Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of Antioxidant and Cerebroprotective Effect of Medicago sativa Linn. against Ischemia and Reperfusion Insult

Antioxidants have been the focus of studies for developing neuroprotective agents to be used in the therapy for stroke, which is an acute and progressive neurodegenerative disorder. Medicago sativa (MS) has a long tradition of use as ayurvedic and homoeopathic medicine in central nervous system disorders. The plant has been reported to have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antidiabetic effects. Therefore, the present study was designed to investigate the neuroprotective effect of methanol extract of MS on ischemia and reperfusion-induced cerebral injury in mice. Bilateral carotid artery occlusion (BCAO) for 15 min followed by 24-h reperfusion, resulted in significant elevation in infarct size, xanthine oxidase (XO) activity, superoxide anion (O•− 2) production and thiobarbituric acid-reactive substance (TBARS) levels, and significant depletion in endogenous antioxidant [reduced glutathione (GSH), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and total tissue sulfhydryl (T-SH) groups] systems in mice brain. Further, BCAO led to impairment in short-term memory and motor coordination. Pre-treatment with MS (100 or 200 mg kg−1, p.o.) markedly reduced cerebral infarct size, XO, O•− 2 and TBARS levels, significantly restored GSH, SOD and T-SH levels and attenuated impairment in short-term memory and motor coordination. In addition, MS directly scavenged free radicals generated against a stable radical 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl and O•− 2 generated in phenazine methosulphate-nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide systems, and also inhibited XD/XO conversion and resultant O•− 2 production. The data from this study suggest that treatment with MS enhances the antioxidant defense against BCAO-induced global cerebral ischemia and exhibits neuroprotective activity.
4462 - THE EFFECT OF R-RATIO ON THE FATIGUE CRACK PROPAGATION RESISTANCE OF HUMAN CORTICAL BONE

Osteopenic and stress-related fractures are a serious health concern affecting patients of all ages and are believed to occur through the formation and accumulation of cracks due to cyclic loading. Understanding the kinetics of fatigue crack propagation (FCP) in human cortical bone is important in understanding fatigue-related bone fractures. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of loading conditions (R-ratio = Pmin/Pmax) on the FCP resistance of human bone. Four pairs of human femora (Female, 33, 71 years; Male, 31, 61 years) were used. Compact tension specimens were machined from the mid-diaphysis with the notch for crack growth parallel to the long axis of the bone. Four to 5 compact tension FCP tests were conducted for each group at R= 0.1 and R= 0.5. FCP specimens were tested wet at 37 C and 2 Hz, with a sinusoidal waveform. Crack growth was followed with a traveling microscope. The fatigue crack growth rate, da/dN, vs. the cyclic stress intensity, ∆K, was determined for each group. For each group, da/dN = C∆K was determined and statistical comparison between groups were conducted. In all groups, increasing the R-ratio led to a significant decrease in FCP resistance. There was a significant difference in FCP resistance between the Younger Female and the Younger Male bone groups at R = 0.1 but not at R = 0.5. The Older Female bone had significantly decreased FCP resistance compared with the Older Male at both R-ratios. Interestingly, the differences between age/gender groups were not as great at the higher R-ratio. It was observed that cracks grew through diffuse microdamage at the crack tip during cyclic loading. The FCP resistance of human cortical bone was significantly reduced by an increase in R-ratio, consistent with many engineering metals and plastics.
Voodoo - A Vector Algebra for Portable Database Performance on Modern Hardware

In-memory databases require careful tuning and many engineering tricks to achieve good performance. Such database performance engineering is hard: a plethora of data and hardware-dependent optimization techniques form a design space that is difficult to navigate for a skilled engineer --- even more so for a query compiler. To facilitate performance-oriented design exploration and query plan compilation, we present Voodoo, a declarative intermediate algebra that abstracts the detailed architectural properties of the hardware, such as multi- or many-core architectures, caches and SIMD registers, without losing the ability to generate highly tuned code. Because it consists of a collection of declarative, vector-oriented operations, Voodoo is easier to reason about and tune than low-level C and related hardware-focused extensions (Intrinsics, OpenCL, CUDA, etc.). This enables our Voodoo compiler to produce (OpenCL) code that rivals and even outperforms the fastest state-of-the-art in memory databases for both GPUs and CPUs. In addition, Voodoo makes it possible to express techniques as diverse as cache-conscious processing, predication and vectorization (again on both GPUs and CPUs) with just a few lines of code. Central to our approach is a novel idea we termed control vectors, which allows a code generating frontend to expose parallelism to the Voodoo compiler in a abstract manner, enabling portable performance across hardware platforms. We used Voodoo to build an alternative backend for MonetDB, a popular open-source in-memory database. Our backend allows MonetDB to perform at the same level as highly tuned in-memory databases, including HyPeR and Ocelot. We also demonstrate Voodoo's usefulness when investigating hardware conscious tuning techniques, assessing their performance on different queries, devices and data.
Toward an engineering discipline for grammarware

Grammarware comprises grammars and all grammar-dependent software. The term grammar is meant here in the sense of all established grammar formalisms and grammar notations including context-free grammars, class dictionaries, and XML schemas as well as some forms of tree and graph grammars. The term grammar-dependent software refers to all software that involves grammar knowledge in an essential manner. Archetypal examples of grammar-dependent software are parsers, program converters, and XML document processors. Despite the pervasive role of grammars in software systems, the engineering aspects of grammarware are insufficiently understood. We lay out an agenda that is meant to promote research on increasing the productivity of grammarware development and on improving the quality of grammarware. To this end, we identify the problems with the current grammarware practices, the barriers that currently hamper research, and the promises of an engineering discipline for grammarware, its principles, and the research challenges that have to be addressed.
Effects of online group exercises for older adults on physical, psychological and social wellbeing: a pilot trial

Background. There are many factors that can make of group exercises a challenging setting for older adults. A major one in the elderly population is the difference in the level of skills. In this paper we report on the physical, psychological and social wellbeing outcomes of a novel virtual gym that enables online group-exercises in older adults with different levels of skills. Methods. A total of 37 older adults (65-87 years old) followed a personalized exercise program based on the OTAGO program for fall prevention, for a period of eight weeks. Participants could join online group exercises using a tablet-based application. Participants were assigned either to a Control group (individual training) or Social group (online group-exercising). Pre- and post- measurements were taken to analyze the physical, psychological and social wellbeing outcomes. The study received ethical approval from the CREATE-NET Ethics Committee on ICT Research Involving Human Beings (Application N. 2014-001). Results. There were improvements in both the Social and Control groups in terms of physical outcomes. Interestingly though, while in the Control group fitter individuals tended to adhere more to the training, this was not the case for the Social group, where the initial level had no effect on adherence. For psychological and social wellbeing outcomes there were improvements on both groups, regardless of the application used. Conclusion. Group exercising in a virtual gym can be effective in motivating and enabling individuals who are less fit to train as much as fitter individuals. This not only indicates the feasibility of training together despite differences in physical skills but also suggests that online exercise can reduce the effect of skills on adherence in a social context. Longer term interventions with more participants are instead recommended to assess impacts on wellbeing.
An open-label, single-arm study assessing safety and efficacy of panitumumab in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer refractory to standard chemotherapy.

BACKGROUND A phase 3 study demonstrated that panitumumab, a human monoclonal anti-epidermal growth factor receptor antibody, significantly prolonged progression-free survival versus best supportive care (BSC) in patients with chemorefractory metastatic colorectal cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS This open-label extension study evaluated panitumumab monotherapy in BSC patients with radiographically documented disease progression in the phase 3 study. Patients received panitumumab 6 mg/kg every 2 weeks. The primary end point was safety; efficacy was also evaluated. RESULTS One hundred and seventy-six patients were randomly assigned to the BSC arm of the phase 3 study received >/=1 panitumumab dose in this extension study. Panitumumab was well tolerated. The most frequent treatment-related adverse events were skin toxic effects. Three (2%) patients had a grade 4 treatment-related adverse event. There were no infusion reactions. One (0.6%) patient had a complete response; 19 (11%) patients had a partial response; and 58 (33%) patients had stable disease. Median progression-free survival time was 9.4 [95% confidence interval (CI): 8.0-13.4) weeks. Median overall survival time was 6.3 (95% CI: 5.1-6.8) months. Anti-panitumumab antibodies were detected in 3 (4.2%) of 71 patients with a post-baseline sample. CONCLUSIONS These findings are comparable to those from the phase 3 study and support panitumumab monotherapy for chemorefractory colorectal cancer.
CEMENT TREATED MARGINAL AGGREGATES FOR ROADS

Low-grade laterite and pit-run gravel aggregates available in abundance in eastern India may be turned into a cost-effective base for low-volume roads when ordinary portland cement, river sand, and aggregates are mixed in a 1:6:12 proportion by weight. 152 × 152 × 152 mm3 cubes were cast at several water-cement ratios and the mix was compacted by a vibratory plate compactor. The compressive strength test was determined for different water-cement ratios, and the one that gave the maximum strength was used to prepare 102 × 102 × 508 mm3 beam specimens. A number of cubes and beams were kept inside airtight polyethylene bags for accelerated curing at a temperature of 50°C. Modulus of rupture and flexural fatigue tests were carried for the evaluation of pavement design parameters. A methodology of design of a lightly cemented pavement along with an example are also presented.
Interactions of itraconazole with amphotericin B in the treatment of murine invasive candidiasis.

The interactions of amphotericin B and itraconazole were studied in murine invasive candidiasis. Candida albicans-infected mice were treated for 10 consecutive days, 24 h after infection. Survival was monitored over 30 days and kidney cultures were done. Mice treated with amphotericin B (0.2 mg/kg/day intraperitoneally) or itraconazole (100 mg/kg/day by oral gavage in two divided doses/ day) had a 30-day survival of 20% or 40%. Concomitant administration of both drugs resulted in 100% mortality; 90% of mice treated with amphotericin B (1 mg/kg/day) survived. With the combination, 100% were dead by day 28 (P < or = .001 vs. amphotericin B). With sequential therapy (i.e., 5 days with one drug and then 5 days with the other), survival was inferior to that with amphotericin B alone but similar to that with itraconazole alone. Kidney culture results confirmed the antagonism of the combination compared with amphotericin B alone. In treatment of murine invasive candidiasis, the concomitant or sequential use of amphotericin B and itraconazole results in a negative interaction.
Accurate Estimation Technique of Low-Frequency Noise in NAND Flash Cell Array

We propose a technique to accurately estimate low-frequency noise (LFN) of a NAND flash cell. When we measure the LFN of a particular cell in NAND cell array, parasitic resistance and noise due to other cells have high potential to degrade the accuracy of this measurement. We derive small signal equivalent circuit of a NAND flash cell array and then, de-embed the effects of the above parasitic components. We perform this estimation in sub-20-nm NAND flash technology. The results clearly show the necessity of our proposed estimation technique.
Impact of female sex on death and bleeding after fibrinolytic treatment of myocardial infarction in GUSTO V.

BACKGROUND Women with acute myocardial infarction are more likely than men to experience reinfarction, bleeding, or death. This difference has been hypothesized to be due to older age, treatment delay, and comorbidities in women. Use of diagnostic and therapeutic modalities may also differ. There is controversy regarding whether female sex is an independent risk factor for death and/or bleeding. METHODS The GUSTO (Global Use of Strategies to Open Occluded Arteries in Acute Coronary Syndromes) V Investigators studied standard-dose reteplase vs standard-dose abciximab plus half-dose reteplase in patients with myocardial infarction. RESULTS Women were older and more often had diabetes mellitus and hypertension. Angiography and percutaneous coronary intervention were less frequent in women. Death (9.8% vs 4.4% at 30 days; odds ratio [OR], 2.00; 95% confidence interval, 1.59-2.53; P < .001) and bleeding (6.4% vs 2.5%; OR, 1.31; 95% confidence interval, 1.18-1.45; P < .01) were more common in women. There was no association between treatment assignment and death in either sex; bleeding was more common in both sexes receiving combination therapy. Female sex was independently associated with mortality. After Killip class greater than 1 (OR, 4.7), female sex (OR, 2.0) was the strongest correlate of death. Female sex was independently associated with bleeding for both treatments. CONCLUSIONS Female sex is independently associated with death and bleeding complications among fibrinolytic-treated patients with myocardial infarction. There remains a sex differential in the use of angiography and, therefore, percutaneous coronary intervention after fibrinolysis. Further research will determine what mediates excess risk in women.
Improvement of weldline strength of fiber reinforced polycarbonate injection molded articles using simultaneous composite injection molding

Fiber reinforced thermoplastics (FRTP) injection molded articles have many advantages. However, moldings with a complex geometry often encounter weldline problems. Mechanical properties of the injection moldings are often reduced by weldlines, because the fibers at weldline regions orient perpendicularly to the flow directions. We have reported that weldline strength is improved by “back-flow” during the holding stage. In this article, we have attempted to adapt the SCI (Simultaneous Composite Injection) molding method to improve weld strength of FRTP injection moldings. The back-flow is expected to occur when there is a difference of holding pressure between two cylinders of the SCI molding machine. The effect of pressure difference between two injection cylinders on the back-flow phenomena is discussed for fiber reinforced polycarbonate. It is clear that the strength reduction by the weldline can be suppressed down to negligibly small levels in SCI molding. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Early prediction of neonatal chronic lung disease: A comparison of three scoring methods

A variety of postnatal therapies have been and will be evaluated for prevention or treatment of neonatal chronic lung disease (CLD). A simple method for early selection of the highest risk infants would optimize intervention trials. Our study compared a clinical scoring system for predicting neonatal CLD (defined at 36 weeks postconceptional age) with previous regression models developed by Sinkin et al. (Sinkin model) [Pediatrics 1990;86:728–736] and Ryan et al. (Ryan model) [Eur J Pediatr 1996;668–671] in two distinct populations. A respiratory failure score (RFS) was prospectively developed for infants at <32 weeks of gestation admitted to the Wilford Hall Medical Center from January 1990–December 1992. Logistic regression modeling identified three independent predictors of CLD: gestation, birth weight, and RFS. Applying a modified RFS score (to include gestation and birth weight), the RFS, Sinkin, and Ryan models were compared among high‐risk infants admitted to Wilford Hall from January 1993–December 1995, and to Crawford Long Hospital (Atlanta, GA) from January 1993–December 1994. Predictive values, sensitivity, specificity, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were determined for the primary outcome variable: CLD at 36 weeks of corrected gestation.
Application of vibroacoustic signals to evaluate tools profile changes in friction stir welding on AA 1050 H24 alloy

This paper presents a study to evaluate the effect of the tool profile on friction stir welding (FSW) process in the aluminium AA 1050, using vibroacoustic signals. The vibroacoustic signals in Z and Y directions have been acquired by the AE instrument NI USB-9234. The characterisation in time and frequency domains and the statistical analysis of vibroacoustical signal have been carried out in order to correlate them with the design of two different tools. Statistical and temporal parameters of discomposed vibroacoustical signals using wavelet transform have been used for filtering vibration signal to eliminate the noise of the FSW machine and the extraction features of them. The analysis has confirmed that the vibroacoustical signals were significantly affected by changes in the tool profiles. Finally, it has been demonstrated that signals generated by this process can be effectively used to characterise the changes on tool design.
Bifidobacterium bifidum OLB6378 Simultaneously Enhances Systemic and Mucosal Humoral Immunity in Low Birth Weight Infants: A Non-Randomized Study

Probiotic supplementation has been part of the discussion on methods to enhance humoral immunity. Administration of Bifidobacterium bifidum OLB6378 (OLB6378) reduced the incidence of late-onset sepsis in infants. In this non-randomized study, we aimed to determine the effect of administration of live OLB6378 on infants’ humoral immunity. Secondly, we tried to elucidate whether similar effects would be observed with administration of non-live OLB6378. Low birth weight (LBW) infants weighing 1500–2500 g were divided into three groups: Group N (no intervention), Group L (administered live OLB6378 concentrate), and Group H (administered non-live OLB6378 concentrate). The interventions were started within 48 h after birth and continued until six months of age. Serum immunoglobulin G (IgG) levels (IgG at one month/IgG at birth) were significantly higher in Group L than in Group N (p < 0.01). Group H exhibited significantly higher serum IgG levels (p < 0.01) at one month of age and significantly higher intestinal secretory immunoglobulin A (SIgA) levels (p < 0.05) at one and two months of age than Group N. No difference was observed in the mortality or morbidity between groups. Thus, OLB6378 administration in LBW infants enhanced humoral immunity, and non-live OLB6378, which is more useful as a food ingredient, showed a more marked effect than the viable bacteria.
Assessment of Fractional Flow Reserve in Patients With Recent Non–ST-Segment–Elevation Myocardial Infarction: Comparative Study With 3-T Stress Perfusion Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Background—The use of fractional flow reserve (FFR) in acute coronary syndromes is controversial. The British Heart Foundation Fractional Flow Reserve Versus Angiography in Guiding Management to Optimize Outcomes in Non-ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction (FAMOUS-NSTEMI) study (NCT01764334) has recently demonstrated the safety and feasibility of FFR measurement in patients with non–ST-segment–elevation myocardial infarction. We report the findings of the cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) substudy to assess the diagnostic accuracy of FFR compared with 3.0-T stress CMR perfusion. Methods and Results—One hundred six patients with non–ST-segment–elevation myocardial infarction who had been referred for early invasive management were included from 2 centers. FFR was measured in all major patent epicardial coronary arteries with a visual stenosis estimated at ≥30%, and if percutaneous coronary intervention was performed, an FFR assessment was repeated. Myocardial perfusion was assessed with stress perfusion CMR at 3 T. The mean age was 56.7±9.8 years; 82.6% were men. Mean time from FFR evaluation to CMR was 6.1±3.1 days. The mean±SD left ventricular ejection fraction was 58.2±9.1%. Mean infarct size was 5.4±7.1%, and mean troponin concentration was 5.2±9.2 &mgr;g/L. There were 34 fixed and 160 inducible perfusion defects. There was a negative correlation between the number of segments with a perfusion abnormality and FFR (r=−0.77; P<0.0001). The overall sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value for an FFR of ⩽0.8 were 91.4%, 92.2%, 76%, and 97%, respectively. Diagnostic accuracy was 92%. The positive and negative predictive values of FFR for flow-limiting coronary artery disease (FFR⩽0.8) in patients with non–ST-segment–elevation myocardial infarction (n=21) who underwent perfusion CMR before invasive angiography were 92% and 93%, respectively. Receiver operating characteristic analysis indicated that the optimal cutoff value of FFR for demonstrating reversible ischemia on CMR was ⩽0.805 (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, 0.94 [0.9–0.99]; P<0.0001). Conclusions—FFR in patients with recent non–ST-segment–elevation myocardial infarction showed high concordance with myocardial perfusion in matched territories as revealed by 3.0-T stress perfusion CMR. Clinical Trial Registration—URL: http://www.clinicaltrials. gov. Unique identifier: NCT02073422.