Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Transversus Abdominis Plane Block Versus Wound Infiltration for Analgesia After Cesarean Delivery: A Randomized Controlled Trial

BACKGROUND: Transversus abdominis plane (TAP) block and local anesthetic wound infiltration provide analgesia after cesarean delivery. Studies comparing the 2 techniques are scarce, with conflicting results. This double-blind, randomized controlled trial aimed to compare bilateral ultrasound-guided TAP block with single-shot local anesthetic wound infiltration for analgesia after cesarean delivery performed under spinal anesthesia. We hypothesized that the TAP block would decrease postoperative cumulative fentanyl consumption at 24 hours. METHODS: Eligible subjects were American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status II parturients with full-term singleton pregnancies undergoing elective cesarean delivery under spinal anesthesia. Exclusion criteria were: <19 years of age or >40 years of age; height <150 cm, weight <60 kg, body mass index ≥40 kg/m2; contraindications to spinal anesthesia; history of recent opioid exposure; hypersensitivity to any of the drugs used in the study; significant cardiovascular, renal, or hepatic disease; and known fetal abnormalities. Eighty subjects were randomly allocated to 2 equal groups. In the infiltration group, participants received 15 mL of bupivacaine 0.25% in each side of the surgical wound (total 30 mL); and in the TAP group, participants received 20 mL of bupivacaine 0.25% bilaterally in the TAP block (total 40 mL). The TAP block and wound infiltration were performed by the primary investigator and the operating obstetrician, respectively. All participants received postoperative standard analgesia (ketorolac and paracetamol) and intravenous fentanyl via patient-controlled analgesia. Patients and outcome assessors were blinded to the study group. The primary outcome was the cumulative fentanyl consumption at 24 hours. Secondary outcomes were the time to the first postoperative fentanyl dose, cumulative fentanyl consumption at 2, 4, 6, and 12 hours, pain scores at rest and on movement at 2, 4, 6, 12, and 24 hours, the deepest level of sedation, the incidence of side effects (nausea and vomiting and pruritis), and patient satisfaction. RESULTS: Data from 78 patients (39 patients in each group) were analyzed. The mean ± SD of cumulative fentanyl consumption at 24 hours was 157.4 ± 63.4 &mgr;g in the infiltration group and 153.3 ± 68.3 &mgr;g in the TAP group (difference in means [95% confidence interval] is 4.1 [−25.6 to 33.8] &mgr;g; P = .8). There were no significant differences between the 2 groups in the time to the first postoperative fentanyl dose, cumulative fentanyl consumption at 2, 4, 6, and 12 hours, pain scores at rest and on movement at 2, 4, 6, 12, and 24 hours, the deepest level of sedation, and patient satisfaction. The incidence of side effects (nausea and vomiting and pruritis) was low in the 2 groups. CONCLUSIONS: TAP block and wound infiltration did not significantly differ regarding postoperative fentanyl consumption, pain scores, and patient satisfaction in parturients undergoing cesarean delivery under spinal anesthesia.
Stuff I've seen: a system for personal information retrieval and re-use

Most information retrieval technologies are designed to facilitate information discovery. However, much knowledge work involves finding and re-using previously seen information. We describe the design and evaluation of a system, called Stuff I've Seen (SIS), that facilitates information re-use. This is accomplished in two ways. First, the system provides a unified index of information that a person has seen, whether it was seen as email, web page, document, appointment, etc. Second, because the information has been seen before, rich contextual cues can be used in the search interface. The system has been used internally by more than 230 employees. We report on both qualitative and quantitative aspects of system use. Initial findings show that time and people are important retrieval cues. Users find information more easily using SIS, and use other search tools less frequently after installation.
Identification of Reproduction-Specific Genes Associated with Maturation and Estrogen Exposure in a Marine Bivalve Mytilus edulis

Background While it is established that vertebrate-like steroids, particularly estrogens (estradiol, estrone) and androgens (testosterone), are present in various tissues of molluscs, it is still unclear what role these play in reproductive endocrinology in such organisms. This is despite the significant commercial shellfishery interest in several bivalve species and their decline. Methodology/Principal Findings Using suppression subtraction hybridisation of mussel gonad samples at two stages (early and mature) of gametogenesis and (in parallel) following controlled laboratory estrogen exposure, we isolate several differentially regulated genes including testis-specific kinases, vitelline lysin and envelope sequences. Conclusions The differentially expressed mRNAs isolated provide evidence that mussels may be impacted by exogenous estrogen exposure.
Effect of loudspeaker position on the robustness of acoustic crosstalk cancellation

Acoustic crosstalk cancellation is a signal processing technique whereby two (or possibly more) loudspeakers are used to deliver desired signals exactly at the listener's ears. Such a system is useful for three-dimensional (3-D) audio applications, and removes the requirement for the listener to wear headphones. However, crosstalk cancelers are notoriously nonrobust to slight movements in head position. Recently, a system consisting of two closely spaced loudspeakers (referred to as the "stereo-dipole") has been proposed to improve the robustness of the crosstalk canceler. In this letter we present a robustness analysis of the two-channel crosstalk canceler, and derive optimum loudspeaker positions.
Effects of the interaction of diabetes and iron supplementation on hepatic and pancreatic tissues, oxidative stress markers, and liver peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-α expression

This study evaluated the effects of the interaction of diabetes and a carbonyl iron supplemented on hepatic and pancreatic tissues, oxidative stress markers and liver peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-α expressions. Hamsters were divided: Control which received a standard AIN 93 diet; Control Iron, composed of control animals that received a diet with 0.83% carbonyl iron; Diabetic, composed of animals that received a injection of streptozotocin (50 mg/kg, intraperitoneal) on day 35; and Diabetic Iron composed of streptozotocin treated animals that received a diet supplemented with carbonyl iron. Diabetes increased the glucose level and reduced triglycerides. Diabetic Iron group showed higher levels of glucose and serum triglycerides as compared to the Diabetic group. Diabetes decreased mRNA levels of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-α. Iron attenuated the diabetes induced down regulation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-α mRNA. Moreover, diabetes increased carbonyl protein and decreased glutathione levels and catalase activity, while iron attenuated the increase in levels of carbonyl protein and attenuated the decrease in those of glutathione level and catalase activity. Histological analysis shows that supplementation iron caused an increase in the size of the islets in Control Iron. The results show that iron does not aggravated liver oxidant/antioxidant status and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-α expression in diabetic hamsters.
Production and perception of legato, portato, and staccato articulation in saxophone playing

This paper investigates the production and perception of different articulation techniques on the saxophone. In a production experiment, two melodies were recorded that required different effectors to play the tones (tongue-only actions, finger-only actions, combined tongue and finger actions) at three different tempi. A sensor saxophone reed was developed to monitor tongue-reed interactions during performance. In the slow tempo condition, combined tongue-finger actions showed improved timing, compared to the timing of the tongue alone. This observation supports the multiple timer hypothesis where the tongue's timekeeper benefits from a coupling to the timekeeper of the fingers. In the fast tempo condition, finger-only actions were less precise than tongue-only actions and timing precision of combined tongue-finger actions showed the higher timing variability, close to the level of finger-only actions. This suggests that the finger actions have a dominant influence on the overall timing of saxophone performance. In a listening experiment we investigated whether motor expertise in music performance influences the perception of articulation techniques in saxophone performance. Participants with different backgrounds in music making (saxophonists, musicians not playing the saxophone, and non-musicians) attended an AB-X listening test. They had to discriminate between saxophone phrases played with different articulation techniques (legato, portato, staccato). Participants across all three groups discriminated the sound of staccato articulation well from the sound of portato articulation and legato articulation. Errors occurred across all groups of listeners when legato articulation (no tonguing) and portato articulation (soft tonguing) had to be discriminated. Saxophonists' results were superior compared to the results of the other two groups, suggesting that expertise in saxophone playing facilitated the discrimination task.
Online Learning of Commission Avoidant Portfolio Ensembles

We present a novel online ensemble learning strategy for portfolio selection. The new strategy controls and exploits any set of commission-oblivious portfolio selection algorithms. The strategy handles transaction costs using a novel commission avoidance mechanism. We prove a logarithmic regret bound for our strategy with respect to optimal mixtures of the base algorithms. Numerical examples validate the viability of our method and show significant improvement over the state-of-the-art.
Long-term prognosis of acute kidney injury after first acute stroke.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Acute kidney injury (AKI) has been associated with increased mortality in a variety of clinical settings. We studied the incidence, predictors, and effect of AKI on long-term overall mortality and cardiovascular events after stroke. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, & MEASUREMENTS This was a prospective outcome study of 2155 patients who sustained an acute first-ever stroke and were followed for 10 yr. Patients were divided in two groups: (1) Those with an acute increase (over 48 h) in serum creatinine >or=0.3 mg/dl or a percentage increase of >or=50% and (2) those with a change <0.3 mg/dl, no change at all, or even a reduction. RESULTS Twenty-seven percent of patients developed AKI after acute stroke. Stroke severity, baseline estimated GFR, heart failure, and stroke subtype predict the occurrence of AKI. The probability of 10-yr mortality for patients with AKI was 75.9 and 57.7 in the patients without AKI (log rank test 45.0; P = 0.001). When patients with AKI were subdivided into three groups according to AKI severity, the probability of 10-yr mortality increased: 73.7, 86.5, and 89.2 in stages 1, 2, and 3, respectively. In Cox proportional hazard analysis, AKI was an independent predictor of 10-yr mortality (P < 0.01) and for the occurrence of new composite cardiovascular events (P < 0.05) after adjustment for available confounding variables. CONCLUSIONS AKI after stroke is a powerful and independent predictor of 10-yr mortality and new composite cardiovascular events.
Present status of bronchoalveolar lavage in interstitial lung disease.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW Sampling the detachable cells and acellular lining secretions of the human respiratory tract by bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) is a means of obtaining relevant components from the airways and alveolar areas for research use and clinical analysis in normals (controls) and patients with a wide spectrum of interstitial lung diseases (ILDs). This review attempts to discuss recent findings from BAL studies that provide insight into pathogenic mechanisms of ILDs and/or assist in diagnosing disease activity. RECENT FINDINGS BAL analysis and usefulness are reviewed for the major forms of ILDs. In addition, some perspective about this sampling method is given and the context for BAL is provided for the respective disease, either for diagnosis or research use. SUMMARY Whereas BAL findings continue to impact on understanding disease pathogenesis and this may be its major use now, BAL fluid components, cells in particular, are not correlated well with activity of disease nor for monitoring disease progress or response to treatment. For a few rarer ILDs, BAL fluid characteristics may strongly support a diagnosis.
The Araucaria Project: A Wide-Field Photometric Survey for Cepheid Variables in NGC 3109

We have obtained mosaic images of NGC 3109 in the V and I bands on 74 nights, spanning approximately 1 yr. From these data, we have conducted an extensive search for Cepheid variables over the entire field of the galaxy, resulting in the discovery of 113 variables with periods ranging from 3.4 to 31.4 days. In this sample, 76 Cepheids, including many long-period variables, were not known before. For the previously known 45 Cepheids in this galaxy, our data proved that reported periods were wrong for 14 objects; for nearly all other previously known Cepheid variables, we were able to significantly improve on the periods. We construct period-luminosity relations from our data and obtain reddening-corrected distance moduli of 25.72 ± 0.03 mag in V and 25.66 ± 0.03 mag in I. The distance modulus derived from the reddening-independent V-I Wesenheit index turns out to be significantly shorter (25.54 ± 0.03 mag), which indicates that in addition to the foreground extinction of E(B-V) = 0.05 mag, there is an intrinsic to NGC 3109 reddening of about 0.05 mag. Our distance obtained based on the reddening-free Wesenheit magnitudes is consistent with earlier distance determinations of NGC 3109 from Cepheids and the tip of the red giant branch. We improve on our distance and extinction determination combining our optical data with the follow-up near-infrared observations of a subsample of NGC 3109 Cepheids.
Neural Symbolic Machines: Learning Semantic Parsers on Freebase with Weak Supervision

Harnessing the statistical power of neural networks to perform language understanding and symbolic reasoning is difficult, when it requires executing efficient discrete operations against a large knowledge-base. In this work, we introduce a Neural Symbolic Machine, which contains (a) a neural “programmer”, i.e., a sequence-to-sequence model that maps language utterances to programs and utilizes a key-variable memory to handle compositionality (b) a symbolic “computer”, i.e., a Lisp interpreter that performs program execution, and helps find good programs by pruning the search space. We apply REINFORCE to directly optimize the task reward of this structured prediction problem. To train with weak supervision and improve the stability of REINFORCE, we augment it with an iterative maximum-likelihood training process. NSM outperforms the state-of-the-art on the WebQuestionsSP dataset when trained from question-answer pairs only, without requiring any feature engineering or domain-specific knowledge.
Using chaotic features of leakage current for monitoring dynamic behavior of surface discharges on an ice-covered insulator

Based on AC flashover tests on an ice-covered insulator, leakage current (LC) was measured to check the chaotic features through estimation of the largest Lyapunov exponent. Based on the embedding space theory and phase space reconstruction method, the LC attractor phase portrait and related correlation dimension were obtained in relation with the insulator surface performance. It was found that the largest Lyapunov exponents are all positive demonstrating that LC has chaotic features. The variation in chaos attractors can graphically indicate an increasing regularity in the surface discharges. The correlation dimension shows a decreasing tendency with the development of arcing discharges, which reveals a decreasing complexity in the surface discharges, especially just prior to the flashover occurrence. Therefore, chaotic features of LC are sensitive to dynamic discharge behavior on ice-covered insulators, which can be applied as a monitoring method for pre-warning flashover occurrence of outdoor insulators under icing conditions.
ANALYTICAL MODELING OF MICRO END-MILLING FORCES WITH EDGE RADIUS AND MATERIAL STRENGTHENING EFFECTS

The study aims at developing a predictive analytical force model for the micro end-milling operation taking into account the material strengthening as well as the edge radius effects that come into play at the micro level. The mechanistic models for macro end-milling process have been extensively reported in literature and such models predominantly use milling force coefficients which are empirically determined from end-milling experiments. The proposed model for micro end-milling is based on determination of milling force coefficients from fundamental oblique cutting approach. The edge radius effect has been accounted by analyzing the rubbing action similar to the rolling of a cylinder over work surface. Johnson-Cook material model has been modified based on the strain gradient plasticity theory incorporating the increase in material strength with decreasing uncut chip thickness. From the micro orthogonal cutting experiments, a good agreement between the experimental and predicted shear strength values is observed. The force model is validated against measured forces in end-milling experiments carried out on the KERN Evo 5 axis micro machining center. The feed and lateral forces are predicted within 10% deviation on an average.
Monitoring of serum Her-2/neu predicts histopathological response to neoadjuvant trastuzumab-based therapy for breast cancer.

BACKGROUND This prospective pilot study was performed to elucidate whether early changes in serum levels of the Her-2/neu extracellular domain (ECD) reflect histopathological response to trastuzumab-based neoadjuvant therapy in patients with Her-2/neu-overexpressing breast cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS ECD levels were measured throughout neoadjuvant trastuzumab-based treatment in 16 patients using a Her-2/neu Microtiter ELISA. RESULTS In 9 (56%) patients with Her-2/neu shedding tumors (ECD > 15 ng/ml), ECD values (in % of baseline) of non-responders vs. responders were 117% vs. 55% on day 8 (p=0.014), 157% vs. 58% on day 22 (p=0.061) and 114% vs. 46% at restaging (p=0.049). CONCLUSION Serial monitoring of serum Her-2/neu ECD levels may represent a valuable tool to predict pathological response to trastuzumab-based neoadjuvant therapy in patients with Her-2/neu-overexpressing tumors.
Differential Thermal Analysis of Wool—The Phase-Transition Endotherm Under Various Conditions1

Wool samples in vacuo, as well as samples sealed with various amounts of water, were studied by differential thermal analysis (DTA). In all cases, a phase-transition endotherm, often a doublet, was observed. The temperature of the first peak T m depends on the amount of water present, heating rate, level of disulfide reduction, and type of keratin fiber. Parallel x-ray studies showed that the conformation of the polypeptide chains in samples at room temperature, after heating to the completion of the endotherm, depended on the first three of these parameters. Tm was 142°C for a Merino wool heated at 3.8°C/min in a sealed tube with an amount of water greater than 80% of the dry weight of the wool and, after fusion, the sample showed no x-ray reflections other than a diffuse ring at 9.8A and the usual halo at 4. 15Å. Cystine-reduced samples similarly treated and unreduced samples sealed with 7-10% of water subsequently gave a sharp arc at 4.65A, indicating the presence of partially disoriented β-crystallites. Relative entropies of transition were computed from the DTA curves and showed a correlation with the x-ray results. For instance, when the relative entropy was low the x-ray patterns showed loss of the α-form and appearance of the β-form, but when the relative entropy of transition was high, the α-pattern was replaced by one showing no specific ordered form.
The Use of Systemic and Topical Fluoroquinolones

Appropriate prescribing practices for fluoroquinolones, as well as all antimicrobial agents, are essential as evolving resistance patterns are considered, additional treatment indications are identified, and the toxicity profile of fluoroquinolones in children has become better defined. Earlier recommendations for systemic therapy remain; expanded uses of fluoroquinolones for the treatment of certain infections are outlined in this report. Prescribing clinicians should be aware of specific adverse reactions associated with fluoroquinolones, and their use in children should continue to be limited to the treatment of infections for which no safe and effective alternative exists or in situations in which oral fluoroquinolone treatment represents a reasonable alternative to parenteral antimicrobial therapy.
Macrophage cytoskeleton association with CR3 and CR4 regulates receptor mobility and phagocytosis of iC3b‐opsonized erythrocytes

Alveolar macrophages (AMø) were examined for CR1 (C3b receptor, CD35), CR3 (iC3b receptor; CD11b/CD18), and CR4 (iC3b receptor; CD11c/CD18) by assays for binding of C3‐opsonized sheep erythrocytes (EC3b or EC3bi) and uptake of specific monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). In AMø isolates from nine normal volunteers, 49% of cells bound EC3b and 71% bound EC3bi. Quantitation of receptors per cell with [125I]mAbs showed 8.5 × 104 CR4, 5.1 × 104 CR3, and 2.6 × 104 CR1. With most AMø preparations, CR3 was the major receptor mediating attachment of EC3bi, despite the predominance of CR4 antigens. Anti‐CR3 inhibited EC3bi rosettes by ≥50%, whereas anti‐CR4 blocked rosettes by ≤18%. U937 cells differentiated with phorbol myristate acetate resembled AMø in receptor expression but exhibited almost no CR4‐dependent rosetting. Despite the relative inability of CR4 to mediate EC3bi attachment, AMø ingestion of [51Cr]EC3bi was blocked by either anti‐CR3 or anti‐CR4. Two lines of evidence indicated that CR3 were more mobile within the membrane than were CR4. Immunofluorescence staining demonstrated patching and occasional capping of CR3, whereas CR4 remained uniformly distributed. This patching and capping of CR3 required the actin cytoskeleton, as it was inhibited by cytochalasin D. Modulation experiments using surfaces coated with anti‐CR3 or anti‐CR4 also showed that CR3 was more mobile than was CR4. However, there was some variation among AMø isolates from different donors. In seven isolates, no CR4 modulation was produced with anti‐CR4, whereas in six other isolates, CR4 was modulated by 66%. Incubation of cells in cytochalasin D increased modulation of both CR3 and CR4 on mAb‐coated surfaces. Cells exhibiting increased mobility of CR4 showed an increased ability to form CR4‐dependent EC3bi rosettes. The data are consistent with the hypothesis that CR3 and CR4 exhibit a variable association with the cytoskeleton that regulates their mobility and function. A relatively mobile subset of CR3 and/or CR4 mediates EC3bi attachment, whereas a relatively immobile subset of CR3 and/or CR4 fails to mediate EC3bi attachment but functions to promote ingestion of EC3bi.