Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Reply to: Sorbello et al., PONV in bariatric surgery: time for opioid‐free anaesthesia

Sir, We thank Sorbello et al. for the comments and interesting views of our recent publication in Acta Anaesthesiologica Scandinavica regarding PONV in patients undergoing bariatric surgery. We totally agree that our results indicate that even a liberal PONV-prophylactic regime is not enough to minimize the risk of PONV. As Sorbello et al. points out, all our patients received opioids – remifentanil as part of the total intravenous anaesthesia and intravenous ketobemidone at the end of surgery. Furthermore, opioids were part of the rescue analgesic regime and given as needed at the recovery unit and at the ward. Our use of total intravenous anaesthesia with the administration of propofol and remifentanil was following a standard protocol and the dose given is primarily related to the size of the patient, adequate depth of anaesthesia and the length of the procedure. Studies have shown that the perioperative dose level of remifentanil do not have an association with PONV outcome. However, the fact that all patients received remifentanil with the addition of ketobemidone before the end of surgery might have major impact on PONV. The dose ketobemidone given was 5–10 mg and we found no association between the dose given and PONV outcome. Our patients represented an ordinary flow of patients. A total of 124 patients underwent bariatric surgery at our hospital during the study period, we managed to screen 88 patients and included 74. Main reasons for not screening patients were lack of research resources and we do not consider that selection bias contributes to the study results. Furthermore, no major conclusions can be drawn in comparing the surgical techniques in our cohort as the number of patients with gastric sleeve was low. Opioids are one of the main contributors to PONV and by minimizing, or even omit opioids, there are great potential to further reduce PONV. Sorbello et al. suggest the use of an opioid-free anaesthesia (OFA) in bariatric surgery. Their preliminary results are very interesting and we look forward to see more studies evaluating the OFA approach. Future anaesthetic/analgesic strategies must be balanced with perfect analgesia and PONVfreedom – today it is difficult to get them both!
Statistical analysis of the response of nonlinear systems subjected to earthquakes

The dynamic response of single degree of freedom nonlinear systems subjected to earthquake motions is considered with the purpose of deriving factors for constructing inelastic design spectra, and to evaluate the effect of damping combined with inelastic behavior and the influence of the type of material nonlinearity on inelastic response. Inelastic response spectra for elastoplastic systems with 2, 5, and 10 percent damping, and for bilinear and stiffness degrading systems with 5% damping, are computed for a number of frequencies ranging from about 0.03 cps to 35 cps, for ductility values from 1 to 10, and for ten strong-motion earthquake records. A statistical procedure is developed to analyze the data; from this analysis, factors for deriving the characteristic trapezoidal design spectrum are obtained. Such factors reflect, in an explicit manner, the effect of the various parameters considered.
Adverse events following transarterial chemoembolization for hepatocellular carcinoma and factors predicting such events.

OBJECTIVE To document the adverse events after transarterial chemoembolisation and factors predicting such events. METHODS The prospective observational study was conducted at the Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation, Karachi, from November 2009 to November 2011. All patients diagnosed as hepatocellular carcinoma were included in this study. Complications developing within the first 6 weeks of the procedure were recorded. SPSS version 16 was used for statistical analysis. RESULTS Of the total 80 patients, 59 (73.8%) were male. The overall mean age was 52.25 +/- 9.24 (range: 28-76 years). Most common etiology was hepatitis C related cirrhosis in 55 (68.8%). Adverse events developed in 46 (57.5%) patients. Post transarterial chemoembolisation syndrome was seen in 37 (46.3%). Of those with the syndrome, 24 (64.8%) patients had no additional complications, while 3 (8%) had renal dysfunction, 2 (5%) hypertensive crisis, and 1 (2.7%) patient each had urinary tract infection, pneumonia and sepsis. Decompensation of cirrhosis occurred in 6 (7.5%) patients of whom 3 (50%) developed sepsis and died. The syndrome was associated with tumour size > 5cm (p = 0.001) and higher dose of lipoidol (p = 0.0001). Decompensation of cirrhosis was associated with low basal albumin (p = 0.002), advanced basal child turcotte pugh (p = 0.005) and model for end-stage liver disease (p = 0.006) scores. CONCLUSION Transarterial chemoembolisation, though generally safe, may lead to serious complications in patients with advanced liver disease. Post-procedure syndrome was associated with increased tumour size and lipoidol dose.
Intracoronary Injection of Bone Marrow–Derived Mononuclear Cells Early or Late After Acute Myocardial Infarction: Effects on Global Left Ventricular Function

Background— Intracoronary administration of autologous bone marrow–derived mononuclear cells (BM-MNC) may improve remodeling of the left ventricle (LV) after acute myocardial infarction. The optimal time point of administration of BM-MNC is still uncertain and has rarely been addressed prospectively in randomized clinical trials. Methods and Results— In a multicenter study, we randomized 200 patients with large, successfully reperfused ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction in a 1:1:1 pattern into an open-labeled control and 2 BM-MNC treatment groups. In the BM-MNC groups, cells were administered either early (ie, 5 to 7 days) or late (ie, 3 to 4 weeks) after acute myocardial infarction. Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging was performed at baseline and after 4 months. The primary end point was the change from baseline to 4 months in global LV ejection fraction between the 2 treatment groups and the control group. The absolute change in LV ejection fraction from baseline to 4 months was −0.4±8.8% (mean±SD; P=0.74 versus baseline) in the control group, 1.8±8.4% (P=0.12 versus baseline) in the early group, and 0.8±7.6% (P=0.45 versus baseline) in the late group. The treatment effect of BM-MNC as estimated by ANCOVA was 1.25 (95% confidence interval, −1.83 to 4.32; P=0.42) for the early therapy group and 0.55 (95% confidence interval, −2.61 to 3.71; P=0.73) for the late therapy group. Conclusions— Among patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction and LV dysfunction after successful reperfusion, intracoronary infusion of BM-MNC at either 5 to 7 days or 3 to 4 weeks after acute myocardial infarction did not improve LV function at 4-month follow-up. Clinical Trial Registration— URL: http://www.clinicaltrials. gov. Unique identifier: NCT00355186.
Neurons synthesizing gonadotropin‐releasing hormone mRNA subtypes have multiple developmental origins in the medaka

The origins of the different populations of gonadotropin‐releasing hormone (GnRH)‐containing neurons in the brains of two genotypes (HO4C; HNI‐II) of medaka Oryzias latipes were analyzed at different stages of development (day 1 after fertilization through adulthood), by using oligonucleotide probes specific to salmon‐, seabream‐, and chicken II‐GnRH mRNA and antisera against specific GnRH peptides. Between the two genotypes, there was no difference in the site and time of GnRH expression or the final pattern of GnRH neuronal organization. In the adult fish of both sexes, salmon GnRH mRNA and peptide‐containing neurons were seen in the terminal nerve ganglia (nucleus olfactoretinalis; NOR) and chicken II‐GnRH mRNA and peptide‐containing neurons in the midbrain tegmentum. GnRH cells at the base of the olfactory placode (1–2 cells) and in the midbrain tegmentum were first seen in 1‐day‐old fish of both genotypes. On day 15, lightly immunoreactive GnRH cells were seen in the NOR of only HNI genotype. By day 30, GnRH expression in the NOR and in the midbrain was prominent. GnRH cells along the basal olfactory bulb and basal telencephalon were occasionally seen in animals 30 days or older. This developmental study shows differential distribution of salmon and chicken II‐GnRH mRNA subtypes and emphasizes their separate embryonic origins from the olfactory apparatus (salmon‐GnRH) and the ependymal cells of the third ventricle (chicken II‐GnRH). The absence of preoptic GnRH hybridization signals, immunoreactivity and the lack of GnRH fibers in the pituitary suggests that the preoptic GnRH neurons are distinct from the olfactory derived‐terminal nerve GnRH neurons, and that the GnRH neurites reported in the pituitary of teleost must be of preoptic origin. J. Comp. Neurol. 401:217–226, 1998. © 1998 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Efficacy of cognitive behavioral therapy and physical exercise in alleviating treatment-induced menopausal symptoms in patients with breast cancer: results of a randomized, controlled, multicenter trial.

PURPOSE The purpose of our study was to evaluate the effect of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), physical exercise (PE), and of these two interventions combined (CBT/PE) on menopausal symptoms (primary outcome), body image, sexual functioning, psychological well-being, and health-related quality of life (secondary outcomes) in patients with breast cancer experiencing treatment-induced menopause. PATIENTS AND METHODS Patients with breast cancer reporting treatment-induced menopausal symptoms (N=422) were randomly assigned to CBT (n=109), PE (n=104), CBT/PE (n=106), or to a waiting list control group (n=103). Self-report questionnaires were completed at baseline, 12 weeks, and 6 months. Multilevel procedures were used to compare the intervention groups with the control group over time. RESULTS Compared with the control group, the intervention groups had a significant decrease in levels of endocrine symptoms (Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Endocrine Symptoms; P<.001; effect size, 0.31-0.52) and urinary symptoms (Bristol Female Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms Questionnaire; P=.002; effect size, 0.29-0.33), and they showed an improvement in physical functioning (36-Item Short Form Health Survey physical functioning subscale; P=.002; effect size, 0.37-0.46). The groups that included CBT also showed a significant decrease in the perceived burden of hot flashes and night sweats (problem rating scale of the Hot Flush Rating Scale; P<.001; effect size, 0.39-0.56) and an increase in sexual activity (Sexual Activity Questionnaire habit subscale; P=.027; effect size, 0.65). Most of these effects were observed at both the 12-week and 6-month follow-ups. CONCLUSION CBT and PE can have salutary effects on endocrine symptoms and, to a lesser degree, on sexuality and physical functioning of patients with breast cancer experiencing treatment-induced menopause. Future work is needed to improve the design and the planning of these interventions to improve program adherence.
Calprotectin Expression by Gingival Epithelial Cells

ABSTRACT Calprotectin, a heterodimer of MRP8 and MRP14 with antimicrobial properties, is found in the cytosol of neutrophils, monocytes, and human gingival keratinocytes. During inflammation of the oral mucosa, the expression of immunoreactive calprotectin appears upregulated. Given the possible cell sources, we sought to learn if epithelial cells upregulate calprotectin in response to proinflammmatory agents. First, human gingival keratinocytes were maintained in primary culture until senescence. At each passage, cells were harvested and analyzed for quantitative expression of MRP8 and MRP14 subunit mRNA by RNase protection assays and calprotectin complex by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Calprotectin expression was constitutive in the primary gingival keratinocytes, but calprotectin-specific mRNA and protein tended to increase as the cells neared senescence. To test whether calprotectin expression was inducible, immortalized gingival keratinocyte cultures were treated for 2 to 4 h with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or interleukin-1β (IL-1β). As a positive control for inducible expression, immortalized keratinocytes were incubated with phorbol myristate acetate (PMA) (50 ng/ml) for 24 h. Incubation with PMA stimulated increased expression of MRP8 and MRP14 mRNA within 2 h, peaking within 5 h. MRP8- and MRP14-specific mRNA expression by immortalized keratinocytes appeared to be unaffected by LPS or IL-1β. In contrast, LPS, IL-1β, and PMA each upregulated IL-8. These data show that calprotectin mRNA is expressed constitutively in cultured keratinocytes, while expression by immortalized cells appears to be independent of the exogenous proinflammatory agents LPS and IL-1β.
Weights' assignment in multi-agent systems under a time-varying topology

The main objective of this paper is to design an optimal solution for weights' assignment in formation and reconfiguration control among a group of robots. The optimal solution must keep the control effort given to the whole system at its minimum possible level and guarantees that the desired configuration can be reached. In particular, the case of a single leader under a time-varying topology is considered. In contrast to the existing literature on this topic, we assume that the graph is weighted and time-varying; moreover, weights can be assigned freely. Under this setup, there are plenty of possible weights. However, determining a set of the best weights remains as an open problem because the control effort given to the agents must be minimized meanwhile the final desired states must be assured. In this paper, the problem of weights' assignment is discussed and formulated using the optimal control theory. The optimal control strategy is designed based on minimization of an index function and a solution is found using Hamiltton-Jacobi-Bellman equations. Finally, some simulation results are presented to illustrate the approach.
Cyclone codes

We introduce Cyclone codes which are rateless erasure resilient codes. They combine Pair codes with Luby Transform (LT) codes by computing a code symbol from a random set of data symbols using bitwise XOR and cyclic shift operations. The number of data symbols is chosen according to the Robust Soliton distribution. XOR and cyclic shift operations establish a unitary commutative ring if data symbols have a length of p − 1 bits, for some prime number p. We consider the graph given by code symbols combining two data symbols. If n/2 such random pairs are given for n data symbols, then a giant component appears, which can be resolved in linear time. We can extend Cyclone codes to data symbols of arbitrary even length, provided the Goldbach conjecture holds. Applying results for this giant component, it follows that Cyclone codes have the same encoding and decoding time complexity as LT codes, while the overhead is upper-bounded by those of LT codes. Simulations indicate that Cyclone codes significantly decreases the overhead of extra coding symbols.
Cavitation criterion for rubber materials: A review of void‐growth models

The principal criteria used to predict cavitation in rubber materials are reviewed, and experimental evidence is recalled for three different configurations: in the bulk, in the vicinity of a rigid particle, and in small rubber particles embedded in a rigid polymer matrix. Two major classes of cavitation criteria are defined, those based on an elastic instability (i.e., related to a stress state and finite strains) and those based on the energy balance (i.e., involving surface energies). The different criteria, in which various hyperelastic behavior laws are considered, are compared in numerical applications, and the tendencies are derived. The particular case of accounting for the surface tension of the rubber, a parameter common to the stress state and the energy balance, is treated in detail. It appears that the understanding of the genesis of a microcavity in a rubber material, when no pre-existing flaw is assumed, still constitutes a difficulty for the analysis of mechanical damage in polymers containing a rubber phase.
Prefrontal executive function and D1, D3, 5-HT2A and 5-HT6 receptor gene variations in healthy adults.

OBJECTIVE The Val158Met polymorphism of the catechol-O-methyltransferase gene has been demonstrated to be associated with prefrontal executive function explaining 4% of variance in perseverative errors on the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST). Studies suggest that dopamine D(1) and D(3) and serotonin 5-HT(2A) and 5-HT(6) receptors may also be involved in prefrontal cognitive function and that genetic polymorphisms (D(1) A-48G, D(3) Ser9Gly, 5-HT(2A) T102C, and 5-HT(6) T267C) of these receptors may be associated with brain glucose metabolism or neurophysiological function. The current study's objective was to investigate whether executive function varies with these genetic variations. METHODS A sample of 216 healthy Han Chinese adults were measured with the WCST and genotyped for the 4 genetic polymorphisms. RESULTS Kruskal-Wallis tests showed a significant difference in WCST perseverative errors among the genotypes D(3) Ser9Gly (p = 0.009), 5-HT(2A) T102C (p = 0.038) and 5-HT(6) T267C (p = 0.010), but not in the genotype D(1) A-48G. Multiple regression analysis for the WCST natural logarithm values (i.e., for fulfilling the normal distribution requirement) showed that subjects' perseverative errors were significantly influenced by D(1) A-48G, D(3) Ser9Gly, 5-HT(2A) T102C and 5-HT(6) T267C polymorphisms after adjustment of other variables. CONCLUSION The preliminary data suggest that D(1), D(3), 5-HT(2A) and 5-HT(6) genetic mutations may influence prefrontal executive cognition in healthy adults. Further studies in larger samples with other ethnicities or in mentally ill patients are warranted.
Holistic aggregates in a networked world: distributed tracking of approximate quantiles

While traditional database systems optimize for performance on one-shot queries, emerging large-scale monitoring applications require continuous tracking of complex aggregates and data-distribution summaries over collections of physically-distributed streams. Thus, effective solutions have to be simultaneously space efficient (at each remote site), communication efficient (across the underlying communication network), and provide continuous, guaranteed-quality estimates. In this paper, we propose novel algorithmic solutions for the problem of continuously tracking complex holistic aggregates in such a distributed-streams setting --- our primary focus is on approximate quantile summaries, but our approach is more broadly applicable and can handle other holistic-aggregate functions (e.g., "heavy-hitters" queries). We present the first known distributed-tracking schemes for maintaining accurate quantile estimates with provable approximation guarantees, while simultaneously optimizing the storage space at each remote site as well as the communication cost across the network. In a nutshell, our algorithms employ a combination of local tracking at remote sites and simple prediction models for local site behavior in order to produce highly communication- and space-efficient solutions. We perform extensive experiments with real and synthetic data to explore the various tradeoffs and understand the role of prediction models in our schemes. The results clearly validate our approach, revealing significant savings over naive solutions as well as our analytical worst-case guarantees.
Insulation of the conduction pathway of muscle transverse tubule calcium channels from the surface charge of bilayer phospholipid

Functional calcium channels present in purified skeletal muscle transverse tubules were inserted into planar phospholipid bilayers composed of the neutral lipid phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), the negatively charged lipid phosphatidylserine (PS), and mixtures of both. The lengthening of the mean open time and stabilization of single channel fluctuations under constant holding potentials was accomplished by the use of the agonist Bay K8644. It was found that the barium current carried through the channel saturates as a function of the BaCl2 concentration at a maximum current of 0.6 pA (at a holding potential of 0 mV) and a half-saturation value of 40 mM. Under saturation, the slope conductance of the channel is 20 pS at voltages more negative than -50 mV and 13 pS at a holding potential of 0 mV. At barium concentrations above and below the half-saturation point, the open channel currents were independent of the bilayer mole fraction of PS from XPS = 0 (pure PE) to XPS = 1.0 (pure PS). It is shown that in the absence of barium, the calcium channel transports sodium or potassium ions (P Na/PK = 1.4) at saturating rates higher than those for barium alone. The sodium conductance in pure PE bilayers saturates as a function of NaCl concentration, following a curve that can be described as a rectangular hyperbola with a half-saturation value of 200 mM and a maximum conductance of 68 pS (slope conductance at a holding potential of 0 mV). In pure PS bilayers, the sodium conductance is about twice that measured in PE at concentrations below 100 mM NaCl. The maximum channel conductance at high ionic strength is unaffected by the lipid charge. This effect at low ionic strength was analyzed according to J. Bell and C. Miller (1984. Biophysical Journal. 45:279- 287) and interpreted as if the conduction pathway of the calcium channel were separated from the bilayer lipid by approximately 20 A. This distance thereby effectively insulates the ion entry to the channel from the bulk of the bilayer lipid surface charge. Current vs. voltage curves measured in NaCl in pure PE and pure PS show that similarly small surface charge effects are present in both inward and outward currents. This suggests that the same conduction insulation is present at both ends of the calcium channel.
Three Methods for Estimating the Entropy Parameter M Based on a Decreasing Number of Velocity Measurements in a River Cross-Section

The theoretical development and practical application of three new methods for estimating the entropy parameter M used within the framework of the entropy method proposed by Chiu in the 1980s as a valid alternative to the velocity-area method for measuring the discharge in a river is here illustrated. The first method is based on reproducing the cumulative velocity distribution function associated with a flood event and requires measurements regarding the entire cross-section, whereas, in the second and third method, the estimate of M is based on reproducing the cross-sectional mean velocity U by following two different procedures. Both of them rely on the entropy parameter M alone and look for that value of M that brings two different estimates of U , obtained by using two different M-dependent-approaches, as close as possible. From an operational viewpoint, the acquisition of velocity data becomes increasingly simplified going from the first to the third approach, which uses only one surface velocity measurement. The procedures proposed are applied in a case study based on the Ponte Nuovo hydrometric station on the Tiber River in central Italy.
Click or Call? Auction Versus Search in the Over-the-Counter Market

type="main"> Over-the-counter (OTC) markets dominate trading in many asset classes. Will electronic trading displace traditional OTC “voice” trading? Can electronic and voice systems coexist? What types of securities and trades are best suited for electronic trading? We study these questions by focusing on an innovation in electronic trading technology that enables investors to simultaneously search many bond dealers. We show that periodic one-sided electronic auctions are a viable and important source of liquidity even in inactively traded instruments. These mechanisms are a natural compromise between bilateral search in OTC markets and continuous double auctions in electronic limit order books.