, and inferred activities such as resting, grazing, and walking. Horn fly populations were estimated using daily visual counts and were reduced significantly on animals following insecticidal application. There was no significant difference between treatment periods in any of the aforementioned analyzed variables. During the night-time hours estimated differences (pretreatment minus posttreatment) for distance travelled, area explored, and vertical head movements were 0.81 ± 0.46 km/d, 0.35 ± 0.21 km2/d, and 7.25 ± 5.30 counts/d, respectively. The implications of these observations are discussed.
Print or digital? Reading behavior and preferences in Japan

In today's digital age, daily reading may be becoming digital reading. To understand this possible shift from reading print media to reading digital media, we investigated reading behavior for 11 media and reading preferences between print and digital in different circumstances. In August 2012, an online survey was used to inquire about the reading behavior and preference of 1,755 participants, ranging in age from 18 to 69 years. The participants contained equal numbers of men and women from five age brackets. Our main finding was that approximately 70% of total reading time was spent on digital media and that preferences favored print media. Cluster analysis of reading time by media was used to categorize respondents into eight clusters, and a second cluster analysis on stated preference (digital or print) yielded six clusters. The correspondence analysis between reading behavior clusters and preference clusters revealed that there is a mismatch between reading behavior and stated preference for either print or digital media.
Meta-Chirality: Fundamentals, Construction and Applications

Chiral metamaterials represent a special type of artificial structures that cannot be superposed to their mirror images. Due to the lack of mirror symmetry, cross-coupling between electric and magnetic fields exist in chiral mediums and present unique electromagnetic characters of circular dichroism and optical activity, which provide a new opportunity to tune polarization and realize negative refractive index. Chiral metamaterials have attracted great attentions in recent years and have given rise to a series of applications in polarization manipulation, imaging, chemical and biological detection, and nonlinear optics. Here we review the fundamental theory of chiral media and analyze the construction principles of some typical chiral metamaterials. Then, the progress in extrinsic chiral metamaterials, absorbing chiral metamaterials, and reconfigurable chiral metamaterials are summarized. In the last section, future trends in chiral metamaterials and application in nonlinear optics are introduced.
Effects of single or repeated silymarin administration on pharmacokinetics of risperidone and its major metabolite, 9-hydroxyrisperidone in rats

1. The interactions between herbal dietary supplements and therapeutic drugs have emerged as an important issue and P-glycoprotein (P-gp) has been reported as one of the significant factors of these interactions. 2. The objective of this article is to examine the effects of single and repeated administrations of silymarin on pharmacokinetics of a P-gp substrate, risperidone, and its major metabolite, 9-hydroxyrisperidone, in rats. 3. To determine the plasma levels of risperidone and 9-hydroxyrisperidone in rats, a HPLC method was developed using a liquid-liquid acid back extraction. When risperidone (6 mg/kg) was co-administered with silymarin (40 mg/kg) to rats orally, the Cmax of 9-hydroxyrisperidone was significantly increased to1.3-fold (p < 0.05), while the other pharmacokinetic parameters did not show any significant differences. Expanding the experiment where rats were repeatedly administered with silymarin for 5 days prior to giving risperidone, the Cmax of risperidone and 9-hydroxyrisperidone were significantly increased to 2.4-fold (p < 0.001) and 1.7-fold (p < 0.001), respectively, and the AUC0-t, as well to 1.7-fold (p < 0.05) and 2.1-fold (p < 0.01), respectively. 4. The repeated exposures of silymarin, compared to single administration of silymarin, increased oral bioavailability and affected the pharmacokinetics of risperidone and 9-hydroxyrisperidone, by inhibiting P-gp.
Association of Severity of Coronary Lesion with Markers of Acute Infection and Inflammation in Patients with Acute Coronary Syndrome

Aim: Inflammation and some infectious agents play a key role in acute coronary syndrome (ACS) caused by atherosclerosis. The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of inflammatory markers and the positivity of Chlamydia pneumoniae (CP), Helicobacter pylori (HP), and Cytomegalovirus (CMV) on the level of atherosclerosis in patients with ACS. Materials and Methods: Patients (57) that were referred to the emergency unit with classic angina symptoms or angina equivalent symptoms and were determined to have critical lesions in the coronary angiography (>70% stenosis, coronary artery disease (CAD) severity assessed by the Gensini score) were compared with 27 ACS patients who had no critical lesions in terms of procalcitonin (PCT), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-2 receptor (IL2r), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and interleukin-10 (IL-10) levels and positivity of CP, HP, and CMV. Also, the two groups of ACS patients were compared in terms of cytokine levels measured at hours 0 and 48. Results: No significant association was found between the degree of the coronary lesion and the inflammatory and infectious agents. However, in patients with critical coronary lesions, as markers of inflammatory agents, the levels of IL-6 were significantly lower and levels of IL-10 were significantly higher (p<0.001 and p=0.030, respectively) at hour 48 than originally found at hour 0. Conclusion: There is no association between the severity of coronary lesions and cytokine levels and positivity of infectious agents in ACS since the levels of proinflammatory cytokines in ACS are higher than those in atherosclerosis. The changes in cytokine levels at hour 48 were found to be significant.
Out-of-phase thermomechanical fatigue of monolithic titanium alloys

OUT-OF-PHASE THERMOMECHANICAL FATIGUE OF MONOLITHIC TITANIUM ALLOYS Name: Boehlert, Carl Joseph University of Dayton, 1993 Faculty Advisor: Dr. Daniel Eylon Technical Advisor: Mr. Stephan Russ Before being accepted for practical application, titanium matrix composites, some of the most recent advanced materials being evaluated for high temperature aerospace engine components, need to be evaluated under simulated service conditions involving the simultaneous cycling of temperature and applied load, thermomechanical fatigue. Out-of-phase thermomechanical fatigue conditions provide a more severe test on the matrix of these composites. Due to the inherent consolidation difficulties and expense associated with metal matrix composites today, it is beneficial to correlate and project composite behavior from the evaluation of fiberless matrices. This work investigated the out-of-phase thermomechanical fatigue behavior of three classes of titanium alloys; alpha-2, beta, and near-orthorhombic, in monolithic sheet form, in order to compare material behaviors and correlate monolithic behavior to composite behavior under similar testing conditions. Testing were performed with maximum stresses ranging from 350700 MPa, minimum stresses ranging from 17.5-35 MPa, temperature ranging from 150650°, and a frequency associated with three minute cycling. Fatigue, oxidation, and creep damage mechanisms participated in failures where crack initiation and propagation played an important role in fatigue life. Comparing alloys, the beta alloy, Timetal 21S, exhibited the greatest fatigue strength at the highest stress ranges and the worst fatigue
Influence of weekend versus weekday hospital admission on mortality following subarachnoid hemorrhage. Clinical article.

OBJECT Several studies have indicated that short-term mortality risk is higher among patients who are admitted on the weekends. This "weekend effect" has been observed among patients admitted with a variety of diagnoses, including myocardial infarction, pulmonary embolism, ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm, and stroke. This study examines the relationship between short-term mortality risk and weekend admission among patients hospitalized following subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). METHODS This retrospective cohort study examines mortality outcomes among patients included in the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) for 2004. Patients included in the cohort were identified using the International Classification of Diseases, 9th revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) code for SAH. Multivariable logistic regression analyses and Cox proportional hazard regression analyses are used to measure the association of weekend admission on mortality for patients with SAH, adjusted for differences in patient characteristics that also contribute to mortality risk. RESULTS Weekend admissions occurred among 27.5% of the 5667 patients with SAH in the NIS database. Weekend admission was not a statistically significant independent predictor of death in the SAH study population at 7 days (OR 1.07, 95% CI 0.91-1.25), 14 days (OR 1.01, 95% CI 0.87-1.17), or 30 days (OR 1.03, 95% CI 0.89-1.19). CONCLUSIONS Weekend admission is not associated with significantly increased short-term mortality risk among patients hospitalized with SAH.