Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Characteristics of COPD patients admitted to the ICU of a referral hospital for respiratory diseases in Brazil.

OBJECTIVE To report data regarding COPD patients admitted to the ICU of a referral hospital for respiratory diseases, including outcomes and treatment evaluation. METHODS Study of a series of patients with respiratory failure and COPD admitted to the ICU of Nereu Ramos Hospital, located in the city of Florianópolis, Brazil, between October of 2006 and October of 2007. Data related to demographics, causes of hospitalization, pharmacological treatment, ventilatory support, length of hospital stay, in-hospital complications, ICU mortality, and 28-day mortality were obtained from the medical charts of the patients. Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II) scores were calculated. Mortality at 18 months was assessed by subsequent telephone calls. RESULTS During the study period, 192 patients were admitted to the ICU, 24 (12.5%) of whom were diagnosed with respiratory failure and COPD. The mean length of ICU stay was 12.0 ± 11.1 days. Noninvasive ventilation was used in 10 of the 24 patients (41.66%) and failed in 5 of those 10. Invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) was used in a total of 15 patients (62.5%). Overall ICU mortality and 28-day mortality were 20.83% and 33.33%, respectively. However, 18-month mortality was 62.5%. CONCLUSIONS Respiratory failure associated with COPD was responsible for 12.5% of the ICU admissions. Orotracheal intubation and IMV were necessary in 62.5% of the cases. The ICU mortality rate was in accordance with that predicted by the APACHE II scores. However, late mortality was high.
Hierarchical source routing through clouds

Based on a loss network model, we present an adaptive source routing scheme for a large, hierarchically-organized network. To represent the "available" capacity of a cloud (subnetwork), we compute the average implied cost to go through or into the cloud. Such implied costs reflect the congestion in the cloud as well as the interdependencies among traffic streams in the network. We prove that both a synchronous and asynchronous distributed computation of the implied costs will converge to a unique solution under a light load condition. To assess accuracy, we derive a bound on the difference between our implied costs and those calculated for a flat network. In addition, we show how on-line measurements can be incorporated into the routing algorithm, and we present some representative computational results which demonstrate the ability of our scheme to appropriately route high level flows while significantly reducing complexity.
Dynamics of the temperature regime of the North Atlantic coastal zone as an indicator of changes in the system of thermohaline circulation

The purpose of the article is to analyze dynamics of the temperature regime of the surface layer of the atmosphere in the coastal zone of the North Atlantic as an indicator of changes in the thermohaline circulation system. In carrying out the research, comparative-geographical and historical statistical methods of the analysis of meteorological series were used. For research, 20 control points of the eastern part of the United States and Western Europe, which are located along the flow course of the Gulf Stream, are selected. In the selected points, by means of the linear trend method, the regularities of the dynamics of the mean annual, average maximum and average minimum temperatures of the atmospheric surface layer for the period from 1973 to 2013 have been established. The results of the study showed that, contrary to the hypothesis of fall in temperature in Europe, an increase in average annual and average maximum temperatures is observed in all control points of the region - the range means the linear trend is from 0.9 to 4.4 o F and from 0.3 to 3.8 o F respectively. In most US control points, the average annual temperature rises from 0.1 to 3 o F and the average maximum temperature rises from 0.2 to 2.1 oF. For four points of the United States the decrease in the values of the linear trend of average annual temperatures is from -0.4 to -1.2 o F; for three points - a decrease in average maximum temperatures is from -1.3 to -1.9 o F. At 9 control points in the USA and 8 control points in Europe, the average values of the minimum temperatures in the research period increased - in the USA, from 0.1 to 3.1 o F; in Europe from 0.3 to 4.6 o F. The opposite dynamics in the regions is observed for the values of the temperature amplitude. In most control points in Europe, the difference between the average maximum and the average minimum annual temperatures ranged from 0.4 to 6.6 o F; in most US destinations, on the contrary, a decrease in the amplitude value from -1.6 to -3 oF is observed. The analysis of the temperature dynamics of the surface layer of the atmosphere indicates the prevailing warming processes in the coastalzone of the North Atlantic, more intense for control points in Western Europe. The obtained data give grounds for refuting hypotheses of the presence of critical deviations in the thermohaline circulation system of the Atlantic Ocean, which could lead to a cooling in the Northern Hemisphere. The change in the amplitude values is a manifestation of increasing instability of the climate, which is likely to remain in the future with a general increase in the mean annual temperature in the region.
TOR Complex 2-Regulated Protein Kinase Fpk1 Stimulates Endocytosis via Inhibition of Ark1/Prk1-Related Protein Kinase Akl1 in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

ABSTRACT Depending on the stress, plasma membrane alterations activate or inhibit yeast target of rapamycin (TOR) complex 2, which, in turn, upregulates or downregulates the activity of its essential downstream effector, protein kinase Ypk1. Through phosphorylation of multiple substrates, Ypk1 controls many processes that restore homeostasis. One such substrate is protein kinase Fpk1, which is negatively regulated by Ypk1. Fpk1 phosphorylates and stimulates flippases that translocate aminoglycerophospholipids from the outer to the inner leaflet of the plasma membrane. Fpk1 has additional roles, but other substrates were uncharacterized. We show that Fpk1 phosphorylates and inhibits protein kinase Akl1, related to protein kinases Ark1 and Prk1, which modulate the dynamics of actin patch-mediated endocytosis. Akl1 has two Fpk1 phosphorylation sites (Ark1 and Prk1 have none) and is hypophosphorylated when Fpk1 is absent. Conversely, under conditions that inactivate TORC2-Ypk1 signaling, which alleviates Fpk1 inhibition, Akl1 is hyperphosphorylated. Monitoring phosphorylation of known Akl1 substrates (Sla1 and Ent2) confirmed that Akl1 is hyperactive when not phosphorylated by Fpk1. Fpk1-mediated negative regulation of Akl1 enhances endocytosis, because an Akl1 mutant immune to Fpk1 phosphorylation causes faster dissociation of Sla1 from actin patches, confers elevated resistance to doxorubicin (a toxic compound whose entry requires endocytosis), and impedes Lucifer yellow uptake (a marker of fluid phase endocytosis). Thus, TORC2-Ypk1, by regulating Fpk1-mediated phosphorylation of Akl1, adjusts the rate of endocytosis.
Single-session prolonged alcohol-retention sclerotherapy for large hepatic cysts.

OBJECTIVE Our purpose was to evaluate the safety and therapeutic efficacy of single-session prolonged alcohol sclerotherapy in treating large hepatic cysts. A therapeutic comparison between 4-hour and 2-hour retention techniques was also studied. MATERIALS AND METHODS Twenty-seven patients with 31 hepatic cysts were enrolled in this study. Seventeen patients (18 cysts) were treated by alcohol retention for 4 hours (group 1) and 10 patients (13 cysts) for 2 hours (group 2). The mean diameter of the hepatic cysts was 12.4 cm (range, 8-23 cm) with a comparable size range in each group. The sclerosing agent used was 95% alcohol, and the maximum amount was limited to 200 mL. Patients changed position and vital signs were monitored every 10-15 minutes. The blood alcohol concentrations were checked hourly for 5 consecutive hours in the initial nine patients. The nonparametric Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare the difference in characteristics and treatment results of the subjects between these two groups. The level of statistical significance was set at a p value of less than 0.05. RESULTS All but one patient in group 2 tolerated the entire course of sclerotherapy. The mean aspirated volume and mean injected alcohol volume of the hepatic cysts were 730 mL and 138.3 mL, respectively, in group 1 patients, and 931 mL and 139 mL, respectively, in group 2 patients. The mean maximum blood alcohol concentration was 128.2 mg/dL (range, 60-199 mg/dL) at 3-4 hours after alcohol instillation. The mean posttherapy residual cystic diameter was 2.5 cm (range, 0-6 cm), with an average volume reduction rate of 98.3% and 97.7%, respectively, for patients in group 1 and group 2 after a mean follow-up period of 29.6 months (9-59 months). No statistical differences of the mean reduction rate between the two groups were noted. CONCLUSION Long retention of the alcohol in a single-injection technique is safe and effective. Two-hour alcohol retention has a comparable efficacy to that of 4-hour retention.
Administration of Cardiac Stem Cells in Patients With Ischemic Cardiomyopathy: The SCIPIO Trial Surgical Aspects and Interim Analysis of Myocardial Function and Viability by Magnetic Resonance

Background— SCIPIO is a first-in-human, phase 1, randomized, open-label trial of autologous c-kit+ cardiac stem cells (CSCs) in patients with heart failure of ischemic etiology undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). In the present study, we report the surgical aspects and interim cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) results. Methods and Results— A total of 33 patients (20 CSC-treated and 13 control subjects) met final eligibility criteria and were enrolled in SCIPIO. CSCs were isolated from the right atrial appendage harvested and processed during surgery. Harvesting did not affect cardiopulmonary bypass, cross-clamp, or surgical times. In CSC-treated patients, CMR showed a marked increase in both LVEF (from 27.5±1.6% to 35.1±2.4% [P=0.004, n=8] and 41.2±4.5% [P=0.013, n=5] at 4 and 12 months after CSC infusion, respectively) and regional EF in the CSC-infused territory. Infarct size (late gadolinium enhancement) decreased after CSC infusion (by manual delineation: −6.9±1.5 g [−22.7%] at 4 months [P=0.002, n=9] and −9.8±3.5 g [−30.2%] at 12 months [P=0.039, n=6]). LV nonviable mass decreased even more (−11.9±2.5 g [−49.7%] at 4 months [P=0.001] and −14.7±3.9 g [−58.6%] at 12 months [P=0.013]), whereas LV viable mass increased (+11.6±5.1 g at 4 months after CSC infusion [P=0.055] and +31.5±11.0 g at 12 months [P=0.035]). Conclusions— Isolation of CSCs from cardiac tissue obtained in the operating room is feasible and does not alter practices during CABG surgery. CMR shows that CSC infusion produces a striking improvement in both global and regional LV function, a reduction in infarct size, and an increase in viable tissue that persist at least 1 year and are consistent with cardiac regeneration. Clinical Trial Registration— This study is registered with clinicaltrials.gov, trial number NCT00474461.
Rheolytic thrombectomy of the occluded internal carotid artery in the setting of acute ischemic stroke.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Acute thromboembolic stroke complicated by ipsilateral carotid occlusion may present both mechanical and inflow-related barriers to effective intracranial thrombolysis. We sought to review our experience with a novel method of mechanical thrombectomy, in such cases, using the Possis AngioJet system, a rheolytic thrombectomy device. METHODS A review of our interventional neuroradiology database revealed three patients in whom an occluded cervical internal carotid artery was encountered during endovascular treatment for acute stroke and in whom thrombectomy was attempted, using the 5F Possis AngioJet thrombectomy catheter. The medical records and radiographic studies of these patients were reviewed. RESULTS Three patients were identified (ages, 52--84 years). Two patients had isolated occlusion of the internal carotid artery; in one patient, thrombus extended down into the common carotid artery. Treatment was initiated within 190 to 360 minutes of stroke onset. Thrombectomy of the carotid artery was deemed necessary because of poor collateral flow to the affected hemisphere (chronic contralateral internal carotid artery occlusion [one patient] and thrombus extending to the carotid "T" [one patient]) or inability to pass a microcatheter through the occluded vessel (one patient). Adjunctive therapy included pharmacologic thrombolysis with tissue plasminogen activator (all patients), carotid angioplasty and stenting (two patients), and middle cerebral artery angioplasty (one patient). Patency of the carotid artery was reestablished in two patients, with some residual thrombus burden. In the third patient, the device was able to create a channel through the column of thrombus, allowing intracranial access. CONCLUSION Rheolytic thrombectomy shows potential for rapid, large-burden thrombus removal in cases of internal carotid artery thrombosis, allowing expedient access to the intracranial circulation for additional thrombolytic therapy.
PrM- and Cell-Binding Domains of the Dengue Virus E Protein

ABSTRACT The E-prM proteins of flaviviruses are unusual complexes which play important roles in virus assembly and fusion modulation and in potential immunity-inducing vaccines. Despite their importance, little is known about the biogenesis and structural organization of E-prM complexes. Pulse-chase radiolabeling of dengue virus-infected Vero cells demonstrated a rapid interassociation of E and prM proteins, and sucrose gradient sedimentation analysis suggested that E-prM complexes progressed from simple heteromers to more densely sedimenting structures indicating increased multimerization. E-prM heteromers of even higher complexity were observed in virus particles, suggesting an intracellular assembly process which results in the networking of E-prM subunits into a lattice-like structure found in virus particles. Trypsin cleavage of E-prM-containing virus particles resulted in the release of a soluble 45-kDa fragment of the E protein which retained cell-binding activity. The results suggest that E-prM interactions in dengue virus particles are largely mediated by domains in the carboxy-terminal anchoring domain of E, while cell-binding activity is retained in a trypsin-releasable ectodomain of the E protein.
Numerical modelling of impacts from horizontal axis tidal turbines

ii Acknowledgments . iv List of Figures . ix List of Tables . xx Notation . xxi Introduction . 1 1.1 Tidal Turbines . 1 1.2 Turbine Effects . 3 1.3 Aim and Objectives . 4 1.4 Scope . 4 1.5 Outline of Thesis . 6 1.6 Major Research Questions . 7 1.7 References . 8 – Literature Review . 10 2.
On the content of materialized aggregate views

We consider the problem of answering queries using only materialized views. We first show that if the views subsume the query from the point of view of the information content, then the query can be answered using only the views, but the resulting query might be extremely inefficient. We then focus on aggregate views and queries over a single relation, which are fundamental in many applications such as data warehousing. We show that in this case, it is possible to guarantee that as soon as the views subsume the query, it can be completely rewritten in terms of the views in a simple query language. Our main contribution is the conception of various rewriting algorithms which run in polynomial time, and the proof of their completeness which relies on combinatorial arguments. Finally, we discuss the choice of materializing or not ratio views such as average and percentage, important for the design of materialized views. We show that it has an impact on the information content, which can be used to protect data, as well as on the maintenance of views.
The rule of the front and behind top edges of weirs on their hydraulic performance and working efficiency

Abstract The geometry of weirs is a prime factor influencing hydraulic performance and accuracy. One of the geometric components of weirs, is the situation of its top corners, are they sharp or rounded, and what is the most suitable radius of such rounding curves? The present study was conducted to examine the effect of using five different radius of curvature for both the upstream and downstream top corners of a clear over-fall weir on its hydraulic performance and accuracy. Eleven models of wooden weirs were shaped and prepared with five different values of rounding curvature. The prepared weir models were located in a laboratory tilting flume of 13.50 m length, 0.30 m width, and 0.30 m depth. The study was carried out in the Irrigation and Hydraulic Laboratory of the Civil Department, Faculty of Engineering, Assiut University, Egypt. A discharge ranging from 2.0 to 22.0 dm3 s−1 was used, and through 66 experimental runs, all the necessary hydraulic parameters were measured, and recorded. The obtained data were tabulated, analyzed, plotted, and technically discussed. The main results and obtained conclusions proved that when the front weir top edge is curved the discharge coefficient increases up to 8%. Also, when both front, and behind weir top edges are curved the discharge coefficient increases up to 14%. At the same time the discharge coefficient has a maximum value when the radius of curvature in upstream and downstream top corners equals 20% of the height of the weir.
On the closest string and substring problems

The problem of finding a center string that is "close" to everygiven string arises in computational molecular biology and codingtheory. This problem has two versions: the Closest String problemand the Closest Substring problem. Given a set of strings <i>S</i>= {<i>s</i><sub>1</sub>, <i>s</i><sub>2</sub>, . ,<i>s</i><sub>n</sub>}, each of length <i>m</i>, the Closest Stringproblem is to find the smallest <i>d</i> and a string s of length<i>m</i> which is within Hamming distance d to each<i>s</i><sub>i</sub> ε <i>S</i>. This problem comes fromcoding theory when we are looking for a code not too far away froma given set of codes. Closest Substring problem, with an additionalinput integer <i>L</i>, asks for the smallest d and a string<i>s</i>, of length <i>L</i>, which is within Hamming distance daway from a substring, of length <i>L</i>, of each si. This problemis much more elusive than the Closest String problem. The ClosestSubstring problem is formulated from applications in findingconserved regions, identifying genetic drug targets and generatinggenetic probes in molecular biology. Whether there are efficientapproximation algorithms for both problems are major open questionsin this area. We present two polynomial-time approximationalgorithms with approximation ratio 1 + ε for any smallε to settle both questions.
When is more better? The impact of business scale and scope on long-term business survival, while controlling for profitability

Empirical research shows that larger businesses tend to survive longer than smaller companies. Little research, though, shows whether size confers survival advantages in addition to the survival benefits of baseline profitability. Moreover, no prior research attempts to disentangle the benefits of organizational capital that accrue from greater scale from those that arise from greater business scope. Thus, we lack a conceptual understanding of the underlying benefits of business size for long‐term survival. We expect business scale and business scope to reflect organizational capital that offers survival benefits, where we conceptualize scale in terms of annual sales revenue and scope in terms of product line breadth and sub‐sector participation within a related business context. We first argue that greater business scale and business scope each enhance long‐term survival, independent of baseline profitability, owing to greater availability of financial resources, organizational routines, and external ties. We then argue that the benefits of scale are greatest for multi‐product businesses, stemming from positive interactive effects of breadth and depth. We find support for these hypotheses with data from 618 firms that operated in the U.S. medical sector between 1978 and 1995. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Exploration and Optimization of 3-D Integrated DRAM Subsystems

Energy efficiency is the major optimization criterion for systems-on-chip (SoCs) for mobile devices (smartphones and tablets). Through silicon via (TSV) technology enables 3-D integration of dies and the heterogeneous stacking of multiple memory or logic layers, allowing increased bandwidth and lower energy consumption of the memory interface compared to traditional approaches. In this paper, we explore the 3-D-DRAM architecture design space. The result is an optimized 2 Gb 3-D-DRAM, which shows a 83% lower energy/bit than a 2 Gb device. Furthermore, we propose a highly energy-efficient DRAM subsystem for next-generation 3-D-integrated SoCs, consisting of a SDR/DDR 3-D-DRAM controller and an attached 3-D-DRAM cube with fine-grained access and a flexible (WIDE-IO) interface. We assess the energy efficiency using a synthesizable model of the SDR/DDR 3-D-DRAM channel controller (CC) as well as functional models of the 3-D-stacked DRAM, including an accurate power estimation engine. We also investigate different DRAM families (WIDE IO SDR/DDR, LPDDR, and LPDDR2) and densities from 256 Mb to 4 Gb per channel. The implementation results of the proposed 3-D-DRAM subsystem show that energy optimized accesses to the 3-D-DRAM enable up to 50% energy savings compared to standard accesses. To the best of our knowledge this is the first design space exploration for 3-D-stacked DRAM considering different technologies based on real-world physical data and the first design of a 3-D-DRAM CC and 3-D-DRAM model featuring co-optimization of memory and controller architecture.
Étude numérique et asymptotique d'une approche couplée pour la simulation de la propagation de feux de forêt avec l'effet du vent en terrain complexe

This paper presents a new regularization method for a singular source given by a delta function supported on a codimension-2 manifold. This method was developed for the case of an elliptic problem to be solved with a Cartesian grid method where the delta function is regularized at the bottom boundary of an irregular domain. The moment conditions previously established for codimension-1 manifolds are generalized for the codimension-2 case. The regularization combined with a rescaling process guarantees the delta function approximation fulfills the first moment condition, needed to recover convergence on such an irregular grid. Numerical experiments in 2D and 3D indicate that this condition is sufficient for the convergence of the solutions as the mesh size goes to zero.
Dual Targeting of Tumor Cells with Bispecific Single-Chain Fv-Immunoliposomes

Antibody fragments, especially single-chain Fv fragments, have been established for the generation of immunoliposomes for targeted drug delivery in cancer therapy and other applications. Bispecific immunoliposomes should be useful for dual targeting addressing inter- and intratumoral heterogeneity of tumor antigen expression. Here, we established a protocol to generate dual-targeted immunoliposomes using genetically engineered scFv molecules recognizing two different tumor-associated antigens, EGFR and CEA (CEACAM5), applying a step-wise insertion of antibody-coupled micelles into preformed PEGylated liposomes. The dual-targeted immunoliposomes retained binding activity for both antigens and combined the selectivity of both antibodies within one liposome. Thus, these dual-targeted immunoliposomes should be suitable to deliver therapeutic payloads to tumor cells expressing EGFR or CEA, or both antigens.