Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Infrastructure Requirements for an Urgent-Start Peritoneal Dialysis Program

Patients with advanced chronic kidney disease nearing dialysis but without pre-established access almost uniformly initiate dialysis with a temporary central venous catheter. These catheters are associated with high rates of infection and flow disturbances, requiring removal and subsequent replacement. Many of these patients might be candidates for peritoneal dialysis (PD), but because of the absence of prior catheter placement, the default initial modality is hemodialysis. Recent reports, however, have demonstrated the feasibility of initiating PD urgently despite the late referral for access placement. Urgent-start PD clinical pathways require a unique infrastructure and treatment approach. This article reviews the salient features required to establish an urgent-start PD program.
Efficacy of vancomycin and teicoplanin alone and in combination with streptomycin in experimental, low-level vancomycin-resistant, VanB-type Enterococcus faecalis endocarditis

The efficacy of vancomycin (VM) and teicoplanin (TE), alone and in combination with streptomycin (SM), against enterococci that express low-level VanB-type VM resistance was investigated in experimental endocarditis using isogenic strains of Enterococcus faecalis susceptible to glycopeptides and aminoglycosides or inducibly resistant to low levels of VM (MIC = 16 micrograms/ml). VM was significantly less active against the resistant strain than against the susceptible strain, establishing that low-level VanB-type VM resistance can influence therapeutic efficacy. By contrast, TE had equally good activity against both strains. VM or TE combined with SM was synergistic and bactericidal against the resistant strain in vitro. While both combinations were efficient in reducing bacterial density in vivo, TE plus SM was significantly superior to VM plus SM if valve sterilization was considered. These data suggest that despite the presence of low-level VanB-type resistance, combination therapy with a glycopeptide and SM (and presumably other aminoglycosides to which there is not high-level resistance) will nevertheless provide effective bactericidal activity.
Plasmid-based lacZα assay for DNA polymerase fidelity: application to archaeal family-B DNA polymerase

The preparation of a gapped pUC18 derivative, containing the lacZα reporter gene in the single-stranded region, is described. Gapping is achieved by flanking the lacZα gene with sites for two related nicking endonucleases, enabling the excision of either the coding or non-coding strand. However, the excised strand remains annealed to the plasmid through non-covalent Watson–Crick base-pairing; its removal, therefore, requires a heat–cool cycle in the presence of an exactly complementary competitor DNA. The gapped plasmids can be used to assess DNA polymerase fidelity using in vitro replication, followed by transformation into Escherichia coli and scoring the blue/white colony ratio. Results found with plasmids are similar to the well established method based on gapped M13, in terms of background (∼0.08% in both cases) and the mutation frequencies observed with a number of DNA polymerases, providing validation for this straightforward and technically uncomplicated approach. Several error prone variants of the archaeal family-B DNA polymerase from Pyrococcus furiosus have been investigated, illuminating the potential of the method.
Effects of delayed estrogen treatment and 20-HETE synthesis inhibition on postischemic pial artery response to acetylcholine in rats

Relatively little is known about the effects of estrogen on postischemic cerebral vasomotor dynamics after ischemic injury. Emerging hypotheses suggest that the timing after menopause at which hormone replacement is initiated might be important and might modulate the potential benefits of estrogen on brain rescue once a cerebral ischemic event occurs. Therefore, we sought to determine if protracted hypoestrogenicity modifies estrogen’s protective effects on postischemic pial artery dilatory dysfunction and if the arachidonic acid metabolite 20-hydroxyeicosatetraeonic (20-HETE) contributes to the dysfunction. Pial artery dilation to acetylcholine was examined before and 1 hour after 15 minutes forebrain ischemia. The rat study groups included: sexually mature males (M), naive (N), OVX (OV), estrogen-treated OVX females (E1; estrogen started 1 week post ovariectomy) and delayed estrogen-treated (E10; started 10 weeks post ovariectomy) females. Postischemic responses were assessed before and after superfusion of the 20-HETE synthesis inhibitor N-hydroxy-N’-(4-butyl-2-methylphenyl)-formamidine (HET0016). Postischemic acetylcholine dilation was depressed in M, OV and E10 compared to N and E1 rats. Compared to E1, delayed estrogen replacement worsened acetylcholine-induced dilation. Postischemic microvascular estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) density was similar in the OV, E1 and E10 rats. Postischemic application of HET0016 failed to improve acetylcholine dilation. Continuous infusion of HET0016 during and after ischemia did not reverse postischemic pial vasodilatory dysfunction. Timing of estrogen replacement may be critical for vascular health after cerebral ischemic injury. Postischemic loss of acetylcholine reactivity does not appear to involve mechanisms related to 20-HETE synthesis or microvascular ERα expression.
MicroRNA‐139‐5p negatively regulates NR2A‐containing NMDA receptor in the rat pilocarpine model and patients with temporal lobe epilepsy

Regulation of N‐methyl‐d‐aspartate (NMDA) subunits NR2A and NR2B expression during status epilepticus (SE) remains incompletely understood. Here we explored the role of brain‐enriched microRNA (miR)‐139‐5p in this process.
Saturated output feedback control of a quadrotor aircraft

This paper addresses the problem of steering a quadrotor vehicle along a prescribed trajectory. The problem is formulated so as to enforce bounds on the thrust actuation and present robustness against possible disturbances resulting from errors in the estimation of the aircraft state. The proposed solution consists of a nonlinear state feedback controller for thrust and torque actuation that i) guarantees asymptotic stability of the closed-loop system in the presence of exponentially decaying observer errors, ii) ensures global regulation of the trajectory tracking errors, and iii) defines the thrust actuation as a saturated function of the position and linear velocity errors. Simulation results are presented to assess the performance and robustness of the proposed controller.
Chronic Treatment With Electroconvulsive Shock May Modulate the Immune Function of Macrophages

Objective: To determine the effect of single and chronic electroconvulsive shock (ECS) administration on the immunoregulatory functions of macrophages. Methods: Male Wistar rats received single or chronic treatment with ECS (150 mA, 50 Hz, 0.5 seconds) delivered through ear clips, once a day for 10 consecutive days, or sham ECS administered likewise. The rats were killed 24 hours after the last treatment, and peritoneal macrophages were cultured in vitro for 3 or 36 hours for a subsequent determination of their metabolic activity. The ability of macrophages to reduce Alamar Blue, 3-(4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2,5-diphenyl-2H-tetrazolium bromide (MTT), and nitrotetrazolium blue chloride and pinocytosis, adherence, and vitality, as well as synthesis of nitric oxide and arginase activity, was assessed. Results: We found statistically significant changes in the biological properties of macrophages which occurred after 36 hours of incubation, especially in cultures stimulated with lipopolysaccharide; in contrast, no differences were observed between groups assessed after 3 hours of incubation. Rats receiving chronic 10-fold ECS showed a substantial increase in the metabolic activity of macrophages, reflected as their ability to reduce Alamar Blue and MTT and to increase arginase activity, accompanied with a marked but statistically insignificant decrease in nitric oxide synthesis compared with respective controls. Conclusions: Our results suggest that chronic treatment with ECS may induce long-lasting changes in the activity of peritoneal macrophages. Attenuation of their proinflammatory properties indicates that ECS can change the primarily immunoregulatory functions of macrophages.
Comparative biological resistance of differently thermal modified wood species against decay fungi, Reticulitermes grassei and Hylotrupes bajulus

Thermal modified wood has some advantages over natural wood, including decreased hygroscopicity, increased dimensional stability, and enhanced durability. In this study, European species of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris), spruce (Picea orientalis), ash (Fraxinus spp.), and tropical species of tali (Erythrophleum ivorense), and iroko (Chlorophora excelsa) were thermally treated at 180 °C and 210 °C for 1,5 and 2 h, respectively. We evaluated the resistances of the untreated and thermally treated samples to decay induced by the white rot fungus, Trametes versicolor and two brown rot fungi, Coniophora puteana and Postia placenta. In addition, the samples were exposed to the termite Reticulitermes grassei and the longhorn beetle species Hylotrupes bajulus to evaluate their resistance to damage by the insects. During the heat treatment, the mass loss of the samples generally was between 9 and 14%. After the heat treatment, experiments were conducted to determine the effects of white and brown rot fungi on samples of Scots pine and tali, the effect of C. puteana on spruce, and the effects of C. puteana and P. placenta on ash and iroko. In all experiments, the mass loss due to damage from the various fungi was less than 1% for the samples that had been heat treated at 210 °C. The untreated and heat-treated tropical species exhibited higher durability with very low mass loss and 100% mortality of the insects when attacked by termites, whereas the other wood species had moderate attack. In addition, Hylotrupes bajulus exposure by two standart methods (EN 46 and 47) resulted in similar performances in most cases, although EN 47 treated samples at 210 °C showed improved durability for Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) and spruce (Picea orientalis).
The descended larynx is not uniquely human

Morphological modifications of vocal anatomy are widespread among vertebrates, and the investigation of the physiological mechanisms and adaptive functions of such variants is an important focus of research into the evolution of communication. The ‘descended larynx’ of adult humans has traditionally been considered unique to our species, representing an adaptation for articulate speech, and debate concerning the position of the larynx in extinct hominids assumes that a lowered larynx is diagnostic of speech and language. Here, we use bioacoustic analyses of vocalizing animals, together with anatomical analyses of functional morphology, to document descended larynges in red and fallow deer. The resting position of the larynx in males of these species is similar to that in humans, and, during roaring, red–deer stags lower the larynx even further, to the sternum. These findings indicate that laryngeal descent is not uniquely human and has evolved at least twice in independent lineages. We suggest that laryngeal descent serves to elongate the vocal tract, allowing callers to exaggerate their perceived body size by decreasing vocal–tract resonant frequencies. Vocal–tract elongation is common in birds and is probably present in additional mammals. Size exaggeration provides a non–linguistic alternative hypothesis for the descent of the larynx in human evolution.
A NOTE ON METHODS OF ESTIMATING REGIONAL INPUT-OUTPUT TABLES : CAN THE FLQ IMPROVE THE RAS ALGORITHM ?

This paper challenges the assertion made by FLEGG and TOHMO, 2011 that the FLQ non-survey method of estimating regional trade will improve the accuracy of STONE's, 1969 RAS algorithm when applied within the context of constructing regional input-output tables. The paper firstly raises a number of conceptual concerns with the assertion before presenting empirical evidence regarding the efficacy of the claim using Finland regional input-output data for 1995. The paper finds evidence to reject the view that the FLQ and other location quotients can provide an improvement to the RAS algorithm.
Web-scale Multimedia Search for Internet Video Content

The World Wide Web has been witnessing an explosion of video content. Video data are becoming one of the most valuable sources to assess insights and information. However, existing video search methods are still based on text matching (text-to-text search), and could fail for the huge volumes of videos that have little relevant metadata or no metadata at all. In this paper, we propose an accurate, efficient and scalable semantic search method for Internet videos that allows for intelligent and flexible search schemes over the video content (text-to-video search and text&video-to-video search). To achieve this ambitious goal, we propose several novel methods to improve accuracy and efficiency. The extensive experiments demonstrate that the proposed methods are able to surpass state-of-the-art accuracy and efficiency on multiple datasets. Based on the proposed methods, we implement E-Lamp Lite, the first of its kind large-scale semantic search engine for Internet videos. According to National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), it achieved the best accuracy in the TRECVID Multimedia Event Detection (MED) 2013, 2014 and 2015, one of the most representative task for content-based video search. To the best of our knowledge, E-Lamp Lite is the first content-based semantic search system that is capable of indexing and searching a collection of 100 million videos.
Epidemiology and survival of cervical cancer in the French West-Indies: data from the Martinique Cancer Registry (2002–2011)

ABSTRACT Background: The Caribbean ranks seventh among world regions most affected by cervical cancer. Social health inequalities, such as differences in access to screening services, engender disparities in incidence and mortality between low- and middle-income countries and industrialized countries. The French National Cancer Plan 2014–2019 focuses on reducing inequalities in cervical cancer. Objective: The aim of this study was to describe the geographical distribution and overall survival of cervical cancer, based on data from a population-based cancer registry in Martinique (French West-Indies). Methods: We included all cases of cervical cancer diagnosed between 2002 and 2011. The geographical distribution was described by zone of residence and by aggregated units for statistical information (IRIS). Based on the results of the model, standardized incidence rates (SIRs) were calculated using a Gamma Poisson model. Survival rates were calculated using the Kaplan–Meier method. Cox proportional hazards models were used to investigate the risk factors for cervical cancer mortality. Results: A total of 1253 cases were analyzed (947 in situ tumors and 306 invasive cancers). 1230 cases with geolocalization were used to map the distribution of the incidence of in situ and invasive cervical cancers. Five IRIS were significantly over-incident. The 5-year overall survival rate was 55%, with a median survival of 6.5 years [95% CI: 4.9–10.1]. Multivariate analysis confirmed age at diagnosis (HR = 2.15 [1.50–3.09]; p < 0.0001), FIGO stage (HR = 3.53 [2.50–4.99]; p < 0.0001) and zone of residence (HR = 1.51 [1.06–2.13]; p = 0.02) as risk factors. Conclusions: Prognostic factors suggest that cervical cancer needs to be diagnosed at an early stage. Our results could allow cervical cancer screening programs to clearly identify geographical areas that would benefit from targeted interventions with a view to reducing incidence and mortality of cervical cancer in the Caribbean.
Symbolic execution with mixed concrete-symbolic solving

Symbolic execution is a powerful static program analysis technique that has been used for the automated generation of test inputs. Directed Automated Random Testing (DART) is a dynamic variant of symbolic execution that initially uses random values to execute a program and collects symbolic path conditions during the execution. These conditions are then used to produce new inputs to execute the program along different paths. It has been argued that DART can handle situations where classical static symbolic execution fails due to incompleteness in decision procedures and its inability to handle external library calls. We propose here a technique that mitigates these previous limitations of classical symbolic execution. The proposed technique splits the generated path conditions into (a) constraints that can be solved by a decision procedure and (b) complex non-linear constraints with uninterpreted functions to represent external library calls. The solutions generated from the decision procedure are used to simplify the complex constraints and the resulting path conditions are checked again for satisfiability. We also present heuristics that can further improve our technique. We show how our technique can enable classical symbolic execution to cover paths that other dynamic symbolic execution approaches cannot cover. Our method has been implemented within the Symbolic PathFinder tool and has been applied to several examples, including two from the NASA domain.
PLASMA AND PITUITARY PROLACTIN AND BLOOD PRESSURE IN BROMOCRIPTINE‐TREATED SPONTANEOUSLY HYPERTENSIVE AND WISTAR‐KYOTO RATS

1. The effects on blood pressure (BP) and plasma and pituitary prolactin (PRL) of a 13 day intraperitoneal infusion of bromocriptine delivered by osmotic minipump were investigated in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and their normotensive controls, the Wistar‐Kyoto rats (WKY).
Ensembles of Kernel Predictors

This paper examines the problem of learning with a finite and possibly large set of p base kernels. It presents a theoretical and empirical analysis of an approach addressing this problem based on ensembles of kernel predictors. This includes novel theoretical guarantees based on the Rademacher complexity of the corresponding hypothesis sets, the introduction and analysis of a learning algorithm based on these hypothesis sets, and a series of experiments using ensembles of kernel predictors with several data sets. Both convex combinations of kernel-based hypotheses and more general Lq-regularized nonnegative combinations are analyzed. These theoretical, algorithmic, and empirical results are compared with those achieved by using learning kernel techniques, which can be viewed as another approach for solving the same problem.
Cord blood hemopoietic progenitor profiles predict acute respiratory symptoms in infancy

Atopy is characterized by eosinophilic inflammation associated with recruitment of eosinophil/basophil (Eo/B) progenitors. We have previously shown that Eo/B progenitor phenotypes are altered in cord blood (CB) in infants at high risk of atopy/asthma, and respond to maternal dietary intervention during pregnancy. As respiratory tract viral infections have been shown to induce wheeze in infancy, we investigated the relationship between CB progenitor function and phenotype and acute respiratory illness (ARI), specifically wheeze and fever. CB from 39 high‐risk infants was studied by flow cytometry for CD34+ progenitor phenotype and by ex vivo Eo/B‐colony forming unit (CFU) responses to cytokine stimulation in relation to ARI in the first year of life. A consistent relationship was observed between increased numbers of granulocyte/macrophage (GM)‐colony‐stimulating factor (CSF)‐ and IL‐3‐responsive Eo/B‐CFU in CB and the frequency/characteristics of ARI during infancy. Comparable associations were found between ARI and CB IL‐3R+ and GM‐CSFR+CD34+ cell numbers. Conversely, a reciprocal decrease in the proportion of CB IL‐5R+ cells was found in relation to the clinical outcomes. The elevation of IL‐3/GM‐CSF‐responsive Eo/B progenitors in high‐risk infants in relation to ARI outcomes suggests a mechanism for the increased severity of inflammatory responses in these subjects following viral infection.
Use of antiepileptic drugs in Estonia: an epidemiologic study of adult epilepsy

An evaluation of general antiepileptic treatment patterns and utilization of particular drugs was carried out based on the prevalence study of adult active epilepsy in a sample of the Estonian population. The antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) used, and their doses were recorded and compared with clinical characteristics. Nineteen per cent of the subjects did not take any AED on the prevalence day; 83% of those on medication were taking a single drug, 15% two, and 2% three AEDs. Localization‐related symptomatic epilepsies were most frequently treated with AEDs and were also the largest group receiving polytherapy. The most common agent was carbamazepine (68%), followed by barbiturates. Valproate and phenytoin were used much less. The study design and its impact on the interpretation of results is discussed. The percentage of sodium‐channel blockers is generally comparable with that reported from other European countries. The small share of valproate is probably a result of the extensive utilization of barbiturates, and is partially related to the age distribution in the study. The high figure of AED‐free cases, and small percentage of polytherapy indicates a tendency for undertreatment. Some points for improvement in AED therapy are discussed.
The Influence of Soccer Playing Actions on the Recovery Kinetics After a Soccer Match

Abstract Nedelec, M, McCall, A, Carling, C, Legall, F, Berthoin, S, and Dupont, G. The influence of soccer playing actions on the recovery kinetics after a soccer match. J Strength Cond Res 28(6): 1517–1523, 2014—This study examined the relationship between the frequency of playing actions performed during a soccer match and the recovery kinetics after the match. Time motion analyses were performed on 10 professional soccer players during 4 competitive matches (14 observations) to determine the number of playing actions completed by players. Subjective ratings, creatine kinase, and physical tests (countermovement jump [CMJ], isometric maximum voluntary contraction of the hamstrings, 6-second sprint on a nonmotorized treadmill) were performed before the match and 24 hours, 48 hours, and 72 hours after the match. During the 72-hour recovery period, CMJ, isometric strength of the hamstring muscles, and peak sprint speed significantly (p ⩽ 0.05) decreased, whereas muscle soreness increased (p ⩽ 0.05). Significant correlations were observed between the increase in muscle soreness and number of short sprints (<5 m) performed at 48 hours (r = 0.74; confidence interval [CI], 0.35–0.91; p < 0.01) and 72 hours (r = 0.57; CI, 0.05–0.84; p ⩽ 0.05) after match play. A significant relationship (r = −0.55; CI, −0.84 to −0.03; p ⩽ 0.05) was also observed between CMJ performance decrement at 24 hours and the number of hard changes in direction performed. Soccer match play resulted in significant neuromuscular fatigue for up to 72 hours after match and was dependent on the number of sprints and hard changes in direction performed during the match. Time motion analysis data currently used during a soccer match should quantify hard changes in direction, acceleration and deceleration phases to enable better estimations of postmatch fatigue.