Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Brain tissue oxygen tension is more indicative of oxygen diffusion than oxygen delivery and metabolism in patients with traumatic brain injury*

Objectives:Despite the growing clinical use of brain tissue oxygen monitoring, the specific determinants of low brain tissue oxygen tension (Pbto2) following severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) remain poorly defined. The objective of this study was to evaluate whether Pbto2 more closely reflects variables related to cerebral oxygen diffusion or reflects cerebral oxygen delivery and metabolism. Design:Prospective observational study. Setting:Level I trauma center. Patients:Fourteen TBI patients with advanced neuromonitoring underwent an oxygen challenge (increase in Fio2 to 1.0) to assess tissue oxygen reactivity, pressure challenge (increase in mean arterial pressure) to assess autoregulation, and CO2 challenge (hyperventilation) to assess cerebral vasoreactivity. Interventions:None. Measurements and Main Results:Pbto2 was measured directly with a parenchymal probe in the least-injured hemisphere. Local cerebral blood flow (CBF) was measured with a parenchymal thermal diffusion probe. Cerebral venous blood gases were drawn from a jugular bulb venous catheter. We performed 119 measurements of Pao2, arterial oxygen content (Cao2), jugular bulb venous oxygen tension (P&OV0413;o2), venous oxygen content (C&OV0413;o2), arteriovenous oxygen content difference (AVDO2), and local cerebral metabolic rate of oxygen (locCMRO2). In multivariable analysis adjusting for various variables of cerebral oxygen delivery and metabolism, the only statistically significant relationship was that between Pbto2 and the product of CBF and cerebral arteriovenous oxygen tension difference (AVTO2), suggesting a strong association between brain tissue oxygen tension and diffusion of dissolved plasma oxygen across the blood-brain barrier. Conclusions:Measurements of Pbto2 represent the product of CBF and the cerebral AVTO2 rather than a direct measurement of total oxygen delivery or cerebral oxygen metabolism. This improved understanding of the cerebral physiology of Pbto2 should enhance the clinical utility of brain tissue oxygen monitoring in patients with TBI.
Do Transitive Preferences Always Result in Indifferent Divisions?

The transitivity of preferences is one of the basic assumptions used in the theory of games and decisions. It is often equated with the rationality of choice and is considered useful in building rankings. Intransitive preferences are considered paradoxical and undesirable. This problem is discussed by many social and natural scientists. A simple model of a sequential game in which two players choose one of the two elements in each iteration is discussed in this paper. The players make their decisions in different contexts defined by the rules of the game. It appears that the optimal strategy of one of the players can only be intransitive (the so-called relevant intransitive strategy)! On the other hand, the optimal strategy for the second player can be either transitive or intransitive. A quantum model of the game using pure one-qubit strategies is considered. In this model, an increase in the importance of intransitive strategies is observed: there is a certain course of the game where intransitive strategies are the only optimal strategies for both players. The study of decision-making models using quantum information theory tools may shed some new light on the understanding of mechanisms that drive the formation of types of preferences.
Effects of background music on concentration of workers.

OBJECTIVE Background music is a common element in daily living and the workplace. Determination of whether background music affects human work concentration is a relevant concern. Studies have found background music influences human behavior, and this study attempts to understand how background music and listener fondness for types of music affects worker concentration. METHODS This study analyzes how different types of background music--and how listeners' degree of preference for the background music--can affect listener concentration in attention testing through Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT). PARTICIPANTS Data were collected from 89 workers. The participants ranged in age between 19 and 28 years old, with an average age of 24 years old. RESULTS We conclude background music influenced listener attention. This influence has more to do with listener fondness for the music than with type of music. Compared to situations without background music, the likelihood of background music affecting test-taker attention performance is likely to increase with the degree to which the test-taker likes or dislikes the music. CONCLUSIONS It is important not to select music that workers strongly like or dislike when making a selection of background music to avoid negatively affecting worker concentration.
Focal T2 and FLAIR hyperintensities within the infarcted area: A suitable marker for patient selection for treatment?

Background and purpose Some authors use FLAIR imaging to select patients for stroke treatment. However, the effect of hyperintensity on FLAIR images on outcome and bleeding has been addressed in only few studies with conflicting results. Methods 466 patients with anterior circulation strokes were included in this study. They all were examined with MRI before intravenous or endovascular treatment. Baseline data and 3 months outcome were recorded prospectively. Focal T2 and FLAIR hyperintensities within the ischemic lesion were evaluated by two raters, and the PROACT II classification was applied to assess bleeding complications on follow up imaging. Logistic regression analysis was used to determine predictors of bleeding complications and outcome and to analyze the influence of T2 or FLAIR hyperintensity on outcome. Results Focal hyperintensities were found in 142 of 307 (46.3%) patients with T2 weighted imaging and in 89 of 159 (56%) patients with FLAIR imaging. Hyperintensity in the basal ganglia, especially in the lentiform nucleus, on T2 weighted imaging was the only independent predictor of any bleeding after reperfusion treatment (33.8% in patients with vs. 18.2% in those without; p = 0.003) and there was a non-significant trend for more bleedings in patients with FLAIR hyperintensity within the basal ganglia (p = 0.069). However, there was no association of hyperintensity on T2 weighted or FLAIR images and symptomatic bleeding or worse outcome. Conclusion Our results question the assumption that T2 or FLAIR hyperintensities within the ischemic lesion should be used to exclude patients from reperfusion therapy, especially not from endovascular treatment.
Genetics of human blood coagulation.

Modern concepts of human blood coagulation have evolved largely from the study of haemorrhagic disease caused by genetical defects in the clotting mechanism. The first step in identification of most clotting components has been to prepare a fraction from normal blood that will correct the coagulation defect. The 'new' component is then isolated from the fraction and studied until sufficient unique properties are available to differentiate it from all other substances known to participate in clotting. Attempts are made to fit the new information into current theories of coagulation and the component is given a name. In the past this latter and apparently trivial action led to almost paralysing confusion, for by 1959 there were at least 64 synonyms for IO distinct entities.
Trends in the Susceptibility of Clinically Important Resistant Bacteria to Tigecycline: Results from the Tigecycline In Vitro Surveillance in Taiwan Study, 2006 to 2010

ABSTRACT The Tigecycline In Vitro Surveillance in Taiwan (TIST) study, a nationwide, prospective surveillance during 2006 to 2010, collected a total of 7,793 clinical isolates, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) (n = 1,834), penicillin-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae (PRSP) (n = 423), vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) (n = 219), extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Escherichia coli (n = 1,141), ESBL-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae (n = 1,330), Acinetobacter baumannii (n = 1,645), and Stenotrophomonas maltophilia (n = 903), from different specimens from 20 different hospitals in Taiwan. MICs of tigecycline were determined following the criteria of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Committee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (EUCAST-2011). Among drug-resistant Gram-positive pathogens, all of the PRSP isolates were susceptible to tigecycline (MIC90, 0.03 μg/ml), and only one MRSA isolate (MIC90, 0.5 μg/ml) and three VRE isolates (MIC90, 0.125 μg/ml) were nonsusceptible to tigecycline. Among the Gram-negative bacteria, the tigecycline susceptibility rates were 99.65% for ESBL-producing E. coli (MIC90, 0.5 μg/ml) and 96.32% for ESBL-producing K. pneumoniae (MIC90, 2 μg/ml) when interpreted by FDA criteria but were 98.7% and 85.8%, respectively, when interpreted by EUCAST-2011 criteria. The susceptibility rate for A. baumannii (MIC90, 4 μg/ml) decreased from 80.9% in 2006 to 55.3% in 2009 but increased to 73.4% in 2010. A bimodal MIC distribution was found among carbapenem-susceptible A. baumannii isolates, and a unimodal MIC distribution was found among carbapenem-nonsusceptible A. baumannii isolates. In Taiwan, tigecycline continues to have excellent in vitro activity against several major clinically important drug-resistant bacteria, with the exception of A. baumannii.
Effective Dynamic Models of Metabolic Networks

Mathematical models of biochemical networks are useful tools to understand and ultimately predict how cells utilize nutrients to produce valuable products. Hybrid cybernetic models in combination with elementary modes (HCM) is a tool to model cellular metabolism. However, HCM is limited to reduced metabolic networks because of the computational burden of calculating elementary modes. In this study, we developed the hybrid cybernetic modeling with flux balance analysis or HCM-FBA technique which uses flux balance solutions instead of elementary modes to dynamically model metabolism. We show HCM-FBA has comparable performance to HCM for a proof of concept metabolic network and for a reduced anaerobic E. coli network. Next, HCM-FBA was applied to a larger metabolic network of aerobic E. coli metabolism which was infeasible for HCM (29 FBA modes versus more than 153,000 elementary modes). Global sensitivity analysis further reduced the number of FBA modes required to describe the aerobic E. coli data, while maintaining model fit. Thus, HCM-FBA is a promising alternative to HCM for large networks where the generation of elementary modes is infeasible.
Autopalmitoylation of tubulin

Pure rat brain tubulin is readily palmitoylated in vitro using [3H]palmitoyl CoA but no added enzymes. A maximum of approximately six palmitic acids are added per dimer in 2–3 h at 36–37 °C under native conditions. Both α and β tubulin are labeled, and 63–73% of the label was hydroxylamine‐labile, presumed thioesters. Labeling increases with increasing pH and temperature, and with low concentrations of guanidine HCl or KCl (but not with urea) to a maximum of ∼13 palmitates/dimer. High SDS and guanidine HCl concentrations are inhibitory. At no time could all 20 cysteine residues of the dimer be palmitoylated. Polymerization to microtubules, or use of tubulin S, markedly decreases the accessibility of the palmitoylation sites. Palmitoylation increases the electrophoretic mobility of a portion of α tubulin toward the β band. Palmitoylated tubulin binds a colchicine analogue normally, but during three warm/cold polymerization/ depolymerization cycles there is a progressive loss of palmitoylated tubulin, indicating decreased polymerization competence. We postulate that local electrostatic factors are major regulators of reactivity of tubulin cysteine residues toward palmitoyl CoA, and that the negative charges surrounding a number of the cysteines are sensitive to negative charges on palmitoyl CoA.
Endocrine-disrupting chemicals in human follicular fluid impair in vitro oocyte developmental competence.

BACKGROUND Increased global industrial activity has exposed humans to a wide variety of chemical substances some of which, called 'endocrine-disrupting chemicals' (EDCs) or 'endocrine disruptors', can disrupt the endocrine system in the body. The ovarian follicle is a very fragile micro-environment where interactions between hormones, growth factors, the oocyte and its surrounding somatic cells are essential to generate a fully competent oocyte. In vitro experiments suggest that EDCs can disturb this finely tuned balance, but very scarse in vivo data are available to confirm this assumption. Therefore, we have investigated if the presence of EDCs in human follicular fluid is a risk factor for the developmental competence of an in vivo exposed oocyte. Furthermore, because of the limited access to human follicular fluid, we verified if follicular fluid contamination can be predicted based on EDC levels in serum. METHODS Follicular fluid (n = 40) and serum (n = 20) samples from women undergoing assisted reproductive technology (ART) were analyzed by means of gas chromatography combined with mass spectrometry to examine the presence of different EDCs, such as polychlorinated biphenyls, polybrominated diphenyl ethers and organochlorine pesticides. Statistical models were used to investigate the relation between the characteristics and ART results of the patients and the contamination status of their follicular fluid and to assess the capacity of serum samples to predict follicular fluid contamination. RESULTS Chlorinated biphenyl 153 (72 ± 44 and 201 ± 106 pg/ml) and p,p'-DDE (392 ± 348 and 622 ± 406 pg/ml) were the compounds found in the highest concentrations in follicular fluid and serum samples, respectively. A new variable principal component 1, representing the overall contamination status of the follicular fluid samples, is strongly associated with fertilization rate (P < 0.00001) and the proportion of high-quality embryos relative to the amount of retrieved oocytes (P < 0.05), even when the analysis is adjusted for age, estradiol concentration, BMI, fertilization procedure and male subfertility as explanatory variables. The strong correlations between the EDC concentrations in serum and follicular fluid (r ≥ 0.93) allowed us to build regression models, which accurately predict EDC concentrations in the follicular fluid based on serum samples. CONCLUSIONS An overall higher EDC contamination in the follicular micro-environment was associated with a decreased fertilization rate and consequently with a lower chance of an oocyte to develop into a high-quality embryo. In addition, EDC concentrations in serum were reliable predictors of the contamination status of the follicular micro-environment.
Increased calcium oxalate monohydrate crystal binding to injured renal tubular epithelial cells in culture.

The retention of crystals in the kidney is considered to be a crucial step in the development of a renal stone. This study demonstrates the time-dependent alterations in the extent of calcium oxalate (CaOx) monohydrate (COM) crystal binding to Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells during their growth to confluence and during the healing of wounds made in confluent monolayers. As determined by radiolabeled COM crystal binding studies and confirmed by confocal-scanning laser microscopy, relatively large amounts of crystals (10.4 ± 0.4 μg/cm2) bound to subconfluent cultures that still exhibited a low transepithelial electrical resistance (TER < 400 Ω ⋅ cm2). The development of junctional integrity, indicated by a high resistance (TER > 1,500 Ω ⋅ cm2), was followed by a decrease of the crystal binding capacity to almost undetectable low levels (0.13 ± 0.03 μg/cm2). Epithelial injury resulted in increased crystal adherence. The highest level of crystal binding was observed 2 days postinjury when the wounds were already morphologically closed but TER was still low. Confocal images showed that during the repair process, crystals selectively adhered to migrating cells at the wound border and to stacked cells at sites were the wounds were closed. After the barrier integrity was restored, crystal binding decreased again to the same low levels as in undamaged controls. These results indicate that, whereas functional MDCK monolayers are largely protected against COM crystal adherence, epithelial injury and the subsequent process of wound healing lead to increased crystal binding.
Ratings Shopping and Asset Complexity: A Theory of Ratings Inflation

Many identify inflated credit ratings as one contributor to the recent financial market turmoil. We develop an equilibrium model of the market for ratings and use it to examine possible origins of and cures for ratings inflation. In the model, asset issuers can shop for ratings -- observe multiple ratings and disclose only the most favorable -- before auctioning their assets. When assets are simple, agencies' ratings are similar and the incentive to ratings shop is low. When assets are sufficiently complex, ratings differ enough that an incentive to shop emerges. Thus, an increase in the complexity of recently-issued securities could create a systematic bias in disclosed ratings, despite the fact that each ratings agency produces an unbiased estimate of the asset's true quality. Increasing competition among agencies would only worsen this problem. Switching to an investor-initiated ratings system alleviates the bias, but could collapse the market for information.
Modeling of a SEPIC converter operating in Continuous Conduction Mode

A SEPIC (Single-Ended Primary Inductor Converter) DC-DC converter is capable of operating in either step-up or step-down mode and widely used in battery-operated equipment. There are two possible modes of operation in the SEPIC converter: Continuous Conduction Mode (CCM) and Discontinuous Conduction Mode (DCM). This paper presents modeling of a SEPIC converter operating in CCM using the State-Space Averaging (SSA) technique. The modeling leads to a small-signal linear model of the converter, from which the transfer functions used for feedback control design can be determined. Results are presented to verify the accuracy of the obtained model.
A Percutaneous Coronary Intervention Lab in Every Hospital?

Background— In 2001, 1176 US hospitals were capable of performing primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), and 79% of the population lived within 60-minute ground transport of these hospitals. We compared these estimates with data from 2006 to explore how hospital PCI capability and population access have changed over time. Methods and Results— We estimated the proportion of the population 18 years of age or older, living in 2006 within a 60-minute drive of a PCI-capable hospital, and we compared our estimate with a previously published report on 2001 data. Over the 5-year period, the number of PCI-capable hospitals grew from 1176 to 1695 hospitals, a relative increase of 44%; access to the procedure grew from 79.0% to 79.9% of the population, a relative increase of 1%. Conclusions— Our data indicate a large increase in the number of hospitals capable of performing PCI from 2001 to 2006, but this increase was not associated with an appreciable change in the proportion of the population with access to the procedure. In the future, more attention is needed on changes in PCI capacity over time and on the effects of these changes on outcomes of interest such as service utilization, expenditures, patient outcomes, and population health.
Mapping snow depth at very high spatial resolution with RPAS photogrammetry

Abstract. Dynamic in time and space, seasonal snow represents a difficult target for ongoing in situ measurement and characterisation. Improved understanding and modelling of the seasonal snowpack requires mapping snow depth at fine spatial resolution. The potential of remotely piloted aircraft system (RPAS) photogrammetry to resolve spatial variability of snow depth is evaluated within an alpine catchment of the Pisa Range, New Zealand. Digital surface models (DSM) at 0.15 m spatial resolution in autumn (snow-free reference) winter (02/08/2016) and spring (10/09/2016) allowed mapping of snow depth via DSM differencing. The consistency and accuracy of the RPAS-derived surface was assessed by the propagation of check point residuals from the aero-triangulation of constituent DSMs, and via comparison of snow-free regions of the spring and autumn DSMs. The accuracy of RPAS-derived snow depth was validated with in situ snow probe measurements. Results for snow free areas between DSMs acquired in autumn and spring demonstrate repeatability, yet also reveal that elevation errors follow a distribution substantially departing from a normal distribution, symptomatic of the influence of DSM co-registration and terrain characteristics on vertical uncertainty. Error propagation saw snow depth mapped with an accuracy of ±0.08 m (90 % c.l.). This is lower than the characterization of uncertainties on snow-free areas (±0.13 m). Comparisons between RPAS and in situ snow depth measurements confirm this level of performance of RPAS photogrammetry, while also highlighting the influence of vegetation on snow depth uncertainty and bias. Semi-variogram analysis revealed that the RPAS outperformed systematic in situ measurements in resolving fine scale spatial variability. Despite limitations accompanying RPAS photogrammetry, which are relevant to similar applications of surface and volume change analysis, this study demonstrates a repeatable means of accurately mapping snow depth for an entire, yet relatively small, hydrological basin (~ 0.4 km2), at very high resolution. Resolving snowpack features associated with re-distribution and preferential accumulation and ablation, snow depth maps provide geostatistically robust insights into seasonal snow processes, with unprecedented detail. Such data will enhance understanding of physical processes controlling spatial distribution of seasonal snow, and their relative importance at varying spatial and temporal scales.
The Mental Efficiency of the Elderly Person with Type II Diabetes Mellitus

Cognitive function is often impaired in type I diabetes mellitus, especially when onset is in early childhood. Limited evidence suggests similar impairment in the much larger population of older persons with type II diabetes. We report here the results of 13 measures of mental efficiency in persons between 65 and 77 years of age without gross mental impairment. Nineteen persons with type II diabetes were compared with 19 controls with normal glycosylated hemoglobin values and to seven persons not previously known to have diabetes but who had elevated glycosylated hemoglobin. Significant differences (P < .05) between the nondiabetic control and diabetic groups were noted on eight of the 13 tests. The group of subjects with elevated glycosylated hemoglobins showed levels of cognitive performance intermediate between the normal and known diabetic groups on the majority of tests. These findings confirm that mental efficiency is frequently impaired in older persons with diabetes. Given the high prevalence of diabetes in the aging population we suggest that diabetes may be another important factor contributing to premature loss of cognitive abilities in older people.