Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Predictors of Survival From Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background—Prior studies have identified key predictors of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA), but differences exist in the magnitude of these findings. In this meta-analysis, we evaluated the strength of associations between OHCA and key factors (event witnessed by a bystander or emergency medical services [EMS], provision of bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation [CPR], initial cardiac rhythm, or the return of spontaneous circulation). We also examined trends in OHCA survival over time. Methods and Results—An electronic search of PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, CINAHL, Cochrane DSR, DARE, ACP Journal Club, and CCTR was conducted (January 1, 1950 to August 21, 2008) for studies reporting OHCA of presumed cardiac etiology in adults. Data were extracted from 79 studies involving 142 740 patients. The pooled survival rate to hospital admission was 23.8% (95% CI, 21.1 to 26.6) and to hospital discharge was 7.6% (95% CI, 6.7 to 8.4). Stratified by baseline rates, survival to hospital discharge was more likely among those: witnessed by a bystander (6.4% to 13.5%), witnessed by EMS (4.9% to 18.2%), who received bystander CPR (3.9% to 16.1%), were found in ventricular fibrillation/ventricular tachycardia (14.8% to 23.0%), or achieved return of spontaneous circulation (15.5% to 33.6%). Although 53% (95% CI, 45.0% to 59.9%) of events were witnessed by a bystander, only 32% (95% CI, 26.7% to 37.8%) received bystander CPR. The number needed to treat to save 1 life ranged from 16 to 23 for EMS-witnessed arrests, 17 to 71 for bystander-witnessed, and 24 to 36 for those receiving bystander CPR, depending on baseline survival rates. The aggregate survival rate of OHCA (7.6%) has not significantly changed in almost 3 decades. Conclusions—Overall survival from OHCA has been stable for almost 30 years, as have the strong associations between key predictors and survival. Because most OHCA events are witnessed, efforts to improve survival should focus on prompt delivery of interventions of known effectiveness by those who witness the event.
Evidence That Rho-Kinase Activity Contributes to Cerebral Vascular Tone In Vivo and Is Enhanced During Chronic Hypertension: Comparison With Protein Kinase C

Abstract— The small G protein Rho and its target Rho-kinase may participate in the mechanisms underlying vascular contractile tone via inhibition of myosin light chain phosphatase. The present study has tested the hypothesis that Rho-kinase activity normally contributes to cerebral vascular tone in vivo, and that this effect is augmented during chronic hypertension. Comparative studies also examined the role of protein kinase C (PKC) in regulation of cerebral artery tone. Two Rho-kinase inhibitors, Y-27632 (0.1 to 100 &mgr;mol/L) and HA1077 (1 to 10 &mgr;mol/L), caused marked concentration-dependent increases in basilar artery diameter of anesthetized normotensive rats (Sprague-Dawley and Wistar-Kyoto [WKY] strains), as measured using a cranial window approach. By comparison, the selective PKC inhibitors calphostin C (0.01 to 0.5 &mgr;mol/L) and Ro 31-8220 (5 &mgr;mol/L) had little or no effect on basilar artery diameter. Vasodilator responses to Y-27632 were unaffected by PKC inhibition or activation. In two models of chronic hypertension (spontaneously hypertensive rats and WKY rats treated with N-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester for 4 weeks), Y-27632 elicited cerebral vasodilator responses that were significantly greater than in control WKY rats (P <0.05), indicating that the chronically hypertensive state and not genetic factors contributed to the increased responses to Rho-kinase inhibition. PKC inhibition had no significant effect on basilar artery diameter in chronically hypertensive rats. These data suggest that Rho-kinase, but not PKC, activity contributes substantially to cerebral artery tone in vivo, and this effect is augmented in the cerebral circulation during chronic hypertension.
LOW CO LUMINOSITIES IN DWARF GALAXIES

We present maps of 12COJ = 2–1 emission covering the entire star-forming disks of 16 nearby dwarf galaxies observed by the IRAM HERACLES survey. The data have 13″ angular resolution, ∼250 pc at our average distance of D = 4 Mpc, and sample the galaxies by 10–1000 resolution elements. We apply stacking techniques to perform the first sensitive search for CO emission in dwarf galaxies outside the Local Group ranging from individual lines of sight, stacking over IR-bright regions of embedded star formation, and stacking over the entire galaxy. We detect five galaxies in CO with total CO luminosities of LCO 2–1 = (3–28) × 106 K km s−1 pc2. The other 11 galaxies remain undetected in CO even in the stacked images and have LCO 2–1 ≲ (0.4–8) × 106 K km s−1 pc2. We combine our sample of dwarf galaxies with a large sample of spiral galaxies from the literature to study scaling relations of LCO with MB and metallicity. We find that dwarf galaxies with metallicities of Z ≈ 1/2–1/10 Z☉ have LCO of 2–4 orders of magnitude smaller than massive spiral galaxies and that their LCO per unit LB is 1–2 orders of magnitude smaller. A comparison with tracers of star formation (FUV and 24 μm) shows that LCO per unit star formation rate (SFR) is 1–2 orders of magnitude smaller in dwarf galaxies. One possible interpretation is that dwarf galaxies form stars much more efficiently: we argue that the low LCO/SFR ratio is due to the fact that the CO-to-H2 conversion factor, αCO, changes significantly in low-metallicity environments. Assuming that a constant H2 depletion time of τdep = 1.8 Gyr holds in dwarf galaxies (as found for a large sample of nearby spirals) implies αCO values for dwarf galaxies with Z ≈ 1/2–1/10 Z☉ that are more than one order of magnitude higher than those found in solar metallicity spiral galaxies. Such a significant increase of αCO at low metallicity is consistent with previous studies, in particular those of Local Group dwarf galaxies that model dust emission to constrain H2 masses. Even though it is difficult to parameterize the dependence of αCO on metallicity given the currently available data, the results suggest that CO is increasingly difficult to detect at lower metallicities. This has direct consequences for the detectability of star-forming galaxies at high redshift, which presumably have on average sub-solar metallicity.
Inherent hydrostatic tensile strength of tungsten nanocrystals

Abstract Experimental value of strength of nano-sized crystal under uniform triaxial (hydrostatic) tension was obtained for the first time. Strength was measured by in situ high-field mechanical testing of tungsten defect-free nano-sized specimen carried out inside a field-ion microscope. At temperature 77 K, this strength is 28 ± 3 GPa. Based on the MD simulation findings, it is ascertained that under these conditions the instability of an entire nano-sized specimen (global instability) is initiated by the Bain transition within a local region of the specimen. The model of ‘fluctuation-induced Bain transition’ is offered. Within the framework of the model proposed, it is exhibited that possibility of realisation of such local Bain transition under global hydrostatic tension is due to the fluctuation of local tensile stresses. In general, it is shown that fluctuation-induced Bain transition governs the level of the strength of nano-sized bcc crystals under hydrostatic tension.
Effects of Al-Sr Master Alloys on the As-Cast Microstructure of the AZ31 Magnesium Alloys

The influence of Al-10.5%Sr master alloy, which is much cheaper than Mg-Sr master alloys, on the as-cast microstructure of the AZ31 alloy was investigated. The research results revealed that the Al-10.5%Sr master alloy produced obvious modification of the as-cast microstructure of the AZ31 alloy, and the modification efficiency increased with the holding time from 0min to 60min and the amount of Sr from 0.01% to 0.1%. Moreover, the results also showed that the Al-10.5%Sr master alloys of different states had different modification efficiency on the as-cast microstructure of the AZ31 alloy. The Al-10.5%Sr master alloys in extrusion deformation state and rapid solidification state had better modification efficiency than the Al-10.5%Sr master alloys received and in heat treatment state, which could be related to the microstructure of the Al-10.5%Sr master alloys with different states.
Longitudinal relationships between early adolescent family functioning and youth adjustment: an examination of the moderating role of very low birth weight.

OBJECTIVE To examine longitudinal relations between early adolescent family conflict and late adolescent psychosocial adjustment, and the moderating role of low birth weight. METHODS Three groups of adolescents (48 with birth weight <750 g, 46 with birth weight 750-1499 g, and 51 term-born controls) and their parents completed ratings of family conflict at age 11 (Time 1). Parent, teacher, and youth reports of psychosocial functioning were obtained at ages 11 and 17 (Time 2). RESULTS Birth weight moderated the relationship between Time 1 adolescent-perceived conflict and change in adolescent behavioral functioning. For adolescents with histories of <750 g birth weight, adolescent-perceived conflict predicted less adaptive changes in teacher-reported total behavior problems and externalizing problems. CONCLUSIONS Small disruptions to the parent-child relationship have negative implications for the later well-being of adolescents with extreme levels of low birth weight. Clinical attention to resolving early adolescent conflict may promote adaptive adjustment.
NP031112, a Thiadiazolidinone Compound, Prevents Inflammation and Neurodegeneration under Excitotoxic Conditions: Potential Therapeutic Role in Brain Disorders

Inflammation and neurodegeneration coexist in many acute damage and chronic CNS disorders (e.g., stroke, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease). A well characterized animal model of brain damage involves administration of kainic acid, which causes limbic seizure activity and subsequent neuronal death, especially in the CA1 and CA3 pyramidal cells and interneurons in the hilus of the hippocampus. Our previous work demonstrated a potent anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective effect of two thiadiazolidinones compounds, NP00111 (2,4-dibenzyl-[1,2,4]thiadiazolidine-3,5-dione) and NP01138 (2-ethyl-4-phenyl-[1,2,4]thiadiazolidine-3,5-dione), in primary cultures of cortical neurons, astrocytes, and microglia. Here, we show that injection of NP031112, a more potent thiadiazolidinone derivative, into the rat hippocampus dramatically reduces kainic acid-induced inflammation, as measured by edema formation using T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging and glial activation and has a neuroprotective effect in the damaged areas of the hippocampus. Last, NP031112-induced neuroprotection, both in vitro and in vivo, was substantially attenuated by cotreatment with GW9662 (2-chloro-5-nitrobenzanilide), a known antagonist of the nuclear receptor peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ, suggesting that the effects of NP031112 can be mediated through activation of this receptor. As such, these findings identify NP031112 as a potential therapeutic agent for the treatment of neurodegenerative disorders.
Microfilaments and microtubules in calcium ionophore-induced secretion of lysosomal enzymes from human polymorphonuclear leukocytes

Human peripheral blood leukocytes (PMN) are induced to release lysosomal enzymes by the calcium ionophore A23187 in the presence but not the absence of extracellular Ca++. Whereas secretion induced by particulate or immune stimuli is accompanied by an increase in visible microtubules and is inhibitable by colchicine, secretion induced by A23187 and Ca++ was not accompanied by an increase in microtubule numbers and was not inhibited by colchicine. Ca++ did not appear to regulate microtubule assembly in these cells since resting PMN had a mean of 22.3 +/- 2.0 microtubules in the centriolar region as compared to 22.3 +/- 1.1 in ionophore-treated cells and 24.9 +/- 1.5 in cells exposed to ionophore and 1 mM Ca++. Bipolar filaments, 10 nm thick and 300--400 nm long, were numerous in the pericortical cytoplasm of cells exposed to both reagents. Microtubules in these cells were decorated with an electron-opaque fibrillar material. PMN exposed to A23187 and Ca++ were contracted in two directions at right angles to each other: (a) Contractions parallel to the plasma membrane resulted in extensive plication of the cell membrane. The cytoplasm subjacent to the plicae contained dense filamentous webs. Plication was prevented by cytochalasin B or reversed by subsequent exposure to an endocytic stimulus such as zymosan. (b) Contractions perpendicular to the plasma membrane, toward the cytocenter, resulted in the formation of vacuoles in normal PMN and of membrane invaginations in cytochalasin B-treated PMN. Whereas contractions parallel to the plasma membrane could occur in the absence of enzyme release (ionophore alone) and enzyme release could occur in the absence of such contractions (ionophore plus calcium plus cytochalasin B), contraction toward the cytocenter occurred in all experimental conditions in which significant enzyme release was obtained. Thus, lysosomal enzyme secretion in PMN involves contractile movements in the plasma membrane toward the lysosomes rather than the reverse. These calcium-mediated contractile events are mediated by cytochalasin B-insensitive microfilaments but not by microtubule assembly.
Linearization by prolongations: new bounds on the number of integrators

Gives a bound on the number of integrators needed to linearize a control system with an arbitrary number of inputs. Although some work has been done in this direction in Sluis and Tilbury (1996), our bound improves the existing results for systems with four or more inputs. The bound for two input systems is the same as the one that appeared in the above mentioned paper.
Effect of synthetic material on angle dependency of flame spread behavior over combined fabric

Experiment has been conducted to study the flame spread behaviour over combined fabric of cotton/polyester and cotton/nylon. Samples are ignited from the top edge and spread to the downward direction. Experiment is conducted for several weft trade angles from 0° to 90°. For ϑ = 0°, a significant difference is seen between these two combined fabrics in the shape of burning front. However, the shape of the burning front is the same for both fabrics at ϑ = 90°. It is seen that the shrinking behaviour is different between polyester and nylon thread. The flame spread rate is measured, which is obtained from the position of the most preceding point of the burning front at each time, at different weft thread angle for both fabrics. It is found that both fabrics have similar angle dependency; the flame spread rate decreases as the angle increases.
Neonatal supraventricular tachycardia.

Arrhythmia in neonatal period are not uncommon, but often there is a delay in their recognition and management. An entirely different set of criteria are necessary for recognition of arrhythmias in the neonatal period(l). Here, we discuss the clinical features, electrocardiographic (ECG) findings and response to treatment in 4 neonates with supraventricular tachycardia (SVT). In none of them, the referring physician suspected the diagnosis.
Comparison of Functional Outcome and Stroke Recurrence in Patients with Embolic Stroke of Undetermined Source (ESUS) vs. Cardioembolic Stroke Patients

Background Embolic stroke of undetermined source (ESUS) recurrence and functional outcome from long-term follow-up is not well delineated. The purpose of this study is to compare these functional variables between ESUS vs. cardioembolic stroke (CS) patients. Methods We analyzed data of consecutive ESUS and CS patients from our institutional database, from January 2003 until April 2015. The endpoints were stroke recurrence, mortality and poor clinical outcome (Modified Rankin Score 3–6), at discharge, 6 months and final follow-up. Adjusted multivariate Cox analysis and Kaplan-Meier curves were used to estimate the probability of recurrence and death. Results 149 ESUS (median age 44 years) and 235 CS (median age 66 years) consecutive patients were included in the study. Median follow-up period for the entire sample was 19 months (interquartile range 6.0–45.0 months). Stroke recurrence was similar between ESUS and CS patients (5.4% vs. 9.8% respectively, p = 0.12). Death occurred in 30 CS cases (12.8%), with a cumulative probability of survival of 77%. Poor functional outcome was present in 58.3%, 54.0% and 54.9% at discharge, 6 months and final follow-up respectively in CS patients, significantly worst compared to ESUS cases (HR 3.1; CI 95% 1.96–4.68). Oral anticoagulation presents with a HR 8.01 for recurrence, and antiplatelet therapy had the highest risk for recurrence for both groups (HR 24.3). Conclusion ESUS patients are substantially younger than CS patients but have a stroke recurrence rate similar to CS patients, with a lower mortality rate, and better functional outcome on long-term follow-up.
Measuring the Monetary Value of Dental Implants for Denture Retention: A Willingness to Pay Approach

Purpose: Two interforaminal dental implants in is a common treatment option for denture retention in edentulous patients. Economic methods to assess the patient’s quality of life include the willingness to pay (WTP) for implant treatment and willingness to accept (WTA) to forgo implant treatment. The purpose of this study was to assess the monetary value of implant retained complete dentures using WTP and WTA. Methods: We included a convenience sample of 16 patients from a previously published cohort study on the survival of immediately loaded implants in edentulous patients to assess WTP and WTA for this treatment option. Results: The average maximum WTP for implant treatment was 4606 (95% CI: 2991-6222) Swiss Francs. Out of the 16 patients, only 5 were willing to trade their implants for money, with a mean WTA of CHF 33'500 (range: 3000-100'000). All patients would agree to undergo the implant surgery procedure again. Conclusion: The results of the present study show that most patients are not willing to trade the increase in quality of life after implant surgery against money, suggesting that WTA exceeds by large WTP for the same health condition.
Quantitative cultures of Candida from mouthwash fluid in HIV‐infected patients: a longitudinal study

Summary. The density of Candida colonization in mouthwash fluid of 59 HIV‐seropositive patients and 21 controls was determined. No significant difference in colony‐forming units was found. No correlation was found between the colonizing density of Candida albicans and the CD4 count among the patients. Twenty‐seven of the HIV‐seropositive patients were followed for almost 3 years. No difference was found between the number of Candida albicans colony‐forming units at the first and second time of sampling. Vaccination with HIV IIIB GP 160 vaccine did not have any influence on the prevalence of Candida albicans.
Variations in the ratio between von Willebrand factor and its cleaving protease during systemic inflammation and association with severity and prognosis of organ failure

Summary Von Willebrand factor (VWF) and related parameters as well as the protease activity regulating its biological activity were measured in plasma of healthy controls and patients with different cause and severity of systemic inflammation to examine the efficacy of the measures to detect highly prothrombotic states including thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA), one of the sequelae of sepsis. Plasma levels of VWF increased with increasing severity of systemic inflammation, probably due to activation of the endothelium. In parallel, the proteolytic activity of VWF inactivating protease, ADAMTS13, stepwise declined with the severity of inflammation, emphasizing the role of VWF-triggered platelet aggregation on the endothelium subsequently followed by development of TMA. As a consequence, the ratio of VWF antigen level and ADAMTS13 activity was significantly higher in patients with inflammation and sepsis, suggesting that this ratio might be more useful for the diagnosis of highly prothrombotic states including TMA than VWF multimer analysis alone. These findings suggest that ADAMTS13, VWF and related parameters, even in a combined approach, might be useful for the diagnosis and the therapeutic monitoring of patients with sepsis associated thrombotic microangiopathy.
Synchronization of Multiagent Systems Using Event-Triggered and Self-Triggered Broadcasts

This paper addresses the problem of synchronizing a group of identical linear time-invariant agents that exchange information through a communication network. The agents may only broadcast information at discrete-time instants and the decision to execute a broadcast is based on an event-triggered communication protocol. We prove that with the proposed control architecture the state of each agent converges to and remains in a neighborhood of a desired reference signal and the closed-loop system does not exhibit Zeno solutions. A self-triggered implementation of the proposed event-triggered communication protocol is also derived.
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Between-sessions gains in the texture discrimination task have been attributed to memory consolidation. A strong dependence of consolidation on sleep was suggested though not always supported by experimental results. Here we suggest that the interaction between consolidation and sleep depends on the adaptation level obtained during the training session. We find that both discrimination thresholds and learning depend on the number of trials used during training, with more trials producing higher discrimination thresholds due to suppressive processes related to adaptation. In addition, while learning benefits from increasing number of trials, a further increase in number of trials reduces learning. Consolidation may benefit from between-session sleep in the adapted states.
On the Noise Distance in Robust Fuzzy C-Means

Abstract— In the last decades, a number of robust fuzzy clustering algorithms have been proposed to partition data sets affected by noise and outliers. Robust fuzzy C-means (robust-FCM) is certainly one of the most known among these algorithms. In robust-FCM, noise is modeled as a separate cluster and is characterized by a prototype that has a constant distance δ from all data points. Distance δ determines the boundary of the noise cluster and therefore is a critical parameter of the algorithm. Though some approaches have been proposed to automatically determine the most suitable δ for the specific application, up to today an efficient and fully satisfactory solution does not exist. The aim of this paper is to propose a novel method to compute the optimal δ based on the analysis of the distribution of the percentage of objects assigned to the noise cluster in repeated executions of the robust-FCM with decreasing values of δ . The extremely encouraging results obtained on some data sets found in the literature are shown and discussed.